Chapter 90: The Fourth Son of the Duke

Chapter 90: The Fourth Son of the Duke

As various forces returned from this trip to the Northlands, many things began to settle. But everything was just beginning; the whole Kingdom started to stir. The Dragon Riders wanted to uncover the secrets of the Northlands, the royal family wanted to gain the support of the Northlands, and the Nobles needed to choose a side to seek shelter or perhaps hope for more. People began to plot, prepare, and constantly adjust their bargaining chips. However, with the arrival of winter, any concrete actions targeting the Northlands had to be put on hold for now.

As for the root cause of all this—the Northlands—life there continued as usual, seemingly unchanged. Until a weary Bran and Black Cat Huahua stood at the gate of the Manor. At this moment, Bran felt a mix of excitement and agitation, along with the fatigue that arose after finally relaxing.

First came the cry of the Snow Falcon, then the White Wolf, followed by the animals in the Mountain Villa boiling over with excitement. They rushed out of the gate and surrounded Bran. They all expressed their longing, rubbing against Bran and Huahua nonstop. The Giant Falcon Bran had taken in on the way also fluttered over and pressed its face against his.

The people in the Mountain Villa also came out one after another. No one had expected him to return at this time. Was the Trial completed, or not? The speed seemed a bit too fast. There were many questions people wanted to ask Bran, but after fully relaxing, Bran only felt his body growing weaker and weaker. He lunged toward Danny, who had already walked up to him, and fell asleep in her embrace.

…

After sleeping for two days, Bran was called to the study in the Castle as soon as he opened his eyes. Facing his parents, Bran bluntly said, “I met Fairies. They brought up the ancient Covenant again.”

The Duke was both excited and helpless. “Isn’t it a bit late to bring up the Covenant now?”

Bran emphasized, “It’s not too late. We still need each other.”

“Do you know what happened before?”

“I know some, though not completely.”

“The Fairies once betrayed us. They can’t be trusted.”

“It wasn’t exactly betrayal. Otherwise, the Northlanders wouldn’t have allowed that woodland to exist. I believe betrayal is a two-way street. Because they gained wisdom and learned to compare, both sides thought they were the most important, felt the other side took advantage, and believed they should be superior. But look at our Northlander population—how many years have passed, and how much has our population grown?

It has been too long; there’s no point in dwelling on it now.”

The Duke sighed. “We’ve lost some of our abilities.”

Bran denied this. “No, it’s only temporary, not lost. As long as the environment allows, the children will regain some abilities in a short time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

As he spoke, Bran made the Little Fairies reveal themselves, astonishing the Duke and his wife for quite a while.

“This is the Fairies’ sincerity. They need us, and we need them just as much. We shouldn’t dwell on who was right or wrong a thousand years ago. We need to reunite. We need to remember this lesson—both Fairies and Northlanders should recognize their own mistakes. We need to write this into stories and pass them down through generations, so future descendants will always remember this lesson.”

Bran first detailed his experiences with the Fairies. Then he began to explain his discoveries:

“Actually, after meeting the Fairies, my Trial was already completed, but I still went into the Wasteland. I caught up with my cousins. During the few days we spent together, although they couldn’t see the Fairies, their bodies already showed signs of Mana leaking out. To avoid affecting their subsequent Trials, I stopped this behavior. This already proves that some of our abilities haven’t disappeared—they’ve only temporarily degraded.

Don’t look at me like that. This wasn’t harmful to my cousins; on the contrary, it was beneficial. I just wanted to verify whether I could recreate what happened to me.

Further proof can be done with my sisters in the Mountain Villa. If successful, it would be very beneficial for them, and they wouldn’t need to risk going into the Wasteland.”

“Initially, I went into the Wasteland just to test these theories. But unable to resist my curiosity, I entered the center of the Wasteland and found the fallen star.” Bran said proudly as he placed a stone on the table.

“A fragment of the fallen star—this is the main reason the Mana in the Wasteland retains its properties. This substance can stabilize and strengthen the way Mana operates nearby.”

When the Duke reached out to take the fragment, Bran quickly pulled it back.

“Let’s be clear upfront—I can’t give this to you. You must return it after looking.” After saying this, Bran placed the fragment back on the table.

“What are your plans?” the Duke began to ask for Bran’s opinion.

“I want to first help the Fairies settle in the Castle courtyard and see the specific effects. If any youth can communicate with Little Fairies and form partnerships, then we can try to further communicate with the Old Fairies and gradually settle them in various parts of the Northlands.”

“Do as you suggested for now. Choose a spot in the Castle for the Fairies to settle.”

…

After leaving the study, Bran immediately started building a flower bed. He believed this was something worth writing about, a moment to showcase glory. Now, he needed to use this event to tell everyone in the Castle: Bran is back.

So, he drew a large circle in the very center of the Castle courtyard. In this winter, he stripped to the waist and dug a large pit with great effort, clearing away the frozen soil and rocks beneath. Anyone who tried to help was driven away by him.

On Bran’s bare body, a huge scar slanted almost across his entire torso. He still couldn’t forget that enormous, tyrannosaurus-like creature, which possessed unimaginable agility. It guarded the location of the fallen star, trying to prevent Bran from approaching. At that time, Bran, having lost his senses, confronted it without backing down—a clash where both sides were badly hurt. Bran severed its Achilles tendon and brought it down, but he himself was severely injured. This wasn’t a bad thing; the intense pain brought Bran back to his senses. After quickly tending to his wounds, he began to observe the fallen star.

Around the fallen star, Mana had nearly solidified, forming a vortex that protected it. Severely injured, Bran couldn’t get close at all. Fortunately, he found a few scattered fragments in the creature’s nest and brought them back.

…

Strength is the foundation of everything. In just two days, a flower bed over ten meters in diameter began to take shape. Bran placed a sign at the edge of the flower bed that read “Fairy Garden.” And then, there was no “then.” Winter had already arrived, and this season wasn’t suitable for planting anything. Perhaps Bran had lost patience—the low wall of the flower bed was hastily made with a pile of scattered rocks. From afar, it looked more like a burial mound for a fallen warrior…

It seemed someone wanted to remind everyone in this way—I’m back.