Chapter 109:103__l
The platform near the potion shop.
Link and Jasmine alighted from the carriage under the scrutiny of all the passengers.
Then, they turned around and stood facing the carriage.
Link took out his portable smart brain and activated its recording and follow-up mode.
The portable smart brain hovered, stood next to Link, with its camera pointed at the carriage door.
Some people who were also ready to get off, especially the lowly thugs from the West District, immediately covered their faces and sat back down after seeing this.
Although they didn’t know what the five people earlier were afraid of, didn’t the thugs understand each other’s nature?
They are cowardly, always bullying the weak and fearing the strong!
Obviously, this guy must be ruthless, otherwise, they wouldn’t be so scared.
Everyone was hired today to play this trick of occupying seats, and he saw through it at a glance.
Not only did he not get off the train, but in a few brief words, he “found” a seat casually.
If they angered this ruthless person and he remembered their faces, wouldn’t they be retaliated against in the future?
Link didn’t necessarily need to record these people’s images, he just wanted to scare them and use some psychological tactics to establish a reputation as a cultured yet ruthless person.
No matter how effective this tactic was, at the very least it could deter some people and reduce some trouble.
“Boring.”
He curled his lips, seemingly disappointed that no one got off the carriage.
Link pushed his gold-framed glasses up and revealed his white teeth, glinting with cold light.
“Come on, these people are useless.”
Link uttered a group taunt, and turned around, signaling Jasmine to follow.
For some reason, not a single one of the dozens of people sitting in the carriage felt any anger or resentment towards his mockery.
Instead, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed.
At the moment Link said “boring”, they truly felt a deep, chilling coldness.
Like a cold-blooded butcher devoid of any emotion, scrutinizing them with a discriminating eye, assessing which part of them was the most tender and delectable.
Even after Link’s figure disappeared and the rail transit train continued to move, many people still felt a chill, each feeling lingering fear.
“Link, you… you were really scary just now.”
Jasmine, who had been purposefully positioned to the side and slightly behind by Link and had not been directly impacted by the murderous intent that Link purposely provoked, still felt very uncomfortable, her hairs stood on end, and her body was covered in goosebumps.
After a slight touch of fear, came deep concern.
She was worried that Link truly might have a mental condition.
Link retracted his murderous aura and intention, removed the simulated image of Hannibal from his mind, and returned to his usual cheerful, big boy demeanor.
Seeing the concern in Jasmine’s eyes, Link reassured her: “I was just acting, scaring those scumbags. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Jasmine nodded her head but said nothing more.
However, she still suspected deep down that Link wasn’t pretending.
At this moment, they arrived at the potion shop.
“What just happened? Such a strong murderous intent!”
Before Link and Jasmine could greet her, the Serene Wizard who had prepared a warm, energizing drink, leaning against the counter with a beautiful porcelain cup, took a small sip and asked curiously.
Earlier, she had sensed a raw but eerie aura of murderous intent.
Out of curiosity, she took a look and discovered that it was actually Link scaring an entire carriage full of people, which piqued her interest even more.
“A little trouble.”
Link said, seeming indifferent but actually full of implication, “I don’t know who I’ve offended, they intentionally messed with me.”
They first left a suspicious package at my dormitory door early in the morning, then used magic stones to hire a bunch of thugs from the West District and some people from the academy to occupy all the seats on the first train, not wanting me to get to work on time.”
How could Serene Wizard not sense the clever scheme in Link’s words? She gave Link a sidelong glance and pretended to be angry: “Little rascal, are you playing your tricks on me again?”
Link scratched his head and chuckled: “I knew I couldn’t fool the observant
Serene Wizard with my obvious schemes.”
“So, why did you still play your tricks?”
The Serene Wizard grinned teasingly.
Her teasing grin revealed her elegance and charm.
Link observed her, kept his cool, and deflected: “I just didn’t have the heart to say it outright.”
“With your thick skin, you can feel embarrassed?”
Serene Wizard scoffed, “To tell you the truth, I don’t think there’s anything that you, Link Grande, wouldn’t dare to do!”
“You’re joking, Serene Wizard, you’re just joking. There are plenty of things that I wouldn’t dare to do.”
Link quickly tried to clarify his position.
“Like what?”
Serene Wizard did not let it go.
“For example… for example… for instance, I wouldn’t dare to lie to Serene Wizard.”
Link started by stammering a little before adopting a serious tone.
Knowing that Serene Wizard is generally easy-going, Link allowed himself some freedom when interacting with her.
“Okay, stop goofing around with me.”
Serene Wizard finished her drink and headed to the second floor, leaving behind a remark, “Deal with today’s matter yourself and talk to Wizard Palo about it. You wouldn’t be working here for long, just ten days left. I’m not going to fend foryou, at most I’ll give a heads up.”
“Thankyou, Serene Wizard! Serene Wizard is beautiful and kind-hearted!”
Link immediately complimented her. This was what he was trying to achieve, a roundabout way of flattering her.
Serene Wizard didn’t even bother to respond.
Jasmine observed the interaction between Link and Serene Wizard the whole time, with no reactions.
She knew that this was one of Link’s strategies.
He adopted different ways of speaking depending on the person he was talking to.
