Chapter 118: Lord and Wizard

Chapter 118: Lord and Wizard

Bran had no idea that an old wizard was worrying about him and making a difficult decision for him. He lived in his own world, happy and troubled by the things around him. This city was his; it seemed the entire city revolved around him. But was that really the case? He was entangled with this city, laboring both mentally and physically.

The mountain people were captured batch after batch, and the resulting food problem arose again. Although there was no major issue for the time being, given the current growth rate, if no action was taken in advance, these mountain people would likely go hungry.

Faced with everyone’s reminders, Bran started to have a habitual headache again. He thought he had solved the immediate labor shortage, but it brought an even bigger problem. Population was never a small issue.

What to do? The captured mountain people couldn’t all be put into city construction; some needed to be allocated for food cultivation . By the Eternal River and next to the Twofold Mountain, they could allocate another part for fishing and hunting.

Earl reminded Bran again, “The Twofold Mountain is not our territory.”

Bran answered again, “It is now.”

Thinking about buying a batch of food, Bran realized he faced another problem: the city lacked a circulating currency. In the Northlands, people always traded goods for goods. Bran began to imagine a scene where he pulled a pile of junk to exchange for another pile of junk. But what else could be done about these things? Earl and the others must have experience; it was best to leave it to them. Bran decided to appropriately pretend he didn’t see or hear, shifting the heavy burden to those below was a good method. His first caravan was thus forced into establishment. Then this caravan, flying his banner, set off towards the nearest city, Sandstone City.

…

Bran, thinking he had solved a big trouble, returned to his identity as a wizard and sat under a tree to think. These past few days, Zoya stayed in the training ground all day, practicing nonstop. Bran didn’t bother to persuade her; it was better to let the girl keep her hopes at this time. And he also needed a few days of peace.

Bran fully released his Magic Field, enveloping the entire City Manor. He wanted to try reshaping and transforming some small targets from near to far. He wanted to break free from some physical habits; he needed to open his mind. His abilities had evolved multiple times; some unintentionally, like hearing the buzzing of mosquitoes, which reminded him that sound was formed by vibration, and his Magic Field underwent subtle changes accordingly. Some were through learning, like the Fairy pulling him into the spiritual world, allowing him to see the living form of Mana, so his body began to change as well.

That day, he patted the Ancient Tree and said, “The Ancient Tree has habitually thought of itself as a large tree.”

Wasn’t he the same? He habitually thought he was still a human, but actually, like the Ancient Tree, he had already become a Mana life form. He had even changed more thoroughly than the Ancient Tree. His knowledge, his perspective on the world, his conjectures about everything, were constantly being tested on himself. Unknowingly, he had become a monster.

Every time knowledge from his previous life’s memories popped into his mind, Bran would subconsciously test it and then apply it to himself. He never thought about whether it was right or safe. He just subconsciously imprinted the various aspects of his previous life into his Mana, making them an inseparable part of himself.

Bran patted Huahua and sighed softly, “You are just a little monster!”

Then, he reminded himself that the human form was just an illusion, a dispensable thing, an identity marker for walking in the Mortal World. It was meaningless.

“Yes, meaningless!” Bran said firmly. Then he closed his eyes and broke free from the constraints.

Everyone in the City Manor was startled; the entire manor rapidly changed. The ceilings and walls of various rooms in the manor developed beautiful pictures. Exquisite patterns appeared on the ground, and the parapet walls began to have slight undulations.

Danny felt as if she had returned to Bran Manor, back to the time when the manor was constantly changing. Her statue appeared again in the courtyard, standing to one side.

The disturbed people gradually gathered around Bran, wanting to know what had happened. But in their eyes, Bran just sat there with his eyes closed, just like the previous days and nights, no different. Perhaps there was some difference; he seemed transparent, as if he might disappear at any moment.

The people surrounding him began to whisper to each other. Although no one stepped forward, it still interrupted his state. Bran let out a light breath and slowly opened his eyes. He said to the people around, “Disperse, it was just an experiment.”

Mary jumped out, “We were just concerned about you.”

Bran chuckled twice, “You’re curious, right? Curious about what actually happened.”

Mary admitted openly, “Yes, curious.”

“I’ve been talking with Zoya these days; her ideas are very interesting. I’m used to the human form. Although I can’t get rid of this shape yet, I can think and act from a different angle. This is no different from before. In the past, I used my hands and body to make contact; now I’m just extending my abilities directly.

Everyone, disperse.”

The people around left, only Zoya stayed. She asked excitedly, “Are you saying I helped you?”

“Correct.”

“Am I that amazing?”

Bran smiled, “Much more amazing than you think. Your ideas, your way of looking at things.”

“Oh, my parents still say I’m silly.”

Bran couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “It is silly, at least in their world, in their eyes. But in my world, in my eyes, it’s precious. Don’t mind them, just show different attitudes to different people. Like how you only share your true thoughts with me.”

After having a pleasant conversation with Zoya for a while, the girl ran off to the training ground again.

Bran refocused his attention on himself. Through the recent experiment, he understood: the body was both a foundation and shackles. For now, everything he had still depended on this physical shell.

That momentary feeling earlier was wonderful. The moment he merged with the Mana, he saw a deeper and broader world. His consciousness kept delving deeper, constantly magnifying everything within his body. It turned out the body was originally composed of an infinite Starry Sky. He wanted to continue deeper, but his spirit could no longer support it, and the Mana no longer obeyed his will. The surrounding people’s discussions startled him awake. It was a wonderful experience. The changes in the City Manor weren’t intentional on his part; they were merely the ripples of his consciousness.

“I am already a monster,” Bran murmured. He opened his hand and made a grasping motion in the air, but this feeling was wonderful.

…

Though not a good Lord, this way was also fine. This place was not just a burden; it was also wealth. Because I occupy this place, Zoya arrived. I believe more people will come, bringing different perspectives, ideas, and experiences. Maybe I should gather the few wizards in the city, listen more, observe more. I shouldn’t be too conservative.