The alley walls around the two were gray and smeared in dirt. With the corpse and feces around the area, it appeared worse than a slum.
At once, Mars's gaze landed on the bread in Mangrel's hand. Eyeing it like a hawk, gazing at its prey.
As if understanding the meaning behind Mars's action, Mangrel looked at Mars and the bread in turn.
After a moment of silence, Mangrel quietly separated the bread into two pieces and gave one to Mars.
"You can have some too."
Mangrel's nonchalant voice entered Mars's ear, prompting him to understand Mangrel's unbelievable action.
They were currently in the area inhabited by poor people. In reality, poor people was an overstatement, they were beggars through and through. Not even sure if they could live to see the next day. Only surviving through laboring.
In such an environment, the chances of a beggar providing food, their only lifeline, to another was close to zero.
Everyone living here was aware of it. After all, they had experienced it themselves. Mars was one of them, as he was starving to death, none extended a helping hand.
Looking at the piece of bread in his hand, Mars felt the world freeze over.
'Ah...It's human food.' That was the first thought that appeared in his mind.
Looking at Mangrel's expression, telling him to go on eating it, Mars felt the fact he was holding a bread sink in.
Without noticing, a trail of tears rolled down Mars's face, dripping down to the cold floor.
'It's a piece of bread...It's a piece of bread...!'
It was the same piece of bread that he craved with all his being. At last, he got his hands on it after more than five months.
Looking at Mars, who was already half kneeling, while clenching the bread, Mangrel felt his method to be very effective.
'I had a little doubt, but as I thought, it had to be bread. From a young age, bread is the only consumable provided to them. So, it was the right answer to use bread, to touch Mars's heart.'
Mars's imagination was limited when it came to food. It was apparent which food he would crave from the bottom of his heart.
Mangrel's action of assisting could only gain Mars recognition. To build trust, the second best way was just to interact with him normally. But, this way would take just too long, for the amount of trust Mangrel required from Mars.
Now, to Mars, Mangrel was the first person ever to help him, like a friend, and show kindness. The effect was very apparent, this event would greatly affect his thoughts, making him very close to Mangrel.
"Just eat it already. Bread grows harder, the longer they are exposed to the air." Mangrel reminded Mars calmly.
Hearing Mangrel, Mars slowly began eating the bread in his hand. Mangrel hoped that Mars would remember the taste of this bread for a long time.
There were still a few weeks before the deadline Mangrel set for himself. At this time, Mars could easily achieve the first step in spiritual cultivation, if Mangrel teaches him.
'but, I have no intention of doing such a dangerous thing. Spreading knowledge in this situation is a huge risk that could potentially cost me my life.'
'Cultivator could surely sense Mars's attainment once they capture him. An investigation, with even rank one and two cultivators will be dispatched without a doubt. The risk of knowledge being leaked is just that important.'
Mangrel was never someone who lacked foresight. It was an ability that he was able to attain after a very long time of suffering and experience.
Taking even a small misstep could spill certain doom, such a situation was nothing new to Mangrel.
'Ha! It's like building a house with a weak foundation.'
'A fall of one pillar means the destruction of a whole building.'
'Even the smallest turbulence would lead to the fall of the house built in my heart.
The world can be brutal to us, playing a joke on our hard work.
Nevertheless, life is fun because of this. Because success is never easy to earn.' Mangrel thought and made a poem, thanks to his old habit.
A sense of melancholy appeared within Mangrel.
"Th-thanks!" Mars spoke from the bottom of his heart.
"And...I am sorry for showing such an appearance." Embarrassment appeared on his face.
"I don't mind. You seem to like bread a lot. I will bring half the bread for you tomorrow too." Mangrel waved away Mars's embarrassment with no care.
"is that okay...?" Mars wanted to accept it immediately, but hesitated, thinking about Mangrel's well-being.
"No problem," Mangrel reassured Mars.
Thinking crookedly in his mind: 'Don't worry. You can take advantage of me. I will be sure to pull out all of the payments later on.'
Not long after, Mangrel helped Mars find an appropriate body to eat and began resting in the shades, near the entrance of the alley.
After working for four and a half hours continuously, Mangrel's body was filled with pain. He had been toughing it out for a while, now he let himself rest at last.
'With such a daily routine, I will be needing more nutrition. Acquiring more food seems problematic, so I can only continue this for a temporary amount of time.'
'I will become a body practitioner within that time, no matter what I have to do.' Resolve filled Mangrel's eyes.
.....
The sun crossed the middle of the sky, revealing the time.
'About time.'
Standing near the bridge, Mangrel saw a few familiar figures walking through the bridge.
Creak~
The sturdy wooden board, acting like a bridge, made a weak sound. Its quality deteriorated staying in such a condition for a long time. Luckily, it did not fully break yet.
Mangrel decided to be careful while crossing this bridge, from now on.
In a little while, everyone gathered in a circle.
Devis, who held bread in his hand, for Veneir's sister, opened his mouth first: "I have already informed my mom about me going to Veneir's house. How about you all?"
"No problem here," Mangrel answered with a tinge of gloominess.
No one was surprised by Mangrel's mood. It was because this was how the original Mangrel was.
"I still have to inform my father, please go ahead, I will catch up at your house." Javine seriously told Veneir, it was apparent that her father was strict, from her attitude.
"Don't push yourself." Veneir smiled at Javine.
"No problem here too. I have already informed my mother." Heitrent appeared ready to move on anytime.
Meren rubbed his head, with a sorry expression: "I have already told them that I will be heading to your home, no problem here."
Meren's parents were working on the construction site too. So he could have easily informed them if he wanted.
Devis was ready to head out any moment.
Mangrel, Devis, Heitrent, Meren, and Veneir, all five of them moved toward their destination as a group.