Chapter 111: The Awakening Ancient Tree

Chapter 111: The Awakening Ancient Tree

After the people from the Anya Kingdom left, Danny turned her head towards Bran.

“Three power ful lives? I understand Huahua, you and she are one.” A playful smile was on her face. Then she reached out and tapped the big tree beside her. “But what about this tree?”

Bran spread his hands. “A powerful, self-aware Ancient Tree. Fairies are truly a magical race. They changed the environment, even changed life forms. The fairies gave us the ability to absorb and gather mana, then they guided the flow of mana to speed up this effect. An instinctive way of using mana, truly marvelous.

However, our lifespans are ultimately limited. At most, we can gather mana for a hundred years or so. But trees are different. For thousands of years, they have been constantly gathering and absorbing mana, and this effect is a slowly accelerating process. Now, the mana they contain is unimaginably vast. To store mana more efficiently, star clusters of mana formed one after another inside the trees. In terms of total mana, he is the most powerful one.”

Bran chuckled. “But the fairies’ influence stops here. They are more like caretakers, maintaining the home and tending to these trees, and now maybe us as well. Until Fairy Whisper pulled me into the Spiritual World so I could learn more.”

Bran patted the big tree beside him hard and raised his voice. “Wake up, say hello to my Danny.”

With Bran’s action, this big tree made a sharp sound. “Hello, lady.”

This startled the people around, including the White Wolf. The Snow Falcon resting on this Ancient Tree flew straight up into the sky, circling the big tree in confusion. Danny looked at Bran, waiting for him to explain more.

Bran shrugged, drew his Short Blade, and gave it a light shake, producing a clear ring. Then he said, “Sound is just a phenomenon created by the vibration of objects. A Magic Field can also create similar vibrations, or directly vibrate the surrounding air.”

To emphasize the point, Bran waved his hand, while his Magic Field vibrated the air around it, making a buzzing sound. “Just like this. Sound doesn’t need to come from a mouth, so he can speak this way too.”

Bran grinned, looking very pleased, and patted the Ancient Tree beside him. “During the communication in the Spiritual World, I learned a lot from him. When I tried to pass my knowledge to them, they recorded it, drawing one new ring after another inside their bodies.

Then, they actually started using some of these abilities and skills instinctively. For example, the perception method of the Magic Field, which made their reactions to the surroundings faster and sharper. After that, their consciousness began to become active.”

Bran rubbed the tree trunk. “When he was just a seedling, the fairies changed him into a home. Now his insides are not as simple as they look from the outside. Thousands of years later, he is more like a tree-shaped mana life form. He just habitually thinks he is a big tree.”

Seeing the strange looks from those around, Bran was a bit displeased. “Don’t look at me like that.—Alright, he really is just a big tree.”

“At the Mountain Villa, Whisper noticed the change and planted another Ancient Tree in our castle. When I left, he sent this one to be with me. After these three Ancient Trees fully awaken, the fairies might be able to wake up more through them.”

Danny asked, “Does he have a name?”

“No.”

“Why not help him choose one?”

“I want to observe more. It’s an interesting thing. The Ancient Tree already has enough consciousness. He should be able to determine his own name and identity. Now, since you all know, from now on, ask him more often. Is he thirsty? Does he need watering, bug-catching, and such?”

Someone couldn’t help interrupting. “Why don’t you do these things?”

“He said, ‘He can endure all that, as long as I talk with him more often.'” After saying this, Bran sat back down cross-legged under the tree with a mischievous smile. The Ancient Tree was now like an oversized baby. He needed someone to satisfy his curiosity, wanted to keep talking to others. He would share some of the mana from his branches and twigs with Bran. Because Bran told him that proper pruning was good for physical and mental health.

…

Just as Bran sat under the tree every day chatting and joking with the Tree Baby, some things finally began to develop.

Bran’s killings sent a clear message—whoever messes with me, I hit back. From any point of view, his actions seemed crazy. Many nobles who wanted to get close to the Northlands slowed down their moves. Currently, he didn’t seem like a partner you could work with. No one would guess Bran’s situation back then, the anger of being plotted against by three sides.

The people from the Anya Kingdom went to Northland City again. Astute observers waited for another conflict between the two sides. But surprisingly, they came back quietly. Nothing happened; it seemed it was just for a friendly discussion. After returning, Tirui kept a much lower profile.

Things became interesting. Everyone wondered what happened then?

The White-robed Sorcerers hiding in the Delegation revealed the answer for them. The White-robed Ones no longer concealed themselves. They began to show their power openly, letting people witness the strength of evolved wizards. And when talking about the Northlands, they showed reverence, respectfully calling Bran — Great Wizard.

Then, the nobles roughly guessed some truth. Both the Dragon Riders and the Royal Family were trying to seize the secrets of the Northern Wizards, so they angered Bran, leading to a slaughter. Knowing the reason, the nobles of the Green Kingdom began to get restless. As long as it wasn’t senseless killing, it was acceptable. Failure, of course, required paying a price.

…

Tirui was very frustrated now. The news had been sent back to his country, and he needed to wait for further instructions. This matter was a conspiracy from start to finish. They were used without knowing the full story. The only thing that made him feel better was that those who plotted against him suffered misfortune.

After handling official business, Tirui began making plans for himself. His family also had wizards. Because of family tradition, these people were still trained to be knights. He always thought before that after becoming a Hell Knight, you could also gain powerful strength. Even if a bit weaker than the White-robed Ones, compared to the uncertainty of a wizard’s evolution, knights were more reliable.

Now he began to waver. On the way back, after listening to the constant explanations from the White-robed Sorcerers, he understood. Great Wizard Bran displayed a completely different level of power. If such a wizard appeared in his family, just thinking about it was exciting.

…

While people were planning how to get close to the Northlands and how to get close to Bran, Niels had already started to act. He watched with mixed feelings as his servants packed. He watched his daughter Zoya climb happily onto the carriage heading north. This time, his daughter would go alone to see her good friend — Bran.

He prayed in his heart for his daughter’s safety. Facing his carefree daughter, he did not tell her how terrifying and dangerous her good friend was. Because he understood that any unusual emotion was hard to hide from someone like Bran, so letting everything happen naturally was the best way.

Susan stood beside her husband and asked, “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine, and safe. She knows nothing, just going to see a good friend. But her good friend is a Great Wizard, so during casual chats, he would always talk about his own things, his own World — the World of a Wizard.”