Chapter 191: Abandonment

Chapter 191: Abandonment

People sat silently in the command room…

Until night fell and darkness enveloped the castle, no one wanted to move an inch. No guards lit the lamps, no attendants brought food. They seemed like insects trapped in resin, slowly solidifying, beginning to wait for time to wash over them.

That female Warrior from the Northlands was powerful, but there were still flashes of blade and sword, leaving them a sliver of hope in their despair. As long as they still needed the blades in their hands, the swords in their grips, they at least had blood to spill.

The people here had seen mountains of corpses and oceans of blood, and had faced Death directly. War had once guided them to fear no bloodshed. In countless wars, they had grown, they had become strong.

Two more wars happened right before their eyes, one after another, but it no longer gave them guidance. It only brought despair, deeper and deeper despair.

At dawn, they longed for the arrival of night, fantasizing that the Night would offer shelter for their souls. But when night enveloped them, the devils also descended. They hid in the surroundings, silently feeding on their fear, gradually occupying their minds.

No one dared to move. They were merely lost children in the night…

…

Bran wandered through the empty Camp, trying to find some materials, and dealing with the bodies along the way. Or, he communicated with one or two wandering souls that could understand human speech, asking about geography, history, and population distribution.

Under the cover of Night, he had many things to do. For example, forcibly infusing Mana into some of the souls. This was not Sandstone City. If left untreated, they would soon dissipate. Bran decided to lay a foundation for them, and also conduct an interesting experiment.

If there were enough of The Dead here, would they gradually affect the surroundings, attracting more dark Mana? Or, because of too many dead, would the Mana here become insufficient, causing them to perish as well?

These dead would form a natural barrier. In the coming years, they would rely on them to block large-scale infiltration and migration by the Anya People. Without war, the population would inevitably recover rapidly. The few Northlanders clearly could not occupy such a vast territory. Spontaneous pioneering on the border was unavoidable. In a few years, people here would forget their fear, so some restraining measures needed to be arranged in advance.

Huahua ran over at some point, hugging Bran’s neck and refusing to let go, as if this could share his pain.

…

While Bran was cleaning the Camp, Lily was also cleaning the battlefield.

The coming of night made Lily’s wings appear even more dazzling. They were born from blood and fire, and were nourished by them once more. Light belonged to her, Shadow sank into the earth.

The Little Wizards gathered before her again, their eyes shining. A thorough venting had let them taste the deliciousness of blood and power, so many seemed to want more.

But Lily issued a disappointing order: “Return to the city!”

They were no longer needed here. The Insect Swarm would complete the cleanup of the battlefield.

At this time, the entire Western Territory was decorated with lanterns and banners, beginning the celebrations that had long been prepared. Beneath the city of the Western Territory, people laughed and cheered, welcoming the triumphant return of the Little Wizards. The festive atmosphere gradually grew intense and fervent.

Unlike the celebrating crowd below, Lily stood alone on the city wall, looking into the distance with a worried expression. She was worried about her brother, worried about him being alone and possibly going mad.

Soon, Adam found her. Looking at his sister’s expression, he asked, “What’s wrong? Many people below hope you will appear.”

“I hate them! I wish Brother were here.”

“I wish that too, but Bran chose to leave himself. His personality has been like that since childhood.”

“They forced him to leave.”

“How could that be?”

“You know nothing, and you never cared about him. These Little Wizards were originally supposed to be handed over to him.

He wanted these Little Wizards not only to study but also to learn to observe and discover. He wanted them to get used to observing, used to communicating. Instead, they were treated as mere weapons!

He said power must match the mind, so he didn’t want these Little Wizards to master power quickly.

Everyone agreed back then, including our parents. But during my Trial, they broke the agreement. They repeatedly read the materials Bran provided to these Little Wizards.”

“Bran came here only for some materials, but it made some people uneasy.

Their whispers were so loud even I could hear them clearly. Do you think they could hide that from Bran? If he wanted, what in this city could be hidden from him? Since childhood, he has been like that, wary of everyone. When he came to a strange city, what would he do?

He only gave the materials to Father, and only a few of us family members could freely enter the third floor of the Mountain Villa. What could be done after it happened? He didn’t even want to mention it, but those people were still worried and wanted him to leave.”

Adam advised, “They are just afraid of him.”

Lily sneered, “No one here is afraid of him because everyone knows Bran won’t do anything to them. That’s why they dare to put on all sorts of expressions.”

Lily sniffed and pointed to her head, “But they don’t know that Bran can also go mad. They will pay the price sooner or later, and when that time comes, I will stand by my brother’s side.”

Adam looked at his sister, stunned for a moment, then said seriously, “Rest assured, I will stand by your side too.”

After hearing his sister’s complaints, Adam also lost interest in joining the revelry. He stood with his sister, looking into the distance. After a long while, his sister spoke: “Come over here. Don’t get entangled with those old folks anymore. Let’s build our own city, like Bran did.”

Adam was delighted: “Really?”

“Of course. This time, I will drive them completely out of the Bloody Plains. There are several good towns on the Plain. You can choose one.”

“What about you?”

“I will take all these Little Wizards away, take them out of the Western Territory, and properly discipline them for two years. Bran already has a City of Wizards, but it’s not enough. I plan to build a City of Wizards made up of Northlanders.”

Adam laughed, “Those old folks won’t let you take the Little Wizards away. People have been eyeing them for a long time. This Trial was also to divide them up in advance.”

Lily also laughed, her demeanor surprisingly similar to Bran’s.

“You wouldn’t understand the influence Bran and I have over Wizards, and those old folks understand even less. Ever since I showed these Little Wizards a brand new World, everything started to change. The allure of that World is beyond imagination.

I’ll prove it to you. I’m taking them away now.”

A long whistle sounded from Lily’s mouth. The celebrating crowd couldn’t help but pause. And the Little Wizards abandoned everything and ran toward her…