Chapter 328: The Arrival

Chapter 328: The Arrival

Back when his sister was hesitant to speak, Bran had already understood their meaning from between her words. Bran did not want to get involved in this kind of matter. His own small family kept him busy enough; why would he go and meddle in his sister’s family affairs?

The reasoning had already been conveyed through Zoya, hoping to calm some of the resentment.

Bran now had more important matters to deal with.

When he stirred within the Inky Torrent and realized he had not fully merged into it, and even showed signs of separating from it, a thought also arose. The torrent had not swallowed him; he was merely parasitizing it, continuously growing stronger.

The Little Fairy had been following by his side, feeding on his mana and making his body its home. So then, could fairies also enter the Sea of Magic and live within his true form?

Only the risks involved made him hesitate.

This idea had been discussed many times between Bran and the Old Fairy Mikkel. It made sense in theory and truly tempted the fairies. But this kind of thing could not involve the Little Fairies, so it was decided to let a few very old, frail Old Fairies try first.

Out of selfishness, Bran did not want the Old Fairy Whisper to take the risk, so he did not tell her. But the news spread through several channels, and the Mountain Villa was a necessary stop, so in the end, he could not keep it from Whisper.

Whisper believed she was the most suitable for this because she was familiar with Bran and they trusted each other. Their experience of living together made her very familiar with Bran’s mana, so any problems could be spotted quickly.

Bran had now returned to his tower. Several Old Fairies were moving in and out of his shadow. From time to time, they teased Mikkel, saying he had gained a huge advantage, spending all day with the purest Primordial Magic, becoming younger and more afraid of death.

Bran waited quietly, knowing these words were mostly said for his ears, hoping he wouldn’t feel burdened.

Whisper still sat on Bran’s shoulder, softly comforting him: “I am already too old. Being able to enter the legendary Sea of Magic before I die means I can die without regrets. Besides, we have discussed this for a long time and know the chance of success is greater.

And after all, it is your body, isn’t it? What place could be safer than there?”

Bran nodded and softly grunted in agreement. What he thought in his heart, however, was: Where in this world is truly safe anymore? If they were really sure, why would everyone hesitate?

Bran had a selfish wish. He hoped the fairies could become more capable assistants for him, becoming his eyes and ears to make up for his own shortcomings. So, he always felt guilty and ashamed. And the full support of the Old Fairies made this feeling even stronger.

After some checks, the fairies finally confirmed they could begin, and they all turned their eyes to Whisper on Bran’s shoulder. Just as they thought Bran would create a grand spectacle, Bran’s shoulder merely produced a bubble that wrapped Whisper inside. Then the bubble popped, and Whisper vanished without a trace.

In the Sea of Magic, within Bran’s body, the fruit glowed faintly, and the fairy Whisper had appeared there. Before she could steady herself, the fruit flashed again, and she disappeared once more.

At the same time, a bubble emerged again from Bran’s shoulder. It popped, and Whisper lay there, dizzy and disoriented. A group of Old Fairies immediately gathered around, all talking at once, asking questions.

Whisper waved her hand. “I didn’t see anything clearly. One more time, slower this time.”

So, in the process of slower, slower, and slower still, the time Whisper stayed grew longer and longer…

To ensure absolute safety, Whisper believed she should stay for a period of time before a final assessment could be made. But the other Old Fairies wouldn’t have it, shouting that if they were to die, they’d die together, and they absolutely must go in and see.

Even the always death-fearing Mikkel said, “Life and death? A trivial matter.”

After that came various tests. Whether the mental and mana connections between both sides were affected, whether the fairies could peer into the outside World through the fruit, whether they could continue to manipulate Bran’s mana, etc., etc.

While Bran and the fairies were busy with experiments, new changes occurred on the East Coast.

After Xina was scared away, he no longer dared to make trouble and vanished without a trace, keeping a low profile all the way. The Death zone Bran later created on the eastern side of the Southern Coast then gave the Dragon Riders some relief.

For the next few months, the people the Dragon Riders had been carefully guarding against, like Jose and others, also didn’t make any major moves. During this time, some supply ships appeared. To the Dragon Riders, these looked more like deliveries of supplies, and the scale wasn’t large.

With the arrival of the supply ships, they stopped their search on the island and began building permanent facilities. This time, they no longer concealed their actions; thick smoke rose from the small island.

The Dragon Riders promptly sent this discovery to Northland City. The reply they got was, “Ignore it.”

This permissive attitude worried the Dragon Riders. Fortunately, the other side showed no further hostility. The revenge the Dragon Riders most feared also failed to materialize.

It wasn’t until the most recent batch of reinforcements arrived that the scale somewhat exceeded the Dragon Riders’ expectations. Two Dragons appeared on the island and let out long roars.

…

When the first reinforcement ships arrived, Jose also received new orders. In his view, these orders were testing the waters with their lives.

Construction on the island proceeded smoothly enough, and no one disturbed them during that time. Supplies arriving afterward also became more plentiful, and they began sending more people.

Only when several large ships appeared on the sea did Jose finally breathe a long sigh of relief. But as the ships drew near, for a moment, Jose thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

An old man stood quietly at the bow of the ship. His appearance was ordinary, but his attire was somewhat special. Jose knew the meaning that attire represented—a Saint. For a moment, his head buzzed. What matter could possibly alarm a Saint enough for him to arrive in person?

As they approached, two Dragons leaped out from behind and landed on the island. Impatiently, they let out long roars that traveled far and gradually faded until they were almost inaudible.

…

Maya lay curled up on the beach. Eileen stood beside her, chatting and laughing. A faint, almost imperceptible roar startled Maya. She abruptly raised her head to look out to sea.

Eileen instantly became alert. “What’s wrong?”

Maya seemed panicked. “Quick, ask Bran for help. Only he can help me!”

“What exactly is wrong?”

“Someone from my family has come. They want to take me back.”

Eileen was silent for a long moment. “Since your family has come for you, then you should go back.”

Anger rose in Maya’s eyes. She glared at Eileen and demanded, “What do you mean by that?”