Rimuru's invitation did not mean asking her to join his team. It meant temporarily acting together with them, rather than following behind them like some strange stalker, keeping a certain distance yet somehow making things even stranger.
For a civilization consciousness to awaken, Rimuru was not arrogant enough to believe his team could help her achieve that.
Luo had lived through ten thousand years. She had probably observed plenty of other teams, including ones stronger than theirs, but clearly that had been useless.
No matter how Amishir's story ended, they had at least been involved in it. Somehow, that gave things a bit more of an epic feel.
"..." Luo fell silent for several minutes, seriously considering Rimuru's suggestion. Only after deciding that he was indeed right—that observing from afar was less effective than close contact and communication when it came to understanding something—did she nod and agree.
However, although she would be traveling with Rimuru and the others, she would not assist with or participate in any of their actions. In a sense, that still made her an observer.
"Then let's start with the first experience..." Seeing her nod, Rimuru promptly pulled her back to where everyone was eating. Pointing at the dazzling spread of food, he said, "This is... the necessity of good food!"
Luo's typical Machine Clan way of thinking made her exceptionally quiet even while sitting among everyone else, surrounded by their occasional joking, chatting, and playful bickering.
Whatever someone handed her, she silently ate, as though it were some task or training rather than something to be enjoyed.
Well, Rimuru did not really mind. Honestly... encountering a race completely different from humans, like the Machine Clan, for the first time really was a...
Novel experience.
Night soon arrived. As usual, Rimuru turned into dumpling