Chapter 432: Chapter 113: In One Word, Moneyed!_2
After all, this is a promising path to the top.
It’s a universal truth that clinging to a rising star is beneficial.
Some people might resist this.
But what can they really do against it, no matter how unwilling they are?
Storm out in a huff?
Their status and strength simply wouldn’t allow it.
Maybe even consider intentionally underperforming?
Nobody is foolish enough to do that right under the watchful eyes of others, who can clearly see every move.
The difference between genuine incompetence and deliberately going through the motions is quite clear.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, they struggled to make a decision.
Link quietly mulled over this and decided to take things one step at a time.
“That’s all for now. Dismissed!”
Sandra waved her hand and was the first to leave the gathering.
Link stood still, not moving until everyone had left the room.
Seeing Link like this, Lanny, who had already left the room, returned to his side and asked curiously, “Is there something else? Why are you still standing here?”
Link pointed to the holographic projection of the mission world’s geography, “I need to memorize the map. What if we get to our destination and the smart brain fails? What will we do without a map?”
This wasn’t just scaremongering.
It was a common occurrence in the battle against the Heavens.
It was a repeating point the academy had emphasized.
In remote and unimportant corners, the Wizard World Will’s response to a wizard’s requests could potentially be delayed.
What it meant, essentially, was the failure of the Magic Tool, the inability to perform witchcraft.
At that time, wizards had to rely on their own comprehensive abilities to hurdle the difficulties until the Wizard World Will responded again.
In the end, power comes from within, and everything still depends on oneself.
Link’s eyes were glued to the holographic projection, seriously memorizing the geography of the mission world, even the underground passages revealed in past explorations.
His “Mind Closure Technique” + Hall of Mind constructed from the theory behind the Hall of Memories got an upgrade after the completion of the Apprentice and Wizard Scroll levels of the “Universe Meditation Method”.
It had evolved from a lakeside library to a towering skyscraper on “small world” / Earth.
Memorizing the map of the mission world was time-consuming, but not difficult.
Lanny also tried to do the same, but eventually gave up in frustration.
Her memory was actually pretty good.
However, memorizing the geographical features of a planet the size of the moon in a short time proved to be quite a challenge.
“I’m counting on you for this part, I wasn’t able to remember it all.”
Since they had already formed an alliance, Lanny didn’t mind admitting her shortcomings. If someone needed to be relied on, she would rely on him without feeling ashamed.
An ally complements and supports you.
“Mm-hmm.”
Link nodded, continuing to memorize the terrain.
Their actions were made in the open.
The tent’s curtain was wide open.
The other 10 members saw everything clearly, each person having their own perspective.
Sandra looked appreciative, but everyone else had their own thoughts.
Some secretly took out a special magic tool to replicate a copy of the mission map.
Some sneered and ignored them.
Most simply ignored them and went about their own tasks.
All of these had nothing to do with Link.
After a while, Link finally memorized the entire map.
“Let’s go, back to rest and rejuvenate.”
With a holler, Link exited the tent, heading straight for his own.
Upon reaching the curtain, he paused and asked softly, “Who’s in there?”
That was the downside of the camp’s tents. They couldn’t be locked, anyone could enter at will.
“It’s me.”
The voice of Tiffany Colonna came from inside.
After thinking for a moment, Link didn’t bother avoiding her and stepped inside after lifting the curtain.
Tiffany was sitting on a cushion on the outer side of the low table, her side facing the curtain.
“What is it?”
Sitting cross-legged on the cushion on the inside of the table, Link took on the demeanor of the host, initiating the conversation.
“I want to talk to you.”
Tiffany began softly, “I’ve never cared about what happened to Scott. Him getting his comeuppance is good, and it pleases me. We have no beef. So, during this mission, I won’t harm you. There’s no need to be on guard against me.”
“Really?”
Link chuckled.
His tone was playful. It was unclear what he was trying to convey.
Or perhaps he wasn’t trying to convey anything at all, merely trying to disrupt Tiffany’s rhythm of conversation and prevent her from controlling the flow of the discussion at will.
“Yes.”
Tiffany surprisingly affirmed seriously before continuing, “No matter whether you want to accept Wizard Sandra’s invitation or not, I hope you will do your best in this mission. Both to complete the mission and to gauge our respective strengths.”
“Is it so important whether one is superior or inferior? Is it really that significant?”
Link asked with a smile.
“It’s important.”
Tiffany responded, “Your progress is too fast. No one among both Half Blood and Pure Blood natives in your generation can match up to you. They can only look to the older generations for someone who can suppress you. Just like how the academy headquarters always has to find someone who can suppress the talented offspring of native families.”
“I see.”
Link put away his feigned smile, nodding earnestly.
“Take care of yourself!”
Tiffany is decisively action-oriented. After saying what she wanted to say, she left a meaningful warning and got up to leave.
Link watched her leave before falling into contemplation.
How would an established elite class that has tasted the benefits of power react to a new challenger to their order?
They could invite them, behead them or subordinate them.
These were the only three routes they had.
Determine their intentions and standings during the meal to see if they are on the same side and if there are any possibilities.
If there isn’t a chance because they aren’t on the same side, they would behead them for peace of mind.
If there’s a chance and they are on the same side, they would subordinate them.
After training, they would be unleashed to bite others.