Chapter 214: A Hard Journey

Chapter 214: A Hard Journey

Zack did not take Danny and Mary’s warnings to heart. After spending so much time with Bran, he naturally knew that Bran did not care at all about so-called face. Moreover, Bran had done plenty of shameful things. Maybe the world saw it as being unique, but what if other young men tried the same?

As for Mary, that was purely a woman worrying for no reason. They were not even married yet, and she dared to cut down his dignity in front of others. What would happen in the future?

He liked Mary. She was a good woman who took care of the home and guarded their wealth. Since all the household items in the City Manor were put under Mary’s charge, they had actually saved up a lot of money. He did not know what Bran was thinking. Every thirty or forty days, Bran would pat his belly and have everyone sign and draw marks to receive some property.

According to tradition, for a newly independent family like theirs, property was always managed and controlled by the leader. Parts would be given out only when someone got married and had children. No one cared much about these things; as long as they ate from the same pot, no one would starve.

But Bran did not think this way. He kept public and private matters very separate. At first, it felt very strange, but they soon felt that this way was also good. For any expenses, they could make their own decisions.

The daily food and drink in the City Manor, Bran called them benefits. He told everyone not to thank him, as this was just taking wool from the sheep—it all came from the common property. How much one could eat depended on their own ability. That very night, Mary ate enough for three people. Recently, Mary’s figure had been getting wider, probably related to this.

Most of the property everyone received was just for show and took up space, so it was still kept in the warehouse under Mary’s care. As personal property increased, when fellow clansmen occasionally came to visit, they would be dragged along for a forced tour. Under the envious gazes of their clansmen, a sense of satisfaction naturally arose.

As Wizards gradually gathered, some new and interesting things began to appear, and the things they wanted to exchange for grew more and more. But trying to take their own property from Mary’s hands was harder than reaching the sky.

Bran said it was good to have such a housekeeper. If you ended up with one that made you want to chop off your own hand, then it would be too late to say anything. It was also because of Bran’s support that Mary became even more bold.

But Zack liked it. Since childhood, the family property had been managed by his mother. In his understanding, men should not worry about these small matters. His father was like that, always talking only about major affairs of the Northlands. For example, whether there would be a snow disaster this year, whether the clansmen would go hungry, and so on.

So he handed all his property over to Mary and very sincerely praised Mary for being like his mother. Their ages were not far apart, so Mary had no chance to be his mother, so she could only suffer a little—they got engaged.

This was good news for Bran. He had always hoped everyone would quickly settle down and start families, then get lost early. The area in the Eastern District was what Bran had set aside for everyone. It was now a blank piece of land, just waiting for them to choose a site and build houses. But no one wanted to move out of the City Manor, and no one wanted to build a house there. Everyone pretended not to understand, so Bran had no choice but to accept his bad luck.

But his and Mary’s matter could not be delayed any longer. Once they returned from this trip, they would get married. Still, they would not move out of the City Manor. Recently, Mary’s appetite had grown again, and he did not want Mary to go hungry. Zack walked out of Northland City with the beautiful dream of marrying a tough wife.

The White Robes Kaden and Bernard followed in the group, occasionally chatting and joking with the people around them. Before the oath of loyalty ceremony, Danny had very patiently explained the simple social relationships of the Northlanders to Pachu and the others. The people who followed Bran out from the City Manor were considered his family. So, in a sense, Zack and the others were also the objects of their loyalty.

The road through Twofold Mountain was very safe, and everyone was relaxed. Patrolling this area was usually a shared task for everyone, so the White Robes were quite familiar with these Knights. Not all Wizards could fly or move through the earth; most still needed to rely on carriages and horses, a process that inevitably created interaction with Knights.

Kaden and Bernard did not dare claim to be extremely powerful, but their perception had already undergone one Evolution. The two were confident that no movement in their surroundings could escape their notice.

For them, overly sharp perception had instead become a burden. After the initial novelty wore off, they were troubled every moment by endless sounds, lights, and shadows, wanting peace and quiet but unable to obtain it. After a while, many people began to become irritable and quick-tempered. They went to Bran seeking help, but the answer they got was—you’ll get used to it.

Eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and the sense of touch all over their bodies became their nightmares. In the past, simply closing their eyes and covering their ears could easily block out disturbances. Now, under the combined effect of these senses, single methods no longer worked.

Many wanted Bran to temporarily suppress their abilities, but Bran looked at them with disgust and asked in return, “Are you looking down on your own abilities? If you cannot adapt to your own abilities, then go die. Or have your abilities taken away and return to being Mortals.”

The White-robed Ones looked at each other. So how did you solve this problem?

Listen. Find change from listening. With change comes fun.

Whether they could find fun was unclear, but everyone understood this was the price, the cost for Wizards to become extraordinary. Looking at Bran sitting under the tree, and thinking of his occasionally not-quite-normal behavior, the White-robed Ones fell silent.

Did they still want to gain power? Were they ready to gain even greater power? Some felt like retreating, some hesitated, but those who charged forward were always the minority.

But faced with the lure of great power, everyone ultimately chose to press on. Yet the words “people will die” still echoed in their ears. Maybe people would really die, but before Death arrived, no one believed they would be the unlucky one.

…

The advancing group soon attracted the attention of some people. Maybe Zack did not yet realize the significance of this journey, and the White Robes only saw it as a simple move.

But this trip was bound to draw the notice of some people or forces. Wizard Bran could not attend to everything personally. In the end, it was the ordinary people under him who acted in the world on his behalf, so no one dared to ignore this group.

The group had not even left Northland City when some messenger birds had already flown out ahead. When the group emerged from the other side of Twofold Mountain, the Royal Capital of Green was already in a state of panic.

What was coming would come eventually, regardless of an individual’s will, even though Bran still had no interest in this place. But the prestige of the Northlands was growing higher and higher, and Bran’s power was becoming stronger and stronger. What happened at the Demon Clan’s camp at the Anya Defense Line was no longer a secret to this Continent.

The gathering of young Wizards in Northland City also promoted the flow of information. Young Wizards from various factions exchanged their own experiences and news here, which were instantly passed back to the hands of their respective sides.

People had actually already made their choice, but were just waiting for the right opportunity.

Now, the opportunity had come!