Chapter 275: Misleading

Chapter 275: Misleading

Two days later, a Wyvern braved the attacks of a Snow Falcon and desperately broke into Northland City, delivering a letter to Bran. The letter said that Eileen had found a strange Northerner while on patrol. Several sketches were included with the letter.

Bran held the sketches and looked at them over and over again, quite certain that this was not a Northerner. To outsiders, it might be hard to tell the difference in Facial Markings, but Bran was sure that Northlanders did not have this kind of pattern.

What he did not know was that the Dragon Riders intentionally omitted many details, such as the texture on the neck. The Dragon Riders hoped Bran would develop some misunderstandings and some unfavorable assumptions because of this. For this purpose, they also slightly exaggerated the other party’s strength, even though the other party had never revealed their strength from start to finish. This did not stop the Dragon Riders from using their imagination. They just based it on their experience when trapped on the Archipelago, with some discount.

As the Dragon Riders wished, after receiving the news, Bran felt restless. The Monster had come looking for them so quickly, and could even come ashore?

Bran scratched his head. This really happened at an inconvenient time.

Huahua was about to enter the Sea of Magic, and he had planned to accompany her inside.

His own Ancient Tree had just finished its transformation and was currently in a deep sleep. Its old shell seemed to have turned into a cocoon, and a new life form was being nurtured inside. During this period, it simply could not be moved.

The Giant Falcon Feiyu had been acting strangely lately, rubbing against the Ancient Tree for no reason and even trying to build a nest on its head. After Bran sternly stopped it, it transformed into a Guardian standing under the tree, full of vigilance towards any other creatures that approached. The White Wolves also collectively became restless, none of them returning home, gathering under the tree to rest when they had nothing to do. Only the Snow Falcon was relatively normal, still soaring in the sky most of the time.

Tansuo watched all this with envy and prepared to stay here long-term. He had gotten drenched plenty at the edge of the Mana waterfall but gained little. A few days ago, Bran said he didn’t know the reason either; perhaps the Old Fairy knew and had likely hidden key information, stirring up trouble between Tansuo and Mikkel.

He originally wanted to continue watching the Old Fairy’s antics, but that wasn’t possible now. So he stepped out and began to speak fairly. He advised Tansuo to be patient; perhaps when the time came, a transformation would occur. Then he counted on his fingers to help Tansuo calculate how long he had spent with his own Ancient Tree.

After persuading Tansuo with facts, Bran asked him to temporarily Guard this city and paid him in advance by placing Huahua in his tree crown.

Bran quietly increased his vigilance. He released the city’s Mana Web, and the Mana mist within it poured out, gradually covering the surrounding wilderness.

Unlike Bran’s tension, Ruben appeared leisurely and relaxed in the camp. There was now another joke in the camp — Great Wizard.

Here, anyone who Awakened was called a Wizard, which was the same as them. But the subsequent power level divisions were baffling: Wizard, Great Wizard.

What was this about?

Ruben looked up and called out to several Wizards in the camp — Great Wizards! This earned him several more teasing curses and handfuls of sand.

No one thought finding a specific target on an unfamiliar Continent was an easy task. They were all prepared for a long-term stay, so when Jose confirmed that this place was truly safe and well-hidden, the construction of the camp immediately began.

These people even prepared for failure. If they were not strong enough, they would still provide a good foundation for subsequent reinforcements. Many things could not wait until they happened to be dealt with, so these powerful Warriors labored like common workers.

Jose was still patrolling and scouting along the coastline. During this time, he couldn’t be too conspicuous to avoid exposing the camp under construction. Only when the camp took initial shape, and when other Wizards cloaked it in camouflage, would be his time to truly shine.

He was also baffled by “Great Wizard,” but having been mistakenly identified as a Northerner by the Dragon Riders, he couldn’t appear too ignorant.

He could see that the Dragon Riders were wary of threats from the sea, and from scattered words, he also learned about the terror of that Monster. Yet he still had many doubts. How could a creature of that level wander around everywhere? This piqued Jose’s interest, so the focus of his scouting shifted somewhat; he began to pay attention to the sea near the Dragon Riders.

Jose’s target was not the Dragon Riders, so he subconsciously excluded himself from the threat and didn’t consider the consequences of exposure. Under normal circumstances, this was indeed true; he was just a stranger with no ill intent.

But the Dragon Riders clearly did not think so. They played a little trick and called for help — Zoya.

Zoya’s arrival disappointed many. The Dragon Riders were not unfamiliar with this girl. Originally, their own Eileen, like her, was given to Bran.

For this trip, Zoya also wanted to bring the White Wolf, but Bran did not allow it. “You must break free from dependence,” was the warning Bran gave.

“Why should I break free?” Zoya demanded angrily to bring an Attendant with her. Bran stared at her for a long time before giving in, so she chose Xialuo to accompany her on the journey.

Before departure, Bran repeatedly instructed, “Just go to take a look. Do not approach the coastline. Do not get involved in any fights…”

Amid his nagging, she tightly hugged Bran, cutting him off. “Think you can get rid of me? Dream on!” With this mindset, Zoya set off on her journey.

Zoya chose Xialuo hoping to help this friend, hoping she wouldn’t fall too far behind. Xialuo, used to having clothes brought to her and food served, was somewhat unpopular. After learning about the Predator nature of Wizards, Zoya became even more worried for Xialuo, who had never even killed a chicken. It wasn’t because Xialuo was particularly kind-hearted, but because many things never needed her involvement.

Xialuo excitedly followed Zoya out of the city, but soon fell into a nightmare. The first time she cut off a prey’s head, the first time she skinned a prey…

It was a completely different experience. She had seen fights in the Arena and smelled the scent of blood. But when she personally dismembered and skinned a prey for the first time, she still felt a shiver.

When Zoya instructed her to tear the skin off the prey, the sticky, peeling sound made her scalp crawl. “You’ll get used to it,” was Zoya’s consolation; and “you must get used to it,” was Zoya’s warning.

“Did your Bran treat you like this too?” Xialuo quipped casually in her gloom.

But this ordinary joke made Zoya somewhat lost in thought. After a while, she said softly, “He told me and Xirui to clear the wilderness outside.”

“I heard his sister made continuous breakthroughs. What about you?”

“I also broke through.”

“Did he hide some key knowledge from you? Otherwise, how could there be such a big difference?” Xialuo stood up for Zoya.

Zoya smiled. “Our abilities are different. My breakthrough wouldn’t have much fanfare, and I took that step first. At the same time, I also touched a certain threshold, but I suddenly lost interest, so…”

“You’re so silly! So many people want to gain this kind of power. How could you give up?” Xialuo stamped her foot resentfully, looking as if she was in agony.

“I’ll cross it sooner or later, even if I try to delay it on purpose.” Zoya shook her head. “I can’t hide it from him. That’s why he sent me to the coast, to go see the Dragon Riders. Maybe he thinks that under the stimulus of danger, I will definitely let go of my worries and definitely break through the barrier.”