Chapter 286: The Greenhouse

Chapter 286: The Greenhouse

Maya’s life light was already barely perceptible. She hovered between consciousness and unconsciousness, yet her thoughts were strangely clear.

When conscious, she struggled to open her eyes wide, looking at the two young girls before her. Their movements, temperament, and demeanor, as if carved from the same mold, deeply attracted her. When unconscious, she would relive her early years, the gentle Mana in dreams wrapping around her once more.

Someone had come these past few days, only to leave again with sighs and head shakes.

Maya wriggled her body, moving a little closer to Zoya again. The surrounding Mana was slowly gathering with Zoya at its center, and this was precisely what Maya desperately needed. Though it was far from enough, it still gave her a sliver of warmth.

Eileen watched as Maya, heedless of danger, repeatedly wriggled her body trying to get closer to Zoya, and couldn’t help but feel worried. Fortunately, Zoya was somewhat distracted and didn’t notice these small movements.

Zoya indeed was feeling anxious. She had great confidence in her mount; barring any accidents, Xialuo should have already brought the message back to Northland City. She just didn’t know what Bran’s reaction would be.

Eileen’s concern for the dragon’s life or death gave Zoya an excuse to stay. As for whether Bran could save the dragon, she didn’t care. Calculating the time, Bran should have arrived by now. Could something have happened to Xialuo on the journey?

Zoya went over Xialuo’s possible return route again, the earliest and latest times. At noon, she thrust a dagger, sheath and all, into the sand on the beach, then stared blankly at the gradually lengthening Shadow.

As the sun set, Eileen lit the campfire again. Accompanied by the crackling sound of burning wood, Night slowly descended. Looking at the motionless Zoya, Eileen softly advised, “He might be tied up for the moment.”

Zoya raised an eyebrow and managed a weak smile, casually agreeing, “Yes, perhaps he’s fallen into the Sea of Magic again and can’t wake up.”

Just as Eileen was about to say more, the campfire suddenly flickered erratically, and a familiar voice sounded, “Say something nicer. What do you mean, ‘can’t wake up’?”

Zoya’s face instantly lit up. She opened her mouth to complain, “What took you so long?”

“I came early. I saw you were fine and didn’t want to interrupt your lovely sisterly time, so I went over there first to have a look.”

Eileen watched as a clump of gray smoke beside the campfire gathered and dispersed unpredictably. Her eyes widened in surprise; this was the first time she had seen Bran like this. In her astonishment, she heard a somewhat weary greeting, “Eileen, long time no see.”

She responded instinctively, “Long time no see.”

Then she hurriedly pointed at the dying dragon, “Save it!”

“Not urgent. It won’t die for a while yet.” Hearing Bran’s seemingly heartless reply, Eileen suddenly felt very reassured and relaxed.

Zoya interjected, “What about those outsiders?”

“Hiding on an island. I was tracking them, which is why I’m late.”

“Killed them all?”

“No, they are a good group to observe.” Bran tossed out a Water Pearl; inside it, Lily’s face was clearly visible. “If the reinforcements can bring similar gifts, we’ll be rich.”

“What is this? It was this thing that gave the warning back then, which let the target escape.”

“I’m not sure, but its composition is very interesting. It is made of many primitive yet pure forms of Mana. According to them, it’s the Pool Water of the Pool of Foresight.”

“How do you know that?” Zoya was somewhat indignant. She had also pried similar information from Jose’s mouth and was planning to show off.

“The people you killed had very powerful Souls. They could linger for a long time without dispersing, which was a bargain for me.”

Zoya lifted her chin and asked proudly, “Am I amazing?”

“Amazing!”

Eileen, standing nearby, couldn’t help but ask, “Where are they from? Will they be a threat to us?”

“The Emerald Continent, a place abundant with Mana. Their initial target wasn’t you, and they didn’t plan to act against you. However, the person Zoya wounded is very unhappy about you tipping them off. I heard him vow revenge.”

Eileen grew flustered and reproached, “Why didn’t you kill him then?”

“He is a good subject to observe, a Wizard. Moreover, killing him wouldn’t have much impact on the bigger picture. If you can’t even handle someone like him, how will you deal with the greater crises that will follow?

Don’t worry too much. He won’t recover in the short term. You have plenty of time to prepare, to fight or to flee.”

“You’re not planning to help us?”

“This is your home. I am merely an outsider. If you are not prepared to fight, why should I fight for you? When the Monster besieging the island attacked, did you fight back? It couldn’t come ashore, only splashed around threateningly in the water. Did any of you standing on the shore shoot a single Feathered Arrow?”

Eileen felt somewhat lacking in confidence, “But would that have been useful?”

“I don’t know either,” the gray smoke wavered, and Bran’s voice seemed to drift, “But when you ask for help, no one says it’s useless.

Trust me, Eileen, this is only the beginning. Even if I eliminate these few people today, what about next time? Will you truly be able to live in peace then?

These people really aren’t much. On that unfamiliar Continent, they are just a fairly elite group of Warriors. Such losses are insignificant there. They could send a new team at any time. They are only limited by ships right now, unable to send more people at once.

And our real enemy probably isn’t even them yet. Having an opponent who isn’t immediately lethal at least gives us a reference point, a target to learn from.”

“But they are really strong,” Eileen still lacked confidence.

“Compared to us, they are more like flowers grown indoors. They may look robust and beautiful, but they cannot withstand wind and rain. Look at this dying dragon. If it were on that Continent, it would recover quickly. But here, it can only wait for death.

Their Wizards actually cannot bind Mana around their bodies, while for us, it’s an instinct. Here, merely maintaining their own Mana from dissipating outward is already a problem for them, not to mention constantly replenishing their consumption. Warriors may seem less affected, but the effect is slow. Over time, they will grow weaker and weaker. Just like this dragon, they will remain in a state of weakness for a long time.

The seemingly harsh Mana environment not only shaped us but is also our greatest barrier.”

The gray smoke gathered, and Bran’s figure appeared. He then walked slowly to the dragon’s head and placed his hand on it. “It just urgently needs Mana to repair its body. I wonder if my Mana will work.”

As he spoke, a dark Torrent appeared from the Void, pouring directly into the dragon’s head. The dragon began to struggle, more and more violently, more and more forcefully. Soon, a deep, ink-like color began to show through its scales, and a sense of pressure slowly seeped from its body.