Chapter 4412 — Adapting to the Moment
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"That depends on how you arrange it, Brother Qi. If you have use for me, then I'll go," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile. Then he paused and added, "But what concerns me more just now is the Dragon Boat Escort Agency. Will Wu Baoliang take the field in this first round? If he does, Brother Qi, you must save me a place."
Wu Baoliang was the secret strategist of the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps, his standing nearly equal to Cheng Haonan's, and now that the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps was a key outside supporter of the Dragon Boat Escort Agency, Wu Baoliang stood to the Dragon Boat Escort Agency as Wei Zhao stood to the Sky-Holding Escort Agency—both were surely hidden trumps of formidable power.
If the Dragon Boat Escort Agency was bent on seizing the initiative in the first round in order to contend for a place among the Five Great Agencies, it was highly likely to send out Wu Baoliang.
Wei Zhao had come to this Southern Continent Escort Gathering with Wu Baoliang as his original aim. Even if the draw might not pit him against the Dragon Boat Escort Agency, he would not let slip this thread of a chance—for if he could not dispose of Wu Baoliang at this gathering, finding another chance to deal with the fellow afterward would be far harder.
"Yes. Before the draw begins, every agency must submit its roster of escorts for this round to the panel of judges. I'll go speak to the old man and have him keep a close watch. If Wu Baoliang is on it, I'll enter Brother Ling's name; if not, we'll let it be," Qi Wenmo said with a nod.
Though he too was determined to win the first round, he had no intention of sending Wei Zhao out right from the start. After all, the role he had assigned Wei Zhao was that of a mighty trump to turn the tide at the critical moment; to play it at the very first match would not only be a waste of great talent on a small task, but would also expose his own trump and leave him at a natural disadvantage in the contests to come.
Moreover, the Sky-Holding Escort Agency was, after all, one of the Five Great Agencies—even if it ranked last, it still had ample confidence. So long as the luck of the draw was not too poor, with the first-rate fighters within the agency it should be no trouble to secure a victorious start. Thus in the first round there was no need at all for Wei Zhao to take the field.
Of course, if it was because of Wu Baoliang that Wei Zhao himself resolved to fight, that was another matter.
Qi Wenmo at once took up brush and paper and wrote out two eight-man rosters—one with Wei Zhao on it, one without—to be used as circumstances required, and then, full of vigor, he strode toward the raised platform in the center.
By now, with the draw about to begin, the great majority of the thirty-two agencies had already prepared their eight-man rosters and submitted them one after another to the panel. Qi Wenmo, however, did not hand his in at once; instead he ran up and whispered a few words at his father Qi Mingyuan's ear, then came back down with the rosters in hand and waited at the side to watch.
Nor was Qi Wenmo alone—men from other agencies likewise kept watch nearby, and all of them shared one thing in common: they were of the Five Great Agencies.
First to review the other agencies' rosters, and only after knowing the enemy to make a targeted deployment—such was the privilege the Five Great Agencies had always enjoyed, a privilege the other agencies could only envy and never hope to match.
For having no one on the panel, it was useless for them to stall on purpose; unable to see the other agencies' rosters, they of course could not target their arrangements and could only charge in on the strength of their own ability.
Fortunately, the rosters were to be submitted before the draw, and as yet no one knew who his opponent would be—so relatively speaking, it was still fairly even. (To be continued...)
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