Chapter 200 - 34. Being My Master 2
Saying that, the muscular man chuckled and shifted the topic. “Tracey Lucia was eliminated earlier than I expected. The guys from ‘Pure Blood’ Volition, having brought Elise into the mix, pushed the Righteous Faction to isolate the mad woman, Elise. It’s amusing, quite interesting.”
“Speaking of which, isn’t that ‘Pure Blood’ Volition bunch planning to ambush Link Grande?”
The soft-spoken man sneered, “I just saw that guy. His witchcraft casting technique is fucking incredible! He’s nothing like the bumpkin from Stormy Sea! He’s even mightier than that mad woman, Elise. We could simply call on ‘Pure Blood’ Volition, let them kill each other in the Righteous Faction. We would be the bystanders who benefit and clean up the aftermath. Isn’t it better than fighting head-on?”
“Humph!”
The icy woman squeezed out a sound from her nose, expressing her displeasure.
She had a deep hatred for Elise and naturally didn’t want to give up the chance to teach her a lesson.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t rashly oppose this clearly beneficial proposal.
Otherwise, she would eventually be kicked out of the circle.
“I like this idea.’1
The plump man chuckled and clapped, “Let them tear each other apart.”
The muscular man asked with a smile, “Shall I contact them then?”
“Go ahead.”
“No problem.”
“I have no objections.”
The soft-spoken man, plump man, and icy woman all had different responses, but their attitudes were the same.
After discussing, they left the hill.
Mountain Basin, by the river, deep underground.
Link entered the stealth fort, relieved that its structure was still stable, without risk of collapse.
He saw Jasmine and Lanny in a standoff, the atmosphere quite stiff.
“What’s going on?”
Link broke their line of sight by standing between them, slightly closer to Jasmine’s side, and asked.
Jasmine huffed angrily, “You should ask her, can’t she control her own people!? She said they would follow the command. That’s bullshit!”
“Can you take a break?”
Looking at Jasmine, Link softened his tone as much as possible, “Maybe you should take a break.”
One phrase, same content, different tones.
Jasmine’s anger subsided considerably at his words. She really gave up the standoff and walked away.
Link then turned to Lanny Taylor, not saying anything, just quietly observing her eyes.
Lanny responded squarely, maintaining eye contact with Link.
After a long time, convinced that Lanny Taylor had no intention to explain first, Link courteously asked,
“I can consider Isko’s actions as something you were unaware of, and forgive it. But, about what just happened, could you please explain?”
“Okay.”
Lanny Taylor nodded, thought about her words carefully, and said, “Regarding what happened earlier, when you suddenly rushed out, Jasmine immediately took command. My team members didn’t execute her orders immediately, which caused a slight delay. Jasmine was just questioning me about this, asking for an explanation.”
“Hmm…”
After contemplating for a moment, Link asked, “May I know what caused the delay?”
Hearing this, Lanny bit her lip and finally replied, “They were unclear whether they should follow Jasmine’s command after you left, so they waited for my instruction first.”
“I see.”
Understanding the situation, Link thought for a moment and then made a decision. He still asked politely, “I indeed didn’t clarify the command hierarchy on the battlefield beforehand. I’m partially responsible for this. But after this incident, such confusion should not happen again, right?”
Was Link really responsible?
In Link’s team, Jasmine had always been the second in command.
When Link is absent, it’s only right and proper for Jasmine to take command.
It was Lanny’s team that sought to join Link’s team, not Link “begging” for Lanny’s team to join.
Not splitting up Lanny’s team was done out of respect for Lanny Taylor and consideration for other concerns.
But for the matter of command authority, certain conventions should be observed.
Lanny Taylor is smart. There should have been unspoken understanding about such issues, even without explicit explanations.
Link taking the blame was simply giving Lanny a way out.
“Won’t!”
Lanny replied unequivocally.
“Are you sure?”
“Sure!”
“Good. I hope you’ll keep to your word.”
Link’s expression was serious, and his tone stern, “If you can’t, I’ll have to say sorry then.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Lanny’s eyes dimmed a bit. Her face, hidden under the veil, was unclear, but it was probably not very pleasant.
Returning to her group of nine, Lanny felt somewhat weary.
But she quickly energized herself.
She had chosen this path and she would see it through, even if she had to crawl.
Looking at her teammates waiting for her to speak, Lanny didn’t rebuke them. She just calmly said, “I’ve secured an opportunity for everyone, including myself. If any problem arises again, we won’t need them to kick us out. We will leave on our own, with our tails between our legs. Understood?”
“Understood.”
The nine team members hung their heads, responding in defeat.
“Alright. Then think about whether personal emotions or the competition across the two regions, rank achievements, resource benefits are more important.”
Lanny waved her hand, not wishing to say more.
A drum doesn’t need a heavy hammer to make a sound.
Those who should understand will naturally understand..