Chapter 238: Peaceful Sleep

Chapter 238: Peaceful Sleep

After Xirui’s anxious wait, Bran finally came back. Full of grievances, Xirui began tattling to her brother. Facing her accusations, Huahua, holding onto Bran’s neck, seemed relaxed and comfortable. This scene made Xirui’s voice of complaint grow softer and softer. As her complaining ended, she was put under confinement again.

Bran was not in the mood to deal with his sister for now; he had more important things to do. He needed to test some guesses, trying to let the Mist take him into the Sea of Magic. So, Bran, who had just run back, began his seclusion.

The Mist slowly rotated, like a bronze key covered in green rust, clumsily and stiffly turning the lock. With a creak, it opened an ancient door and entered the Sea of Magic.

Facing the oncoming Mana, the Mist transformed into a solid Lonely Island. Washed by the tides of Mana, the edges of the Lonely Island gradually became smooth. Mana began to rise from the island, slowly nourishing it, and Bran as well. As the Mana soaked in, the Lonely Island gradually turned into a piece of dark jade, fine, hard, and warm.

The Sea of Magic was no longer dangerous, and Bran’s suffering finally paid off. A lazy weariness made him fall into a deep sleep. In his sleep, Bran curled up his body, like a baby waiting to be born inside its mother. A soft murmur rose from the sea, like a lullaby, humming about its past, present, and future.

Lily, who had barged into the Sea of Magic again, looked at her younger brother sucking his thumb in his sleep and couldn’t help but show a relieved smile. She watched quietly, just like when she used to crouch by her brother’s crib as a child. A hint of weariness found her, just like many years ago, pulling her into sleep as well.

In Northland City, Bran slept soundly atop the High Tower. Pale gray mist spread from his body, gradually filling the tower, and the entire tower became shrouded in mist. In Twinwing City, light spread from the sleeping Lily. The light pushed all living beings in the tower out one by one. Shortly after, a huge cocoon of light enveloped the High Tower, sealing it off from inside and out.

Xirui was free. When the gray mist spread from Bran’s body, the force confining her disappeared as well. Then Huahua appeared before her, leading her away from the High Tower. The initial joy of regained freedom was soon replaced by worry. The gray mist blocked everyone outside the door; even Huahua found it hard to get deep inside.

As the tower became shrouded in mist, Huahua completely lost contact with Bran. After the initial confusion, Huahua became restless and anxious, his eyes gradually turning bloodthirsty. He paced worriedly in front of the tower all day, his steps no longer light but accompanied by unusually heavy thuds. The sound was not loud, but it blanketed the entire city. Late at night, when all was quiet, the thuds were especially dull, resembling a heartbeat.

Anyone who tried to approach the tower even slightly was stopped by his roars; even the Ancient Tree dared not get close to Huahua at this time. People could only watch from afar as the beast wandered alone in front of the tower.

Xirui had been behaving very obediently lately. She knew she must not cause trouble at this moment. She tightened her little face, trying hard to look authoritative. Now that her brother had an accident, she felt she should ensure the safety of this city.

The Ancient Tree took charge of the entire city again. He didn’t understand what happened to Bran? What happened to Huahua? But he knew what he should do at this time. No matter the wind and rain, no matter the thunder and lightning, he would always hold up a piece of sky and shelter a piece of land.

…

Danny still sat in the City Manor working every day. Though uneasy inside, she showed nothing on her face. The White-robed Ones had thoroughly explored the territory. They collectively called that area the Wizard Territory and reported this new name.

The Wizard Territory was still wild, overgrown with shrubs. It would take time to become a livable place. News came that Zack had already returned to Northland City with their families and servants. The White-robed Ones were busy clearing the ruins and preparing to rebuild the city’s outpost; they really couldn’t spare any hands. So Pachu once again shamelessly came to Danny, his request not high but very tedious—temporary accommodation and food.

Such matters didn’t require Danny’s personal involvement. She only needed to nod and then hand these tasks to Earl. For Northland City to be where it was today, Earl had worked hard and contributed greatly. Under Bran’s rough management, Earl handled many detailed implementations.

Pachu admired Earl, knew her hard work and dedication, and trusted her abilities. Sometimes he felt sorry for her; her tasks were too trivial—just an executor’s role. Success brought little credit, but failure carried much blame.

Fortunately, Bran also understood these things and never blamed her in this regard, but the slanderous gossip from below never stopped. After all, although her position was hard, it allowed her to frequently contact Bran and occasionally receive some unexpected rewards, which made some people jealous.

Earl’s progress in wizardry was obvious to all. Bran wouldn’t lecture her on principles, but his occasional pointers were many. He would directly tell Earl, maybe you could do it this way. A small demonstration would break some of Earl’s fixed thinking. Earl’s Mana was still not abundant, but it began to show many variations.

Sparring among Wizards happened from time to time. In the Night, Pachu gradually found it hard to detect the hidden Earl. It made people envious and jealous, but Pachu knew Earl deserved it because this was the Great Wizard’s compensation for her.

When Pachu found Earl with Danny’s approval, she was gazing blankly at the mist-shrouded High Tower. Pachu did not disturb her but stood gently beside her, following her gaze toward the High Tower.

A heart-wrenching thud echoed in their hearts, growing heavier with each beat. Within this heaviness lurked madness and killing intent.

Earl sighed. “Thank you. I never thought he could be this terrifying. When you warned me before, I thought you were exaggerating. Now it seems, you underestimated him.”

“Yes, since the Great Wizard entered the High Tower, his footsteps haven’t stopped.”

“I hope the Great Wizard is well. I hope he comes out soon. If this continues, the city…” Earl sighed again, not finishing her sentence.

“My student Shajia said—the Ancient Tree warned her not to approach the Eastern District recently. So, you be careful too.”

Pachu and Earl sighed, looking at the High Tower, neither wanting to talk about work for a while.

…

In Northland City, the footsteps were heavy, but in Twinwing City, there was silence. When the light cocoon lit up, the Little Wizards in the city gathered under the tower, looking up. But after watching for a long time, they saw no movement.

Since the living beings in the tower were pushed out unharmed and calmly, it wasn’t an accident. Perhaps their idol, Lily, had made a new discovery or started a new breakthrough.

So they took action on their own, stopping the howls of wolves and cries of falcons. At the same time, they secretly raised their vigilance to prevent outsiders from disturbing the place.

Even the prayers outside the city, under Kehan’s direction, became almost inaudible. As Believers, how could they disturb the Deity’s peaceful sleep? The usual songs and prayers gradually became silent blessings.