Chapter 798 Targeted
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Dolly wasn't particularly pleased with how her 'discussion' with Sylvia's team went. After all, not only did she not get any apology from Sylvia, but she was also mocked and ridiculed by her 'new friends' as if she deserved it.
But considering her own bright future, Dolly knew that it was only a matter of time before they started regretting not getting into her good graces while they still could have.
Just thinking about Sylvia being full of regret and self-condemnation for 'missing out' on being a true friend of hers made Dolly feel like such small 'bumps' didn't matter too much.
People like that Emilia girl might have been able to get ahead of her in the game, but in the real world, they probably would never come even close to comparing to her skills.
Since the main reason everyone was now so eager to join and make progress in Arcadia was to get stronger in reality, Dolly knew that sooner or later everyone would realize the value of 'gifted' people like herself.
All she needed to do now was wait patiently and make progress at her own pace, and everything else would eventually fall into place on its own.
But while she may not have cared if she were to get scolded or kicked out of her new 'team' because of leaving without warning, Dolly was still shocked that they waited so long for her to return.
She couldn't help but be dumbfounded. 'Could it be that my secret potential was somehow revealed…? But how?!'
Soon, however, she realized that things weren't quite as she first believed.
Neither the team leader nor the rest of the team paid any special heed to her, and the 'clients' they had been serving were also busy with some sort of internal discussion. Of course, the same could be said for 'her' team.
"I don't get it… weren't we supposed to help them level up? Why are we just waiting here doing nothing?"
"Dunno… but apparently, we're getting paid regardless."
Dolly's complicated gaze turned to the man who'd recruited her, and she realized that, compared to his mostly confused team, the leader's mood was much more sullen.
Naturally, while he didn't have any problem with getting paid for doing nothing, he wasn't shortsighted enough to be happy about such an event. If anything, the fact that any long-term cooperation might now be impossible made him extremely anxious.
If they couldn't help their first big client at all, who would trust them with their time and money ever again? Anything he put forth at that point would just look like excuses.
Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to convince them, the 'client' just refused to listen.
And sometime later, he wasn't even allowed to get close to the man who led the client team, since they were supposedly having a 'confidential meeting'.
"Are you sure they're heading over here?" The middle-aged 'leader' frowned.
"Positive, sir. I just received a direct message from our sentry."
"Hm… then we wait."
Recruiting the 'top' team in the world was much more important than a single day's 'experience', as far as he was concerned. After all, while he may not understand 'games' very well, the lead that those girls supposedly had over others was supposed to be quite considerable.
'If we wait for the official channels to finish preparing, it will probably be too late.' He sighed. 'I can only take the initiative myself.'
Being a father of two 'adults' and three children, the man understood very well how easy to tempt and quick to act young people could be. And without even a single 'stabilizing figure' in that team, he was absolutely certain that they would be 'poached' by some foreign power quite easily.
After all, no matter how strict they were with who was allowed to approach the zone in which the 'Crimson Witches' operated, and were even constantly monitoring them, their authority didn't really extend into 'Arcadia'.
If not for fearing that chasing after them would scare the 'little girls' and make them more resistant to joining the right side, the middle-aged man might not even have been willing to wait for them. Every second he spent 'dilly-dallying' was another second that could be used by their 'enemies' to court this 'potential weapon', after all.
Fortunately, his patience seemed to have paid off, as the silhouette of six feminine figures could be seen approaching the city gates on the capital's main exit. Combined with the news he received from his 'spies' earlier, the middle-aged man was certain that it must be the Crimson Witches.
'Should I go with the tough but honest approach, or the gentle and kind one?' He wondered. 'It's usually better to fake some kindness in front of young girls, but both that Emilia girl and Danielle seem to be quite rebellious, and may not respond well to that… I'll just have to be tough.'
Just as he'd made up his mind, Emilia and her team finally got close enough for the middle-aged man to get a clear look at them. And almost immediately, all the 'distracting thoughts' he'd been having earlier fled from his mind.
He'd clearly seen them well enough just a while ago, but with just a few small changes, it was like the whole team had completely transformed.
The gangly and boyish girl of the group had turned dashingly beautiful when donned with a tight-fitting dark suit that hugged her curves just right, and maximized her feminine charm without dulling her edge.
The dull and boring 'healer' had been turned into a priestess in pure white, with numerous golden accessories that surprisingly didn't take away from her gentle aura at all. And the girl next to her was the exact opposite, with dark and imposing robes that hugged her curves and a distinctly proud demeanor, she perfectly portrayed the image of a noble lady and a witch combined.
As for the remaining three… well, he wasn't surprised that even his well-trained subordinates seemed to have lost their minds.
The middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh. 'Fortunately, I'm already old enough to be their father. Otherwise, I'd have been in some real trouble.'
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