Lin Da was indeed looked down upon then, but Lia had never thought of abandoning him.
She just assumed that, as usual, if she pressured Lin Da a bit, he would abandon his complex strategy and recklessly join her in advancing to the ninth level.
That morning, however, she wasn't able to wait for him.
At that time, Lia was already regretting it, but couldn't lower her face to apologize to Lin Da.
Even though it was late now, she still wanted to tell Lin Da her true thoughts.
Lin Da paused with his needlework, silent for a long time.
"After working together for three years, I would certainly be able to see a person's character."
Lin Da's hand gently rested on Lia's head.
Some things, objectively, can be understood, but subjectively are hard to accept.
Lia said nothing; tiny pearls fell from her eyes, and in the dimly lit restroom, they dropped to the floor one by one.
She made no sound, merely letting the pearls slide from her eyes, mixing with the dripping noise from a leaky faucet on the other side of the sink.
"I carefully considered whether I'm also responsible for you turning out this way," Lin Da said. "From the beginning, had I done less and trained you more, perhaps Snow Goose could have gone further."
"My leaving the team is also a good thing for you all. Haven't you noticed that you and Aiko, along with others, have all become stronger?"
Lia was momentarily stunned by the sudden question.
She recalled the battle against the Ironclad Land Turtle yesterday, where her Fire Series Battle Qi had become purer.
Objectively speaking, Lia's strength had increased. Aiko and Klrona had also improved to varying degrees.
Of course, the biggest change was that Snow Goose had begun to operate as a team. Though still somewhat uncoordinated, they were much more formidable than before.
"It seems, we really did become stronger... Why?" Lia said, puzzled.
"Because you are no longer reliant on others," Lin Da smiled. "The somewhat rough strategies of Phyllis are what bring out your potential, forcing you to refine your combat abilities."
What Snow Goose Adventure Team needs is a moderate commander. Content originally comes from novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Through bruises and injuries, they keep moving forward.
Late in the game, Snow Goose is a very strong adventure team. The Iron Triangle—[Lia] [Aiko] [Klrona]—reached the Five-Star Card level.
Lin Da's strategies were too perfect, unable to bring out their true potential.
Some characters need to be hammered to shed their outer muck and reveal their pearly essence.
By contrast, members of the Phoenix Tail Flower had been tempered during their Dark Shadow period.
Put them on the battlefield, and they're immediately ready to use.
This is the biggest difference between them and Lia's group.
As long as Lin Da stayed with Snow Goose, they couldn't grow.
"Adventurers always need to move forward."
Lin Da's voice softened as he said, "Perhaps further ahead, there's a place where Phoenix Tail Flower and Snow Goose intersect."
Lia's shoulders jerked violently, and she turned around with a thud.
Only then did Lin Da realize that Lia's eyes were red, with glistening tears sliding down her cheeks.
Lia, grasping the front of his shirt, her head hanging low, her tears spilled one by one, her voice sharp, "I don't want that kind of future!"
"Lin Da, come back now!"
"You're a member of Snow Goose too, right?"
Lin Da looked at Lia, taken aback.
He had misjudged; he thought Lia would never say such undignified words.
The last time Lia cried was when they were defeated on the second level.
Lin Da understood that Lia was repenting.
But, it was too late.
The members on the Phoenix Tail Flower's side were waiting for him; he couldn't possibly return to Snow Goose.
It was as if an employee fired by Lia started his company, achieved minor success, and only then did Lia think of renewing the contract... Lin Da would not agree, and neither would his team members.
"You are the captain of Snow Goose, crying really is embarrassing," Lin Da laughed, unable to contain his amusement, which entirely ruined Lia's composure.
Her face flushed red all at once, she pulled out a tissue from the restroom box, vigorously wiped it, and glared at Lin Da: "If you dare to speak about this, I will never forgive you!"
"Sharing it benefits me in no way."
"Then, what about your answer?" Lia fidgeted, looking at her toes: "Merging Phoenix Tail Flower into Snow Goose, I can accept that. Giving you the position of Vice-Captain is also feasible... "
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"What are you thinking?" Lin Da laughed incredulously; his Phoenix Tail Flower was in no way inferior to Snow Goose, so how could they possibly merge?
He tapped on Lia's forehead: "Don't you even have the courage to keep up with Phoenix Tail Flower? Afraid that we will leave you behind, unable to even see Phoenix Tail Flower's tail?"
"What, what, Lin Da, you're too arrogant! Don't you know that I am the future's greatest Swordsman!?"
Lia said angrily. Lin Da could insult her character, but he must never insult her strength!
She had practiced diligently for over ten years; her sword skill was refined to excellence—despite seemingly being at a disadvantage in this verbal exchange, if it truly came to a fight, the odds of her winning were high.
"Isn't that the point?"
Lin Da smiled and said:
"Since you can keep up with Phoenix Tail Flower, whether I return or not, it's all the same. At the higher levels, the legendary layers of the Great Mystery Continent, layers thirty and forty-five, fraught with danger, a single adventure team can't survive there alone. There will be plenty of opportunities for Snow Goose and Phoenix Tail Flower to fight side by side, as long as you can keep up."
"When I founded Snow Goose, I envisioned it as a legendary adventure team, how could it possibly fail to keep up!"
Lin Da paused, looking down at Lia's spirited little face. Even with her eyes red, her fiery, intense spirit couldn't be concealed, inspiring any team member under its glow to continue climbing with her.