Chapter 258: The Girl

Chapter 258: The Girl

Moving forward was no longer just for killing, but to better observe the wilderness. Zoya and Xirui had also reached the point where they needed to rebuild their own perception through mana. But in this regard, the two clearly lacked experience.

If not for the Eternal River as a reference, they might have already lost their way. Neither of them had much wilderness survival experience; only their powerful strength made up for this shortcoming.

After being influenced by Bran, Huahua, and the Ancient Tree, the entire Northland City had almost become an extension of their limbs. Especially the Ancient Tree, whose innate instincts made him even better at this than Bran and Huahua. If one ignored the troubles caused by these three monsters themselves, then Zoya’s days in Northland City could be considered completely worry-free.

The only time she could be considered traveling alone was when she returned to the Royal Capital accompanied by two experienced White Wolves. But that experience wasn’t much help for the current situation.

Xirui might have been a bit better off than Zoya. This wasn’t because she had more wilderness experience, but because of her environment. Before this, every adult Northlander would inevitably go through a life-and-death Trial. Having heard and seen so much, she naturally knew a bit more, but that was only knowledge.

Having powerful older sister and brother was a mixed blessing. Her brother and sister rose too suddenly, so many traditional practices simply stopped with her. People held expectations for her, could not bear to see her harmed, and carefully protected her. Along with the protection came annoying scrutiny.

This expectation was not what she wanted, as it felt more like imprisonment. Unfortunately, at that time she did not have the ability to break free from all this and fight for her freedom.

She used to really like Bran Manor. In her memory, the figure of Fourth Brother sitting under the tree was so peaceful and relaxed. Until Whisper told her that all of that was just a facade.

The Mountain Villa was Fourth Brother’s fortress to hide from others, but this fortress had been breached repeatedly. Even before leaving, Fourth Brother did not allow outsiders to enter the top floor, yet so many people had still gone in.

After Fourth Brother left, the Mountain Villa gradually became Sister’s Training Ground. Sister treated the rules Fourth Brother set as nothing, happily bringing the Little Wizards in for tours whenever she pleased, completely ignoring her feelings.

The Mountain Villa was the place where Sister rose to power, the foundation from which she soared. Inside the Mountain Villa, Sister and Fourth Brother grew stronger amidst laughter and play, while she, as a Mortal back then, could not join in.

When Sister left, she didn’t say it explicitly, but the Mountain Villa came under her and Whisper’s control.

She studied hard under Whisper’s guidance, but many things did not go well. At that time, she had not yet become a Wizard, and some of Fourth Brother’s ideas were also full of flaws, so she could only constantly explore and adjust. Thanks to Whisper, without her patience, she would have found it hard to persevere.

Fourth Brother occasionally conveyed some thoughts through Whisper, but as a Wizard, he could no longer easily understand a Mortal’s feelings, so most of his new ideas were impractical.

Under the prying eyes of others, the Mountain Villa gradually became her Cage. She hid under the Ancient Tree, most of the time only with the old fairy Whisper and that Little Fairy who, due to her own incompetence, still hadn’t received a name, keeping her company.

Everyone hoped she would succeed, hoping to find a new path to advancement through her. That way, the Northlands’ power would leap forward once again.

No one considered her feelings; they just gave her all sorts of preferential care according to their own ideas, thinking they knew best. Trapped in the Cage, she could have anything she wanted, wind or rain, seemingly lacking nothing.

In the slumber of her Awakening, she subconsciously destroyed the Mountain Villa. After waking up, Whisper told her to go find Fourth Brother Bran, saying Fourth Brother would handle everything for her.

Originally, she wanted to go find Sister, because Sister would not restrict her and would just take her out to have fun according to her own nature. But she had been receiving Whisper’s teaching for a while, making her accustomed to following Whisper’s advice. Whisper was right; only Fourth Brother Bran would patiently explain things.

But Fourth Brother said, “From now on, many things will have to rely on herself; others’ help would be extremely limited. For example, Sister actually touched the Sea of Magic earlier than Fourth Brother did. It was under her stimulation that Fourth Brother took this crucial step.”

She could only rely on herself. Hearing this, she felt a surge of excitement. This was also a kind of recognition. Finally, some things were not something others could just interfere with as they pleased.

Fourth Brother asked her, “What were you thinking before the Awakening? How did you awaken such an interesting ability, with wind and snow?”

She wasn’t very clear about it either.

Perhaps the endless wind and snow of the Northlands made her think of freedom. Perhaps she needed an icy shell to refuse others’ overly enthusiastic care.

After several days of traveling together, she gradually grew to like Zoya. Zoya did not try to please her because of Fourth Brother; she didn’t even show much, neither overly affectionate nor distant. But this made her feel comfortable. A long-lost sense of ease returned to her. This was exactly the companion she needed—one who wouldn’t put pressure on her.

The cold mist around her actually had little effect on Zoya. She just naturally blended in, walking casually by her side.

She once thought Zoya could blend into any environment, but during a casual chat, Zoya said, “She couldn’t blend into Bran’s Magic Field.

Pretty funny, right? But abilities don’t lie. I could feel it—his Magic Field just held me, but refused to let me blend in.”

Hearing Zoya say this made her somewhat realize the truth, and she even felt sorry for Zoya.

Perhaps this conversation gave Zoya inspiration. She was the first to find the direction to rebuild her perception. She emerged from Xirui’s cold mist and blended into the surrounding icy, snowy world. She didn’t need to make a special effort or rebuild anything; the answer had been there all along, in the environment she blended into.

Northland City both protected her and limited her; Bran both accepted her and rejected her. That city, and perhaps that person, had sealed her perception. Maybe this was what Bran truly wanted to tell her.

Xirui was somewhat surprised, then began to feel happy for Zoya. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good!” But Zoya’s expression was strange, her mouth forcing a slight curve.

Xirui started to worry. She knew that once you crossed the threshold, everything after would follow naturally. But, she hadn’t even found the direction of the door.