Chapter 273

279. Chapter 279: There's Always a Reckless Person

The funeral ended.

Dalton called the three thugs aside.

He took out two boxes from his pocket and handed them to the thug leader: "Big Brother heard Big Sis report this matter, and specially sent them back to you."

The thug leader thanked him sincerely from the bottom of his heart: "Thank Big Sis for me, thank Big Brother."

Whether it was genuine or feigned, at least in 'Do Whatever Is Free,' at Linke Grand's place, they were treated as people, not disposable tools to be used and discarded.

Even though 'Do Whatever Is Free' was expanding, they did not forcibly assign these West District underlings tasks that could not be completed or were destined to get them killed.

Even if some tasks might involve high risk, they would always state it beforehand; there had never been a case of concealing the true situation.

The five original low-level thugs, later the petty tyrants of the side alleys, felt they had been given full respect.

They also, starting from their own experiences, gradually came to understand what the 'humanitarian spirit' that Big Brother Grande often spoke of actually meant.

In the view of the thug leader, this sudden fire that killed two lackeys actually had nothing to do with 'Do Whatever Is Free'; it was merely the outbreak of a hidden danger left behind by their own earlier expansion of territory.

Unexpectedly, Big Brother, far away at the Academy Headquarters, upon hearing the news, actually specially sent these things over as condolences.

This truly moved the thug leader, stirring his emotions.

In front of Dalton and the two lackeys, the thug leader carefully opened the first box.

Inside the box was something simple: just one Standard Level 2 Magic Stone and a slip of paper stating that this Standard Level 2 Magic Stone was given as settlement funds to the two thugs.

This gesture was not large; to Linke now, it was a drop in the bucket.

But placed in the West District underclass, it was a princely sum!

Moreover, it was something unheard of.

Which gangster organization would have the concept of settlement funds?

Not robbing and occupying your house after you died was already considered a humane act.

Settlement?

Whether one could even keep one's home was an unknown matter.

The thug leader sucked in his nose hard, closed the lid, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

He planned to go back and exchange this Standard Level 2 Magic Stone for Standard Level 1 Magic Stones, then give them separately to the families of the two lackeys.

After adjusting his emotions, the thug leader opened the second box.

Hiss!

Three sounds of sharp inward breaths occurred simultaneously.

Only see, inside the box lay three vials of brightly red potion, glinting with an enticing sheen under the sunlight.

"What is this?"

Snapping the lid shut, the thug leader's emotions surged, and he asked hopefully.

"This is a newly developed potion by Big Brother, named 'Nourish'; the name is a bit awkward to say, but its effect is very strong, and it is very suitable for you."

Dalton said seriously, "It can compensate for the potential loss caused by injecting the second-generation 'Empowerment' potion."

Hiss!

Again, three sounds of sharp inward breaths.

After injecting the 'Empowerment' potion, including the two deceased thugs, all five had, besides their own witchcraft, gained some witchcraft-like talents.

Such as invisibility, or far sight/clairvoyance, or shadow-walking, or acute sound perception, or briefly merging with the surrounding environment.

Strange but useful, it well solved the problem of the thugs having little time and resources to study witchcraft.

The only drawback was that one could inject no more than three vials of the second-generation 'Empowerment' potion.

Moreover, each injection would overdraft a certain amount of potential.

As for current strength, or future potential, this was not a problem.

For the West District thugs living hand-to-mouth, with no idea where their next meal was coming from, of course they chose present strength.

Only by being alive could one afford to talk about the future.

Now, Big Brother Grande had again solved this sole drawback; for the thugs, it was nothing but joyous good news.

Seeing this, Dalton cautioned: "Since the raw materials for the 'Nourish' potion are precious and the refining process complex, it can currently only be personally refined by Big Brother, with extremely limited output. You go back and inject it yourselves; for now, do not leak the news, understand?"

"Understood."

The thug leader nodded steadily.

He now at least oversaw twenty or thirty people, and knew the principle of not fearing scarcity but fearing inequality.

"Understood, understood."

The two thugs nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, I'm leaving first."

Dalton looked up at the sky, left the cemetery in the southern suburbs, returned to the new headquarters of 'Do Whatever Is Free' in the North District, and reported to Asand Cornett, General Manager.

Hmm, the position of General Manager was one specially created by Big Brother for Asand.

Meaning all affairs were to be handled by him.

Big Brother is Big Brother indeed; even inventing a few position names can carry deep meaning.

Handling, not final judgment.

The position held by Big Sis is President, which is the one responsible for final judgment.

This leaves room, so there's no need to worry about being ousted.

With admiration for Big Brother, Dalton returned to the new headquarters, a villa renovated in the North District.

Members coming and going, upon seeing Dalton, one of the eight elders and a wizard, warmly greeted him, and Dalton returned each with a bright smile.

Thud, thud.

Dalton knocked on the General Manager's office door, then pushed it open and entered.

