Chapter 47: Eileen Lost Her Mind

Chapter 47: Eileen Lost Her Mind

Eileen lost her mind, yes, she went mad.

At that moment, Eileen was holding a tool, digging frantically on the river beach. I’m so stupid, Eileen thought again, I actually tried to verify the truth with a Dragon Knight when a Northlander revealed their secret. I’m so stupid, why would a Northlander randomly occupy a spot and start digging? I should have rushed to take it first.

Actually, not only Eileen had gone mad, almost all the youths had gone mad. When Bran clutched that glowing ball to his chest, Eileen screamed and lunged at him, and then all the young men and women followed closely behind.

Yet Bran, who had been sitting cross-legged in front of the sand pit, suddenly sprang to his feet. No one expected someone could jump up like that. While still in the air, he turned and retreated, landing and then digging his feet into the ground to run. During the run, the egg held in his arms was tucked under his armpit, that golden glow captivating all the youths who refused to give up.

Even Zoya, the gentle girl in Bran’s mind, didn’t fall far behind, which made the running Bran feel he had underestimated the heroes of the world.

Seeing he couldn’t shake off the youths behind him, Bran, while running, began to whistle. Soon, two massive Snow Falcons circled above Bran. The running Bran ripped off his coat, wrapped it around the phoenix egg in a few motions, and flung it into the air. A swooping Snow Falcon caught it, arched its back, and flew away.

Under everyone’s disappointed gaze, Bran spread his hands, looking innocent.

…

“What was that?” Eileen asked, looking at Bran who was surrounded.

“It was nothing, just a pretty stone.”

“You’re lying to us, that was a Phoenix.” Eileen’s voice was a bit shrill.

“Your dad said it, there’s no such thing as a damn Phoenix. You actually don’t believe your old man’s teachings.”

Seeing Eileen place her hand on her sword, ready to start a fight, Bran quickly stopped her: “If I say it is, you don’t believe me, and then you fight; if I say it isn’t, you still don’t believe me, and you still want to fight. You have to be reasonable, right?”

Little Zoya was better, walking over with a gentle look. But Bran no longer dared to underestimate her. After running such a long distance, she wasn’t even red in the face or out of breath. In fact, Bran no longer dared to underestimate anyone. After that run, not a single youth had been left far behind. Bran began to doubt his life, am I too weak, or are the people around me too strong? Am I embarrassing the Northlanders?

Zoya softly began to reason: “Today, you brought us here to see the Phoenix. Why did you run as soon as you found it? You wouldn’t even let us look. We weren’t going to steal it, and besides, who would dare steal something from a Northlander?”

Bran sighed inwardly, good girl, what I fear most is your soft knife. Then he explained: “That wasn’t a Phoenix, just a remnant glow. A real Phoenix would turn mortals like you and me to ashes just by getting close.”

Zoya softly asked another key question: “Would such a place only leave one remnant glow?”

“No, of course not. With the Phoenix’s power , it would leave countless remnant glows. But finding them depends on luck, or whether you are someone blessed by the Phoenix.”

“If we dig one up, does it belong to us?” Eileen, this girl, was more direct.

“Yes, just like when we Northlanders went to your place and stole a few dragon eggs, tasted them, and that was that.” Bran answered Eileen quite fairly.

Then the youths all ran towards the river beach again.

…

There was no phoenix egg, and there would be no Phoenix. All there was, was Bran’s ability. When Bran scooped up the first handful of sand and saw those transparent or semi-transparent grains within, he knew he was more than halfway successful. He simply used his Mana to gather those things together, following his own thoughts and the guidance of his Mana to create that Crystal Ball.

Bran also returned to the beach. He needed to stimulate these youths a bit more. But this time, the youths didn’t stay away from Bran. Instead, they gathered around him and started digging, which made Bran feel very awkward. He stood up and explained that this thing really was just luck. If you want this spot, I’ll just move to another. As soon as Bran moved away, Eileen immediately rushed to take over his sand pit.

Bran shook his head, sighed, and said: “What is meant to be yours will come to you; what isn’t can’t be forced.” Then he walked towards the shallow pit that little pair of Dragon Riders had dug earlier. Bran dug lazily, without much effort. When Black Cat Huahua wanted to help, Bran stopped it, whispering: “This work is dirty, you just watch.”

Then Black Cat Huahua moved to Bran’s back, clung to his shoulder, and watched its master dig the pit.

Everyone was observing Bran, intentionally or not. At this moment, Bran’s hand paused slightly. The cat perched on his back also lowered its front legs, staring intently at Bran’s hand. So, under Black Cat Huahua’s focused gaze, Bran grabbed a fist-sized glowing ball covered in mud and sand. Although the glow was mostly obscured by the grime, it couldn’t hide the golden glow at its center.

This time, Bran did not run. He first cleaned the mud and sand from the glowing ball, then held it in his palm. This allowed everyone to clearly see this egg, its surface reflecting a fluorescent light, with a golden glow gestating inside. For a moment, the river beach fell silent. Only the youths’ clear eyes shone with focus and greed.

Bran withdrew his hand, and disappointed sighs sounded around him.

Then Eileen reacted, crying out: “That was my sand pit, mine!” Her voice held a touch of despair.

Everyone looked at Eileen, their expressions complex…

Bran left, leaving that group of youths to dig and search bitterly.

…

Bran stood in the distance and noticed that many more youths had appeared on the river beach with tools, digging diligently. In just two days, rumors about the Phoenix had spread among those outsiders.

Zoya stood beside Bran and softly asked: “Aren’t you afraid they’ll find a Phoenix’s remnant glow?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Remember how we dug on the first day?” Bran waved his hands.

Zoya asked with slight surprise: “What does that matter? It’s all just digging.”

“One must show Reverence towards those powerful existences. Different beings have different taboos; you should know this. For example, the beings your family reveres must also have their own set of rules. It’s the same here. From the moment they picked up their tools, they could no longer possibly find a Phoenix’s remnant glow. They were too impatient, lacking Reverence. I just hope they don’t incur any retribution.”

Then, he saw Zoya break away from him and run anxiously towards her brother on the river beach.

Bran happily hummed a little tune and turned to leave.

…

In the Mountain Villa, Bran said to his Sister: “The dissection materials you wanted are on their way.”

Lily’s eyes lit up, and she asked back: “Where? Tell me quickly.”

“In the next few days, there should be some confused fools. Let’s keep our family alert.”

“Good!” Lily began to rub her hands together eagerly.

Bran wasn’t afraid of anyone sneaking in. Ever since they moved into this Manor, every inch of land, every brick and stone had been permeated and infused with his Mana during their finishing and decoration. He could feel the entire Manor breathing along with his breath. Every Statue, every pattern here was like his temporarily closed eye. When he needed to, he could open them anytime.

But this World held too many unknowns; he couldn’t cover everything. So, asking his family for help was a necessary choice. It was also following the principle that being careful never hurts.