Chapter 205: Whispers of the Wind

Chapter 205: Whispers of the Wind

After a lot of flailing, the young Wizard finally settled down. This was partly due to Zoya’s persuasion and partly due to warnings from outside.

Several black crows, carrying the unease and admonishments of the Anya People, flew into the young Wizard’s camp one after another. Soon, similar warnings arrived from other parties. For a time, messenger birds of all kinds could be seen everywhere in Northland City.

News about the Anya Defense Line gradually leaked from the mouths of the young Wizards and began to spread through the city. The power Bran displayed once again convinced them that they were different from Mortals. They looked at each other with a sense of recognition, all because they shared a common identity—Wizards.

The young are used to ignoring danger, while the Elders are used to exaggerating it. So, while the young Wizards had already forgotten their previous reckless actions, the White Robes were secretly wiping cold sweat from their brows. The current news reminded the White Robes of Bran’s bloodthirsty nature and his history of killing without mercy. They felt a secret fear, regretting that they had forgotten so quickly those dried corpses that once hung on both sides of the road.

Although the actions of the young Wizards had nothing to do with the White Robes, they were happy to see it happen. Because they needed security more than these young people. Whether it was rights or obligations, as long as it helped them integrate into the Northlands, they would take a permissive and supportive attitude.

Danny was the first in Northland City to know this news. Several days earlier, the Snow Falcon had brought back news about Bran. But she did not share this news with Pachu and the others. In Danny’s eyes, this was a matter for the Northlanders. What did it have to do with outsiders?

Currently, Danny still habitually distinguished between groups based on their people. Matters within the group were to be resolved within the group. She was now in the map room, frowning as she looked at the markings around Northland City.

Although Bran was neglectful of the actual management of Northland City, he very much enjoyed the game of armchair strategizing. Some of his ideas and visions were casually marked on the map by him, and these now provided Danny with a direction for action.

The road south from Northland City was originally the route the Green army took during its northern invasion. It was suitable for the rest and supply of a large army, so it was also suitable for human development and construction. Therefore, after Bran captured Northland City, he prioritized expanding along the road towards the Twofold Mountain.

After that, Bran originally planned to expand laterally along the river, but the population limited the pace of expansion. Danny looked in the direction of the lower reaches of the Eternal River, which Bran had heavily marked—the sea. A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Who knew where Bran was hiding now? The news said Bran had disappeared after leaving Twinwing City. She hoped he would care a little more about the people here and return sooner.

Zoya and Eileen stood on either side of her, following her gaze to look in that direction. Zoya couldn’t help but ask, “Danny, how do you plan to deal with those young Wizards?”

“I don’t plan to deal with them. They are unimportant.”

“Oh.” Zoya breathed a sigh of relief. After returning that day, she had told Danny everything about her conversation with Xialuo, which gave her a slight sense of guilt.

Danny rubbed her head. “Don’t worry, the Northlands have always been tolerant towards friends.”

What she had to deal with were the White Robes who intended to settle here. Pachu had been chattering in front of her, revealing some of their ideas. The White Robes intended to pledge loyalty to Bran and his family as disciples, hoping to receive a piece of land as a fief to resolve their worries for the future. On one hand, this was to arrange for their families; on the other hand, it was also to use their families as a pledge to show their attitude and determination.

Danny understood the White Robes. If they wanted to gain more knowledge and obtain greater power, they had to further earn Bran’s trust.

However, there were many things she hadn’t thought of and couldn’t understand.

During the time Bran was away, the power of the Wizards began to show, and their ambitions grew along with it. Along with their ambitions, they tried to push for some changes.

The White Robes tried to receive land grants as Wizards, distinguishing themselves from the Nobles and Knights of the past, and from those Mortals. They would pledge loyalty to Bran and his family, only because Bran held an identity they recognized—the Great Wizard. They hoped Bran would shed his Mortal identity as City Lord and retain only that transcendent title.

In expectation, the lady of Northland City—Danny—finally responded to them. In the lower reaches of the Eternal River, she would allocate land to the White Robes as fiefs. And the White Robes would, as Wizards, swear allegiance to Bran, her, and their families.

Danny did not think about the significance of this, nor would she know what impact this decision would cause. She was only agonizing over the choice of location and the size of the land grants.

…

While the Wizards in Northland City were high-spirited, a Scholar arrived here with an important mission. The great Scholar Baz from the City of Wisdom wished to visit the Great Wizard Bran.

The matter of Immortality could not be entrusted to others. Baz had to do it himself. Moreover, he was too afraid of Death, always suspecting that the next moment he would fall into eternal sleep. He did not want to spend his remaining days in such worry. After a big quarrel, he was able to leave the City of Wisdom with part of his possessions. Among those possessions was a stolen sea chart.

Risking everything, with this resolve, Baz walked out of the City of Wisdom. From the moment he left the city, it had nothing more to do with him. He abandoned everything he once had, only to exchange it for one last chance at support.

Baz believed that in this world, one must give up something to gain something. Relying on this understanding, he had become one of the rulers of the City of Wisdom through continuous trade-offs. He despised his companions because he knew their plans. They forced him to give up his power, and they could also use him to test the reliability of Immortality. It was precisely because of this that he felt safe giving up everything.

Not everyone could obtain Immortality; the chips for exchange were few. Those who were watching and waiting probably wouldn’t even get a chance to exchange.

Sitting in the carriage train, Baz felt very anxious. Although he had obtained the bargaining chip, the initiative for the exchange was not on his side. The road ahead was still uncertain, and success or failure hung in the balance.

…

The groups heading to Northland City were not limited to the Scholars. Anya, Sangye, Qiuling, even the Snow Pine Kingdom, which had been hiding in the back, sent out Delegations.

After the Bloody Plains were occupied by the Northlands, Anya and the Northlands became neighbors. Their Delegation split into two groups: one took the old road, entering Green through Blackstone City, and then reaching Northland City; the other left from the Anya Defense Line and entered the Bloody Plains. Under the pretense of the diplomatic mission, they conducted reconnaissance.

In the direction of the Bloody Plains, Anya’s Delegation passed through the empty city roads, struggled to open the city gate, and walked out. The Demon Clan’s Camp opposite still stood tall, with soldiers and horses constantly moving inside. There were shouts of people and neighs of horses there, yet it was strangely quiet.

The Delegation carefully skirted around the Demon Clan Camp and began to advance into the interior of the Bloody Plains. As the Demon Clan Camp was gradually left behind, everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, they were safe.

Not far from the Delegation, in the grass, a huge insect watched this group through the gaps in the blades of grass. Its not-so-clever brain was carefully trying to figure out which side these people belonged to…