"Sit down, done with the busy work over there?"

Asande was brewing tea, pointed to the chair diagonally opposite, and handed Dalton a cup as an afterthought.

"Hmm."

Dalton gave a simple reply, then began to sip the tea.

The two enjoyed three cups of clear tea, then began discussing official matters.

In the eyes of the gang leader, the sudden fire they encountered was the outbreak of a previously unaddressed hidden hazard.

But in Asande's view, this was a response and warning from some black-gloved organizations in the West District to the continual infiltration of "Do Whatever You Want" into the West District over this period.

"It's time to keep a low profile and settle down for a while."

After discussing the relevant matters, Asande instructed Dalton, who was responsible for infiltrating the West District, "Pause expansion in the West District, and even actively contract somewhat. Take precautions, especially for yourself—when going out, be extra careful."

"Understood."

Dalton is not a fool.

After the Andrea fraud incident, Dalton became enlightened, and his conduct in dealing with people and affairs became increasingly low-key and unobtrusive.

Among the five members of the Benevolent Brother Group, Ba Ke currently handles no external affairs and focuses on training the personnel selected by Asande.

In Asande's words as General Manager, it is that Grand Lord will eventually wage war across the heavens, and the earlier the main force is prepared, the smoother the future development will be.

Lynn, as Vice General Manager, assists Asande in handling all affairs of "Do Whatever You Want."

Dijie, this kid, plays to his nature, handling external liaison and also controlling part of the intelligence system.

And Dijie's capable assistant is precisely Mina Havcheck, who seized the opportunity and defected in time.

For this, Betty even flew into a rage, and for over half a month has not given Dijie a good look.

Even Asande, who made this personnel arrangement, and Lynn, who announced the personnel appointment, have received Betty's white-eyed stares for over half a month.

Ezio is straightforward in character, speaks little, and is responsible for internal inspection, directly reporting to President Mo Li. Consequently, the increasingly low-key and unobtrusive Dalton has become the unequivocal choice for infiltrating the West District.

After leaving the General Manager's office, Dalton went next door to the Vice General Manager's office.

"Anything?"

Lynn was reviewing a document, and upon sensing Dalton's arrival, he asked without looking up.

"The General Manager is getting married soon, so we need to prepare a gift."

Dalton familiarly activated the office's anti-eavesdropping facilities, then sat opposite Lynn and said as such.

"Indeed."

Lynn recalled the changes that "Do Whatever You Want" underwent in less than a month, and fully agreed with Dalton's suggestion.

Then, exercising the art of leadership, he went along and said, "Since you brought it up, you'll be responsible for it."

Dalton opened his mouth, looking at Lynn with utter disbelief.

Is he looking for trouble for no reason, giving himself a troublesome errand?

And, have you become this slippery now?

Can't afford to provoke, can't afford to provoke!

Dalton instantly felt the seat beneath his buttocks getting hot, hurriedly jumped up, and hastily left.

He feared that staying a little longer would bring another misfortune dropping onto his head.

Lynn watched Dalton's back, smiled helplessly.

If we don't give Dalton some overt tasks to do, how can we make the black-gloved organizations in the West District believe that "Do Whatever You Want" has halted expansion?

Academy Headquarters.

Headquarters of the "Do Whatever You Want" Branch.

After nearly a month of preparation, the "Do Whatever You Want" Branch was officially unveiled today.

All procedures were proper, and all processes had been filed.

Absolutely no flaws can be found.

Even if someone wanted to take advantage to cause trouble, they could find no fault.

After the brief unveiling ceremony, Lin Ke stood in the first-floor lobby of the branch headquarters, facing Mo Li, Sandra, Lanny, Tiffany, Gerald, and Fried, and calmly said: "I don't have much empty talk to say, only one sentence: 'Do Whatever You Want' was, from its top-level design, destined not to be the organization of a single person, but of all members. This may run contrary to the mainstream of the Wizard World, but it is the sincere expectation of this founder, and I hope everyone can work together to develop 'Do Whatever You Want' well, while also developing themselves well."

Pausing, Lin Ke emphasized: "When the day comes that 'Do Whatever You Want' becomes an obstacle to your development, I hope you can withdraw from it without hindrance, bearing no psychological burden whatsoever. Only, I equally hope that if you truly withdraw, do not step on it."

As the words fell, Lin Ke raised the crystal cup filled with golden-yellow liquor and toasted: "May those present find the day they discover their own truth!"

"Cheers!"

The six raised their cups together, clinked them, and drank fully.

After three rounds of drinks, Lin Ke approached Sandra, got straight to the point, and said directly: "Have you serve as Vice President of 'Do Whatever You Want,' concurrently as branch General Manager. You shall have full authority over all branch affairs, and simultaneously possess the right to inquire into headquarters work. What do you think?"

"No problem."

Sandra calmly accepted her personnel appointment, then said, "You know, I joined not for any position or authority."

