Chapter 281: Keen

Chapter 281: Keen

Currently, the White Robes’ camp was too noisy, so Pachu was taken to Shajia’s home. This small gesture made him very happy because Shajia began to see him as family.

Sitting by the window, he watched Shajia outside playing with the fiery red fox. All along the way, this sly little creature was always ready to run away, but now it clung to Shajia. Actually, it grew quiet while they were still some distance from Northland City. What a sensitive Magical Beast, able to sense changes in Mana from such a far distance. Compared to the Magical Beast’s keenness, those who had long lived in the city seemed a bit dull.

The Mana from outside had been slowly gathering towards Northland City, and the Mana in the city was growing denser day by day. But being constantly inside it, he had overlooked these changes. This trip out made the external environment feel somewhat uncomfortable to him, and the feeling of not appreciating one’s blessings while living in them arose.

The stark contrast between being out and coming back made him realize many things—Wizards like them fed on Mana. For nearly two years, his physical condition had been improving, and he always thought it was the result of Evolution. Now it seemed that was not the whole story; the nourishment of Mana was also crucial.

Thinking this, Pachu turned his head to look towards the High Tower. What a group of generous Monsters.

Shajia glanced back; Teacher Pachu was daydreaming again. Ever since returning from outside, the teacher often fell into this state. Perhaps old people were all like this.

When she returned, she saw her father in Sandstone City as she wished. Some things could never be changed again, but at least hope remained. Her father’s mind was not completely lost, as shown by his occasional gentle actions. To confirm her judgment, she begged her teacher to verify with the Great Wizard, but the answer disappointed her greatly.

A vessel, an ice-cold reply.

But a thought began to grow: perhaps the Great Wizard was wrong. So she gathered her courage and approached the Great Wizard, hoping to convince him with her personal experience and hear him give a completely different answer.

Echoes of the past, another ice-cold answer. He even conjured the illusion of a butterfly and watched it flutter to land on a petal.

Then, with impersonal certainty, he affirmed that these were merely the wishful thinking of the living.

At that moment, a sudden impulse rose in her to smash that hateful face. But before she could act, the Ancient Tree’s vines wrapped around her and gently tossed her out.

Afterward, having calmed down, she felt deeply dejected. Even if she could get the answer she hoped for, what then? She was, after all, a Little Wizard with little power. Besides, the Ancient Tree secretly told her that power was not the key to communicating with The Dead; ability, Soul, and spiritual compatibility were, and she did not have these.

But she did not want to give up, believing there must be another way. Hesitantly, the Ancient Tree revealed a secret, a real secret. Deep underground in Sandstone City lived a group of special creatures—Fairies. They were completely different from the Fairies in Northland City, unable to see the light of day anymore. Bran was used to calling them Dark Elves.

The Dead in Sandstone City were closely related to them. Bran had only mastered this ability by chance. His own Mana shared many similarities with the Mana released by the Dark Elves. Or rather, a significant part of Bran’s Mana composition was the same as that type of Mana. If you could gain the trust of the Dark Elves, then with their help, you might find the real answer.

The Ancient Tree said it would find another chance to ask Bran, but after that, there was no more news.

The Dark Elves had actually followed some cracks and opened paths to Northland City, establishing a new home. If Lily, after investigating the Treasure Vault, had continued to explore underground, she might have found clues, and these secrets might have been exposed. But Bran’s Treasure Vault was truly shocking, leaving her with no mind to think more.

When the Treasure Vault was empty, it was a playground for the Dark Elves. Bran hoped that after a period of adaptation, these Dark Elves could gradually return to the surface.

The Ancient Tree did not know this. Since it was no longer rooted in the earth, its perception of the underground was very limited. So Shajia also did not know that the ones she wanted to find were right in the city.

Shajia hoped her teacher could help, but the teacher shook his head and told her shocking news: now was not the time to think about these things; war was coming.

How could that be? With the Great Wizard here, who would dare to fight him?

The teacher shook his head, saying he did not know either; it was all just speculation. The Great Wizard had been very generous to the White Robes lately, teaching them a lot of new knowledge. But they understood that their performance this time did not deserve such generous reward.

He also said there were many small changes that young people like her would not notice. But the White Robes were different; most of them had experienced war, and there were always signs at the beginning and the end. Though the specifics were still unclear, this feeling could not be wrong.

Moreover, this war was likely to be led by Wizards. Her primary goal now was to improve her strength and gain more through the upcoming war. For example, knowledge, fame, after which she would have more resources to do what she wanted now.

It all sounded like alarmist talk, but Shajia knew her teacher well.

Feeling uneasy, she began to carefully observe the changes in the city. Thinking of the rumors in the city and Zoya’s journey, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: what if the threat came from outside the Continent?

She told her teacher this idea, and then the teacher’s face showed sudden understanding.

The teacher told her not to be afraid; war was both a threat and an opportunity. Otherwise, the Great Wizard would not have sent Zoya out, and Zoya would not have brought her friend along.

…

The Zoya they spoke of was having a hard time at that moment. Traveling north along the coastline, bypassing several dangerous and difficult places, Zoya felt eyes watching her. If she had not brought Xialuo, she would have blended into the surroundings and then tried to find the source of the gaze.

But now, she could only pretend not to notice and keep moving. However, the other side clearly did not want to let them go and began to approach.

Run! When multiple targets of unknown strength appeared in her senses, Zoya chose to flee immediately. But Xialuo was holding her back…