"I never meant to harm you, I was just saving my own skin. But it's just that after lying once, I had to keep lying and try find my way out of this mess.
Fake it till you make it right? I know you will understand!" Kid said, as Leo laughed at his words.
In a way, Kid was practicing fake it till you make it, but for all the wrong reasons.
Nonetheless, Leo was not mad at him for trying to save his own skin after everything went wrong, but was rather impressed by Kid's ability to cook up lies in the face of imminent danger.
"You know, you almost had me fooled. If not for the solid evidence, I might've never known it was you. So it just goes to show how good of a talker you really are.
Unfortunately your execution skills are shit, otherwise you would genuinely become a good example of what 'Fake It Till You Make It' philosophy can do." Leo complimented, as Kid let out a dry laugh.
"Well, none of that matters now, what matters is you are now my loyal dog, so as my loyal servant, explain to me how you can be useful to me in the coming days.
What is it that you as the Captain of this ship can do for me, that will make me forgive you and give you back your freedom?" Leo asked, as Kid almost reflexively blurted out everything he could do for Leo.
"I can't do much for YOU in particular, like reinstating your gaming time or rig your fight against the Demon King in your favor, however, what I can do for you is I can give you a list of all the incomplete special quests in the game and the potential rewards you can get from completing them.
You can choose to do the quest, or just straight up steal the end rewards once you find out where they're placed.
I know for a fact that there are still some extremely rare and powerful skill scrolls lying within the world of Terra Nova that no player yet has been able to discover" Kid began, as Leo's eyes brightened up at this proposal.
It was a shame that Kid could not reinstate his gaming time, but getting to know the location and reward list of all the rarest quests in the game was not bad either.
Leo could then choose the best quests to complete for the best possible rewards in his final days within the game.
"I can also secretly help your brother reach the realm of a 'Master' warrior faster. The last rankers event is just around the corner and I can rig the stakes in his favor, making him the eventual biggest winner of the last rankers event.
While I have little to no control over the framework of Terra Nova Online, I have more freedom with the ranker events that are held in a separate dimension and I can use my privileges to help him and your sister in law, if that pleases you" Kid offered as Leo stroked his chin in delight.
Helping Luke reach the realm of a master warrior faster did not seem like a bad idea, however, he was sure that it would hurt his brother's pride if it was ever revealed that he only made it with external help.
Hence, if it had to be done, Leo had to do it in secret.
But regardless, the offer itself was good.
"Go on…" Leo said, urging Kid to make himself even more useful.
"Finally… I–I can indulge your curiosity about the outer world. Everything I know.
We can host a session here every night where you can ask me anything you want to know about the wider universe and I will explain it to you as best as I can.
Not some dumb information pack that'll only ever give you a small picture, I'll share with you everything you need to know to best prepare yourself for the outer world" Kid suggested, as Leo nodded happily at his words.
"Very well. Do all three of this until the next rankers event is concluded and I will consider your debt to me paid.
Till then, you will continue wearing this leg monitor and I will keep a watch on you—" Leo concluded, as he stretched out his hand for Kid to shake.
"Thankyou, that's very generous of you" Kid said, while bowing slightly, as he spoke with a tone that screamed that he was feigning his sincerity.
"You will deliver on your promises, right Kid?" Leo asked, as the two shook hand, as Kid replied like a programmed parrot.
"I'll do everything in my power to meet your expectations. You won't regret sparing me."
Leo smirked at the response and leaned back into his chair.
"You're lucky I find you amusing, Kid. You're like a cockroach—no matter how many times the world tries to crush you, you keep crawling back with some kind of scheme."
Kid forced a weak chuckle, his hands trembling slightly as he adjusted the monitor on his ankle. "I prefer to think of it as being resourceful."
Leo leaned forward, his gaze sharp and commanding. "Remember, Kid, the only reason you're still breathing is because you're useful. Don't test me again. Fail, lie, or even think about double-crossing me, and I'll make sure no one remembers your name."
Kid swallowed hard and nodded. "Understood."
"Good. Now get to work. Go design whatever you need to design to benefit my brother in the rankers event and then think about your lesson plan for tonight and what you're gonna tell me about the wider universe.
You better be prepared when I walk in here for the story" Leo demanded, as he stood up from his seat and turned to leave the cabin.
"Until then…" he said, waving his hand, as Kid remained frozen in place, the weight of his predicament pressing down on him as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
He had somehow survived Leo's interrogation, but at what cost?
He was his dog now, and had to bark and amuse him till he earned back his freedom.
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