Gathering Information [Bonus]

The snake had been roasted to perfection, but Victor didn't eat it immediately. Instead, he asked:

"Do you want to eat?"

Number One shook his head and replied:

"No need, this is just an incarnation. Therefore, I don't need to eat or breathe."

Not having to share food was even better. With three people in the group and only himself eating, it was less to divide. Victor said:

"Alright, then I'll eat alone."

At that moment, with nothing else to do and having two 'strategists' present, Julius asked:

"Can you both share your thoughts on how to develop our faction?"

Number One, being the senior should be allowed to speak first. Seeing the two others looking at him, he said:

"In my opinion, unless you are among special individuals, you should behave normally. But in front of the common people, you should have the demeanor of a trustworthy leader."

Both nodded in agreement, and Victor said:

"I was planning to discuss this with Julius. Though we can speak freely when alone, we can't do the same in public. A leader must make the populace feel secure. Two oddballs can't be trusted, so we must maintain different facades."

Julius agreed, adding:

"You're right. No one would follow an unreliable leader. By the way, you mentioned that all plants and animals from the old world exist here, correct?"

Number One was puzzled by this question but answered:

"Yes, is there a problem? Oh, I get it. You mean the rice and wheat varieties, right?"

Julius nodded and said:

"Then we should be able to find them somewhere, shouldn't we? I guess they might be in some plain area, so our task is just to find them."

Victor, now thinking like a strategist, said:

"I think finding a plain to establish our base is a good idea. This way, we won't have to worry about food, and plains usually have plenty of rivers, so water won't be an issue. But we must choose a place surrounded by high mountains for a natural defense system for our forces."

The other two also nodded in agreement. Julius said:

"But that's for the future. Right now, we need to gather a core group of a few dozen people."

Victor nodded but then asked:

"So, do we currently have two people or three?"

Both of them looked at Number One. Whether it was two or three depended on his decision. He said:

"It's two. I don't intend to directly join you. The existence of Number One is just for chatting, not for working. Try throwing a stone at me."

Julius threw a stone at Number One, but it passed right through him. Seeing this, the two understood why he couldn't work. If he couldn't interact with physical matter, how could he contribute? 

But thinking about it a bit, it doesn't feel right. It's not that Number One can't do it, it's that he doesn't want to do it.

At this point, Victor said:

"Whether you work or not doesn't matter much. To me, you've already done enough, so do whatever you like now."

Julius also nodded in agreement. For the two of them, Number One had indeed helped them significantly by giving them an opportunity.

However, Victor still had a question, so he asked:

"What about those who are blind, paralyzed, missing body parts, or suffering from severe illnesses and can't move? Or children and infants? Were they all transported to isolated places like us?"

Number One obviously hadn't forgotten those people. He just didn't mention it earlier because he didn't think it was necessary. He replied:

"Children under sixteen are with their parents. Those with severe illnesses or non-functional body parts have been fully healed by me. Anyone, except infants, can move like a normal person."

The two were astonished to hear this. Julius said:

"I don't know whether to call you kind or cruel. Those people might never have had the chance to recover in their lifetime, and you made them normal again. If I were them, I would certainly be very grateful to you."

Victor nodded and said:

"But does it matter if it's good or bad? I don't care what he has done, but he gave me an opportunity, and for that, I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life."

Victor's words pleased Number One greatly. He smiled and said:

"Victor, to be honest, I quite like you. But I encountered Julius first, and even if I had met you first, it wouldn't work because your ambition is to be a strategist, not an emperor or lord."

Victor laughed:

"Ha ha ha, thank you for thinking highly of me. Now, do you want to go play? Julius and I will show you an interesting journey."

Julius chimed in:

"Exactly, even if not for you, we will strive till the very last moment for our own ambitions."

Seeing their spirits so high, Number One laughed:

"Ha ha, very good. That's the right spirit to have. But I admit that Julius is really lucky, one is level 6, one is level 9."

Victor agreed with this sentiment, saying:

"I wandered around and found nothing, but he found two in less than a day."

Julius didn't know how to explain this luck, he just laughed and said:

"Ha ha, but the more we collect, the better it is for us, right?"

Number One suddenly remembered some information he hadn't shared. Initially, he wanted humans to discover it on their own, but he decided to let these two know early. He said:

"There's something I haven't mentioned yet. The condition to level up is that you need a ring on a finger. Moreover, each finger can only be used once. To reach a certain level, you need a ring of that level, so be careful not to waste high-level rings."

Upon hearing this, the two nodded seriously. They knew they would eventually learn this information, but knowing it earlier gave them more time to prepare.

Suddenly, Victor remembered another question and asked:

"What about the drop rates of items from killing other creatures?"

This information wasn't restricted, so Number One answered:

"Level 0 has a 0.1% drop rate, level 1 is 1%, level 2 is 5%, level 3 is 10%, level 4 is 20%, level 5 is 25%, level 6 is 30%, level 7 is 50%, and level 8 and above is 100%."