Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 223 I've Finished Speaking

The doubt vanished in an instant.

Link didn't speculate further, but he kept a watchful eye on things.

If there's a chance, I'll explore it further.

If there is no opportunity, then ignore it and keep your distance.

After parking the Phantom Coupe, Link got out and followed Sandra, looking around at the campsite's layout.

The layout of this campsite is extremely simple.

It was not as vast as the rear camp of the Palo Sages' Legion.

There weren't many logistics support personnel working there either.

It appears quite compact.

But though small, it has all the vital organs.

It has all the necessary functions.

Inside the camp, there were few people; the most active were various intelligent puppets and intelligent machines.

Automation and intelligence are the most fitting labels for this camp.

"You live here."

After walking for a while, the three arrived at the center of the camp, where tents were arranged in a six-pointed star pattern.

The six-pointed star has exactly 12 vertices and intersections, where 12 tents for living and working were set up.

Sandra Diomand pointed to the tent located at the bottom right corner and said to Link, "Settle down first. There's a detailed introduction to this mission inside. Take a look so you won't be clueless about what I'm going to say at the meeting later."

"OK."

Link nodded in agreement.

After that, he watched Sandra and Lanny bypass the tent at the center of the hexagram and enter the tent at the top.

He just lifted the curtain and went into the tent assigned to him.

The tent has ample interior space, even larger than a yurt, and is divided into several functional areas.

It meets all aspects of daily life needs.

The area closest to the curtain for receiving guests/working is a low table with an office computer on it.

Link sat cross-legged on the cushion inside the low table, picked up the smart device, and activated the screen.

The AI ​​is unlocked; you can open it directly.

The screensaver disappeared, and a briefing detailing the mission immediately appeared.

The Zerg world, once a super-civilization, stood alongside the Wizarding World, the World of Gods, the World of the Undead, and the World of the Abyss at the pinnacle of all realms.

At its peak, it occupied a full one and a half barred spiral galaxies and was still expanding outwards.

With careful management, it could definitely become a major overlord among all the heavens and myriad realms.

Unfortunately, the Zerg were so hated that they simultaneously provoked the Wizarding World, the Undead World, and the Abyss World—three highly expansive super-civilizations.

After nearly a century of collusion and conspiracy, the Wizarding World, together with the Undead World and the Abyss World, launched a full-scale attack on the Zerg World.

With three against one, the allied forces already held a significant advantage.

The Mechanic Wizards and Elemental Wizards of the Wizarding World are natural enemies of the Insectoids.

Omnic wizards control more puppets and machines than the Zerg, while elemental wizards possess overwhelming area-of-effect attacks.

The world of the dead and the world of the abyss may lack many things, but they certainly don't lack cannon fodder.

In terms of sheer numbers, neither of these worlds is ever afraid.

Therefore, this great battle had no stalemate phase; it was a crushing victory from the very beginning.

It was as swift and decisive as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

The Zerg world, a super civilization with a glorious history, was thus utterly shattered and torn apart.

Various ethnic groups are scattered throughout numerous small worlds at the levels of low and medium civilizations.

They no longer possess the ability to unite, gather strength, and sweep across all the heavens and myriad realms.

The Wizarding World, having displayed extraordinary combat power in this great war, was regarded as a thorn in the side by the Gods World, which always considered itself to be the most powerful and prestigious in all the worlds.

Since then, the world of gods has been trying to completely suppress the rising momentum of the wizarding world.

Several intense clashes led to the epic war that shattered the two worlds.

But let's not get sidetracked and get back to the Zerg world.

Because in the war of conquest, the wizarding world contributed the most and benefited the most.

Therefore, after the war, the Wizarding World maintained the most stringent surveillance over the Zerg World.

This time, Sandra Diormand assembled a miniature legion.

It was both a test of her organizational, leadership, and command abilities and the execution of an unconventional mission issued by the Supreme Council.

The mission objective is to find a low-level civilization with a maximum level of 3 (Transcendent).

A branch of the royal family from the once-super-civilized Zerg world has lived and multiplied in this less civilized world for nearly a thousand years.

During this period, he remained obedient and tried to survive, daring not to do anything out of line.

Three years ago, during routine monitoring of this level 3 Zerg world, the Wizarding World discovered some unusual signs.

Two years ago, a follow-up examination revealed a significant increase in abnormal signs.

A year ago, a re-examination confirmed that some unknown mutation had occurred in this level 3 Zerg world.

