Chapter 319: Goddess

Chapter 319: Goddess

Fate would never have thought that Rio, who made him believe in the existence of the Nightfall Deity, was actually a lackey under the Light. He also would never have thought that the Apostles of the Night in Yong’an City were merely an insignificant few who left the Divine Abode City. He certainly would never have imagined that the Deity in their hearts had no awareness of this, and did not care at all.

Lily didn’t care about the group beside her who were trying hard to expand her younger brother’s influence. She even hoped his influence could spread far and wide. However, things were not going well. As long as she remained seated in Twinwing City, her brother’s influence kept weakening. She was high above; the Demon Clan here were merely servants she could summon and dismiss at will.

She was the sky for these people, and also the support on which their survival depended, because the reason they could survive was precisely their status—slaves, even if they saw themselves as servants of the Deity. Reverence, concealed under the Divine Name, kept penetrating deeper into their hearts.

Unlike Twinwing City. Although it was far away, Lily’s influence in Northland City not only did not weaken, but steadily expanded. There were also quite a number of slaves in Northland City, but the free folk still made up the majority of the city’s population.

This was a city with a very relaxed environment, where most people could say and do as they pleased. Even if someone verbally offended the Wizards here, or even the ruler here—Bran, no one would really do anything to them. As those above set the example, because Bran held an indifferent attitude towards many things, others dared not flaunt their power over such trivial matters. Thus, the barriers of status were not so obvious in Northland City either.

They did not have to perform grand gestures upon seeing Bran, nor did they have to bow and bend when seeing Northlanders. With the lack of ceremonial restraints and those ritualistic actions, many emotions related to reverence gradually faded. The sense of mystery also gradually vanished due to the many Wizards gathered here.

Amidst constant familiarity, the reverence and fear most residents in the city felt towards Bran also fluctuated and gradually decreased. Except for those who could truly come into contact with his power, such as the White Robes, and the Knights who protected this city. Thus, the polarization in Northland City became more and more severe; those who revered him revered him even more, and those who were fearless became increasingly unafraid.

Bran’s image had never been very good; compared to his sister, he seemed too gloomy. And people needed a sunny, warm image to fill certain voids in their hearts and to dispel the smoke clouds that drifted in the air from time to time lately. A valiant young girl had achieved this once. A dazzling young girl once dispelled the gloom shrouding the city walls in the cold wind; she descended here accompanied by light.

That image took root in people’s hearts at that moment and gradually gave birth to a new legend. By the time Bran started paying attention, many girls in the city already wore a pendant on their necks, and even a few men hid similar ornaments on their chests.

Then Bran noticed that the few Northlander women in the city also wore similarly crudely made pendants around their necks, and he had no choice but to regulate this. He exchanged them from his clansfolk with more perfect pendants made by himself.

According to Bran, he couldn’t afford the shame!

Mary took the initiative to explain a few things for this. She said the War God was originally a legend of our Northlands, and taking care of one’s own family was a matter of course. Bran understood these little thoughts. Even though the image on the pendant was his sister, she was, after all, the head of another family.

So some things were better left unexplained and not said too clearly.

Bran couldn’t quite figure it out. His sister had killed no fewer people than he had, so how did she become a glorious and majestic War Goddess? While he remained the Great Wizard, a messenger closely tied to Death.

Perhaps he truly was inseparable from Death, just like now, with three corpses placed outside the High Tower. Although somewhat fragmented, none were missing, and they were pieced together quite completely.

The three corpses of the Amphibians showed no signs of decay; the thick Mana remaining within the bodies prevented certain intrusions. The White-robed Ones were bringing their proud disciples close to observe. A moderately sized sign beside the corpses, reading “look only, do not touch,” prevented any further action.

Adhering to the principle that many hands make light work, Bran hoped to gain some enlightenment from these people. From the conflict with the Amphibians, Bran gained no real benefit. The Amphibians who died on the Southern Coast, and the Amphibian Guardians who died by his hand, had so far only fertilized the land beneath their feet. This was not good; at least, a couple should have been left for him.

For this Continent, those invaders might be the essential nourishment for its revival process. But Bran understood that if a slip-up occurred on his side, both principal and interest would be liquidated by others. So he hoped to take what he could while he could, since he could still run away, not letting others reap all the benefits.

A huge pool appeared below the High Tower, storing parts of Xina’s body, with a small part placed at the White Robes’ outpost, which increased the watery aura in the city considerably. Currently, only the Ancient Tree could efficiently utilize this watery aura. The White Wolf and Snow Falcons at home were mostly anxiously pacing around, guarding the poolside every day to drive away other birds and beasts, yet they dared not take a bite.

Judging from the reactions of these birds and beasts, Bran simply categorized it as “food.” Unfortunately, they still had a long way to go before they could swallow such food. Bran didn’t know if they had enough time.

Scaring away Xina and killing the three Amphibian Guardians had truly exposed him. Some ill-intentioned peering followed, and abnormal Mana Fluctuations around him began to appear frequently. This was certain abilities trying to take effect, but it also suited his appetite perfectly—soothing, devouring. Both sides came and went like this, quietly and unnoticed.

His abilities after all could not truly achieve active long-range peering, so he could only passively sit in the city, playing a game of cat and mouse with the peeping toms outside.

One side wanted to look, the other wanted to conceal. Both sides enjoyed this tirelessly. In the process of confrontation, both sides had the opportunity to figure out the other’s details without bearing too high a risk. But if one side truly figured out the other’s roots, a thrilling drama of chase and kill would likely begin immediately.

Only, Bran had never found such an opportunity. The peeping toms that had appeared so far made him feel pressure; they let him know they were also true Great Wizards. In the application of technique, both sides were smooth and natural, and the other side was more skilled than him. However, the natural restraint in Mana attributes gave the other side not the slightest advantage, and so they dared not act rashly.

On the eastern side of the Southern Coast, The Dead still wandered aimlessly. Influenced by the aura of this place, Wraiths kept gathering here. Standing in stark contrast, two living beings were walking slowly here.

One of the young men asked respectfully, “Teacher, is this the power of Death?”

Hearing this, the other old man, already dried up and curled into a ball, couldn’t help shaking his head and letting out a bitter laugh. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. Look, why are those constantly attracted Wraiths coming here? The desire for survival is our instinct, and this place offers a sliver of hope for survival. These Wraiths are attracted by the power of life. It’s just not complete, so it cannot truly resurrect them.”

The old man gazed obsessively at The Dead before him, even unable to resist reaching out to touch. Then his hand passed through the body of The Dead without hindrance, drawing a dissatisfied roar. So he withdrew his hand and continued, “How could life possibly be complete? And that is the most interesting part. I can’t help wanting to meet this person now. Unfortunately, these are extraordinary times, not suitable for a meeting.”