Seeing the excited looks on their faces, Darlina said, "Though that sounds like an exciting thing, it's not something you'll see for a while. To forge such a powerful armor requires skills developed after making thousands of high-quality armor. I suspect that it'll be a few years before people are able to walk around without having to be afraid of Modified Humans."

Claire felt depressed, hearing Darlina's words that making such things was still a long way away.

"What about armor that would give us a fighting chance?" Hannah asked.

Turning to her friend, Claire realized that she had misunderstood entirely what Darlina had said, and Hannah was hitting the nail on the hammer when it came to where they actually needed to be. Looking at Darlina, Claire saw the robot happily smiling.

"I'm glad you were able to spot my intentions," Darlina said. Nodding, "Though we won't be seeing that level of armor for a while, it still wouldn't matter if it did exist."

"Why wouldn't it matter?" Hannah asked.

Sighing, Darlina explained, "Because no one would be able to wear it." The robot shrugged its shoulder as though it was something obvious. Before either Claire or Hannah could ask, it continued, "Imagine giving a child a powerful gun. Just because the gun exists, the child doesn't have the strength to use it effectively. The weapon is just too heavy. This is the same with the armor and weapon. A problem is just how little of the energy being absorbed into a person's body. Even in the other Underground Cities, there hasn't appeared someone with the necessary levels of energy. If they were to try and force it, they'd likely experience a backlash."

"Backlash," Claire felt a chill run through her body. "Are you saying that the armor or weapon would be like what happened to us?" She remembered the pain going through her body after eating the food.

Darlina nodded. "That's exactly what it would be like. Even worse, if you're talking about armor and weapon that'd be useful in fighting the Modified Humans. Compared to what happened with the two of you, the moment you equipped such items, your internal organs would likely explode."

Claire hissed at the robot's words, trying not to imagine having that happen to her. But now it made sense why Darlina had said it would be a while before they'd be able to go up against Modified Humans. At the same time, it only reinforced how strong those monsters were that covered the Earth.

"Aside from the Modified Humans, weren't there other creatures we needed to worry about?" Claire asked the robot, feeling as though she forgot something.

"The Unexpected Creatures are what you're thinking about," Darlina said. "I assume you're asking how powerful those things are?"

Claire and Hannah nodded their heads.

"Compared to the Modified Humans, the Unexpected Creatures will likely be as diverse as humans are with how much energy they store. The problem is our lack of knowledge related to these things." Darlina shook its head slowly.

Feeling like it was better to not waste any more time, Claire said, "How do we set up the place where we'll be making the items? And where do we go to get the materials?"

"How about I lead you to where you'll be working?" A voice said behind them.

When Claire turned to face the voice, she noticed that it was Darlina. Looking back to the Darlina they'd been speaking to, she saw it smiling at them.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I'll need to stay here to help out the other adventurers, but my other me will be able to guide you." Lowering its voice, Darlina said, "I'm sure there are questions you have that would not be ideal to be overheard by other adventurers."

Glancing around her, seeing the numerous adventurers waiting in line or gathered around the screens, Claire realized that where they were standing wasn't an ideal location.

"Follow after me, I'll walk you do your work area that you'll be spending a lot of time in. I can also guide you through the process or ordering new materials." The new Darlina voiced, as it waved to the one behind the counter and walked away with them.

Following the new Darlina, Claire kept an eye on their surroundings.

"I've noticed that people seem to enjoy watching these videos out here, compared to in their room?" Claire asked Darlina.

Darlina nodded, "It's likely due to the social nature. If they were to watch it inside their room, they wouldn't be around others interested in the same thing as them."

"Are there other areas like this?" Hannah asked.

"Not just inside of the Guild, but throughout the Underground Cities, we have viewing areas where people can enjoy similar interests," Darlina said. "But if you're looking for just inside of the Guild, we have hallways for people interested in following adventurers. There are also hallways dedicated to sports, like with WABAL."

Feeling as though a lot of information was being given to her, Claire had to pause.

Hannah also looked amazed at this information. "You mean that I could watch adventurers inside of the simulation?"

"I feel like they'd not enjoy having people spy on them," Claire agreed with Hannah, finding the set up to be strange.

Looking back at them, Darlina said, "That's because you're not aware of the benefits." Pointing at the screens that were displaying adventurers creating items, "Just like how those adventurers can get Guild Points from people around the world, the adventurers going through the simulation can develop a strong following."

Making a face, Claire asked, "Why would people follow what others are doing? Wouldn't it be better to just train themselves?"

Hannah nodded in agreement at what Claire was saying.

As they continued walking, they passed by a group of adventurers that were talking excitedly with one another, "We need to hurry up to the adventurer area! Gillian is about to start her stream!"

Claire was surprised by the group of guys running towards the area where the simulations were, primarily the area that people training hung out.

"What was all that about?" Hannah asked Darlina.

"You just witnessed one of the benefits of being a streamer," Darlina smiled as it watched the male adventurers. "Gillian is an adventurer that's growing in popularity, who decided to stream her dives into the simulation. In addition to the experience she gains from completing jobs, she also enjoys a sizeable about of Guild Points being directed her way from her fans."

"Is she inside this Underground City?" Claire asked, curious about the woman.

"No. She's in one of our international Underground Cities." It explained. "Due to her growing popularity, Star and Moon has decided to help promote her."

"What does that mean?" Claire asked.

"It means that she receives some perks in addition to her getting more screentime on the monitors inside of the hallways. Due to the nature of people watching in large groups, adventurers are more likely to donate larger sums to the adventurers." Darlina giggled, "It sometimes gets very competitive. Sometimes fan clubs inside of a particular Underground City will compete against another location, to see who can donate the most Guild Points."

"That sounds ridiculous," Claire scowled.

Giggling, Hannah said, "I think it's adorable."

Claire rolled her eyes at Hannah's comment, thinking about how her friend had a crush on Alex. Alex would have no problem fitting in with those groups, so it'd make sense that Hannah would find such personality traits to be desirable.

"It's even more curious how the adventurers will dive into the simulation to get more Guild Points, not to use on themselves, but to donate to these streamers," Darlina commented.

"What does Star and Moon get out of this?" Claire wondered out loud.

"It's beneficial to all parties. Even without taking a cut from the donations, Star and Moon is able to develop adventurers that'll help reclaim the world. All parties gain more strength with this symbiotic relationship, which is why the company encourages such behavior." Darlina said.

As she noticed more adventurers making their way out of the hallway towards other parts of the Guild, Claire couldn't help but agree with the robot's words. Without even trying, Star and Moon was creating an environment that improved the strength of adventurers.