Chapter 348: New Life

Chapter 348: New Life

Adam was quite frustrated. Bran actually let himself be trapped in the Treasure Vault. He still could not figure out how his annoying younger brother managed that. In his memory, he had only bent down to pick up a few trinkets, and when he stood up again, he was completely lost.

Bran must have known about his predicament, but based on past experience, he would probably just sit to the side and snicker. His brother’s character was as bad as ever, and there was nothing he could do about it.

For this visit, Adam had wanted to find someone to share his joy with. Through his efforts, the Castle had begun to change. The traces left by their parents were starting to fade.

Many things were easier said than done. Truly doing them required accumulation bit by bit. It was dull and tedious, but fortunately, he had persevered. Before winter arrived, he finally had time to look back on the progress and gains of this period. Satisfaction and pride filled his heart.

I did it! That was what Adam wanted to shout to everyone. Although these achievements were somewhat insignificant, they still filled him with a sense of accomplishment. So he wanted to find someone to tell about his successes, to share his happiness. But he could not find a good person to talk to nearby.

His younger brother Bran was not the best candidate for sharing joy, but he was definitely the best listener. Unfortunately, Adam had come at the wrong time. Bran spoke lightly and still had an indifferent attitude, but that unstable state made Adam dare not disturb him too much.

Adam missed Aki a little. Although this younger brother showed a tendency to be led astray and had seriously let him down at critical moments, he was really suitable for sharing happiness with.

This was all Bran’s fault! First, he led his two younger sisters astray, then he influenced Aki, and even Adam himself was showing a tendency to learn bad things.

He did not have Bran’s power to intimidate everyone. Some new ideas and actions were inevitably opposed by others. Even if he had power, he probably still could not intimidate the clan members. Thinking of Bran’s past, Bran did not have very good methods for dealing with the clan either.

Often, he would act like Bran, just focusing on his own affairs. He tried to turn a blind eye to some people around him, and to turn a deaf ear to some words. Adam was not afraid of failure, just as Bran had said—he had him and Lily.

Having a backer felt good; it made him feel secure. But when he actually faced them, Adam did not want to get too close. Like Bran now, he always made Adam feel nervous and afraid. Even though Bran had promised nothing would happen, how could that state mean nothing was wrong?

Puffing out streams of grey smoke from his body from time to time, and that’s called nothing wrong? He could not even guarantee his own safety, yet he dared to brag right in front of him.

A promise? Who would believe it?

Adam specifically looked for Huahua, but unfortunately, he could not find her. The brothers had long known that when they could not judge Bran’s mood, observing the constant wagging of Huahua’s tail could often provide clues. This was something Xirui secretly told them back when the whole family lived together. Unfortunately, this little sister, the elf, had decided to stay in the Ice Plains and did not plan to return.

Bran and Lily corresponded frequently. Those messenger Snow Falcons usually stopped at the Castle for a short rest, grabbing some food and drink before leaving. At first, these Snow Falcons would occasionally bring a small gift or two on the way, but later even that little courtesy disappeared. Amidst his anticipation, the occasional one or two sentences of greeting that flashed by were enough to make him happy for several days.

Adam truly envied their sister and brother. On one hand, he envied their bond; on the other hand, he envied their resources.

Among his younger sister’s Demon Clan slaves, there were too many useful talents, and they were now showing their value. The voices clamoring to kill all the Demon Clan were gradually fading away. Some people were even planning to borrow a few Demon Clan slaves.

After some Scholars joined his younger brother’s side, the originally chaotic Northland City was also becoming orderly. He thought about borrowing a few Scholars from there, but his younger brother refused. His brother actually believed he could not control these Scholars, which made him very unhappy.

His younger brother explained to him that Northland City was complex and intricate, with various forces restraining each other. In this environment, the Scholars were able to quickly integrate into various levels, and even a few led by Baz had become members of the White Robes. Such people would do him more harm than good.

Moreover, letting outsiders intervene in clan management could easily incur the dissatisfaction of the clan members. For him, it was also not worth the gain. But he really needed helpers, capable helpers. Adam thought about training his own helpers, but he felt powerless to do so.

He was truly jealous of Bran. People like Zack and Mary could now handle matters independently. But the way Bran trained helpers was something he could not learn. Bran simply threw tasks at them to do, not caring whether they did well or poorly. Bran believed that after a few mistakes and embarrassing incidents, they would learn.

But Bran could afford the losses; he could not.

He was different from Bran. Bran only kept his head down and walked his own path, living in his own way. In his eyes, this behavior was not worthy of being a Clan Leader. Although the people of the Bran Family had all found their places and started to share Bran’s burdens, he believed these people were merely guards watching over Bran’s Treasure Vault. He needed to lead the clan members to create wealth together. He could not rely on his own power to acquire a treasure worthy of being guarded by the clan. Therefore, he could not establish his authority in a short time either. Often, he still had to rely on the lingering prestige of his parents to carry out his work.

Perhaps he really should follow his parents’ instructions and marry a good girl to help manage everything around him. But he was not very satisfied with the girls around him; he always felt they had too little experience. Although he did not share much common conversation with his younger sisters and brother at home, as the eldest brother he always had the chance to hear many things that broadened his horizons. Even just snippets gradually broadened his horizons and fueled his growing ambitions.

That small Castle was already making him feel cramped, and the girls there could no longer catch his eye. It would be great if there was someone like Danny by his side—strong in martial arts and broad-minded. But such thoughts could only be indulged in when no one was around…

Laughter came from not far away, interrupting Adam’s wandering thoughts. Someone had come looking for him.

His younger brother was not too bad; at least he knew that his older brother was different from him and still needed to eat. Holding onto a certain resentment, Adam sat down at the dining table, and then instinctively looked towards Danny sitting at the head of the table.

Misinterpreting his gaze, Danny looked at Adam and explained, “Bran is feeling a bit unwell, so he can’t join you.”

Adam felt a bit guilty. “I know, he ate something bad. What exactly did he eat?”

“A visiting Great Wizard.” Facing Adam’s widened eyes, Danny smiled and advised, “Don’t worry too much. Bran said he has completely trapped the other party, he just needs some time to digest it.”

After saying this, she ignored Adam’s stare and lowered her head to fiddle with a ring in her hand. Adam knew the material of that ring—Dragon Gold. Bran used to wear it as close-fitting armor. But what use did Danny have for this thing? He turned to look around and only then noticed that almost everyone present had one, just with slightly different shapes.

Adam turned his gaze back to Danny, but the next scene shocked him. Under Danny’s manipulation, that ring was slowly changing shape…