The night was long, but that was hardly noticeable in a place like Ivanov, brightly lit by the variety of lanterns hoisted high at the corners of buildings and wooden street posts.
Now that they had separated from the meddlesome Wilborn's, Marius and his family were free to wander about to their own devices. They blended in with a crowd of human-like persons, some with unique markings at various parts on their flesh, giving off a strange kind of energy.
Occasionally, they would bypass more Centuarians pulling carriages like the one they used to arrive at the city. Still, unlike those creatures, others roamed the street freely like any other Artmians, people with multiple tails, four eyes, or even hairy and bulky individuals with four arms.
"Hurry and buy my finest gears! Don't let the night limit your actions, it's the best time to hunt Night Beasts!"
"I am selling three Spiral Arrows for the price of one, come and get them now before the bargain ends!"
While walking, Marius and his family saw a few pointed eared elves and even dwarfs that set up stalls, trying to sell a few items despite the late hour.
"I'd have never thought that I'd find myself in a place like this, not after what I've been through on Earth..." Marius said in a soft tone, his eyes flickering with a look of recollection.
In this instance, he seemed to have traveled back to his childhood days on Earth, raised by cruel individuals for a sole purpose.
Ria, who stood nearby, looked at his figure with a smile on her face as she spoke, "Dear, are you missing those times?"
Marius shifted his eyes from the scenes onto his lovely wife as he smirked and replied, "Me? I suppose you could say that those were the times I truly felt alive, but… I'm satisfied with my current life."
When Marius said this, his eyes ran over Ria, Grevlin, and the adorable sleeping Little Rose. Ria felt touched by his words; she stared at him with her beautiful eyes before she kissed his cheek out in the open.
"Me too."
Ria said after removing her lips from his face, leaving behind her mark of affection that was now firmly imprinted on his cheek.
Marius smiled at this and held one of her slender waists before he spoke with firmer eyes, "That's good to hear; even if we're now in this world, it doesn't matter. We will carve out a place and raise our children to the best of our abilities."
Ria nodded at his words before turning her eyes down onto Little Rose, held in her bosom, and then onto Grevlin, Grevlin seeing her look lifted his head and smiled, causing Ria to pat his head with her free hand.
Marius said nothing more on this as he shifted his eyes around and found a building in the distance; it was a reasonably tall structure with the sign of a house embedded on its walls directly before its entrance.
"If my memory serves correct, that should be the symbol for an inn; let's go and rest up. Tomorrow We can try to figure out how we can get ourselves a house." Marius said as he started to walk forward.
"Right, but are you considering settling down here? What about the Esteemed Senior's friend?" Ria said as she followed along.
Grevlin walked behind them in silence; he didn't have much of an opinion where they stayed; as long as he was with his father and mother, he would be fine.
Marius made a thoughtful look as he recalled the Mountain Ax Senior mentioning of his friend Helmstine; he replied, "Hmm, that friend of his is located in the capital of this dynasty. If possible, I would prefer it if we didn't keep haggling with strangers and handle our affairs by ourselves, but if push comes to shove, we can visit him if necessary. For now, let's temporarily settle down here; we can rent a house before deciding on where to stay later on, and also enroll Grevlin into a good academy."
As Marius said this, his eyes wandered a bit onto Grevlin; even if he was keen on raising him to be powerful and decisive, he wasn't too interested in forcing him through the same path as himself. Heck, he'd rather Grevlin learn more on his own while occasionally seeking him out for guidance. After all, every man is the master of his own path.
Ria, being his wife, naturally knew of his true intentions, she no longer saying anything about it, for to her, the better hood of her children was all that mattered.
Grevlin glanced at his parents and said nothing; he felt happy having such a caring father and mother.
'Mother, father, I will do my best to never disappoint you, even if in this strange world,' He thought to himself with a set of firm-looking eyes. Ever since young, he had been indulging in their care and affection, because of those very reasons he had always strived to improve himself to make them proud.
Not knowing of Grevlin's thoughts, Marius and Ria continued onward with him at their sides; it didn't take long for the entire family to arrive before the building. Looking at it closely, one would notice the Artiman characters that spelled out, Fallen Star Inn.
"Fallen Star... such a peculiar name, don't you think so, Ria?" Marius said with a curious look on his face.
Ria also replied with a similar gaze, "Indeed it is, look, those characters going in and out, they're all of a similar wavelength."
As Marius heard her words, he paid a closer look towards the persons entering and leaving, but as he did so, he noticed nothing; he thought for a moment before invoking a skill with his mind.
'Sense.'
Following those words, his eyes glowed as the scene soon changed, growing darker as only the silhouettes of each person passing by was clearly visible, each having bright auras of similar intensity, showing that they were each at a similar level.
Marius was surprised at this; he disengaged his skill and used his [System] to check their levels, noticing that each of them was at the very least between Level 15 to 20, having the combat rank of F Class to E Class.
Marius's face turned a bit curious at these details as he thought to himself, 'Interesting, it looks like we've found a den of sleeping tigers."
Not long after his thoughts, both he and his wife looked at each other before stepping forward with Grevlin behind, entering into the inn of strangers as they prepared to bring an end to their long night.