Chapter 143: Now

Chapter 143: Now

After the meal, Bran didn’t leave the table right away. He recreated that strange magic flower on the tabletop.

Danny, sitting beside him, looked at it and asked, “What is this?”

“The physical manifestation of Zoya’s mana when her ability formed. Very strange, very beautiful, right?”

“Yes. Did she see it too?”

“No. At that time, her ability had just been born, she wasn’t really a wizard yet. I only felt the normal wizardly reaction from her after this flower faded.” Bran sighed. “If I had noticed earlier, that would have been good. Then I could have made some comparative observations and maybe discovered something valuable.”

“Is her ability really transforming into a Northlander?”

“Maybe, who knows?” Bran smiled. “She just got some facial markings, her build and everything else didn’t change, so I’m not sure. Did you find out anything when she sparred with you guys?”

Danny laughed. “Her speed increased a bit. She seemed to be imitating you, sacrificing some strength for the sake of speed.”

“That’s not good. Her strength wasn’t strong to begin with. But her body recovered a bit too quickly, didn’t it? I thought she wouldn’t be able to come down for dinner.”

Danny chuckled twice. “She was just too excited. She’s fine for now, but she’ll feel it after she sleeps.”

Bran gave a short laugh and shook his head.

…

The people from the Sangye and Qiuling countries saw that Bran had not left the table, so they stayed in their seats, waiting for a chance to speak.

They couldn’t hear the conversation between Bran and Danny. This kind of weird situation happened often here. Because of it, they were even apprehensive about talking to Bran. Once, Bran had asked a question in front of everyone. People saw their companion’s mouth open and close, but couldn’t hear any sound coming from him. Then, Bran turned his head to someone else, signaling for them to continue answering.

Bran would even play pranks, talking to several people at once. Each person would hear Bran softly call their name, only to then realize in alarm that someone else had already begun speaking without making a sound.

After several lessons, they finally understood Bran’s attitude—if you didn’t want to tell the truth, then you should at least learn to keep your mouth shut.

Out of politeness, after finishing his talk with Danny, Bran looked at them and asked, “Do you have something to discuss?”

Sashan stood up and made his request again. “Could you make an exception and convey our request for an audience?”

“You should understand, whether I convey it or not, what happens here cannot be hidden from over there.”

After a brief silence, Bran continued. “Before, Anya always avoided large-scale conflicts with the Dragon Riders. The Dragon Riders were trapped in the Azure Wave Archipelago, and population size was always a big problem for them. If Anya came with full force, the Dragon Riders were unlikely to win. But Anya still didn’t dare to start a war lightly. Do you know the reason?”

“The Demon Clan.”

“The Northlands face a similar problem. It’s not that we can’t deal with Anya, but that right now, no one can take Anya’s place. After continuous provocations from the Anya People, I originally wanted to deal with them harshly. But after understanding the situation, I didn’t dare.

The Northlands have always been isolated, so many people don’t know that we are also at war with the Demon Clan. Although large-scale battles ended a long time ago, we do not let our guard down. Even now, we still take the initiative, regularly cleaning up and patrolling the outer borders.”

Sashan raised his own question. “Forgive my rudeness, but why has there never been definitive news about the Northlands resisting the Demon Clan?”

Bran snorted before speaking. “Who knows what the Scholars are thinking? When the Scholars entered the Northlands, the war wasn’t over yet. They couldn’t have not known, and should have records about it. Perhaps the Scholars have ulterior motives, so they hid a lot of information.

Now I’m more concerned about what role the Scholars played in this war. Can any of you tell me?”

Looking at the silent crowd, Bran continued. “Recently, the Anya Kingdom conveyed some information through the White Robes. They are preparing to send Wizards here to study, and I have expressed my welcome.”

Hearing this news, the members of the two country’s delegations were a bit flustered.

“I always thought you could see some facts, could recognize the potential of Wizards. The result is truly disappointing. You are used to thinking and acting in outdated ways. You treated a Wizard as a gift for exchange, never considering that she might be your hope. As long as a Wizard finds a path suitable for them, they can evolve to unimaginable heights in a short time.

I thought after seeing the White Robes here, you would think of many things. You should be able to see that guy flying all over the sky. He controls whirlwinds in the air, appearing harmless. Have you ever thought about what a terrible scene it would be on the ground if he dropped those whirlwinds from the sky?

How many Warriors would it take to deal with a Wizard like that? What made you overlook these things? If among your younger generation, there was a Wizard with a similar ability to learn from him, what would the result be?”

Bran was somewhat disappointed with the two countries’ delegations. They sent a Wizard right before his eyes simply because she had the status of a Princess, thinking it would please him. In later contact, he realized the two countries only wanted to ally with the Northlands to fight against Anya together. They didn’t pay attention to Wizards, not even having the slightest interest in mentioning them.

Even after witnessing the power of Wizards, they still didn’t change. Perhaps they considered him a special case, something unreplicable. Or maybe these two countries were already used to hiding behind others, having lost the courage to pursue power.

Bran needed Wizards, a lot of Wizards. He needed enough samples for observation and comparison. Currently, the rate at which Wizards were gathering here was a bit slow. He hoped it would be faster.

…

In the morning, Zoya, aching all over, felt someone tugging her hair. After becoming slightly more awake, she suddenly remembered: there were no other people in the room. Who!? Someone had sneaked in here!

This thought gave her an instant shock. Nervousness made her forget her physical discomfort. She sprang up from the bed directly into an alert state. After carefully looking around, she found nothing.

A strand of hair at the back of her head was tugged again, making her body stiffen. Someone had sneaked in here, and the Ancient Tree, Huahua, and even Bran hadn’t noticed. After this thought rose, she felt fear. She screamed with all her might, sounding the alarm.

A long time passed before she heard Danny’s voice outside the door. “It’s okay. Open the door first.”

How could it be okay!? Her hair was still being pulled. She didn’t dare turn around, didn’t dare move. But out of trust for Danny, she bravely walked to the door and opened it.

Looking at Zoya’s slightly pale little face, Danny smiled and reached out to pat her head. This instantly relaxed Zoya’s tense mood, and she let out a long sigh.

Danny gestured for her to turn around, then said, “Let me introduce you to a member of our family—the Fairy.”