Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 130 Growing Stronger

"Yes."

Dalton responded excitedly.

Just one day later, he missed his four good brothers terribly.

Going it alone is painful; sticking together is true happiness.

Link expressed his opinion, and the three of them immediately accelerated towards the 3 o'clock direction.

Iris offered to fly over first, but Link rejected the suggestion.

She is a local apprentice from the North District, and her identity is somewhat sensitive.

Appearing suddenly in front of Buck and his group could easily provoke an overreaction.

Soon, the three caught up with Buck and his group ahead.

"Boss!"

When Buck, Ezio, and Lynn saw that the "pursuers" behind them were Link and Dalton, they immediately stopped being on guard.

The two of them happily came forward and greeted them loudly.

"Come with me."

Link didn't stand on ceremony and immediately issued orders in the manner of a big boss.

He didn't actually want it to be like this.

However, even when speaking kindly to the five gentlemen, they were often not on the same wavelength;

Acting like a big shot actually makes one extremely efficient.

"No problem, we'll listen to the boss."

Buck Watt pounded his chest and declared resolutely, "We'll do whatever the boss tells us to do! No disloyalty whatsoever!"

As he spoke, Buck kept winking at Isco Alex.

The unspoken message was to Isco Alex, who had been trying to persuade the two of them to follow Lanny Taylor's orders:

I'm here, you fucking dare to utter a word?

"Hello, boss!"

Unlike Buck, Lynn Hewitt was not so rough around the edges. He calmly greeted Link and then stated, "I'd be delighted to work with the big boss."

"Um."

Link nodded, not even glancing at Lanny Taylor and the other three, then changed direction and turned to leave. "Let's go together then."

Iris, Buck, Lynn, and Dalton immediately followed.

"etc."

Lanny Taylor suddenly spoke up, trying to stop Link and his group.

But Link completely ignored her and continued walking.

Having no other choice, she quickened her pace, blocked Link's path, and said, "I have a few words to say, please give me a chance."

"Alright."

This time, Link didn't offend Lani Taylor; he raised his right hand to stop his companion.

"Our South District has a small population to begin with, and if we don't stick together, we have almost no chance of competing with the North District."

Lanny Taylor spoke softly, explaining her point of view, "Moreover, this isn't just a competition between the two districts; it also involves a bet between two wizards. I think you understand its importance."

Link listened quietly to Lani Taylor's words without any change in expression, and then asked, "A snake can't function without a head, and a team can't function without a leader. If we form a team, whose command will we take? Yours, or mine?"

As he spoke, Link glanced back at Isco and the other two members of the "New Blood Mutual Aid Society" and chuckled, "Still one of them?"

Isco Alex's expression immediately changed. He spoke before Lanny Taylor could, his voice sharp: "Of course we listen to Taylor. She's the most talented, the best student. Who else should we listen to? You, Link Grand, whose talent was specifically highlighted twice by the academy?"

That's not a pleasant thing to hear.

Because what he said is true.

The fourth of the five men immediately started making a fuss.

"Bullshit!"

"If you can't speak properly, shut your stinking mouth!"

"Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death!"

"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to drag my boss into this?"

"If you want to be a lapdog, don't drag me into it."

"Pah! What trash! A disgusting bastard who kneels before women!"

Link let four of the five men hurl insults at Isco, while also making sarcastic remarks about Lanny Taylor.

Since they want to make Link their boss, they naturally have to do what a subordinate should do.

For example, becoming the mouthpiece for a powerful figure when they are unable to say certain things.

Be arrogant, use vulgar language, and act violently.

These five gentlemen are clearly well-versed in this art.

It's a pity there were only four people present, missing Dijk Finley, otherwise it would have been even more lively.

"Grand, please allow me to address you that way."

Lanny Taylor's eyes, as clear as autumn water, were fixed on Link's. "Could you please ask your companion to be quiet and let me say a few words?"

"you say."

Link nodded, but didn't try to stop him.

Four of the five men were very considerate and promptly stopped spraying Isco.

This move subtly highlights that Link is a true boss, not a fake one.

A flicker of surprise flashed quickly in Lanny Taylor's eyes.

She knew quite a bit about the five guys who consistently ranked sixth to tenth in the grade, and knew they were the type who were pretending to be crazy.

There is a stark contrast between outward behavior and true character.

She always thought that the five men siding with Link wasn't out of genuine loyalty, but rather to find a safe haven.

Unexpectedly, the five men genuinely admired Link and were willing to become his underlings.

