Chapter 157: Inspired

Chapter 157: Inspired

This winter, Pachu lived a busy and fulfilling life. The decision to tear down and rebuild the settlement had discouraged them for a while. However, they soon moved from disappointment to delight.

They sensed an indifferent attitude from the words of the Great Wizard. They had overthought it before. Building the settlement did not count as a test, nor did they need to do it themselves.

Grand Sorcerer Bran was simply watching the show. As long as things did not take a turn for the worse, he would adopt a hands-off approach and silently observe.

The White-robed Ones were very wealthy. With no more reservations, they began spending lavishly, hiring workers from everywhere to free themselves from basic labor. Although they still participated in the construction, their roles had changed. They focused more on guidance and solving construction problems.

Now, even though money was spent and the relationship shifted from free help to employment, the previous friendly atmosphere remained.

The Wizards had noticed the great changes in Northland City. It was not about construction; the city was still shabby. The change was in the mana environment. The surrounding mana was accelerating its convergence towards the City Manor as the center. This trend was becoming more and more obvious. The mana in the city had formed tides, rising and falling dramatically.

The Wizards also made an ecstatic discovery: being inside it, their consumed mana could recover quickly.

What made them most envious was the City Manor. There, visible mist sometimes gathered around Bran, Huahua, and the Ancient Tree, and was gradually absorbed by them.

People often saw Wizards facing the direction of the City Manor, taking deep breaths with intoxicated expressions. They could not understand the Wizards’ strange behavior and simply attributed it to the common eccentricities of Wizards. Moreover, the more powerful the Wizard, the more abnormal they seemed.

Although the city was still shabby, the roads were mostly cleared. The wide roads made the sparse pedestrians seem even fewer. The Ancient Tree had begun parading through the streets, moving clumsily with heavy steps. Walking was never an easy task; even the simple act of taking a step was the result of evolution over hundreds of millions of years.

The Ancient Tree had not evolved a system for movement balance at all. He completely relied on his eight legs to forcefully support his trunk. So, whenever he walked, his entire canopy shook violently, as if it might topple at any moment. Sixteen vines of varying lengths extended from the canopy, waving around with each step taken…

Seeing this, the ordinary residents in the city had already retreated far away. Only Wizards danced around the Ancient Tree. Northland City’s mana environment was originally built upon the Ancient Tree, Bran, and Huahua. This moving mana purifier attracted the city’s Wizards to gather around him, cheering and shouting encouragement. This wooden-headed fellow was completely immersed in self-satisfaction, frequently responding to the surroundings.

While continually practicing walking, the Ancient Tree also formed a new plan. He decided to imitate Bran and Huahua, planning to learn from and get closer to them through the mana layer. For this, Bran and Huahua had to open their bodies for him to examine.

…

Pachu would not go to watch the Ancient Tree. He knew what he wanted more clearly, so he did not harbor many extravagant hopes. The mana around the Ancient Tree was indeed very dense, and approaching it made one feel invigorated, but that did not truly improve one’s own strength. If possible, he would rather master the method of attracting mana.

His time was running out. Age was his greatest enemy. He was not afraid of death, but he hoped to live a few more years to understand more of the Wizards’ secrets.

Moreover, living a few more years was not a fantasy; it was entirely feasible. After a Wizard’s Evolution, mana would nourish their own body. Although it did not grant Immortality, it could extend one’s lifespan by several years.

According to Bran’s speculation: senses like touch, hearing, and sight were the foundation for understanding this World. Before becoming a Wizard, one’s abilities were certainly influenced by these aspects.

Having been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time, Pachu decided to solve the problem from a different angle: improving his weaknesses. And he had already found a method.

Pachu slowly closed his eyes, using his hearing and touch to understand this World. This was a skill he had recently mastered. His overly prominent visual ability had made him neglect his other senses. Now, having abandoned sight, his other senses became sharp. Mana would gradually connect with his hearing and touch, and his body would gradually be controlled by this brand-new feeling.

As long as he kept practicing and accumulating experience, he believed he would soon achieve a breakthrough and Evolution. It was actually not difficult; he just had never thought about it this way before. Now that someone had pointed out the key, everything fell into place naturally.

Bran had recently made simple groups among them. Although the grouping Rules were still vague, they had guessed some of Bran’s thoughts. Pachu had never been so grateful before; he believed in fate for the first time. Deciding to come to Northland City was the most correct choice of his life.

He now only felt inspired.

He wanted to live a few more years, not because he feared death, but because there was a cause waiting for him to participate in. Merely by participating, his name would become a legend—a legend among Wizards.