Chapter 343: Breeding Ground

Chapter 343: Breeding Ground

Danny put down her work and walked out of the City Manor. For a moment, she heard laughter. It was Bran’s laughter, a laughter of Mana. She even thought it was a brief illusion, because she was only a Warrior.

But upon second thought, it didn’t seem wrong. What was Bran, whom she cared about most? How could she have no awareness of Bran?

Those closest to Bran knew that his smiling face held no meaning. This was exactly what made people feel helpless and worried. Now, it was all over.

She walked quickly towards the High Tower, wanting to share Bran’s joy.

When she arrived at the High Tower, she saw Zoya already standing beside Bran.

Bran waved to her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I heard your laughter, so I came to see.”

Zoya was a bit surprised. “You can hear the laughter of Mana?”

Danny smiled and shook her head. “No, I can hear Bran’s laughter. He was laughing just now, so I wanted to know what happened?”

Bran gestured for Danny to sit beside him. “I extended the Mana Web to our Mountain Villa. The Ancient Tree there was complaining. He even mentioned you, saying we should go back together to see him.”

Saying this, Bran tilted his head to look at Danny. “Just now, did you really hear my laughter?”

Danny nodded, her eyes shining.

Bran thought for a moment. “Can you see me?”

Danny casually tapped Bran, not bothering to answer that question.

“That’s not what I meant.” As he spoke, Bran gradually faded until he disappeared completely. But his voice did not disappear and continued asking, “Can you see me?”

Danny shook her head in disappointment. “No, I can’t.”

“Close your eyes and try again. Perhaps even Wizards cannot see Mana, only sense it. Then they feel they see, hear, or even touch it. Who knows how these senses work? Since you can hear my laughter, then you should be able to see and touch me too.”

Danny gently closed her eyes. Bran’s voice, tinged with hope, was in her ears.

“The laughter of Mana, how can Mana make real laughter? You are just detecting the Mana, sensing the meaning hidden within it…”

Listening to Bran chattering in her ear, Danny showed a faint smile. As she smiled, the chatter suddenly scattered and blurred, turning into meaningless noise. Countless fine threads jumped and buzzed. Then these fine threads also began to break and crumble, leaving only a faint, wispy mist swaying.

She nodded. “I see.”

As soon as she spoke, Mana gathered beside her. From the Void, an Inky Torrent gushed out, gradually piling up into that familiar figure. The figure thickened from faint to solid, his eyes and brows becoming clear.

Danny reached her hand into the torrent, and a faint, almost intangible touch came to her. She whispered softly, “I touch it too.”

Slowly opening her eyes, the World that met her sight was completely different. Thin mist drifted all around. A giant web spread beneath her feet. The figure before her was like a turbulent spring, with Mana continuously pouring into the giant web, gurgling with sound.

Zoya poked Bran. “Has Danny become a Wizard?”

Bran shook his head. “She just gained the power to see me clearly through long companionship.”

“See clearly?” Zoya looked Bran up and down, puzzled.

“Yes, see clearly.” Bran reached out and patted Zoya’s head, sighing. “In long companionship, one day you will recognize each other. Recognize that the person you face day and night no longer exists. Replaced by a complete Monster.”

“No matter how you change, you are Grand Sorcerer Bran, our family.” Danny interrupted Bran’s complaint, stood up, and gave him a hug. “That’s not bad. It lets us always have each other, sharing life and death.”

Zoya chimed in. “Just seeing clearly? That’s the only benefit?”

Bran shook his head. “Maybe she can also borrow my power. Danny needs to test it. Try to connect to the Mana Web, to listen, to see, even to reproduce some of my abilities.

Unfortunately, the Mana Web is too fragile now. It needs time to grow and be refined. For now, I only use it for detection and positioning. As long as it’s within the range of the Mana Web, I can quickly project myself there.”

Hearing this, Zoya was very envious.

“I want to do that too!”

Bran spread his hands. “I will try to integrate your Mana into the web, but the condition is that your Mana must not be assimilated or consumed. So you must enter the Sea of Magic, then there will be a chance.”

“Really? Can it work?”

“It should be possible. Huahua’s Mana is already part of the Mana Web. But Huahua cannot project her body over; she only condenses a Mana illusion from a distance.”

Zoya was very excited after hearing this. “How was it done?”

“It’s probably the result of both sides’ abilities acting together under Mana entanglement.” Bran became somewhat proud as he spoke, and the surrounding Mana also became lively. “Huahua’s and my Mana have always been in a state of Resonance. As long as we are together, we can borrow each other’s power. But this borrowing is always a bit awkward, and the conversion between powers is not so smooth. I’ve been looking for a solution, until Huahua entered the Sea of Magic. Our Mana merged into one at the source.

Then, the conversion between powers became smooth, and the awkwardness disappeared. But I was not satisfied. What if more Mana joined in? I started trying to introduce the Mana of the city’s Wizards, but that Mana was quickly consumed and assimilated.

Even if I didn’t want to consume them, when Mana entangles and fuses at a deep level, they also dissipate like bubbles.”

Bran reached out and tapped Zoya’s head again. “We need power, each other’s power.”

Zoya frowned. “Why not let Wizards use your Mana Web directly?”

“The foundation of Wizards using power is their own abilities. We Wizards are accustomed to collecting and using specific Mana through our abilities. This is an innate instinct that cannot be changed. The Mana Web is just its manifestation. Huahua’s and my Mana entangle and fuse within it, then interact. So the Mana Web is useless to Wizards outside.”

Zoya looked at Danny, then at the Ancient Tree. “What about them?”

“They are different from us. They never knew what ability was. But when the barrier was broken, they gained countless possibilities. In contrast, our innate talents are our eternal shackles, difficult to overcome and impossible to break.”

Bran glanced at his own big tree. “He can already see the Sea of Magic through me. Who knows what will happen in the future? Perhaps after becoming familiar with everything there, he will gradually get rid of my help and find a way to enter the Sea of Magic.

Unlike us, limited by our abilities, we can only match and merge with one Tributary, then be trapped within it. But they can draw from various Mana and enjoy true freedom.”

Bran looked up at the sky. “Wizards are just a node in the Cycle, a piece of nourishment. Various possibilities arise because of Wizards, yet have nothing to do with Wizards.”

Danny listened silently, her hand clenching tighter and tighter…