Chapter 331: Value

Chapter 331: Value

After Kano was driven away, Zoya blinked and looked at Bran. “This is the person you wanted me to meet? Nothing special.”

Bran felt a bit dejected. “Yeah, because we’re not important enough to warrant someone special. I thought this was just someone scouting the path. He merely apologized for the delay in keeping the appointment.

He wasn’t surprised by the two corpses on the ground either, meaning that although people like this aren’t common, they ’re certainly not rare. When you think about it, things are only just starting to show signs of change, yet such people keep popping up one after another.

Truly powerful Great Wizards like Xina are still staying back and watching.

The ones I want to meet look down on meeting me; the ones I don’t wish to see are the ones who come knocking. And even someone like Kano, though his own strength is nothing special, looked down upon us here. You saw the disdain on his face the whole way.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Watch for now. See what they’re doing here, try to understand this remarkable gift of foresight.”

Zoya’s curiosity was piqued. “Can they truly know everything in advance?”

Bran stated firmly, “No. Kano was quite surprised, even a little afraid, when he saw Huahua. He also showed a trace of shock when he looked at you. They can see glimpses at best. If they had the true power of foresight, the whole World would have fallen into their hands long ago.”

“Why do you think they’re looking for Sister?”

“What else? Probably to gain power or Mana from her.” Bran thought for a moment, then pulled out a Fruit from within himself. “Here, just like this Fruit I got from Xina. I draw Mana from it, either to strengthen myself or to enrich this city.

There might be other benefits I don’t know about, but it’s not essential.

Right now, it’s unclear which faction Kano represents, or what their situation is like. It would be terribly dull if it’s just some small family scraping by, trying to trick us into helping them punch above their weight.”

Zoya reminded him, “It might be their collective decision.”

“So what? Just like me and Sister now, regardless of our sibling relationship, we are two separate families now. Even for a collective decision, there has to be distinction, and the gap between them is immense too. Twinwing City already has multiple Great Wizards, and more will arrive over time. Joining my family or Sister’s family now would lead to very different situations in the end.

So even when choosing a fallback, you choose a broader path. Besides, we don’t need a fallback right now.”

…

The Twinwing City Bran mentioned was no longer what it was before. The Little Wizards who had borne Fruit gathered as required within Twinwing City.

The changes within the city naturally drew the attention of the Demon Clan outside its walls. The Divine Abode City was gradually renamed the Temple of Multitude. On the plaza before the High Tower, Statues had been raised for every newly ascended Great Wizard, flanking the Divine Statues of the Light and Darkness.

People’s hearts are complex; each has their own preferences and tastes. The appearance of many Deities happened to satisfy this need. Thus, the prayers outside the city walls started to become mixed, and wisps of incense began to rise before those new Statues too.

Lily let all this happen. Even though she was surrounded by prayers all day, she always remembered she was the Great Wizard of the Northlanders. Her power came from the Sea of Magic. No matter how loud the prayers outside the city were, they brought her no extra strength. Bran was constantly making progress; she could see the gap starting to form between them.

An endless Torrent of Mana flowed through Bran constantly. Even the tiniest bit, accumulating day after day, gradually became a considerable amount.

Bran was already caught in that Torrent. Even if he did absolutely nothing, the Mana would still grow passively as a result of erosion. Lily couldn’t do that. She needed to enter and exit, she needed rest.

This made Lily anxious. She didn’t want to fall behind her brother. So, as the Little Wizards returned, she spent longer and longer periods within the Sea of Magic.

When tired or lonely, she would just glance towards her brother. Perhaps Huahua was too playful; she rarely appeared after waking from her long sleep. But Lily knew that, thanks to the Mana Resonance, many things didn’t require Huahua to try too hard.

Just like the vortex Bran was in now, the point where two Tributaries intertwined was vibrating and humming at a certain frequency. Many parts had even merged together, and that vortex itself was undergoing some change she didn’t fully understand.

First their home, then the Northlands, now her brother was bringing new change to the Sea of Magic. Every Wizard who entered, once they could see their surroundings clearly, was drawn to that vortex.

It had become a reference point. Lily, along with several other Little Wizards, used the vortex as their guide, trying to shift their current positions. If Bran could move through the Mana Torrent, then they should be able to as well.

Someone even wanted to absorb the Key into their body like Bran had, letting their body endure the direct force of the Mana. Though no one had managed this foolhardy attempt yet, ideas and plans were forming. With their unrestrained imaginations combined with a tendency to act without considering consequences, they were making progress.

They believed the Mana would find a way… They were Great Wizards now. If Bran could merge his Mana and ability into one, becoming a Tributary within the Sea of Magic, then so could they.

And they were incredibly curious, dying to experience this feeling. Even though Bran had warned them not to completely cast off their physical flesh just yet.

Lily had been tempted too, but she quickly gave up the idea. Bran’s ability didn’t need flesh to support it; shedding his flesh made him more versatile and harder to deal with.

But she was different. Her power worked best with this physical body. So she needed to recast her body, not simply discard it.

Once she realized this, Lily hurriedly warned the other Little Wizards. Everyone stopped their reckless advance and re-examined their own abilities.

How scared they were afterward, only the youngsters knew. For a few days, they were much quieter, much more subdued.

But there was someone this approach suited. So the youths became lively again, constantly crowded around this “lucky one,” offering suggestions both good and bad.