Chapter 293: South

Chapter 293: South

Due to the presence of the Black Dragon Maya, Eileen did not stay long. After visiting Danny, she left. This trip did not fully achieve its goal, but she still learned some things.

Currently, the most urgent matter was to establish an unbreakable partnership with Maya, but this was not easy. During their time together, what she saw from Maya was a wild and rebellious nature. Her stepping in front of Maya during danger only delayed its death. The one who truly saved it was Bran. Whether in terms of strength or gratitude, she lacked a foundation for Maya’s approval.

Bran was right; Maya possessed very high intelligence. She had sensed it too, but hadn’t thought deeply about it. She could tell that Maya was very unhappy with its living environment, and at the time, she thought it was only due to mana reasons. Looking back now, there was too much contempt and disdain hidden in that gaze.

On the way back, whatever she saw, Maya showed no interest. Until they approached Northland City and saw the towering spire from afar, a change appeared in Maya’s eyes. At that moment, she thought Maya smelled the fragrance of mana. Now it seemed, it was an acknowledgment of civilization.

Since obtaining the Black Dragon, she had been too excited. Some details she should have noticed were overlooked because of that. Bran’s reminder startled her awake, allowing her to finally think calmly about every little thing between her and Maya.

After pondering for a moment, Eileen couldn’t help but shake her head with a bitter smile. Maya could understand her complex commands from the start, meaning it knew her language. All those actions and words she didn’t hide in front of it, the open conflicts born from jealousy and self-interest, must have had an impact.

She should have noticed the hidden anger in its eyes earlier. She hoped it wasn’t too late.

After sending off Eileen, Bran originally wanted to go see the Scholar camp outside Sandstone City, but he suddenly realized he couldn’t leave. His Ancient Tree was in need of him; the high-speed mana conversion couldn’t be stopped. Bran didn’t want to test what would happen to the Ancient Tree if he suddenly went far away, so he helplessly sent someone to investigate instead.

While waiting, he called over the White Wolf and Snow Falcon. They woke up a few days later than Feiyu, but their changes were not as obvious, and their strange mana fluctuations were faint.

Releasing them, Bran watched the Giant Falcon still busy building its nest, and he couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander. He didn’t know when the Snow Falcon and the Giant Falcon took different paths, but seeing how they reacted together when facing the dragon, there must be a very interesting story behind it.

In the fight against the dragon, they were clearly at a disadvantage. But that was good; facing a strong enemy at least stopped their internal conflicts. At that time, he was really at a loss; maybe he should get a dragon to keep outside. If they dared to fight again, he could let the dragon in.

Putting this aside, Bran started thinking of a way to escape his current predicament. He didn’t want to be trapped in a tiny place, becoming nothing but a mana source. As he thought, his gaze slowly fell on the Water Orb at the top of the tower—the Key he had snatched from the sea Monster.

Thinking and acting boldly had always been his style, so Bran instantly appeared in the tower and swallowed the Water Orb into his body. The Old Fairy cultivating seedlings at the tower top immediately shouted furiously, “What are you doing? Spit it out!”

For freedom, how could Bran spit it out? He started sweet-talking and tricking the Old Fairy, “We can’t lose the big for the small. Don’t we want this land to recover quickly? Without it, these seedlings will just grow slower; it won’t cause any permanent damage.”

“Have you found a way to use it?”

“I just had a sudden idea, but I think it will work.”

The Old Fairy Mikkel became alert at once, “What do you want to do?”

“My Key has changed a bit; it now seems more like a gem embedded in the Void, holding open a small hole for me to pass through. Just now, I wondered if this Water Orb could be the same. Maybe I can embed this too into the Void, letting mana from the Sea of Magic seep through it.”

“How will you do it?”

“Polishing.” Bran gestured with his hand, “Removing part of the World’s imprint left on it, making it stuck in the Sea of Magic so it can’t fully return to the Mortal World.”

“How to polish?”

“Let tributaries from the sea constantly wash and scrub it.”

The Old Fairy looked up and examined the Void carefully, but didn’t see any ink-black tributaries appear. So he raised his voice, “You’re lying to me. Where are the tributaries?”

Bran blinked and pointed to his own nose, “I am it.”

Mikkel widened his eyes, doubting he heard correctly. He asked sharply, “What did you say? Say it again!”

“I am it. I have become a part of it.”

The Old Fairy stood still for a long moment before sighing deeply and giving up arguing with Bran. He landed on Bran’s shoulder and asked softly, “How did this happen?”

“It was a moment of carelessness, and by the time I noticed, it was too late.” Bran smiled and comforted him, “It’s fine; mana always finds a way. And my luck has always been good; maybe there will be some unexpected discoveries.”

The Old Fairy turned his head and studied Bran carefully. Some words almost came out, but he didn’t speak them. After a moment of silence, the Old Fairy suddenly asked, “What is it like there?”

“It’s hard to describe. There, chaos and order exist together, light and dark are their two poles. Countless tributaries tangle indistinctly but remain clear and distinct. When you look out, it’s endless; when you pull back your gaze, it seems just a tiny stream. It’s a drop of water, a river, a sea; it constantly changes with your view. When inside it, it’s unfathomably deep; when leaping out, it’s clear to the bottom.”

Bran shook his head, “Who knows what it’s really like? But I know I like it there; I want to become one with it. Maybe I wasn’t careless at all; just followed my heart.

So don’t feel surprised or sad about this; it’s just my choice.”

Mikkel sighed, not wanting to ask or say more. Let the child do as he pleased. How long could his consciousness hold under the washing of the tributaries? How many more times could he fool around?

The silence between them didn’t last long, as Scholar Baz came by. He said he saw White Robes preparing to investigate the camp outside Sandstone City, so he had some things to report to Bran.

“My old rival—Ge Yin—sees your rise as a threat. He believes the Northlands will eventually move south and swallow all nations on this Continent. He thinks the City of Wisdom will cease to exist, and Scholars will face a deadly blow. So he’s decided to go to a new Continent with like-minded Scholars. His youngest prize student was sent to oversee shipbuilding, so progress must be smooth.

You just mentioned the Scholar camp outside Sandstone City being attacked; it’s likely related. His forces should have already withdrawn, so that’s why the defense was light.”

At this point, Baz looked a bit embarrassed, “And lately, the construction of the Wizard Territory has started, and there’s a need for experienced help. I used my influence to persuade some people to go assist.”

Bran looked seriously at this shameless old man. Given Baz’s passion for Immortality, the Scholars outside Sandstone City probably were mostly his trusted followers. No wonder since he met this old man, the Scholars had been so quiet. Bran eyed the old man in front of him with dislike, “You betrayed your former comrades. Aren’t you afraid it will bring disaster? Aren’t you afraid one day I really will, as he predicts, destroy the City of Wisdom?”

“I thought about that for a while, but as I got to know you, I don’t think it will happen to you. You respect knowledge; even if the Northlands do annex this Continent one day, you’ll spare the City of Wisdom. You might not care about the city or its people, but you do care about the knowledge there. And as carriers of knowledge, the city and people will survive under your tolerance, as long as they remember their role and consistently guard and record the knowledge around them.

You accept Wizards from different races as your students, so why not accept a few Scholars serving you?”

Bran curled his lip, “Fine, I accept your service. Can you tell me about the situation on that Continent now?”