How could someone with his petty and vindictive nature win over so many people?

Lanny Taylor was puzzled.

However, now is not the time to delve into these matters.

She composed herself and said sincerely, "I can listen to you, as long as you can demonstrate the qualities of a qualified leader, I can guarantee that Isco and the others will listen to you as well."

Lanny Taylor adjusted her strategy in time, insisting on teaming up with Link Grand, but giving up the idea of ​​vying for command.

If you can't beat them, join them?

Do not!

She made these efforts not necessarily to team up with Link, but only to impress the wizard Paro.

If the bet fails, she won't be blamed when the investigation is done.

"Taylor..."

Isco couldn't understand and wanted to say something more.

Lanny Taylor glanced at him, immediately stopping him in his tracks.

The other two new recruits almost completely followed Lani's lead, doing whatever she said without ever offering any opinions.

Link thought about it carefully and felt that teaming up with Lanny had both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that whether it's Lanny, Isco, or even the two silent new blood, they are all top-notch new blood in the Southern Storm Sea.

If we can unite them and make good use of them, they can be a great asset.

The downside is that it's difficult to unite people's hearts.

Isco has clearly shown his unwillingness to accept Link's leadership and command, and the two silent new recruits obviously only obey Lanny's orders.

If something happens and Lanny's views conflict with Link's orders, she will not only fail to help but will become an obstacle.

If that's the case, it's better not to form this team at all.

Taking everything into consideration, Link is more inclined to not team up.

However, he was not a dictatorial person and still needed to listen to the opinions of his companions.

"Please step aside for a moment, let's discuss this."

Link spoke frankly to Lani Taylor.

"it is good."

Lani agreed, not only walking away herself but also pulling Isco, whose expression clearly showed reluctance, away as well.

"What did you guys say? Do you want to team up?"

Link looked around at Iris, Buck, Ezio, Lynn, and Dalton, whose presence had automatically diminished, and asked for their opinions.

"I don't care, anything is fine, I'll listen to the boss."

Dalton, on the other hand, spoke very enthusiastically, but his words were essentially meaningless; he merely expressed his loyalty.

Buck and Ezio moved in perfect unison, turning to look at the strategist Lynn.

Why are you looking at me?

Lynn's expression turned somewhat unnatural. "It depends on the big boss. Whatever the big boss says goes."

People with many thoughts tend to overthink and worry a lot.

Lynn didn't want the big boss to misunderstand him as plotting to build a small team.

If the big boss really misunderstands, he'll have nowhere to reason with him.

Link smiled and didn't take the little incident to heart.

As a great man once said, "Outside the Party, there is no Party; it is all imperial ideology. Inside the Party, there are no factions; it is all sorts of strange and wonderful things."

We should allow others to have their own ideas.

However, on important matters, it is necessary to reach a consensus in advance.

Once a consensus is reached, it cannot be easily reversed, otherwise it will lead to collapse.

"And you, Iris, what do you think?"

Seeing that four of the five men were acting like scoundrels and didn't want to use their brains, Link looked at Iris Clark, who was playing with her fingers with her head down.

This person has the most unique identity in the small team.

Their opinions should be fully solicited and respected.

"Me?"

Iris blinked her big eyes, revealing a cute, innocent expression like a little white rabbit. "Hey, you actually asked me!"

Seemingly surprised, Iris paused for a moment before offering her opinion: "That bitch doesn't seem like a good person; she's got a lot on her mind. I think we should just blow her up!"

Schizophrenia is really serious.

Use the cutest expressions and tone to say the most violent things.

However, Link understood what Iris meant.

He didn't specifically approach Lani Taylor; he simply shrugged at her from a distance, expressing his regret.

It's really nothing to regret.

Link himself was unwilling to team up with Lani.

He is not afraid of reckless opponents, but he fears opponents who are cunning and calculating.

Playing mind games is so annoying!

Lanny Taylor didn't pester them; she just watched Link and his group leave.

"Where do we go next?"

Isco let out a silent sigh of relief, then quickly tried to distract Lanny.

She kept staring at Link Grand's back.

"Keep up."

Lani glanced at Isco, seeing right through him, but didn't show it on her face, only giving him brief instructions.

Isco's face froze instantly.

So, if they don't want to team up, why are you offering yourself up and following them around?

What the hell is the logic behind this?

Isco had previously strongly opposed forming a team because he was worried that Lanny's attention would be drawn away by Link Grand.

Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to realize that the gap between him and Link wasn't just reflected in their rankings on a few exams.

This is also reflected in many aspects, such as academic research and decisive action.

After finally ruining the team formation, they still want to follow us?

This is worse than teaming up.

Isco was seething with anger, but in the end, he reluctantly followed Lanny.

"Boss, they're following us, what should we do? Should we chase them away?"

Dalton stared at the live reconnaissance footage for a while, and only after confirming the situation did he report.

As the team grows, it's natural to further clarify the division of labor.

Otherwise, it will be chaotic, like a mob, completely losing the essence and true meaning of teamwork.

Buck and Ezio led the way, cutting through thorns and brambles;

Lynn was meticulous and covered the rear, while also being responsible for four reconnaissance puppets, keeping watch on both sides.

Dalton takes over the circular flying saucer and conducts real-time reconnaissance of the surrounding area, detecting any anomalies.

As for the bionic eagle, it was Iris's personal property, and Link had no interest in it.

Link and Iris, who are the strongest fighters, are naturally responsible for fighting at any time, taking samples, making specimens, and doing side quests.

Upon hearing Dalton's report, Link decisively replied, "Ignore her, let's move on."

Just because they are walking in front doesn't mean others are not allowed to walk behind them.

There is no such thing.

If things really escalate to the point of conflict, falling behind is no different from taking a detour from another direction.

"Yes."

Dalton responded and began to focus on other directions.

The six continued moving forward at a steady pace.

During this time, I also encountered several small teams, all of whom were local apprentices from the North District.

They met from a distance, each wary of the other, and then parted ways.

There was even a team composed of members with "pureblood will," who merely stared at Link with complicated expressions for a long time, but ultimately did nothing.

At most, they communicated their location to others through a communication device.

Link didn't bother with them.

With so many "pure-blooded wills," if we really focus on fighting and killing, we might not be able to defeat or kill them all, and it would be bad if we neglected the truly important main and side quests.

So far, the first item in the main quest, choosing a faction, still hasn't yielded a result.

What if you wipe out everyone in your own faction? How are you going to fight in faction wars then?

It's estimated that the fact that the local apprentices in the North District didn't rely on their numerical advantage to immediately attack the new blood in the Storm Sea of ​​the South District is partly due to this reason.

"Boss, I've found Deeja Finley."

Lynn suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "That kid and the three lone wolves you mentioned, the ones you said could team up, are together now!"

Upon hearing this, Link immediately became interested.

The circular flying saucer and the bionic eagle seen from high above didn't spot it, but the reconnaissance puppet on low-altitude alert did. There must be something special going on.

If we can learn from this, we can use it to deal with high-altitude reconnaissance magical artifacts.

He walked over to Lynn and carefully watched the real-time reconnaissance footage projected on the screen.

It turns out that Dijge and the three new recruits who were running the gang on their own were hiding in a pit. They probably discovered the reconnaissance artifacts flying around in the sky and deliberately hid there.

Conventional optical reconnaissance methods are relatively easy to miss.

"Let's go pick up Dije and bring him back to the team."

Link was slightly disappointed; he had thought that Dijon or the other three had found a way to deal with the high-altitude reconnaissance artifact.

Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Link made a decision.

The group stopped, and Buck and Ezio walked together toward the pit where Dijon and the other three were hiding.

A short while later, six people returned.

"Boss."

Upon seeing Link, Dijon immediately greeted him warmly, then solemnly introduced him to the three behind him, "This is my boss, you must know him too. How about it, my boss invites you to join us, so we can all work together and look out for each other. Do you agree?"

The three exchanged glances for a few moments, and finally, a short-haired girl stepped forward to talk to Link.

The short-haired girl's name is Betty McGee, and she is not particularly outgoing.

However, among the three, she was the least "socially anxious".

Betty McGee habitually lowered her head, then forced herself to look Link directly into his eyes, her lips trembling slightly as she asked, "You...you wouldn't be...deliberately trying to wear us down...would you?"

It turns out that the socially awkward trio were actually worried that Link would use them as cannon fodder.

Link shook his head and stated firmly, "No!"

"Well... okay then, we'll join your team..."

Betty McGee breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had received a weighty promise, and immediately made her choice.

The other two nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Link didn't know how to describe his feelings.

Not only did they gather five brothers, but they also recruited three more, making the team much stronger.

This is a good thing.

But how do you lead a team member who has social anxiety?

this is a problem.

(End of this chapter)