The Zerg, inhabiting this low-level civilization of level 3, seem to have the potential to rise again.

The mission to personally investigate the cause of the anomaly in the Zerg world was subsequently issued by the High Council of the Wizarding World.

After passing through several layers, it finally reached Rivoss College.

Just as Sandra Diomand was preparing to advance to the third level of wizard, she needed an opportunity and some resources, which led to the formation of this miniature legion.

Link knows how to cultivate his loyal followers.

As the great-granddaughter of the great sages Rivo and Soth, she naturally understood.

Sandra rejected her mother's arrangement, who was the only granddaughter of the Great Sages Rivo and Soth, and chose to personally cultivate her own team.

Therefore, she turned her attention to the outstanding young people of the various families at the academy headquarters, the families on the local west coast, and the new blood of the Storm Sea.

Lanny Taylor was a genius she spotted at first sight.

Link Grand only caught her eye later.

The cause was indeed Lani Taylor.

But what made Sandra decide to recruit Link was a single sentence from her mother.

"Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother both cared about him."

As the two co-owners of the Rivoss Academy, one is an eighth-level Great Sage and the other is a peak seventh-level Great Sage.

With two such top figures paying attention to Link Grande, Sandra had no reason not to recruit him.

Of course, Link was unaware of the inside story of why he was recruited by Sandra.

He is currently looking at the background information of that level 3 Zerg world.

This world is also a planet, with a size, density, and gravity similar to the moon in Link's previous life.

The Zerg are skilled at digging, and they have dug countless pits on the planet.

If you are unfamiliar with the terrain and rashly enter the pit, you will find yourself helpless and unable to call for help.

But for every clever plan you have, I have a countermeasure.

The intricate tunnels dug by the Zerg were no challenge to the wise wizards; the wizards' wisdom was their strength.

The Hive is the foundation of the Zerg race, which every race, regardless of its origin, must fight tooth and nail to protect.

Without a mother hive, new Zerg cannot be bred.

After the war, the wizards marked the hives of every insectoid world in the myriad realms.

Even a low-level civilization within a low-level civilization with a maximum level of only 1 (Transcendent) is no exception.

Wild fire, in spring.

Insects are much more resilient and reproduce faster than weeds.

The reason the extermination policy was not implemented was because the wizarding world was worried that it would appear too brutal and frighten other worlds and races in the myriad realms.

In this way, the targets of the wizarding world's conquests will never choose to surrender, except to fight to the death.

The number of casualties and losses would increase significantly without any necessary consequences.

This goes against the overall interests of the wizarding world.

Thanks to those who came before, when the micro legions arrive at the Tier 3 Zerg world, they will no longer need to worry about those tunnels.

They only need to follow the markings, strike straight at the heart of the enemy, and find the mother nest.

Link's mission, as Sandra mentioned before, is to study the Zerg's ecological structure, anomalies, and the causes of mutations.

The things he had to do were actually no different from what he did in the fairy world.

The only difference is the subject of the study.

It was a familiar route, not difficult at all.

Just as I finished reading the briefing, I heard footsteps outside the tent.

"Is it convenient for me to come in?"

Lanny Taylor's voice followed immediately.

His tone was very polite, completely lacking the coldness and harshness one would expect from someone who would launch a surprise attack upon first meeting someone.

"It's convenient, please come in."

Link put down the AI, sat up straight, and waited quietly.

He was quite curious about what Lani would say next.

Lanny lifted the curtain and entered the tent, glanced around, and then sat down opposite Link, facing him across the low table.

After a moment of silence, Lani spoke up, "Don't you have anything you want to ask?"

"for example?"

Link calmly countered with a question.

For example, why am I here? For example, why did I ambush you?

Lani gave two examples.

Link chuckled softly, then calmly said, "Do I need to know?"

"Don't you need it?"

Lani frowned slightly and asked in return.

"Is it really necessary?"

Link immediately retorted with a question.

After a round of pointless back-and-forth, both sides understood each other's attitudes.

Lani stopped probing and directly stated her purpose:

"You must already know Miss Diomand's identity."

I believe this is an extremely rare opportunity, and if we can do it well, we can gain a lot.

We come from the same background; we are both new blood in the stormy sea, adrift like duckweed.

Whether in terms of family background, social standing, or resources, they are far inferior to the scions of families on the West Coast, let alone the scions of large families at the main campus of the academy.

For better development, and to avoid being despised or ignored within the legion, we should unite.

