Chapter 349: Use Love

Chapter 349: Use Love

Adam cried out in surprise, “A Wizard!”

“No, a Mage.” Looking at the confused Adam, Danny raised her head and said, “A person who doesn’t possess a Wizard’s innate talent but has mastered methods to use Mana.”

Although still confused, Adam clearly heard “a person who doesn’t possess a Wizard’s innate talent.” This immediately piqued his interest. “How is it done? Can I try?”

Danny called out softly, “Huahua!”

A small sphere made of Dragon Gold abruptly dropped onto the table and rolled and bounced in front of Adam’s eyes. Adam fumbled around trying to catch it but kept missing…

He let out a frustrated shout, “Huahua!”

The little ball stopped bouncing, and Adam finally managed to grasp it in his hand. Then what? He looked around blankly with a pleading expression.

“For now, we are only borrowing the power of Bran and Huahua, so we use this Dragon Gold infused with Bran’s Mana as a beginner’s tool. As long as you can communicate with and mobilize the residual consciousness within it, you can try to change its shape.”

This explanation disappointed Adam. “It’s only useful for this little ball? So it’s just a toy?”

“Bran is creating a Mana Web. Here, we can borrow his power at any time.” Danny shook the ring. “This is a transitional method for early practice.”

Adam was unhappy. “It only works near Bran. It’s still no help to me.”

“The Mana Web has already spread to the castle and is extending further. With the help of the Ancient Tree, the Mana Web is gradually stabilizing. However, because Bran spread the web too quickly to expand it, the Mana Web is somewhat thin and delicate, so we can’t borrow too much power.”

“Really? So in the future, can I call on Bran anytime?”

Danny shook her head. “Before you can call him, you need to connect to the Mana Web at least. Otherwise, we are just one of the many insects in the web. How would we get his attention?

The Mana Web was initially established to guard against Great Wizards among outsiders. As long as such a presence enters the web, it will instantly alert Bran.

Other uses, in Bran’s words, are just some unintended side effects.”

Adam didn’t find this meal very enjoyable. He casually ate a few bites and then left the table early, which was quite rude. Then he hid in a corner and started gritting his teeth, glaring fiercely as he struggled with the little ball.

After much effort, just as he was getting discouraged, Bran’s voice sounded in his ear. “Relax. This has nothing to do with physical strength, and don’t overthink it. Look at things like you did when you were little. Complain about your idiot brother behind his back like you did when you were little. Speak out the frustration and disappointment with the words you most want to say.”

Adam said subconsciously, “Why don’t you listen to me?”

Accompanied by Bran’s mischievous laughter, Adam felt his face grow hot. “You tricked me!”

“No, I swear.”

Facing Bran’s undisguised amusement, Adam became even more annoyed and embarrassed. “As if I’d believe you!”

“Don’t be impatient. Look at it from another angle. Why should I listen to you? Because you’re the older brother and I’m the younger brother? Like you and Aki? But now, even Aki has left you.

When we were little, as the eldest, you always wanted to dominate and manage your younger brothers and sisters. That’s why you always fought with Sister. Actually, no matter what, you would have clashed with Sister. I was just unlucky enough to become the most convenient excuse for you two to fight.

Sister and I are the same kind of people, just with different ways of showing it. I chose to ignore things, while Sister would pin you down and give you a good pounding. But I didn’t ignore things thoroughly enough; I always subconsciously sided with Sister.

Aki also always subconsciously sided with you because he was the second son. Apart from you, Aki thought we should listen to him too. He dreamed of experiencing the glory and happiness of being an older brother. You see, when we all walked far away, Aki, having lost his dream, ran off too.

I didn’t mean to trick you into talking, although I knew you always blamed me. But I really don’t mind these things because they are all in the past. What I want to tell you is—Mana, like us, has its own temperament.

Right now, the Mana Web only contains the power of me and Huahua. The Mana mostly inherited my temperament. You know, if one day Sister’s power connects to the web, if someone tries to command it too forcefully, they might provoke an attack. And that kind of attack, lacking restraint, could be fatal.

In the future, I will try to connect more Mana sources. Those powers have no relation to me, no relation to Lily. How do you plan to command them?

The power is right here. Why should it listen to you?

The current Mana Web is still quite simple. When you touch it, you won’t be disturbed. But as more and more Mana is connected, when different kinds of Mana become tangled and mixed, who knows what might happen? By then, trying to touch and learn will be much harder. So I really hope you can master the method of contacting the Mana Web as soon as possible.

Again the question: why should it listen to you?”

A soft sound came from the Void, and a gentle breeze brushed past Adam’s fingertips. “It is a tool. It only does what it can do. It has emotions and prefers to do things it likes.”

“And you, do you treat Mana the same way?” Adam was somewhat unwilling. He wanted to become the master of Mana, not its supporting character.

“I am Mana.” Bran gave two dry chuckles. “What do you think—how should I treat myself?”

Hearing Bran’s words, Adam knew he could never become the master of Mana. He tossed the little sphere in his hand a few times, then held it again, watching it slowly change.

Adam sighed. He clearly understood his brother and knew he couldn’t change anything, yet he always wanted to change it. And the result? In the end, the one who changed was himself.

After waiting for a while with no further movement, Adam got up and walked toward the distant Arena. Being completely focused on struggling with the ball earlier, he hadn’t felt anything, but as soon as he relaxed, he felt extremely hungry.

He hadn’t been away from the dinner table for long. If he ran back now to look for food, it would be somewhat embarrassing. He heard the tavern in the Arena was quite good…

The tavern in the Arena hadn’t closed early because of winter’s early nightfall. On the contrary, it was still very lively. Since publicly accepting outsider apprentices, the Arena had become like half a hotel, with most outsider apprentices eating and living there. The Warriors’ abundant energy also kept the tavern open until midnight.

Adam didn’t want to attract attention, so he found a quiet corner. As soon as he sat down, a waiter warmly approached…

Listening to the surrounding noise, smelling the unique metallic scent of swords in the air, Adam gently relaxed his body. He took out the little sphere, placed his hand on the table, and gently kneaded it. As he kneaded it, the sphere began to continuously change shape.

A young male and a young female Knight walked up to him, gave a slight nod, and sat opposite him.

“Are you a Wizard?”

Adam shook his head. “I am a Warrior who makes a living by the sword.”

The female Knight was quite blunt. “You’re lying. I noticed your fingers aren’t applying any force.”

The accusation from a stranger left Adam somewhat stunned, and he couldn’t help but look at her carefully. Although dressed as a Knight, she lacked the fierceness a Knight should possess.

The other Knight quickly tried to smooth things over. “I’m very sorry. My sister doesn’t understand the ways of the world.”

Thinking of his current situation, Adam couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. He sighed and said, “The Northlands takes pride in Wizards. If I were really a Wizard, why would I deny it?”

He shook the little sphere in his hand. “This is just a toy to help ordinary people communicate with Mana.”

“Can I try?” The female Knight’s eyes lit up as she spoke, extending her hand.

Adam hesitated slightly, then placed the sphere in her hand. Then the knight before him reenacted his own embarrassing behavior, her features contorting due to excessive focus and effort.

Looking at the knight with her mouth and eyes askew, Adam thought this person was quite amusing and cute. Sensing the amusement in Adam’s eyes, the brother tried to smooth things over again. “Sorry, my sister…”

After much struggling, the female Knight actually broke into a light sweat on her forehead. She reluctantly returned the sphere and asked with lingering dissatisfaction, “Are there any tricks?”

Adam suddenly felt like playing a joke. He lowered his voice and said, “Use love. Love Mana like you love your sister and your brother. Accommodate them.”