792 Ill Intentions
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"Are we going to leave without that girl, or wait?"
"I don't care about that arrogant bitch, but I wanted to talk to one of her 'friends', hehe…"
Even though their success was mostly attributed to 'luck', the crimson witches, and Emilia in particular, were without a doubt the greatest targets of envy for those who wished to excel in Arcadia.
In a way, they could be considered 'celebrities', though initially most of their reputation had been built on Emilia's face.
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting much of an impact, but seeing that elf-girl up close, I almost couldn't control myself."
"Right? It's totally different from looking at her face through the screen. It's like there's some aura around her that just makes her look better."
"I don't care about you guys, but I'll wait here for them to return. Maybe I can 'get to know' her better."
"Don't kid around, they'll probably be getting a new 'owner' soon, and small people like us can't afford to offend those big guys, you know…"
The man who'd made the daring proposal frowned, but couldn't refute his companion's point.
It might be unlikely for the 'Crimson Witches' to continue being on top now that everyone was taking Arcadia seriously, and they couldn't be so lucky all the time. But people also realized that this was the perfect opportunity to pick this ripe fruit.
Under proper 'guidance', even if the 'Crimson Witches' couldn't remain 'world-class' for long, they could at least boost better and more skilled teams to that spot using their current position, after all.
The fact that they were just a bunch of 'brats' with neither money nor power made the minds of some people move with the intention of 'recruiting' them, and it was unknown how long the 'Crimson Witches' would be able to resist the 'temptation'. At least so far, there hadn't been any news of them getting a new owner, though most people expected that it was only a matter of time.
"What a shame."
"Yeah."
The image of 'rich capitalists' or 'people in power' was definitely not good in most people's eyes, and they didn't believe the life of those under their thumb could be very good. And for a girl who was pretty enough, things could only be worse.
Many people felt it was a bit of a pity, too. Despite Emilia's haughty attitude, she already had a lot of 'fans'. But this matter was beyond their ability, anyway, and it was better to bend than to break.
The leader of the group gave his 'clients' an apologetic smile. "Sorry, it looks like one of my teammates had something urgent to do. But don't worry, we're still perfectly capable of fulfilling our promise." He grinned. "Don't mind their nonsense, by the way. They just like to talk a lot. We're ready to leave now."
The middle-aged man in front of him, however, just shook his head indifferently. "We're not in a hurry. Let's wait for your companion to return."
The dark-haired youth couldn't help but be dumbfounded. 'Didn't he mention repeatedly how every second and every minute of his time is precious, and we're not allowed to dilly-dally around? Wait, could it be…!'
Obviously, it was impossible for such a disciplined-looking man to change his mind randomly, and he also couldn't have been swayed by Emilia's beauty, like some of his hormonal teammates. At least, there had been no reaction from his side to support that.
Which could only mean… the organization behind him must want to recruit the 'Crimson Witches' too?!
With the way they moved around and behaved, they were clearly incompatible with the whimsical and casual attitude of the 'Crimson Witches', so he hadn't even considered such an absurd thought before. But now, with the way they were behaving, this absurd conjecture suddenly seemed quite likely to be true.
The dark-haired youth couldn't help but feel a little complicated. 'I worked so hard to market my team, but they were only interested in temporary cooperation. But for those girls, it's fine to waste time like this even if they're rejected?'
He stared at the 'troops' neatly lined up behind his client, but couldn't see any hint of unwillingness or curiosity from them.
The leader could only grit his teeth unwillingly.
His 'vice-captain', clever as she was, immediately saw through his dilemma, and coughed, pretending to 'comfort' some of her rowdy teammates. "I heard that several foreign agencies and organizations have been spotted wandering around the area their team usually stays in, you know? If you have any interest in those girls, you should definitely take the chance to talk to them before they leave."
She then pretended to sigh wistfully. "Who knows, if you shy away now, you could miss the opportunity of a lifetime."
Her teammates couldn't help but be shocked.
"Is that true?! Then… aren't they going to be poached away?!"
Obviously, it was just nonsense she came up with on the spot, but it was so believable that no one had any doubts.
The air immediately seemed to get a little gloomy, and one didn't need to turn around to know that the middle-aged client of theirs must have a terrifying expression on his face.
The 'spawn location' of a player being determined by their real location naturally meant that most people in the area were from the same country, and carried similar nationalistic sentiments. But based on the behavior of their 'client', it wasn't hard to guess who their 'backer' must be.
Suddenly full of righteous fury, a few people couldn't help but make a few daring suggestions.
"Some other countries have already passed their super-soldier programs, what is Karamine doing?"
"I'd rather the government just capture them in that case. Anyway, when young girls can't decide what's best for them, it's the duty of 'adults' to take care of them."
"Right!"
The middle-aged man remained silent regardless of their goading, however, and no one could tell what he was really thinking.
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