Only by uniting can we gain a voice.

Be a true wizard, not a puppet to be manipulated!

After a pause, Lani emphasized, "I can follow your orders and stand with you through thick and thin."

Once again, Link faces Lani Taylor's invitation to "team up".

This time, however, Lani's sincerity was far greater than that of the first-year two-district competition.

At that time, Lani still harbored the idea of ​​competing with Link and had not completely submitted to him.

Over the next three years, as she witnessed Link's deeds and achievements, Lanny gradually stopped insisting on competing with Link in a short period of time.

Her ambition never waned.

It's just that we think further ahead and have a longer-term perspective.

Upon receiving Sandra's summons, she did not hesitate and immediately responded, quietly disappearing from the junior academy and accepting all of Sandra's arrangements.

To learn more advanced knowledge and master witchcraft more suited to oneself, enduring some contempt, disregard, and sporadic verbal humiliation is nothing.

It's never easy for ordinary people to make it in the world.

Upon learning that Link had also accepted Sandra's summons, Lanny immediately considered forming an alliance with Link.

Whether it's mutual benefit or sticking together for warmth, it's better than struggling alone.

The attack at the portal was not her own doing, but rather at Sandra's behest.

The purpose was simple: Sandra wanted to test Link's vigilance.

The seemingly pointless conversation between Lanny and Link was essentially Lanny trying to explain, while Link said there was no need for an explanation.

Some things don't need to be said explicitly; it's enough to understand them implicitly.

"Okay, I agree."

After hearing Lanny's request for an alliance, Link agreed without hesitation.

A single tree cannot make a forest. In an unfamiliar team, it is always a good thing to have an ally who knows a little about the team.

"You might be provoked during the meeting later; just ignore them."

Lanny's face lit up with joy, and she immediately provided some information: "The person in charge of biochemical research with you is Tiffany Colonna, who comes from a pure-blooded family on the West Coast of the mainland."

"Hmm... Colonna?"

Link muttered to himself in thought, and soon remembered Scotty Colonna, whom he had beaten so badly that he could no longer take care of himself.

He understood why Tiffany Colonna, a complete stranger, might cause trouble.

I couldn't help but feel speechless.

These large families are really annoying.

You can easily get involved in other things by randomly hitting some clueless guy.

It's like a spider web, densely packed.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me."

Link nodded and thanked him.

"Let's go to the meeting."

Lani didn't say anything, and got up to walk outside.

Link followed.

A tent was set up in the center of the six-pointed star.

The temporary command center was set up in this tent.

Lanny led Link into the empty tent, waiting for the meeting convened by Sandra to begin.

The other members of the miniature legion arrived one after another.

All eight members responsible for reconnaissance and combat, including Sandra herself, came from prominent families within the academy's main campus.

The demeanor and impression these people exude are devoid of any haughty arrogance.

Each of them possessed a gentle and respectful demeanor that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

On the contrary, Tiffany Colonna, who comes from a pure-blood family on the West Coast, and Fried Percival, whom Link has never met or heard of, both have an air of imperious arrogance.

"Everyone's here, let's start the meeting."

Sandra stood in the middle of the camp and clapped her hands gently to attract attention.

At the same time, he summoned a holographic projection of the terrain of the level 3 Zerg world as a background and began to speak.

"Let's skip the self-introductions for now. We can do them after this mission is over and we've determined who will stay on my team."

"Otherwise, it's pointless and a complete waste of time."

"The objective given by the High Council for this mission is to investigate the Zerg ecological structure, abnormal changes, and causes of mutations in this Zerg world."

"And I personally added three more goals to those three."

"First, I need a mother hive; second, I need a plan to control the Zerg; and finally, I need a plan to enhance the Zerg."

"I hope that everyone can work together to accomplish these six tasks and objectives."

"Now, I'd like to emphasize everyone's position and division of labor."

"I, along with the seven of you, will be responsible for reconnaissance and combat. We don't have to eliminate every crisis before it even happens, but at least we must be able to advance and retreat unscathed."

"If any person makes a mistake, whether subjectively or objectively, resulting in injury or death."

"I'm sorry, you're not welcome on my team."

"You, Lanny Taylor and that Percival, are in charge of logistics and medical care."

"You two, Colonna and Link Grand, are in charge of biochemical research. I know there might be some conflict between you, or maybe not. But I hope it's really not."

"I've finished speaking."

"Who's in favor? Who's opposed?"

(End of this chapter)