The aftermath of the firefight that occurred in the Badlands two days ago was far from over.
Maine dialed Asa number, his tone carrying a hint of awkwardness.
"What happened?"
"Do you remember the operation from the day before yesterday?"
"Militech sent people to the Badlands afterward and found that the three armored vehicles left at the scene had been dragged back to their lair by the Wraiths. That's what the NCPD said."
"Right. Militech clearly doesn't think the Wraiths have the guts to actively provoke them. But they'll cause trouble for whoever has the goods. The two sides had a skirmish, and the Wraiths were beaten so badly they couldn't lift their heads. Those lunatics couldn't swallow their pride, but they couldn't break into Night City to find trouble with Militech either, so they turned their anger on the Aldecaldos clan that just migrated over recently."
Hearing this, Asa heart stirred slightly.
As far as he knew, the Aldecaldos were a nomad tribe that didn't migrate to the vicinity of Night City until '76, and Panam Palmer was one of them.
In the game, she was also a romanceable character, so she should be on the system's list of romanceable characters as well.
Maine's voice continued to come through the receiver:
"The Aldecaldos are being harassed so miserably by the Wraiths that they had no choice but to send someone into the city to find a Fixer to pull some strings. This job eventually fell to our team. The problem is, I haven't had time to recruit a new netrunner yet."
He revealed his true intention for calling.
"So I want to temporarily borrow Sascha to help with information support."
A complete assault team needs a netrunner. Maine could have found another one, but there was too little time, and he knew nothing about anyone else's skill level.
"What do you think?"
Asa didn't answer immediately. His gaze fell on Sascha, who was napping on the counter, the girl's bob cut rising and falling slightly with her breath.
She did nothing but eat and sleep every day. Asa didn't mind, but he didn't want Sasha to turn into a 'tank' model.
After a moment, he said into the phone:
"Since it's a mission for your team, I have no objections. However, there's one condition: I'm coming along this time too."
Maine was silent for a few seconds before finally agreeing.
In his view, this Wizard was probably bored out of his mind and looking for some fun. In the days he had spent dealing with Asa, he had learned one thing:
Don't try to talk logic or danger to someone who's just in it for the fun.
The departure time was set for the next day.
The agreed meeting place was still the Afterlife Bar, where they needed to finalize the specific details of the operation.
When Asa pushed open the private booth door with Sascha, Maine was already sitting inside.
He was the only one sitting in the large booth, with two cigarette butts crushed in the ashtray in front of him. Seeing the two enter, he lifted his chin toward the seats opposite him.
"Just you?" Asa sat down across from Maine, with Sascha quietly following at his side.
"The others are at the base prepping weapons," Maine said, his gaze unconsciously falling on Sascha.
The netrunner girl looked a bit rounder than when she had left the team a few days ago; there was even a bit of baby fat on her cheeks.
This discovery put him slightly at ease; at least Sascha wasn't having a bad time at the Divination Shop.
"So this time, you mean you just want to observe?"
Maine brought the topic back on track, scratching the back of his head. He felt like the man before him was practically here in Night City for sightseeing, though the man indeed had the capital for it.
He had seen Asa miraculous spells; magic was indeed an unexpected existence in this era.
But facing the destructive weapons of modern society, even a Wizard might not necessarily escape unscathed.
But looking at it from another perspective, if he were also such a figure who had never appeared in modern society, immortal and eternally youthful, he would probably have the same composure.
Maine didn't try to persuade him further; he couldn't have anyway.
Maine explained to Sasha and Asa what they would be doing tomorrow. Generally speaking, netrunners stayed at the very back.
Sasha was familiar with the routine, while Asa nodded from time to time.
On the way back, Sascha walked beside Asa, several times looking like she wanted to say something but stopping herself.
Asa glanced at her:
"If you have something to say, say it. I'm listening."
"Boss."
Sascha started with this address.
"I've been wanting to ask, what is your purpose in doing these things?"
She had seen it all these days. Asa spent most of his time in the shop, either playing games or watching braindances, almost completely ignoring the customers.
Yet, every few days, someone would always take the initiative to come to the door seeking a divination, and they were more generous with their pay than the last. If she hadn't known Asa true nature as a pure lazy dog, she would have suspected those people were plants.
Perhaps this was the unique composure of a long-lived species.
Having transcended low-level interests, do they have higher pursuits in life?
"Purpose?"
Asa, who had supposedly transcended low-level interests, was stunned. Could he say he just wanted to get close to beautiful women?
Actually, he really hadn't thought about this question carefully.
Initially coming to this world was just to use Cyberpunk technology to conquer resident evil.
Now that he was gradually shifting his focus here, it seemed he indeed needed a more long-term goal.
One can't be a pure seeker of fun for a lifetime.
Asa was silent for a moment. His gaze crossed the neon sea of Kabuki, looking toward the distant skyline shimmering with white light, before he said calmly:
"To see more different scenery."
As he said this, he deliberately gave Sascha an extra look.
The netrunner girl was slightly startled, then lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
His phone vibrated. Asa opened it to see a friend with a cat avatar had sent an emoji—a cat shyly covering its face.
How cute.
The next morning, Asa appeared at the gathering point on time.
Maine's car was parked there.
Just as he approached, a system prompt quietly popped up, telling him there was a new romanceable character in the car.
[Discovered important story character Rebecca. Establishing a bond can yield rewards.]
Rebecca-chan, when did she arrive?
Asa gaze swept across the dark car windows, and he could vaguely see a small figure with cyan twin-tails sizing him up through the glass.
The car door opened, and Maine poked his head out from the driver's seat to say hello, gesturing for him and Sascha to get in.
Asa sat in the passenger seat, while Sascha and Rebecca sat side-by-side in the back.
The tall Dorio and the tech expert Pilar followed in another car behind them.
Once he was settled in the passenger seat, a cyan-white arm suddenly reached over from the back. The girl with the twin-tails grabbed the back of the front seat and leaned her whole body forward:
"Maine, who is this guy?"
Her modified Cyberoptics stared straight at Asa.
Maine paused.
He really didn't know how to introduce Asa. Diviner? Wizard? Boss?
He glanced at Asa, and seeing that the other had no intention of avoiding it, he spoke truthfully:
"A Wizard. The Wizard of Chinatown."