Chapter 138: The Grand City

Chapter 138: The Grand City

After hearing the whisper from Sandstone City, the self-doubt in Bran’s heart disappeared, and his mood improved. His biggest secret was also his greatest weakness. Even a slight connection could lead to many associations. Now everything had vanished like smoke, and he could calmly consider problems from a Wizard’s perspective.

No one in this World would know how important identity recognition was to Bran. It was the foundation of his existence in this World, the pillar of his spirit. He could not accept existing as a lonely, wandering ghost. Although in essence, he was exactly that—a lonely, wandering ghost.

His happy mood affected many people, and even the unique Ancient Tree felt something was off.

“You seem overly happy?” Ancient Tree spoke up.

Bran did not deny it. “Well, that should be right.”

“What made you so happy?”

“Who am I?”

“Bran.”

“That’s it. I am Bran.”

Ancient Tree could not understand Bran’s feelings, but he decided to use his own method to help his family member—Bran—return to normal. So, Ancient Tree entangled the big hammer; he needed to practice properly with Bran, just as Bran had practiced with him.

Ancient Tree’s help was very effective. No one could foolishly think about the question “Who am I?” under his relentless pounding. At least, Bran did not have that ability yet. He had to concentrate to cope.

Calmed down, Bran began to reflect, to recall everything in Sandstone City. Mana was everywhere, and everything in nature together formed intricate, intersecting webs. Each large web inevitably accepted and contained various large and small foreign objects. Just like the Mana Web he constructed, which encompassed all the people, animals, and everything living here. Containing and being contained were happening constantly.

People naturally came and went here without feeling anything unusual, including those Wizards. When they entered here, they naturally integrated into this large web. Bran had always been proud of this; it was his achievement.

Now, Bran had been taught a lesson in his own area of expertise by an unknown creature. When he returned to Sandstone City for the second time, the Mana Fluctuation emitted by the ubiquitous sandstone that he had ignored—didn’t that also form a large web covering the entire city? How similar it was to his method of constructing the external Mana Web.

Most importantly, this creature could actually learn. It learned some of Bran’s methods and tried to use them to communicate with Bran, which even caused panic within Bran.

This was a lesson for Bran! And also a pleasant surprise!

Bran now couldn’t quite understand. If it could learn and imitate, even actively communicate, then it should possess considerable intelligence. Why was it in such a hurry to tempt him? It couldn’t harm him without being detected. Could it succeed after arousing caution?

Bran treated this speculation and reasoning as a fun game. Before uncovering the truth, he could let his imagination run wild.

…

Yesterday, when Ancient Tree pulled his four legs out from underground and stretched them out to stand, Bran realized he had overlooked a big problem—the roads in Northland City were not wide enough.

This was really a headache, so he needed to discuss weight loss with Ancient Tree. With this build, he simply couldn’t be taken out; no city gate could accommodate him.

So Bran said to Ancient Tree, “If we go out, we will pass through many cities.”

This topic immediately caught Ancient Tree’s interest. He excitedly interrupted Bran, “Great! I’ve been wanting to see what other people’s homes are like.”

Then, he fell into fantasy. Unfortunately, Bran ruthlessly shattered his fantasy.

“But, you can’t get in!”

He was somewhat angry. “Why?”

“Look, how tall is our city gate? How wide? Can you pass through?”

Ancient Tree extended his vines to measure and then offered a simple solution. “Tear it down! Starting from ours.”

Bran agreed helplessly, “Okay, no problem. But when we get to other people’s places, what if they don’t agree?”

“Beat them! Until they agree.”

The stranger’s code of conduct? It seemed it needed revision here. Thinking this, Bran said in a negotiating tone, “…We could compromise. How about you slim down appropriately?”

“I need to think about it.” Ancient Tree began to hesitate. His instinct was to grow tall and thick; at this moment, instinct gained the upper hand.

…

Ancient Tree could think some more, but Bran could not wait any longer. He called Earl and Pachu over. “Some things need adjustment, probably major adjustments.”

Earl responded, “Please give your orders.”

Bran gestured emphatically at Ancient Tree’s four legs, which were shaking proudly. “He needs to practice walking.”

Pachu didn’t quite understand. City construction didn’t have much to do with him. Regarding Ancient Tree’s problem, others couldn’t participate even more; that was a trouble only Bran could solve. So he asked, “What can I do for you?”

Bran was very satisfied with Pachu’s attitude and spoke in an unusually gentle tone. “Nothing major. I was thinking—the area initially assigned to you is somewhat small.

I believe we should build a truly grand city. So, as representatives in this city, the first Wizards to join this city, you should set an example.”

Pachu hesitated. “You mean we need to dismantle the parts under construction.”

“If you have a better method, it doesn’t necessarily have to be dismantled.” Bran felt this statement was somewhat shameless. However, the world of Wizards could not be explained by common sense. Maybe Pachu and the others could? Better not casually discourage others’ creativity and imagination.

Pachu gritted his teeth, feeling bitter. The sympathy they, the White Robes, had earned through their madness was all for nothing. But under someone else’s roof, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, “Fine!”

Seeing Pachu’s expression of reluctance and difficulty speaking, Bran decided to give this old man some compensation. So he said, “Some families will send Wizards over one after another. I allow you to have priority in selecting a portion of the gifts they bring. You can discuss the specifics with Mary.”

Pachu finally breathed a sigh of relief and bowed in agreement.

“The roads and the spacing between buildings need to be widened, especially for the main buildings.” Saying this, Bran sighed and patted the Ancient Tree beside him. “Specifically, use his size as a reference.”

Facing Bran’s decision, Earl and Pachu were somewhat speechless. But what astonished them even more was yet to come.

“The walls of Northland City are somewhat old and no longer suit our status, so let’s tear them down. Many households in the city need to build their own houses. For those who voluntarily participate in the demolition work, the dismantled building materials will be their reward.”

Bran believed that once this news was announced, the city walls would be gone in a few days, not even a Shadow left.