Chapter 50: Mural

Chapter 50: Mural

“You just sold that thing to that Little Dragon Rider. You don’t actually fancy her, do you? You’re just a little kid, already so precocious!” Lily teased Bran.

Bran said helplessly, “Don’t be like that, Sister. Calm down. I can whip up a bunch of that junk for you anytime, guaranteed in different patterns.”

“And! After all that talking you did at the market, now nobody comes at night. Where am I supposed to find people to dissect?” Lily yelled.

“Dissecting a couple for fun is fine, but too many isn’t good either.”

“Get lost, you annoy me just by looking at you.”

“Actually, I did it to help you catch a few more at once. There might even be a Wizard among them.”

“Really?” Lily’s eyes sparkled as she asked.

“Is that even a question?” Bran lifted his head, looking full of confidence.

…

No one expected that when that Wizard used his ability to merge into Shadow and climbed onto the outer wall of the Manor, something strange happened. He was captured by the Manor, like a fly falling into a spider’s web. The more he struggled, the tighter he was entangled. That wall became like sticky paste at the time. A human figure silently howled and struggled within it. A Dragon Rider who was also planning to sneak into the Mountain Villa saw this scene and retreated in panic.

Later, Bran guessed that during the later decoration and renovation of the entire Mountain Villa, it might have been steeped in his own Mana. The Mana in the Mountain Villa had become an independent Mana Web, imbued with Bran’s will. When that Wizard used his ability to enter a Shadow state, he was less like a person and more like a mass of Mana with independent consciousness. He also lost a certain natural protection based on his biological form. When he entered the Mountain Villa in that Mana state, tragedy struck. He merged himself into a larger, thicker web formed by Mana, and was then assimilated and devoured. The Mana Fluctuation representing his personal will gradually aligned with the Mana Fluctuation emitted by the Mountain Villa, eventually becoming part of the painting on the wall.

If that person’s Mana had been sufficiently condensed and refined, perhaps he wouldn’t have been devoured and could have escaped the entanglement between Mana flows. If the Mana Fluctuation in the Mountain Villa wasn’t a unified whole, if it hadn’t formed a unified frequency of fluctuation during Bran’s decoration process, maybe this wouldn’t have happened either. Perhaps personal will was the main factor in that situation. If neither side harbored hostility, perhaps nothing would have occurred. It was all just Bran’s speculation. Bran and this Wizard used different methods of Mana control, so he couldn’t reach a more specific conclusion. But regardless, in this accidental collision, Bran won.

This also made Bran break out in a cold sweat. Did this mean Huahua’s instant teleportation, ignoring obstacles, was similar? Luckily, his Mana and Huahua’s converged and blended seamlessly. Otherwise, what if Huahua was also swallowed whole in the Manor one day? It was a scenario Bran didn’t even dare think about. Bran instinctively hugged Huahua in his arms, earning a satisfied purr from the Black Cat.

I need to be more careful when moving around outside from now on, Bran reminded himself silently. Abilities are more like double-edged swords; using them in an inappropriate environment is like asking for death.

That unlucky Wizard, after becoming a Mural, truly became like a mural, turning himself into a relief, displaying every detail to Bran. But it wasn’t just the image; part of the information or intelligence was also read by Bran as easily as flipping through a book.

…

Bran gathered with his siblings and began to explain, “That Wizard belonged to the Loki Merchant Association from the Royal Capital. That Caravan is quite interesting. There are three Wizards left inside: one can hide underground, called Groundhog; one is a strength-type guard called Big Bear; and another can clearly scout a large area around him, called Eagle Eye. Plus that guy who could merge into shadows. What do you think this group of people does?”

“Spies!”

“ They ’d never guess they’d be figured out so quickly. Let’s take our Attendants and go have some fun.” Bran grinned.

Then Bran drew pictures of the three Wizards and added, “Kill this strength-type one on sight, no talking. Capture Eagle Eye alive. As for Groundhog, it depends on luck.”

Seeing his eager little sister, Bran directly told the Little Loli to stay home for support and wait for news, causing the little girl to instantly wilt.

…

At the market, Danny held Bran in her arms on horseback. The Black Cat Huahua crouched on the horse’s hindquarters, no different from usual. The four siblings, each with their own Attendants, slowly walked towards the Merchant Association from four different directions at dusk, as if just going for a stroll. But an observant person would surely notice something was off, like how beasts always act differently before they strike.

Upon entering the Loki Merchant Association’s compound, Bran spread out his perception and had Danny slowly walk him through the place. Everyone in the Merchant Association’s compound stopped moving, watching them uneasily.

When passing by a tent, Bran sensed something different—a feeling of being watched, accompanied by a faint, elusive Mana Fluctuation intruding into his perception. Perhaps this was Eagle Eye. The first one. Bran traced a few strokes on Danny’s hand. The Northlanders had their own set of secret communication methods. Danny would notify the others to deal with this guy.

This wasn’t the strength-type Wizard he wanted to prioritize eliminating. He had thought that one would be near the other two Wizards for easy protection. It seemed this guy wasn’t meant to primarily protect the other Wizards. So, he signaled Danny to head towards the central tent in the compound. Then he felt an unusual Mana Fluctuation coming from beneath his feet.

A mass of Mana entered Bran’s perception, just like the Wizard who invaded the Manor that night. A good test subject, Bran thought to himself. So his Mana surged forth, erupting with full force. The expected fierce resistance did not appear. It was more like a tide directly washing over a riverbank, then swallowing a small, insignificant blade of grass on it. Bran felt like he had punched empty air. But he could feel that his Mana had indeed captured that mass of Mana, the former Groundhog.

Sensing Bran’s hesitation, Danny reined in the horse and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, a minor issue. Keep going.”

Looking at the tent before him, Bran finally found his target. Through his spread-out Mana perception, he could clearly sense this Warrior tensely hiding in a corner by the tent entrance. So he gave Danny a silent signal.

Danny leaped from the horse, directly pouncing towards that spot, then swung her blade through the tent.

Sometimes having a body that is too strong isn’t a good thing. Especially after being cut in half at the waist, this once-powerful Warrior wailed and struggled on the ground, yet found it difficult to die quickly.

Inside the damaged tent, the Caravan manager lay prostrate on the ground, face pale, amidst the wailing sounds. No hesitation, no will to resist.

Bran heard his brother shout, “Any who dare stand or run, die!”

He heard the responding war cries of Gazi and the other Northlander Warriors gathering towards them.