"Of course."

Lin Ke nodded and said, "I have come to understand some of your ideas to a certain extent, and I believe 'Do Whatever You Want' might become a platform for practicing your ideals."

"How so?"

Sandra's interest was instantly sparked.

Lin Ke's gaze successively turned to Gerald and Fried, then he asked: "Have you noticed their differences?"

"Differences?"

Sandra followed Lin Ke's gaze and looked over, thoughtful.

Lin Ke did not beat around the bush, directly stating his view: "Fried's presence has always been low, but he always completes his assigned tasks, neither outstanding nor erroneous. This is because he harbors reservations, so he cannot let loose. As for Gerard, he is bold and generous, can take responsibility, and can promptly adjust his self-positioning, advancing and retreating freely, yielding and stretching as he wishes. However, from a long-term perspective, I judge that Fried's future achievements will not be lower than Gerard's."

"Even possibly higher."

Sandra proactively voiced the point that Lin Ke had not fully expressed: "Gerald now seems to advance and retreat freely, to stretch and contract at will, yet he lacks much sense of crisis. And the concerns that Fried harbors are precisely his sense of crisis. As long as Fried's confidence and will are not crushed by this concern, he can continually climb upward driven by this sense of crisis!"

"Correct."

Lin Ke strongly agreed with Sandra's words, "So..."

"So, by leveraging the 'Do Whatever Is Free' platform, we build a relatively equal and free atmosphere, narrowing the distance between them, letting Gerald feel Fried's pursuit, and letting Fried realize that what he fears is actually not truly insurmountable. Thus..."

Sandra's eyes sparkled with light, her tone excited.

"Thus, both sides can make progress, continuously progress!"

Lin Ke took up Sandra's thread, completing what she wanted to say, then shifted tone: "But, how to gauge the degree in this is a very challenging matter."

At this point, Sandra fully understood why Lin Ke had asked her to serve as branch General Manager while simultaneously holding the position of Vice President above.

Only by holding the Vice President position above could Sandra more conveniently use the 'Do Whatever Is Free' platform and channels to recruit more local wizards like Fried from the native population.

Whether pure-blood or half-blood from native West Coast families, or newblood from the Storm Sea, all could serve as fresh blood, continuously flowing into the Academy Headquarters World Branch of 'Do Whatever Is Free'.

Even, in the future, the native would be the branch, and the Academy Headquarters would be the headquarters!

Having figured this out, Sandra reflected and compared her method of recruiting Lanny, Tiffany, and Fried through the Micro Legion with the method of drawing excellent native wizards through the 'Do Whatever Is Free' platform and channels.

She found that each had its pros and cons: the former pursued a high-end path, while the latter was inclusive and enduring.

To realize her vision, she wanted more members of the Academy Headquarters' great noble families to feel competition, to emerge from their state of idle indulgence, and to strive upward.

Clearly, the latter was more suitable.

Originally, due to her mother Lisandra lady altering her cognition, she had not changed her decision to continue joining 'Do Whatever Is Free'; in fact, she had no special demands, but now she was filled with motivation.

"Thank you."

Sandra sincerely thanked Lin Ke for helping her find a path to practice her ideals.

"You're welcome."

Lin Ke gave a slight nod, then walked toward Mo Li, who was waving at him.

"Something happened in the Research Group; Celine Wushi is absent, urgently seeking you, asking you to come over now."

Mo Li leaned close to Lin Ke's lowered ear, speaking solemnly: "Ten thousand urgencies, do not delay!"

"Alright, you tell them for me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ke immediately walked out, driving straight to the Potion Research Group Experimental Building.

Mo Li, facing the curious gazes of the crowd, truthfully explained: "Celine Sage's Potion Research Group has urgent business seeking Lin Ke."

"And you? Do you want to come along too?"

Sandra followed up, asking: "If you also have things to attend to, we can wrap up today first."

"No need."

Mo Li shook her head, speaking in a faint tone: "I'm afraid that if I go, I'll laugh until my stomach hurts."

The crowd was puzzled, yet did not press further.

After all, it was an internal matter of Celine Sage's Potion Research Group; if it were convenient to speak of, Mo Li would not hide or evade.

Lin Ke reached the experimental building at the fastest speed.

Shaliya, long unseen, was anxiously waiting downstairs; upon seeing Lin Ke's car, she immediately went up to meet him.

"Quick! Loken can barely hold on!"

Shaliya spoke anxiously, explaining the incident: "I don't know what happened; Loken, taking advantage of Celine Sage's absence, secretly consumed an undeveloped body-refining potion, attempting to forcibly breakthrough to Level 3 Wizard. The potion's effect underwent an unknown mutation; Loken has already fallen into shock, his vital signs are disordered, and his life force cannot be replenished no matter what."

Lin Ke, while rushing quickly to the third basement level, asked:

"Is he dissatisfied with living too well, rushing to seek death?"