Among the three Tier 3 wizards with whom he interacts frequently:
In the face of Wizard Palo, Link tells the unvarnished truth, he always responds when asked;
When dealing with Wizard Cody, Link is cautious and deliberate in his speech, never hiding anything yet also not volunteering more information than necessary;
When facing the Serene Wizard, after getting acquainted, Link would play little tricks with his words.
As long as it’s not overdone and he maintains a good balance, the Serene Wizard would find it amusing rather than annoying.
However, keeping this balance is notoriously difficult.
Jasmine finds it challenging to achieve the appropriate balance, so she remains silent, watching quietly from the side.
When the Serene Wizard had ascended to the second floor, Jasmine didn’t bother to chat with Link and went to the female changing room to change into her uniform.
Link proceeded to the backyard and commenced his work for the day.
No matter what, as long as it’s not a pressing matter, work must still be carried out well.
The morning passed in busyness.
After having lunch, Link headed straight back to the academy.
This time, his journey went smoothly without any hindrances.
Administrative Building, the “Thesis” Review Office.
“Good afternoon, Wizard Palo.”
After knocking, Link entered the office and greeted courteously.
“Hmm.”
Wizard Palo responded nonchalantly, his head still lowered, engrossed in the ever-busy “Ravensmouth Forum”.
The old teachers at the academy had sent another warning to Wizard Palo and Peter Lionel, reminding them not to take their antics too far.
With nothing better to do, Wizard Palo entertained himself by idling on the “Ravensmouth Forum”, thoroughly enjoying all the gossip.
On the “Ravensmouth Forum”, some esteemed Tier 3 witches, led by the callings of a few renowned Tier 3 wizards, established a non-profit organization named “Rise, Witches!” to uphold the rights of witches and eradicate all forms of discrimination and inequality.
Within less than a day, calls for witch equality echoed throughout the entire “Ravensmouth Forum”.
There was even a tendency for this issue to transition from the forum to reality.
“Sit.”
After a while, Wizard Palo finally set his intellectual brain device down and looked up at Link. “Serene said you had something to discuss with me?”
“Yes, Wizard Palo.”
Link had been intentionally left waiting for a while, though he remained undisturbed and replied calmly, “Some rather unusual incidents occurred last night and this morning that I thought it necessary to discuss with you.”
“What happened?”
Wizard Palo asked in a casual tone.
“Last night, the ‘Sea Sail Alliance’ sent someone to invite me to join, which I declined.”
Link told the truth without exaggeration, “I have never had any contact with the ‘Sea Sail Alliance’. The sudden invitation is highly likely to be prompted by someone else. Considering the alliance’s close ties with the North District, I suspect ‘Pure Blood Volition’ is behind this, attempting to employ underhanded tactics to increase their chances of winning the wager. Additionally,”
After a slight pause, changing his tone, Link continued, “This morning, I encountered a seat occupation incident on the rail transit train. After contemplating, I concluded it wouldn’t have been the doing of the ‘Sea Sail’ Alliance, it had to be either ‘Pure Blood Volition’ or Sophie Lucia or someone from Lucia’s Family.”
Wizard Palo nodded, signaling for Link, who had more to add, to continue speaking.
Link expressed his thoughts, “I think it’s necessary for you to pay attention to this situation. Currently, it’s only targeted at Jasmine and me, and their measures have been fairly crude. More than likely, they’re probing us. Without timely response, they might start taking actions against others involved in the wager on your side.”
“Is that all?”
Wizard Palo asked, his expression neutral.
From his facial expression and tone, it was impossible to figure out Wizard Palo’s attitude at the moment.
“Yes, that’s all I had to say.”
Link nodded in response.
“I thought you came to seek protection, but it turns out you were here to remind me.”
A hint of a smile played at the corner of Wizard Palo’s mouth, a smile looking like he was laughing at a joke yet not quite. His tone was slightly odd.
“Indeed, I sought your protection and yes, I also intended to remind you.”
Link met Wizard Palo’s gaze, answering candidly without any hint of retreat.
“Alright, that’s good.”
The smile on Wizard Palo’s face brightened a bit as he waved his hand, “You can leave now, I’ll handle this matter.”
“Thank you, Wizard Palo.”
Link thanked courteously, “Sorry to have bothered you.”
He took a few steps back, then turned to leave the office.
When he reached the door, Link started counting in his mind: one, two, three.
As expected, Wizard Palo’s voice came from behind him.
“You are quite intelligent, I hope you can always stay intelligent, not just being cunning but also wise.”
This was a commentary on Link’s series of measures in response to the incidents that occurred last night and this morning.
These included calling the Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet at the scene, not continuing to report afterwards, intimidating the seat occupier, using a rather transparent trick to communicate with Wizard Palo through the Serene Wizard, and his open sincerity towards Wizard Palo.
He achieved his goals without appearing overly scheming.
“Thank you, Wizard Palo, for the advice.”
Link turned around, bowed, and expressed his heartfelt thanks.
Leaving the Administrative Building, Link felt much relieved.
Actually, even if incidents like the ones from last night and this morning happened again, Link would still be able to handle them.
But, there’s no need to shoulder everything by himself.
Otherwise, what’s the point of having Wizard Palo as his backer?
A crying child gets the candy.
With such operations, the trouble was cut off at the root once Wizard Palo took over.
Isn’t that a relief?