Chapter 128: Venting

Chapter 128: Venting

Since leaving the Northlands, one thing after another had happened. Bran felt his bad luck wouldn’t end; nothing had gone smoothly. He tried to trade for some grain, but it turned into a huge mess. In recent years, the Green Kingdom had had good weather for crops. With current storage methods, how long could grain even be preserved? A mutually beneficial thing, how did it get like this? The parties who were supposed to provide grain had now turned around and become the biggest consumers.

After returning from the Sandstone City ruins, Bran finally lost his patience. He sent another message to the other three parties: either ship the grain immediately, or await his revenge. He urgently needed a target, someone for him to vent his frustration on. Since everything started with you three, then let you be the conclusion.

Perhaps his bad luck had finally run out, because this demand received an immediate response. Both the Dragon Rider and the Royal Family stated they were already preparing compensation, and the initially demanded grain was being loaded for shipment. Facing the furious Bran, they chose to go with the flow. This avoided conflict with Bran and let them watch the Anya People become the laughingstock. They chose to make peace, leaving the Anya People to roast over the fire.

The Anya People were now suffering in silence. The people waiting for revenge were arrogant and aggressive; this mixed band of misfits was completely out of control. Backing down was impossible now. It was either a great victory or a great defeat.

After enduring the exhaustion and torment of the long journey, they had finally arrived at the royal capital of Green. Most people in the Delegation chose to relax and celebrate wildly. The royal capital of Green was powerless to deal with this revenge-seeking group, so they could only let them do as they pleased. This made life hard for the capital’s residents, and complaints rose up everywhere.

Pachu had not been idle during this time. He gathered the White-robed Ones together and refused any action that might cause misunderstandings with Bran. This isolated the White-robed Ones, and Tirui was isolated along with them. Tirui still held his deputy title but had been completely sidelined. He believed in Pachu’s character; someone who could set aside his own pursuits for his companions was definitely someone he could trust with his life. So he grew closer and closer to Pachu, even feeling a sense of kinship.

Who exactly was in charge of this chaotic team was probably unknown to anyone. Once here, people began to drift apart. Some, burning for revenge, had finished resting and were preparing to head to Northland City. As for those who hesitated and stayed behind, their true thoughts remained a mystery.

…

Although the Scholars had a much longer journey, traveling light and fast, they had already entered the Green Kingdom. They just did not rashly go to see Bran; they were waiting for the right moment. The local Scholars serving here gave them a lot of help. This allowed them to easily learn about all the major and minor events happening in the Green Kingdom.

The more they learned, the more cautious they became. They hoped to lend a hand when Bran was in dire straits, as that would have a better effect. No matter how the outside world evaluated Bran, one point was widely agreed upon. Bran was always generous and tolerant towards his friends. Hall, who was still alive, was clear proof of that.

Sandstone City was destroyed. When they first heard this news, they felt some hope. That city also had Scholars, and they lived in the City Lord’s Manor. They could finally obtain firsthand information about Bran’s killing ability. Then, they could assess Bran’s danger level and develop more targeted plans.

No one expected Bran to kill everyone living in the City Lord’s Manor, high and low. According to what people said, not even a dog in the manor was spared. This was awkward. Scholars being killed in conflicts was not uncommon. Serving a faction for too long inevitably led to emotional entanglements and inevitably drew them in. But such a senseless execution was very rare.

“Bastard!” When confirming this news, they even had the thought of causing trouble for Bran.

First, go investigate! Suppressing their anger, they sent two local Scholars to investigate. This investigation did not go smoothly. After Bran returned from the Sandstone City ruins, The Dead went completely wild. They began attacking everyone who entered the city, and the first casualty appeared—a Scholar who ventured deep into Sandstone City.

Of the two Scholars who went deep into Sandstone City, only one returned. He truthfully reported everything he saw in the city, including that Statue and the words on it.

“May The Dead find eternal peace. Creator of the Undead—Wizard Bran.” Hearing these words, the Scholars felt fear. Because this was not a power a human should possess, they could no longer sit still. They decided to talk with Bran.

…

Upon learning that the Dragon Rider and the Royal Family had begun their compensation, Bran decided to give the Anya People a lesson they would never forget. He had to do this. The compromise from the Dragon Rider and the Royal Family forced him to deal harshly with the Anya People. Even though he knew doing this meant falling into someone else’s scheme.

Bran left the follow-up issues regarding the claims to Mary to handle. He believed she knew very well what the Northlands needed; let her decide the specific types of items to claim. Afterwards, she could exchange them for furs back in the Northlands and hand them over to the Caravan here.

With the grain problem solved, the speed of clearing Twofold Mountain began to pick up again. The Remnant People of Northland City also rushed to join this effort. As land was distributed, each family began to need a large amount of labor, so no one would give up such an opportunity. Thus, with the Knight Order at the core, people began to divide up the work and cooperate.

Following this, activities of making an example of one to warn a hundred began to play out daily. Zoya, the girl led astray by Bran, also began to stand out in this activity. From needing Bran’s company to enjoying the cheers of the crowd alone. In a short time, the girl’s change even surprised Bran a little.

Kurt, as the messenger for the revenge-seeking group, entered this place with banner-bearing Attendants. The first thing he saw was this scene: in a Duelling Ground that was already quite large yet very crude, a gentle-looking girl stood beside a corpse, accepting the cheers of the crowd.

Kurt thought this was not a good sign, then urged his horse forward. And he soon saw the target of his trip, the legendary Northlands youth—Grand Sorcerer Bran.

Bran looked at the messenger brought before him, feeling both annoyed and amused. Were they in such a hurry to die? He sat there, quietly waiting for the other to speak.

“I am here to deliver a challenge. Since we issued the challenge, you may choose the method, time, and location of the duel.” Kurt originally wanted to look down on the youth before him, but the look down unconsciously turned into lowering his head.

“Right now is fine. I will go with you. This area is too small; it can’t hold all of you.”

This reply confused Kurt, so he could only ask, “What do you mean?”

“Nothing much. Since you want to die, I will send you all to your deaths. Perhaps my last message wasn’t delivered, so let me repeat it. This time, I will kill everyone and hang the corpses by the roadside.”

As Kurt stared dumbfounded, Bran tapped his own head. “That’s not good. I still need one person alive. So, let’s do this. I’ll break my word once. You can live. As repayment for sparing your life, take a message back.

You owe me a debt, and it’s time to repay. Those who die this time, and those still alive, are all my spoils of war. If I don’t receive compensation and ransom, then I will personally hunt you down, no matter where you flee. Anyone who dares to shelter you will share the same fate.”

…

When Tirui and Pachu were summoned, this was the message they heard. Kurt had lost all his courage, sitting slumped there, his face pale.

People listened as Kurt recounted in terror:

He only brought one Attendant, riding with me to meet the revenge-seeking group. Then he ordered me to return to the group and said, ‘The battle begins.’ He sat on his horse, watching us. Watching us laugh, watching us curse…

After hearing Kurt’s account, everyone felt a chill of fear. They finally knew they had thoroughly angered an existence they absolutely could not afford to provoke.

What should they do?