14 Chapter 14 Gathering

Letting out a deep breath I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved by the advent of this New Disciple Gathering.

Probably due to the massive headache summoning Caliburn gave me, I thought that focusing of something, or literally anything other than the Sword Of Selection slowly eased the oncoming migraine that I was currently experiencing.

Despite the fact that by summoning the Sword Of Selection, I pretty much brought the situation on myself, the fact that is was specifically Caliburn created just too many variables and different possibilities that I couldn't account for.

At the end of the day, the difference between Artoria and I was akin to the difference between the Sun and the Moon.

One was radiant, and ever shining beacon of victory and hope. She led countless knights into countless battles and thoroughly believed that helping people, even if it was something simple, was the correct thing to do.

She was altruistic, and possessed an honour that made her unable to go against her beliefs.

I, on the other than, was definitely an egoist. Somebody that placed their own happiness and desires before others.

I wouldn't help someone without some sort of reasoning or potential compensation behind it, nor did I believe in helping people, just for the sake of helping.

I didn't possess any Kingly qualities, nothing that resembled the famous King Of Knights.

... I suppose the System might've had something to do with this?

That was the most reasonable thing I could think of that allowed me to wield Caliburn.

But the thing was, that supposed that the System was capable of granting me an attribute, or Mystery that allowed me to use special weapons like Caliburn, which had restrictions on its user and potential users.

Did that mean that the System compensated for the fact? Or did I naturally have the attribute. Seeing as though the System never responds to any of my questions, all of them still remained.

I sighed.

"Anyway, all I need to know now, is that I have a fancy new Noble Phantasm that is slightly weaker than Excalibur. For the time being, at least until I can save up enough Saint Quartz to do a couple ten rolls, I will probably just focus on cultivating and practicing Battle Techniques.....".

That seemed to ease my headache by quite a bit.

I smiled.

Tonight, all I need to do is create some sort of connection between myself and other new disciples. The foundation of any person, reincarnated or otherwise is always connections between myself and other people.

Making, friends or even just acquaintances allowed me to expand my network of information about this world. I needed to know who the biggest Sects were, who the most talented geniuses of the generation was, and how strong the older generations were as well.

I mean, if I had to fight against a Nascent Soul level Cultivator, I'd like to make at least a couple preparations before hand.

Arriving at the location of the gathering, I raised an eyebrow or two at the picturesque setting before me.

There was a large lake, with a rather big man-made island floating in the middle. The pavilion located on top of the island was enormous, probably around six or seven stories tall with large vines and flowers flowing down from the top floor.

The lake itself was covered in lily pads and lotus flowers. The way they were arranged and set was pleasant to eye, and the way the moon reflected off the smooth waters surface created a sort of juxtaposition between the sky and the water.

It was..... tranquil. Smooth but not uncomfortably so.

"I wonder if there was some sort of Feng Shui used when creating the island.....".

I mumbled out loud.

Just glancing around at the large number of new Worker Disciples heading to the gathering, I noticed that there was a large difference between some new disciples and others. While some seemed more comfortable and lively, talking loudly and clearly without a care in the world, others seemed a little more restrained, or less talkative when compared to the other group.

Walking towards the island, there was a fair few number of Worker Disciples chattering in small groups of two or three, that made up the majority of the lively disciples. On the other hand, a large majority of other worker disciples seemed sought of timid, or unsure of themselves. Probably unsure of where they fit into the social hierarchy of the Sect.

I let out a deep breath.

The function of this gathering, at least for Rin and I was to make "friends". Acquaintances or some other noun describing a pleasant, name-knowing relationship between two people.

The whole point of this gathering was to meet people. Even if the majority were afraid of taking the first step, there were still a number hoping to make some connections with powerful, or large groups of people to expand their influence.

Seeing as though both Rin and I knew completely fuck all about this world, it was important to focus on gathering information about this world and the various powers and influences that marred the map.

Figuring out if Magecraft was still active or present in the world. Finding out what were the most powerful organisations or geniuses in this generation. Scaling the levels of power from the world that Rin and I were familiar with to the current one all took priority.

To put it in my terms, "we weren't here to have fun. Our sole purpose, was to try and influence and recruit some people to our side".

Three heads were better than two right?

At the very least, we would have some backup in case the situation every called for it. That was what both Rin and I both needed.

My eyes narrowed as they swept over the large group of people within the island pavilion.

There was one problem that I hadn't yet faced.

