Chapter 193: Thoughts

Chapter 193: Thoughts

The struggle between indulgence and restraint last night left Bran feeling somewhat weary. Everything will be fine, he whispered encouragement to himself. He still needed to observe and make sure he could completely control his emotional fluctuations before returning to Northland City.

Bran looked at the walls of Anya, hesitating whether to enter that land to look around. Even if he truly went mad, only some unimportant people would die. Or he could block the retreat of the Demon Clan army and absorb some nourishment. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help shaking his head and smiling wryly. The Demon Clan probably didn’t have much of an army left.

From the mouths of The Dead, Bran had gotten a rough impression of the Bloody Plains. Silverpine Town didn’t need worrying; it was closer to the Western Territory. The town after Silverpine Town—Sitong Town—became the first choice. So, he would go there first to take a look.

…

No matter how cruel the war, there were always some who escaped the net. Amidst the forest of spears and rain of arrows, there would always be one or two people whose time was not yet up. So, Rio received a new task—to hunt them.

After receiving this order, Rio’s heart, which had been hanging high, finally settled down. A sense of belonging welled up inside him. An independent task, not having to follow behind the idiotic, death-seeking Insect Swarm anymore, let him taste the flavor of freedom.

For freedom! He had to cherish this opportunity. He did not want to return to the Insect Swarm.

All the experiences living among the Insect Swarm taught Rio to cherish. Cherish every scrap of meat he could get his hands on, because that was the chance to stay alive.

The present Rio no longer believed in, nor hoped for, too much. What he needed was merely a chance, even a slim one. But as long as it existed, it was enough for him.

An order, another simple order. Through constant contemplation, he felt he understood his master’s mind. It was just a target; as for the process of completion or the methods used, she did not care. That was why she didn’t give specific execution steps or a plan. Or perhaps, given her power , she simply didn’t need any plan at all.

But he did! He needed a grand plan that could grant him more freedom. A plan that could let him survive for a long time, and this task was the beginning.

…

By the time Bran decided to go to Sitong Town, Lily had already shaken off the Little Wizards and rushed straight to Silverpine Town alone. She wanted to laugh out loud. The Demon Clan had delivered everything she needed. She only needed to get there before the fleeing soldiers to prevent the Demon Clan from possibly returning to destroy the supplies.

Compared to Bran’s struggles, she easily obtained unimaginable wealth. She was grateful to her brother. Those inexplicable yet interesting stories had given her inspiration.

Those blinded by hatred among her people only thought of reaping the lives of the Demon Clan, but she would not do that. She had her own arrangement, a better method—exploitation. She wanted the Demon Clan to become nourishment for the growth of Northlanders. She wanted these Little Wizards to become Guardians of the Northlands.

Just as Bran wished, she wanted the Northlands to recuperate. In just twenty or thirty years, they would gradually spread across this land. With enough people, more Wizards would be born from among them.

She hadn’t expected to have such high influence. At the time, she only thought of taking the Little Wizards away. To vent some anger for Bran and for herself. After all, this group of Little Wizards was trained by her own hands; she had already developed feelings for them, which was why she was so confident.

When more and more people followed her out of the Western Territory, she felt an unprecedented pride amidst her surprise. Her confidence, which had been badly shaken from sparring with Bran, also began to recover.

She believed personal power wasn’t everything. If Bran stood on the city wall and howled for a while, not many would respond. Just like when he went to the Everspring Riverbank, if someone truly wanted to follow him, then no one could stop them.

Bran’s city still had no new clansmen coming to join. He had reserved a large area in the city for his people, but what was the result? Only travelers went there. The people patrolling the Everspring Riverbank changed batch after batch. They treated the City Manor as a resting place, but no one wanted to settle there.

This contrast made her feel somewhat smug, and along with the smugness came a sense of responsibility.

Since they chose to follow her, then she had the responsibility to ensure the safety of these followers. So she had those Northland Warriors first clear out the supplies from the Demon Clan camp and transport them back to the Western Territory nearby. The Little Wizards followed behind her, cleaning up some remnants.

…

A few days later, Bran arrived at Sitong Town, which was in a state of busyness. News from the front lines hadn’t come back yet, so everything here operated according to plan and inertia.

The town was large. As a military stronghold, it was responsible for coordinating and transporting all kinds of supplies for the front lines. Although soldiers could be seen everywhere, most seemed idle. Various porters, carts, and horses were the main characters here.

When Bran wandered into this town, he actually didn’t attract much attention. The guarding soldiers looked at this child with a hood and neat clothing and felt no desire to question him. They only felt his attire was a bit odd and glanced a few more times.

The City Manor here was very imposing, or perhaps calling it a military camp was more fitting. Several tall guards wore shiny armor, though their appearance was somewhat strange. They had two faces; the position where the back of the head should have been was replaced by an utterly normal face.

Curiously, Bran circled one of them twice. Although it displeased the guard, not knowing Bran’s background, he dared not act too rudely.

Only when Bran stepped forward to walk into the camp did the guard speak up to stop him: “Halt!”

Bran stopped immediately at the sound. He pushed back his hood, grinning at the guard, his snow-white teeth reflecting a faint light. “Can you understand my words?”

The other obviously did not understand. He was captivated by the Facial Markings on Bran’s face and subconsciously raised his weapon.

Bran ignored the other’s movement. He began asking more sincerely, and so all of Sitong Town was enveloped by a strange voice: “Can you understand my words?”

In people’s astonishment, that strange, incomprehensible voice continued to sound, “Men stand on the left, women stand on the right, this is a robbery!”

Unfortunately, no one moved. They were just startled by the sudden voice. Moreover, most people here couldn’t understand the meaning of those words at all.