Chapter 263: My name is Brand, Brand Ryan Wezel

Wizard Stardashan and Wizard Dakla looked at the tall man who had suddenly appeared, suddenly left, and then suddenly stopped in front of them.

He wore a luxurious black robe, had an exceptionally handsome appearance, and showed no intention of concealing himself. He looked like an ordinary person, yet he remained calm and composed, even gaining a slight upper hand, while being attacked by two Level 2 Wizards.

A master, this was a true master.

“Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? What is your purpose in leading us here?” Wizard Stardashan put away his magic staff. This fellow in front of him was indeed formidable; even with Dakla, they were no match. He had expended a considerable amount of magic, but the opponent still looked completely at ease.

The man in the black robe seemed to have a special fondness for black: black long hair, black eyes, black clothes, black shoes, and a black greatsword.

That’s right, this handsome and well-proportioned man used a longsword, yet he could shatter the spells of two Level 2 Wizards with a single strike. This led Wizard Stardashan and Wizard Dakla to a guess: a Paladin!

Paladins were not Templars, but a rank of knights. Above Novice Knights, Intermediate Knights, and Advanced Knights were Great Knights. Above Great Knights were Sky Knights. If Great Knights could be compared to ordinary Level 1 Wizards, then Sky Knights were truly powerful and threatening existences, comparable to Level 2 Wizards.

Sky Knights possessed the ability to fly and were in no way inferior to Level 2 Body-Refining Wizards in various aspects. Above Sky Knights were Paladins. At this level of strength, the difference in power between knights and wizards was already very small; they were all national-level existences.

“My name is Brand, Brand Ryan Weiser.” The black-haired man showed a faint smile on his face, and the longsword in his hand instantly disappeared. The battle had just begun and was already over. These two wizards were decent, but unfortunately, their strength was a bit lacking.

“Weiser?” Wizard Stardashan’s expression changed, and he asked, “May I ask what your relationship is with the Great Sage Weiser?”

“He is my father.” The black-haired man, Brand, looked at Wizard Stardashan with interest. He had lived in Deland Manor for so long and knew this Level 2 Wizard well. He had always wanted to recruit Will Deland into the Arcane Faction, but that little fellow had never given him a clear answer. Had his appearance aroused some suspicion in him?

Hehe, little fellow, you’re overthinking it! The Classical Faction isn’t that easy to get into, and I have a bunch of little fellows around me who want to join but can’t. Although your precious grandson is excellent, he’s not worth me actively recruiting and inviting into the Classical Faction.

“So, you are a relative of the Great Sage Weiser.”

After performing a polite bow, Wizard Stardashan courteously asked, “May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Brand? If it’s about the Book of Wisdom, please forgive us, as we are truly unable to help, for we have never seen the Book of Wisdom.”

Brand shook his head slightly and smiled, saying, “The Book of Wisdom has always been at the headquarters of the Classical Faction and has never left. I have a question for you, a question about your understanding of the Book of Wisdom: Was there a rumor of the Book of Wisdom first, or the Book of Wisdom itself?”

This question was very problematic! Wizard Stardashan and Wizard Dakla exchanged glances, seeing some seriousness and suspicion in each other’s eyes. “Please enlighten us, Mr. Brand!”

“Books record knowledge, but knowledge is not wisdom. Therefore, books that record knowledge can be found, but books that record wisdom do not exist.” Brand’s words startled both Wizard Stardashan and Wizard Dakla. Although they had discussed this possibility before, they still felt that the Book of Wisdom should exist, otherwise, the Classical Faction would become a joke, as the Book of Wisdom was the symbol of the Classical Faction.

“The Book of Wisdom does not exist, but the person who spreads wisdom truly exists.” Brand’s words made the two wizards fall into contemplation. Wizard Stardashan, however, immediately thought of his grandson.

Wasn’t his “Will Deland’s Book of Wisdom” derived from recording Professor Weiser’s words and deeds? Could it be that this kid, by a fluke, grasped the key essence of the “Book of Wisdom,” and this son of Professor Weiser came here specifically for his grandson?

“Mr. Brand initially said that the Book of Wisdom has always been at the headquarters of the Classical Faction and has never left, but now he says that the Book of Wisdom does not exist. This seems…” Wizard Dakla was a bit confused, but Wizard Stardashan, hearing this, felt a sudden realization.

The black-haired man, Brand, saw the two wizards’ differing reactions and a faint smile appeared on his lips: “It seems Wizard Stardashan has understood something from what I just said. How about Wizard Stardashan shares his thoughts first.”

Wizard Stardashan looked deeply at the man in front of him, nodded slightly, and after organizing his thoughts, he spoke: “Actually, Mr. Brand has already given us many hints. If we analyze Mr. Brand’s words backward, we can roughly deduce a vague truth.”

