Chapter 194: The Gift

Chapter 194: The Gift

Someone sounded the alarm, and the urgent ringing of bells echoed over Sitong Town, throwing the town into chaos. Soldiers tried desperately to close the town gates, but they made little progress because of the crowd surging in from outside.

Some Knights on duty had already stood on the town walls to look into the distance, but beyond the panicking crowd, there was no sign of any enemy.

The sudden disturbance left the guard in front of Bran at a loss. He wanted to lunge forward, but found his armor had become a Cage, tightly binding him inside. Like a stiff, ridiculous puppet, he fell straight to the ground. Several other guards who tried to surround Bran met the same fate.

Amidst the chaos, some did notice the guards’ strange condition, but with the alarm sounding, a few fallen guards were clearly not a priority. Under the shouts of the Knights, squads of soldiers rushed hastily and panickingly toward the town walls.

Bran stepped aside, watching with great interest. Very considerately, he kicked a fallen guard to the side. In the confusion, a young boy could hardly attract attention, so no one bothered him while he enjoyed this farce.

Only when several Knights escorted a tall, burly man did Bran, still looking unsatisfied, appear in the middle of the road, blocking their path.

Bran looked at the people before him, thought of Lily’s appearance, and asked in a weird tone, “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

…

Ever since Silverpine Town and the Anya Defense Line fell one after another, Kehan had been anxious. He feared the Northlanders’ next target would be Sitong Town.

His family had controlled this place for generations. It was a position their ancestors had won with blood. Back then, the leading general gathered the army’s elite and fearlessly charged into the mountain pass of the Western Territory, never to be seen again.

That time, his tribe suffered heavy losses. As compensation, Sitong Town was given to them. For this lucrative position, there was fierce infighting within the tribe, and in the end, his family claimed the prize.

But it came at a cost; his family gradually became isolated from the tribe. But who cared? Looking at the wealth and provisions flowing in and out daily, the ever-increasing riches in his hands.

With wealth and provisions, the family could train and recruit elite Warriors. And with these elite Warriors, they could protect their growing wealth.

He paid more attention than anyone to the news from Silverpine Town and the Anya Defense Line, because his family had nowhere else to go.

Some people can always find the truth amid chaotic, disordered information, even if only touching a corner of it. Sometimes the truth is more unbelievable than falsehood, and he wavered between belief and disbelief. He knew there was only one truth, only one real culprit, but he just didn’t want to admit it, because the conclusion was too ridiculous!

If one person could achieve such feats, why not just sweep across the entire Plain?

With the arrival of the Demon Clan’s army once more, a sense of safety returned. The following influx of wealth and provisions also caused the riches in his hands to multiply rapidly.

Fight! He hoped the Northlanders would cause more trouble. The wars, which had gradually quieted down in recent decades, had left the family feeling somewhat strapped. But they dared not reduce their armed forces, because too many were watching covetously. And maintaining these forces consumed a great deal of wealth.

The family had grown and thrived on the nourishment of war; without war, they would become worthless. Now war had finally returned, but why did unease begin to stir in his heart?

Only when this Northlander youth lazily blocked his path did he finally understand why he felt uneasy.

The Northlanders also coveted the wealth brought by war, and now they were ready to reap it. Just when he thought everything was within his grasp, just when he had become ambitious.

He had had a chance to run…

…

Kehan could understand, but he didn’t want to understand!

The Knights with their soldiers had already surrounded the youth, waiting only for his order. But a voice spoke before he could, stopping what was about to happen.

Nicole, his daughter, spoke: “Step back!”

She was a Wizard, a somewhat well-known Wizard among the Demon Clan, so she could see things ordinary people could not. As the youth blocked their path, Mana began to rise from the ground, and the entire town changed in an instant. Colors faded, leaving only black and white in her vision.

The youth stood lazily, but she couldn’t see any signs of life—the breath, body warmth, everything a living being should have. Including that physical body, she saw only Mana, not flesh and blood.

She tightly grabbed her father’s arm, her gauntlet grinding against his vambrace with the sound of metal friction.

“Step back!” she commanded again, stepping forward to shield her father behind her.

Looking at the youth who had reappeared from the crowd, she gave a slight bow. “How may I serve you?”

…

Although the woman before him was speaking clumsy Northlander language, Bran still asked in his weird tone, “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes.”

Hearing this answer, Bran scratched his head. What did Lily say next? He couldn’t remember. So he could only get down to business first.

“I want to ask a question, one that has troubled me greatly.”

“Please speak.”

“How can I make you submit with as few deaths as possible? After all, you belong to my private property, and I don’t want to cause too much loss of assets.”

“Do you really think so?” Although she already sensed the other’s power, Nicole was still angered by his attitude. That lazy, weird tone.

She wanted to teach him a lesson, not to kill him, but to gain the right to speak on equal terms. Since the Northlanders had appeared here, the fate of the Demon Clan’s army was imaginable. If the Demon Clan army couldn’t stop them, then Sitong Town certainly couldn’t either.

She believed most people had already realized this, hence they were quietly watching the situation develop. A point of light appeared in her hand, flickered slightly, and then went out. How could this be? She looked down in shock at her empty palm.

Bran ignored Nicole’s little action.

“I need living people. Though the dead can be used too, I prefer more living ones.” As he spoke, Bran beckoned to the Knight who had just led soldiers to surround him.

Under everyone’s gaze, that Knight fell silently to the ground. A moment later, a translucent figure stood beside Bran.

“Or perhaps I need to kill more people.” The soldiers around Bran were shaken into dust, and a thick smell of blood instantly spread.

Nicole retched several times before looking at the youth before her, her face pale.

“Or perhaps someone thinks they can escape the embrace of Death.” The recently dead soldiers reappeared, standing neatly behind Bran, guarding their new king.

Bran looked at the woman before him. “Help me pass a message. Kneel and you won’t die.”

His finger drew a semicircle. “Start from here.”

…

When Lily arrived at Sitong Town, she saw Bran sitting cross-legged before the town gate. A woman beside him was reporting something to him with great respect.

Seeing her brother’s appearance, she couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

“What are you doing here?” As she asked, she sat down beside her brother.

“Waiting for you to settle accounts. Where are my butterflies?”

“Merged into my wings.” Lily gave Bran a challenging sidelong glance.

Then Lily explained the series of consequences from taking the Little Wizards away, and asked, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Say what?” Bran was puzzled.

“I have so many followers. Aren’t you envious?”

“They’re just a bunch of trouble. Why would I be envious? From now on, you’ll have to worry about their food, drink, sleep, and everything else. You’ll regret it one day.”

“Never. Honestly, why did you come here?”

“I was afraid you’d kill everyone, so I came to see. Cities need laborers for maintenance and construction, need people to command and plan. We don’t have experience in this, but here they do. I’ve already picked out those craftsmen. I believe they’ll be helpful to you.

Also, before leaving, I wanted to give you a gift.”

“What gift?”

“I will build a Wizard Tower for you.”