"Hmm. When focusing on gathering underlings, do you focus on quality of quantity, or quantity over quality? I mean other than Yang Hua, there are two other Rank 5 Affinities in this batch of new disciples. Additionally, there was the Yu Ning'er and that Zhang Wei who both possessed Rank 4 Affinities. Further, I think there was also Long Fei and Jia Wen who also have Rank 4 Affinities.....".

Getting at least one of these people was definitely on my to-do-list.

If was fine and all recruiting ten Rank 2 Talents, but having somebody with a higher Talent could also serve as a point of comparison between them.

..... Was it alright that I was treating them like guinea pigs rather than actual people?

Hmm, it was probably alright. It wasn't like my last name was Mengele or anything.

"Also, it might be better to start off with somebody a little more timid, or uncomfortable with the current gathering. Somebody alone, without anyone to support them..... Wait? Why the hell do I sound like a predator?".

It unnerved me how comfortable I was with that statement.

Finding someone without any form of support in the Sect was difficult, even more so considering I didn't know these people.

Taking the situation into account, it seemed easier to try and convince a girl over a boy. Attraction was the quickest and most efficient way of manipulating someone, especially in comparison to something like camaraderie which took both time and effort to form.

The other, only needed a pretty face and a silver tongue.

My gaze landing on a pretty young girl standing off the side of the pavilion, whom was just uncomfortably standing by herself, holding a small cup of wine.

From the lack of any marks around the rim, it seemed as though she hadn't drunk any of it.

Just glancing around her, there were quite a few young men standing within her vicinity, obviously waiting for their courage to be influenced by the alcohol, or the right moment to go up and talk to her.

Taking a deep breath, I started walking over to her, thinking about how to introduce a conversation to her without seeming creepy or uncomfortable.

Back in my old world there were plenty of different times I had seen, or had gotten ignored or rejected outright from girls in both bars and clubs. There was a certain pattern to it, but obviously, there were a huge number of variables that changed or affected each situation.

The amount of alcohol consumed to even the girls own personality. Her personal life obviously played an important part to her mental state and willingness, so the opening statement, unless you were completely sure of the previous variables, needed to gauge her in a way.

The moment I got within five metres of her, the timid looking girl took a step back, and I instantly raised my hands to a passive appearance, despite my aggressive intentions.

"Sorry if my straightforwardness made you uncomfortable or anything. My intentions were, if for nothing else, quite the opposite actually".

The girl still looked at me warily.

I glanced around, noting that there must've been at least a dozen young boys standing within thirty feet of her.

The way I glanced around made it obvious to the girl that I was gesturing to said boys.

"Hypothetically speaking..... if one person, a boy specifically, were to come up to you and start a conversation then the others would more than likely go and find someone else to leer at. Provided that the girl seem at least somewhat interested in the conversation at least".

The timid girl narrowed her eyes. Maybe I had gotten her personality type wrong from the start?

"Are you volunteering to be that hypothetical boy?".

I showed an expression that neither confirmed no denied her question.

"Perhaps. Although, with the looks on their faces, I could pretty much guess the type of conversation you would get if you chose one of them over somebody else?".

"The lesser of two evils?", she retorted.

A thoughtful expression rose up on my face.

"Or the greater of two goods".

A smile, that looked a lot more like an expression of disbelief rose up on the girl's face. It seemed she definitely didn't have a timid personality. She was just quiet.

That meant I could take some liberties with the conversation.

I hummed.

"Unlike the others, I have other things on my mind beside what you look like naked".

The girl suddenly went red in the face, and frowned deeply as she took several more steps back.

"How dare-".

"How dare I? How dare they? You're not stupid. The only reason they were hanging around you, is to see whether or not they have a chance of getting in your pants".

The girl gave me a once over.

"And you don't!? Just from the sounds of things, it seems that what I look like naked is the only thing on your mind".

I shook my head.

"Quite the opposite actually. Now that I've already gotten rid of the "only thing" on my mind, it'll be easier to talk to you about what I actually want".

The girl showed a slightly hesitant expression. The conversation wasn't under her control in the slightest, and even though she felt kind of uncomfortable with the level of forwardness from me, I could guarantee from her expressions and tone alone that she wasn't offended.

..... If that were the case, than that glass of wine in her hands would be empty, and my clothes would be soaked.

Check....

She showed a slightly less than hostile expression.

"And what would that be?".

It was obvious that she was still worried about my intentions. Any woman would.

However, seeing as though I had skipped the pleasantries and awkward conversation starters and gone straight for the "meat" of the conversation, it was also obvious that I had motives other than just her body or the prospects of some sort of physical relationship.

I smiled.

..... and mate.

"Your name of course".