“Mr. Brand said that the Book of Wisdom does not exist. Before that, he asked us whether there was a rumor of the Book of Wisdom first, or the Book of Wisdom itself? This question is very crucial. Generally speaking, a rumor only spreads when something exists. But what if the person who first spoke these words was speaking metaphorically?”

“What if he was referring to the person who spreads wisdom, as Mr. Brand mentioned at the end, someone whose knowledge is boundless, like a book full of wisdom? So, it’s very possible that the Book of Wisdom did not exist at first. It was a veiled compliment from a renowned person to another wizard, very likely from the Classical Faction, praising them. Then this saying was spread, and many people, through misinformation, turned it into the Classical Faction possessing the Book of Wisdom.”

“Clap, clap, clap” Brand couldn’t help but applaud: “A very good interpretation. What next?”

“Because the person who uttered this phrase had a very high reputation, many people wouldn’t doubt him and instead sought the Book of Wisdom from the Classical Faction. Under public pressure, the Classical Faction found it difficult to explain, so they simply went along with the misconception and created a Book of Wisdom themselves, placing it at the Classical Faction headquarters as a symbol of the faction.”

“Anyway, explaining it wouldn’t make people listen, so it was better to just create a fake one, as long as it could fool most people who saw it and inspire them. Thus, the reputation of the Book of Wisdom grew larger and larger, until now everyone has forgotten the origin of the matter, treating the counterfeit created by the Classical Faction later as the true Book of Wisdom, but forgetting the original intention when the Book of Wisdom was first proposed.”

Wizard Stardashan secretly praised his grandson in his heart. This kid actually guessed about seventy to eighty percent of the truth. In reality, Wizard Stardashan had no idea that Little Will had concocted this explanation to conceal his identity as an apostle of the God of Wisdom.

To make this explanation more convincing, Little Will had racked his brains and connected it to the history of the Classical Faction to come up with this whole story. Who would have thought it would be used in this situation and earn Brand’s praise?

“I’m very curious, what kind of treasure could make so many powerful wizards believe it’s the Book of Wisdom? Even if it was later crafted by the Classical Faction itself, it could still make those people willingly keep your secret.” Wizard Stardashan was truly curious. The riddle was solved, but there were still many details he wanted to investigate.

“It’s fine to tell you. Both of you are people of great wisdom, and in the future, you might become true powerhouses and earn the qualification to observe the Book of Wisdom. Telling you in advance won’t hurt, but according to the rules, you two cannot easily reveal this secret. After all, the Book of Wisdom is also one of the Classical Faction’s tools for befriending experts and maintaining its transcendent status.” Brand’s words put the two wizards in a great mood, and they nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“The Book of Wisdom at the Classical Faction headquarters is an indestructible large stone, carved with thirty-six basic runes. Each rune is over a zhang in diameter, exquisitely detailed. Below the thirty-six basic runes, there is a line of large characters, a line of large characters personally left by a true god-level expert.”

“Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people; meeting countless people is not as good as having a famous teacher guide the way; having a famous teacher guide the way is not as good as understanding it yourself.”

Brand felt that every time he said this sentence, the stone tablet he had seen would appear before his eyes, and he would always gain new insights. This sentence might just be an introduction; those characters were the key, after all, they were good things left by a god-level expert.

Wizard Stardashan and Wizard Dakla were silent for a moment, then simultaneously looked up, “Indeed profound. The stronger one’s power and the higher one’s wisdom, the more easily one can be deceived. Truly formidable!”

“Mr. Brand, you didn’t come all this way just to enlighten us, did you? Although the matter of the Book of Wisdom has caused a stir and some confusion for my little grandson, it hasn’t actually caused much harm.” Wizard Stardashan composed himself and asked his initial question.

The black-haired man, Brand, shook his head with a wry smile and said, “Yes and no. Actually, I came to find my daughter. That little girl in our family firmly believes that the Book of Wisdom exists and asked her grandfather for it. My father also spoiled her, almost granting every wish, saying he would give it to her when she came of age. This little girl, right after her eighteenth birthday, eagerly ran off to find her grandfather. After hearing that the Book of Wisdom had fallen into little Will’s hands, she came looking.”

“Yami, that little girl is your daughter? The granddaughter of the Great Sage Weiser?” Wizard Stardashan immediately thought of someone, a girl who had been accompanying his grandson.

“That’s right, Yami is my daughter. Her mother is the princess of Silver Dragon Island, so she has dragon bloodline. Strictly speaking, she is still underage, but this little one stubbornly defines adulthood by human age.” Brand’s words left Wizard Stardashan a bit speechless.

“Actually, for the past few months, I’ve been around you, and I’ve also captured a few dark wizards. Today, I’m preparing to take Yami back to Silver Dragon Island, which is why I’ve revealed myself to meet you and hand over these dark wizards for you to deal with. Come with me, my temporary lodging is not far from here.” Brand would never tell them that he had been eating and drinking at Deland Manor for the past year, and that this place was his temporary ‘prison’.