"Hold on." Wood Main Priest suddenly appeared, the aged priest was slightly taken aback and hurriedly stopped his actions, looking somewhat puzzled at him. "Priest Zhuoya, I have some words to say to this young man. Could you leave us for a moment?" The current Great Priest of the Andevor Temple asked without letting his gaze linger on Brand.

The elderly priest hesitated in astonishment but then lowered his eyes, placing his hand on his chest and bowing slightly: "Of course, as you wish, Lord of Priest." He glanced at Brand, then at Wood Main Priest’s expression, unable to decipher the relationship involved here, but it was beyond his concern now, and the aged priest had to suppress his curiosity and leave the quiet room.

Only then did Wood turn his gaze back, and feeling the slightly stern eyes on him, Brand inwardly exclaimed that things were not looking good. The Great Priest of Andevor’s tone was severe, and it did not seem like he was here to invite him for afternoon tea—besides, it was neither noon nor afternoon.

"I heard you are called Brand?" The Great Priest, who stood under one in Erune and above thousands, began. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Brand felt as if a needle pricked his brow and slightly raised it. He looked up, feigning incomprehension, and asked, "Hmm?"

"Alright, your response is quick, and your expression is convincing. However, unfortunately, Turaman told me everything about you. Didn’t he tell you about his relationship with me?" Wood’s severe expression suddenly softened with a slight smile. He shook his head, seeing the young man his old friend recently mentioned cautiously behaving, which appeared somewhat naive to him, who already knew the details.

Wood’s words stiffened Brand, who then cursed inwardly. How could he forget the influential Ambeser Great Priest’s connection with Turaman—in Amber Sword, they had known each other since Kruz, and were close friends. Even when Turaman retired in the outskirts of Brags, their communication wasn’t severed because Turaman frequently had tasks involving messages to Ambeser.

But what surprised Brand was Turaman’s attitude toward him. Although he had met the great scholar once in Brags, the only rapport they had was their experience fighting Tsunami together with the Trade Wind Ring. Even he could see that William and Turaman had a reasonably good impression of him as a young junior, but it was limited to agreeable conversation. Brand never thought that simply asking for a recommendation letter would lead the other to directly seek out his old friend in Ambeser.

The former was a casual gesture, while the latter was intentional, highlighting a significant difference here.

Given Turaman’s position in Erune, it didn’t seem possible to target him, this force cornered in the small region of Tonyger. Before Brand could discern the relationships involved, Wood had already seen through his puzzlement. The Lords of Priest seemed to gaze at Brand as if they were deciphering him: "You needn’t overthink. My old friend appears to admire you, and since he withdrew from this kingdom’s power nucleus, it’s my first time seeing him so enthusiastic."

"Do you know what he said to me?"

Of course, Brand didn’t know, but he was curious why the renowned master of Secret Silver Castle would go to great lengths for him. So he straightforwardly looked at the Great Priest of Andevor Temple and candidly shook his head: "Don’t know, Lord of Priest." He admitted his identity.

This time, it was Wood Main Priest’s turn to be intrigued, "Young man, since I know your identity, you must understand you are a rebel. I represent Flame Temple, do you truly believe I would let you go just because of my old friend’s relationship?" The elderly Great Priest asked, instinctively revealing the solemnity of a high-level clergy of the temple, which would make ordinary people tremble with fear. However, Brand was at ease, confidently replying, "I don’t know, but I’d prefer to believe that there is a reason for Lord’s conversation with me."

"My old friend believes you can help Erune emerge from the mire," Wood Main Priest replied.

Brand’s fingers moved slightly.

This was an answer he never dreamed of.