Chapter 937: 293. First-mover advantage
“Jarvis, Dietrich said before he left that he wanted to ‘invite’ you to ‘visit’ the Pangula Family’s territory,”
the voice of Selena echoed in Noland Lee’s ears:
“Be careful out there, don’t let the wizards from the Pangula Family and Larolon Rockbone discover you.”
The Great Sea, thousands of kilometers deep.
In the dark sea water, Noland activated the “Power Burst,” floating in the water in the form of a little titan.
His body endured tremendous water pressure.
...
Threads of pain wove through the gaps in his bones.
“It’s alright, Selena. They won’t find me,”
Noland responded to Selena’s concerned words with “Mind Induction”:
“In one hour, I’ll set up the Transfer Beacon for the Miniature Ocean. Once I’m ready here, you help me teleport Denise over.”
“Alright,” Selena said.
Noland closed the “Mind Induction” with Selena.
About twenty minutes earlier, while soaking in the water and subjected to Passive Deconstruction of the Four-Piece Sea Area, he received a letter from Selena.
In the letter, Selena wrote that Dietrich from the Pangula Family, accompanied by a Rock Bone Enforcer, suddenly came seeking trouble.
Due to the urgency, Selena hadn’t managed to include her speculations in the letter.
But that wasn’t a problem, for the “Tracking Mark” Noland had left on her took effect.
These Spell Marks, covered by the fluctuations of Selena’s own mana, could not be detected by others.
Noland could activate one of them to cast “Mind Induction” on Selena across thousands of kilometers.
As Selena spoke with Dietrich, she multitasked, mentally repeating Dietrich’s words in sync.
She was usually easy-going, but during this encounter with Dietrich, she was decidedly assertive.
Heh, that’s because Noland had told her to do so.
When Noland heard Dietrich wanted the Rock Bone Enforcer to act as a witness for a competition of exploration between the Pangula Family and the Deep Sea Branch, he understood one thing:
No matter what Selena said or how she objected, Selena’s father would eventually accept Dietrich’s proposal.
This was Noland’s intuition, and his intuition was always accurate.
With that assumption in mind, there was no need for Selena to be polite to Dietrich.
Moreover, Selena could be even more assertive and harsh in her words, pressurizing Dietrich before providing an offering to ease the atmosphere—a Stepstone.
Eventually, after taking control of the conversation, Selena could represent Noland and bargain for greater benefits in the future exploration competition.
With this strategy of speaking in place, Selena would take the upper hand in her dealings with Dietrich.
Of course, Noland only gave her the general approach, not specific words for every sentence.
The real task of choosing the words was still Selena’s.
She performed well, expressing everything Noland wanted to say.
“Dietrich wants to ‘invite’ me to ‘visit’ the Pangula Family’s territory?” Noland scoffed:
“Then they’ll have to find me first. Ever since I moved to the Core Circle, I haven’t shown myself much in the City of Suman. The arrest warrants and Bounty tasks from the Island Affairs Department, I’ve put them all aside. If the Pangula Family wants to figure out where I am, they have only one choice, to inquire either with Island Affairs Department’s Janelle Thompson or Hadley Grant, who’s Selling Dragon Clan Treasure.”
Thoughts surged in Noland’s mind.
As a Bounty Agent, Janelle’s personal safety was protected by the Deep Sea Branch.
Noland wasn’t overly concerned about her safety.
As for Hadley…
Noland thought if he were the Pangula Family, he would surely target this Five Ring Wizard who ran a small shop and owned a Magic Yacht.
It wasn’t necessarily going to be a head-to-head confrontation, but intimidation and temptation from the Pangula Family were inevitable.
As the man behind the scenes, if Noland could Deconstruct something from the Pangula Family, while Hadley faced them, it would undoubtedly help him accurately control the movements and intentions of the Pangula Family.
Therefore, covertly coordinating with Hadley to put on an act was essential.
Noland pondered his strategy.
One hour later. noveldrama
“Crack, crack, crack…”
A series of crisp sounds emanated from various parts of Noland’s body.
He spread open his right hand, placing the round ball he held in his palm before him.
This was a transparent Glass Ball, containing an extremely small Miniature Ocean within.
It could not be used to teleport Noland but served as a Transfer Beacon, guiding Selena to teleport Denise to his location.
Noland cast the “Water Flow Technique,” summoning a slender Water belt to hold the Glass Ball steady in the sea water.
“Selena, I’ve set up the Transfer Beacon,” Noland called his Female Assistant in his mind.
“Okay~ Jarvis, I’m going to find Denise now,” Selena replied promptly.
Noland then activated his “Mind Induction” with Denise, reminding her to use the Magic Scroll first before teleporting.
Denise had been waiting for Noland’s message.
After receiving Noland’s instructions, she used the Magic Ring enchanted with “Mind Induction” and made contact with Selena.
The two began to prepare for the teleportation.
About three minutes later, the Transfer Beacon glowed with a water-blue Spell Radiance.
Denise appeared amidst the rippling water and immediately cast Healing Spells towards Noland.