Chapter 19: The Blessed Player

Back in Solo's study, moments had passed after Fayn's declaration; Lulu was so shocked that she froze; she was unable to move, and all she could do was look at the tiny girl with utter shock. As for Solo, despite his calm expression, he was even more shocked than Lulu.

"What the fuck is going on?! I made her clingy, not...Not THIS! This must be Ardion's trick; there is no way I did anything like that!" Thought Solo as he tried to stay as calm as possible.

After a brief moment, out of nervousness, Solo slightly moved his hair with his right hand and then placed his hand back on the table.

"Fayn... I think you should rethink... Especially since we still have so many things to take care of, we barely know anything about this world... Also... there would be a tiny problem... I hope you understand..." Replied Solo coldly and shifted his gaze to the tiny girl's eyes.

"Right... I apologise... Please disregard what I have just said..." Replied the girl quickly.

"Sir, can I ask what your plans are?" Asked Lulu after she finally got over the shock.

"My plans? Simple; solidifying our position in this world. The leader of the village in the forest is now under my control. We just need to be more accustomed to our surroundings, and now we should increase our influence in that village..."

"If we have a strong grip on them, we can use them as workforce and or test subjects... So I want Fayn, you, to go and observe that village; I am sure we could still gather valuable information from them, so no killing..."

"As for you, Lulu, I want you to explore the forest; from this point on, the Fricted Forest is under our jurisdiction... Take the twins with you; also, before you depart, call EE-Aram here." Explained Solo as he slowly leaned back in his chair and was continuously looking at Lulu.

Fayn quickly grabbed the tokens, despite her tiny size, and then effortlessly flew over to Lulu, gave one of the tokens to her, and then landed on her shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" Stated Fayn with a wide smile.

Lulu quickly bowed and then left, leaving Solo alone in his study. As he was about to take a deep breath, he heard a strange voice.

"Hey, Adi... Oh no... Your name is Soli; I almost forgot you have changed it. Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry; I might have gone overboard playing with your companions, so be prepared!" Echoed a childish and joyful voice in Solo's head.

"Soli? I am Solo! And who the hell are you? Show yourself!" Replied Solo.

He was highly irritated and was only thinking about one thing; Ardion. It was only after some time that he finally realised that it was not the voice of Ardion but was only similar to it. And moments after he realised that, a dozen panels popped up before his eyes.

"You have been blessed!" Stated every single panel.

The panels were so numerous that they not only covered his field of vision but also overlapped one another. With widened eyes Solo quickly dismissed all of them with a single motion of his hand.

"You have received a new title: Lucky!"

"You have received a new title: Fortunate!"

"You have received a new title: Blessed!"

"You have received a new title: Makred!" Another wall of panels appeared soon after Solo closed the previous ones.

"So there are more of them... And now I received new titles and blessings?! What could these mean? This must be part of his plan; blessings and titles were never present in Gates of Ardion... Anyway, I have decided! I am curious about this world, so I will let Fayn be the substitute leader of this domain while I am away... I remember setting her to be quite capable, so I am sure she will be just fine..."

"But I am also curious to see how real this world really is! EE-Aram... I set her to be knowledgeable in science and biology and to view herself as a science fanatic... I wonder, did she gain that knowledge? She should have, as both Lulu and Fayn seem to be acting just as they were set... " Mumbled Solo as he was tapping on the table.

He was barely able to finish talking when someone knocked on his door, and then it was slowly opened. The character who set foot in Solo's study was extraordinary, both inside and outside. This character was EE-Aram, probably Solo's strangest character and the only one of its kind. EE-Aram was an android. The only human-like part was her head, but even that was slightly artificial. She had a human face with skin, which felt authentic to the touch, but that was only the surface.

EE-Aram had a pair of golden eyes, which could function as flashlights as well. The girl had a kind, and childish face, along with short blond straight hair which barely reached below her ears. Although her hair seemed to be natural hair, each of her hair was made of a durable and high-tier composite, mostly made of metal.

Everything below her head, starting with her neck, had no skin and instead was made of the same material as her hair but with different colours. Most of her body was made of light black colour, except her shoulders, elbows, wrists, each of her knuckles in her fingers, her knees and her ankles; these were purple. Her chest was designed to represent a woman's features. Those who didn't know she was an android would say that she was just wearing a metallic bodycon dress.

As soon as the girl stepped in and closed the door behind her, she kneeled down.

"Sir, how can I help you?" Asked the girl in a human-like voice.

"EE-Aram, I hereby grant you permission to use the eighth floor. I want you to establish a laboratory; I am sure Fayn has already informed you about our current predicament, correct?" Spoke up Solo after he slowly scanned the kneeling girl.

Solo had forgotten how short he made her; thus, he couldn't help but smile slightly as he once again saw her; if she was standing, she was barely able to reach Solo's stomach.

"That is correct, sir; Fayn has given us a detailed explanation!" Replied the girl instantly, without hesitation.

"I want you to do some experiments and research... I want to see how this world functions! You are permitted to use the resources stored in the storage!" Stated Solo as he was observing the mechanical girl.

"I understand... Thank you, sir, for the opportunity! I will get started right away as long as you allow me to leave." Replied the android quickly but with great respect.

"Of course, you may leave!" Said Solo calmly, and once again, a slight smile crawled up his face.

EE-Aram instantly stood up, and with a broad smile, she quickly left the study; she closed the door so quietly that it didn't even make a sound. As soon as the android left, Solo leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

For some unknown reason, a new feeling came over him, a feeling he had not felt for quite some time. That feeling was best described as thrill or exhilaration. He did not know the source of this emotion. It could have been due to the new environment and the endless possibilities which he could explore. It could have been a newfound bond between him and the NPCs whom he created, and now became his loyal servants, each with their own mindset. Or it could have also been due to the blessings he had received; maybe it could have been Ardion's personal doing!

Solo was now free of the problems of modern days; as a student who had to study; now he was free from studies, free from assignments, free from illnesses due to his passive high resistance to anything. He was free of people who were directly controlling him; he was free to do as he wanted. However, being powerful is one thing; but using that power wisely is the hardest.

At that time, Solo had yet to realise the weight of his words. A single word was all he needed for his servants to be ready to kill anyone or sacrifice themselves! Since he was alone for a long time, will he be able to learn how to cope with his servants? Or will he, just like always, act on his own? That is a question for another day.