Chapter 326: Pressure

Chapter 326: Pressure

Shajia sat on the other side of the stands, staring blankly at the knights sparring below. She wasn’t a regular visitor. She only came here when she unintentionally remembered some people and events. The knights’ rough words and actions, and the smell of grease used to maintain weapon s and armor, all felt familiar to her.

As Pachu’s student, Shajia learned things she shouldn’t have known. During that time, Pachu kept her by his side, never leaving her. In that moment, she actually saw the shadow of her father in Pachu.

Her teacher told her that this city faced a great crisis. Grand Sorcerer Bran already had a plan to abandon this place. At that time, she simply couldn’t understand what in this World could force a Great Wizard to flee. In her mind, Bran was invincible.

Back then, she sensed panic from her usually calm teacher, so she fell into even greater panic herself, along with sorrow and reluctance. Because all the signs showed that too few people could follow the evacuation.

Fortunately, those terrible things did not happen. And she finally learned that what could force a Great Wizard could only be another Great Wizard.

The three corpses of Great Wizards from the Alien Races led to many speculations within her. Her teacher was right, the war had begun. She just never expected it to be a collision at this level.

Even though the Alien beings before her eyes were now corpses, the intimidating pressure from them still made it hard for her to breathe. Lacking the will of the living, the power within these remains also lost its restraints.

But what truly interested the Wizards was that puddle of water, part of a Great Wizard’s body. At the request of the White-robed Ones, Bran separated out a portion, and so a deep pool appeared within the compound.

To have water as a body, and it was a Great Wizard that others could hardly reach. This overturned their understanding and broadened the thinking of many. Everyone began discussing how to transform their own bodies into such a state.

Someone therefore asked Great Wizard Bran for advice. His answer was brief – Mana.

This answer only confused everyone more, so they hoped for further explanation.

At that time, Great Wizard Bran swept his gaze over everyone casually and said, this form is related to one’s own abilities, not every Wizard is suited for this form. Let your body accumulate more Mana, try to find a method suitable for storing your own Mana. Let Mana gradually take control of your body, it will slowly replace everything you currently have.

The condensation methods for Mana of different attributes are also vastly different, so I cannot point out a specific method for each Wizard. This can only rely on your own observation and experimentation. In continual experimentation, Mana will find its own way.

Only a minority become this form, and its advantages and disadvantages are equally prominent. Losing your current senses means losing the foundation for observing this World. When you rely entirely on Mana to perceive the World, you are also easily disturbed and deceived by Mana. Mana cannot tell you what is hot or cold, what is colorful.

Mana conforms to an individual’s will. If you want to give up something, it will help you give it up. However, once given up, it can never be retrieved. There are many paths. Others’ can only serve as references. No one can clearly say what is right or wrong, better or worse.

Someone asked: If something has already been lost, is there any way to remedy it?

“Let your companions become your eyes, your hands.”

After returning that day, her teacher secretly told her that Great Wizard Bran’s transformation was even more complete, but he suddenly stopped when he wanted to explain further. Perhaps he felt her accumulation was not sufficient, or perhaps he didn’t want to influence her choice, or more likely, he received some kind of warning. Because her teacher instinctively looked towards the High Tower.

Regardless, she knew how important choice was for a Wizard. She knew that for Wizards, many things offered no path back.

…

The people in the city were still happy, including the knights before her eyes. They simply hadn’t imagined that this place was already filled with hidden dangers. If not for her teacher Pachu, she wouldn’t have been able to learn about these things either. And once she touched upon the surface of this knowledge, it was hard not to develop more thoughts.

So when the city’s Mana occasionally grew restless, when familiar grey smoky clouds swept past overhead, she always felt that Bran was engaged in another life-and-death struggle with someone.

Fortunately, things remained calm afterwards.

Finding time, she went to Sandstone City again. There were new changes there. The Dead were no longer restless, becoming peaceful and serene. Someone even recognized her and waved at her. Her father also recovered many memories and talked with her for a long time.

This pleasing change, however, made her nervous. She worried it was an omen of some great upheaval.

Later, Pachu noticed her tension and comforted her, saying there wouldn’t be any major changes for the time being. He took out battle reports and analyzed them for her, saying that war of this scale meant nothing at all and couldn’t decide anything. He also made various deductions and guesses based on the order the Wizard corpses appeared and the timing of the war’s initiation.

Just as her teacher said, they would eventually participate in this war, but definitely not now. Now was Grand Sorcerer Bran’s time. He was currently contending and testing with the other side.

Pachu’s comfort allowed Shajia to calm down and think clearly. So she returned to Sandstone City again to conduct some investigation.

Northland City’s Mana had already spread here. Different from the freshness within the city, the Mana became murky after entering this place. This discovery made her spirits lift. So, she followed this clue back, feeling the various changes in Mana along the way.

She guessed the area covered by Mana should be far larger than this. Grand Sorcerer Bran was enveloping the land under their feet, seemingly preparing to turn this place into a killing field, because Shajia felt the not yet dissipated chilly intent.

Shajia didn’t dare speak this guess aloud. She feared it might bring about a deadly disaster.

…

Zoya brought people up to the stands. Although she had been getting along pleasantly with Xialuo recently, Shajia didn’t want to get too close to Zoya. As a Wizard, she could see a faint yet discernible Demonic Flower had fully bloomed, breathtakingly beautiful. But that beauty was like a flower branch placed before a grave of the deceased, filled with desolation amidst its splendor.

Lately, this impression grew stronger and stronger. The Mana aura emanating from it greatly resembled that of Grand Sorcerer Bran.