Chapter 24: Madness

Chapter 24: Madness

We were used to finding answers from various phenomena, we often asked why? Back then, there were too many ways to get explanations. But here, everything had to be figured out on our own. Here, I was different, at least in logical thinking. Even if I was good for nothing, the education I received, whether voluntary or forced, had left some traces in my mind, influencing my behavior constantly. Methods like assumption, negation, re-negation, and so on—first assume, then reason out a seemingly plausible theory, then constantly revise and verify it—as long as they could help get through the initial path and were effective within a certain range. Matters for the future would be dealt with later.

Bran muttered to himself somewhat erratically in the storehouse. Huahua, as always, acted as a loyal listener, occasionally making gurgling sounds in her throat in response.

Danny stood at the storehouse door with a worried look. After a year of companionship, she had grown somewhat accustomed to this little person’s incoherent speech and meaningless sounds, but this time Bran’s behavior was clearly much more severe. Before, at least when Danny was nearby, Bran would restrain himself somewhat, but this time he truly acted as if no one else was around.

Early in the morning, Bran seemed to have figured something out and went into the storehouse. Then, weapon after weapon was forged, followed by sensing, sighing, and confusion.

Even standing at the storehouse door, Danny could feel the storm of mana swirling around Bran—restless, uneasy, as if searching for an outlet. Various metal ingots quickly melted and took shape in his hands, eventually becoming a weapon with smooth lines and a powerful feel. And the speed of creation grew faster and faster, leaving Danny, who was watching all this, dumbfounded. When the last piece of material took shape, Bran finally snapped back to reality. By then, the sun was already setting in the west.

Looking at Danny’s worried face, Bran stiffly uttered a few words: “I’m fine.”

…

Dinner, on the way to the castle, Danny carried Bran in her arms. His face was somewhat pale, but his spirit was unusually excited. She listened as he talked nonstop.

“It’s not alive, just seems like it. Like the wind blowing through dry grass—the grass seems to come alive. ‘Alive’ is just our feeling; what causes this feeling is the flowing wind.

Mana is everywhere; it’s just the feeling caused by the flow of mana.

Mana found its own way out. The mixing ratios of various metals were not the result of my active control, but rather I subconsciously combined them in the way most convenient for mana to flow.

I am a medium. A weapon is also a medium. Everyone is.

Wait, I need to go back and test something—whether the strength and toughness of swords and blades are optimal when conforming to mana. Damn it! Don’t let it just be all looks.

Put me down, quick, Danny.”

“What you need is to go to the castle to eat. We’ll talk after dinner.” Danny held Bran tighter firmly.

…

At the dining table, Bran was clearly distracted, eating quickly. The Duchess reminded him several times to slow down, to take it slower.

Bran looked up at the Duke, waved his dinner knife, and asked, “Have you tried that sword?”

“Tried it. Not bad.”

“The edge?”

“Good.”

“The blade’s flexibility?”

“Very good.”

“What’s good about it?”

“Everything is good.”

“Forget I asked.” Bran felt somewhat frustrated.

It seemed he couldn’t expect this tall Northlander to provide precise descriptions; that wasn’t something this Duke was capable of. He only needed to arrange which vassal’s castle needed repairs this winter, which bridge needed maintenance. To mediate disputes among his knights, or to have grievances with bordering Lords, letting their knights fight it out. If they suffered a loss, gather more people to get even, or pay some ransom after being defeated.

…

Further testing did not go smoothly. This era, this World, was like this—primitive production and manufacturing processes. Many things were more like luck, relying more on experience rather than precise control. From the production environment to more precise measurements, everything was beyond Bran’s capability.

So Bran, who was originally in high spirits, quickly lost patience. Based on mana’s reactions, he recorded the approximate mixing ratios of various materials, then made simple records. He no longer held hope for precise comparisons; recording was just a habit. By now, the storehouse had practically become a laboratory. Various measuring tools, weights, etc., were neatly arranged on a wide platform. This was the result of Bran’s work over more than a month. Bran had a feeling of going against the grain—what was the original purpose again…

For now, Bran couldn’t ask for too much. Simple and direct was sometimes the best approach. Don’t think about running the fastest; just run faster than the people around you. So now Danny was experiencing pain and joy. Various weapons passed back and forth in her hands as Bran directed her to slash here and strike there. Fortunately, the situation Bran worried about did not occur. The overall quality of these swords and blades made by following the instinct of mana was still quite good, at least possessing an overwhelming advantage compared to the original weapons. This relieved Bran. Regarding the weapons given to Aisa and the Duke, Bran was really worried that these two might suddenly draw divine weapons when fighting others, only to have them broken in two with one strike—that would be a big joke. He seemed to completely ignore that for battle-hardened Knights, discerning the quality of weapons had become an instinct. Most of his worries were unnecessary.

Much of Bran’s behavior was influenced by his previous life. The quality of a blade depended entirely on various data, like what type of steel, hardness level, etc., and he still hadn’t realized this. So he occasionally got stuck in details. The influences from two different times—past and present—acted upon him, making him seem even more detached from the world—to put it plainly, a bit foolish.

But this period of busy work was not without gains. Bran finally became more dexterous with his own hands. Bran could sense and penetrate by releasing mana, but when making changes to a specific target, he still needed to make contact with it. Due to long habit, or rather the behavioral habits from his previous life, Bran always tended to use his right hand to touch and grasp, with the left hand mostly assisting. One day, driven by impatience, he discovered he could focus on two things at once. So he immersed himself again in this game of drawing a circle with his left hand and a square with his right.

…

Two months had passed since Aisa took the two-handed sword from the Mountain Villa. During these two months, the gifts from the Knights had also arrived one after another. There were now more than ten White Wolves in the Mountain Villa. The White Wolves, gradually familiar with the environment, began to regard this place as their own Territory, walking around the walls every now and then. Two of them acted like leaders, often lying on the top floor of the Mountain Villa, overlooking below.

When feeling irritable, Bran liked to stand at the storehouse door, watching Danny, who stood on high ground, play with the Snow Falcons. The Mountain Villa now had four Snow Falcons. Originally, it was agreed to give two to Danny, but now all four Snow Falcons flew around Danny all day. But this was fine; he liked seeing this scene. He thought Danny looked very beautiful at this moment, possessing a heroic air.

Recently, Bran wanted to learn to ride a horse, but the colts rejected him collectively. Whenever Bran tried to approach, they all turned their hindquarters toward Bran and started kicking. Danny’s two big, tall horses were friendly to Bran, but he couldn’t climb onto them himself. Although the colts immediately became well-behaved when Danny appeared, he didn’t want to trouble Danny all the time. In this World, there were few things gained without effort. Bran usually didn’t cut grass or add water, so naturally, these colts wouldn’t get close to him.