"Thank you, Gramps, for giving us a ride."
"No problem. I also like to have company on my journey. Moreover, there was a mana phenomenon yesterday. It's great you two made it out alive."
"I guess we were lucky," Marcus chuckled.
"Haha, youngsters nowadays have become a lot daring and energetic. Don't worry, your friend will recover in no time."
The old man looked at the bandaged Cedric lying in the old, worn-down wagon, then shifted his gaze to Marcus, who was sitting with him on the coachman seat.
"There is indeed some truth to your words. You were indeed lucky to run into me, or else your friend would be in a much worse condition."
"By the way, Gramps, what is a mana phenomenon?"
"Did you forget the earthquake from earlier, in which your friend was injured?"
Marcus had a look of enlightenment after hearing it.
But he knew that their encounter was completely not due to luck. Cedric was injured, and staying in the forest any longer was a bad idea.
As for the mana phenomenon, he knew about it and wanted to tell the man, "it was yours truly's fault."
Marcus had escaped the blast using the shadow movement, which he received after killing the shadow crawler.
As long as there was a shadow, he could jump and hide in it. But what it was like inside the shadow, he didn't know the right words to explain.
It was like swimming, but he could only enter and exit in darkness. He had used this ability to directly escape to his home.
Even though he was unscathed, he was really upset over the fact that he didn't get anything after the queen basilisk died.
But as he was about to give up, he felt a resonance in the region where the labyrinth had collapsed.
Marcus moved through the shadows to return to the place where he sensed the resonance.
After reaching there, his eyes lit up. Even though the soul crystal was gone, one of its fragments still remained.
After Marcus absorbed it, he was pleasantly surprised at the ability he had received.
Sentience.
This skill allowed his constructs to move on their own and transmit information back to Marcus.
Marcus could turn it off and on anytime he wanted. Using small stones as his scouts, he was able to discover roads and people that he initially couldn't see due to the tall trees.
He noticed this old man first. He was having difficulty subduing his scared horses. Marcus' physique was enhanced by the large amount of mana he had absorbed.
Subduing some horses was something he could do with pure strength alone.
After which, the grateful old man readily gave him and Cedric a ride to his village.
It seemed he was returning after selling his harvest in the city market.
Marcus was also excited to see a human settlement for the first time in this world.
Marcus got a few things from this old man regarding the political borders of this world.
His village was a part of the fief of Knight Cornwell, and the fact that this Knight Cornwell served a baron who, in turn, was a subordinate of Count Elfied.
'Indeed, no matter if one was uneducated or educated, they knew the names of their superiors.'
Marcus also learned that the highest authority in this land was the Emperor of the Holy Empire.
Marcus got a rough picture that this world was at its medieval stage, ruled by the nobility.
Sadly, it seemed the old man only knew the names of the knight and count.
He had already been traveling with the old man for three days. While he would make small talk and joke around, Cedric never interacted with anyone; he just slept like a log and only woke up when it was time to eat.
As for food, the old man was kind enough to share his meat jerky with the two.
"So, how long will it take to reach the place?" Marcus said as he bit into the meat.
It was already dawn as the old man saw the sun rise; he did an estimate.
"Less than three hours."
He looked at Marcus and added, "You are very excited to go to a small village. Your curiosity reminds me of my late son."
Marcus, even though he was curious, didn't want to be insensitive and ask him about his son.
He would just ask at a later time when the atmosphere would be right.
Time passed by, and Marcus was able to see the outskirts of the village from the distance they were in.
He was really excited; it felt like the time when he was going to a new school.
After reaching their destination, Marcus now had a clear view of the village. There were wheat farms on the outskirts, while the residential area was protected by a wooden wall.
There were children and animals moving around, giving the place a very peaceful feel.
As they reached the gates of the village, a group of lightly armored guards with pikes stopped them.
But after seeing the old man, they relaxed. Then, they turned to Marcus and asked for money.
"Since you are with Old Man Caleb, we will only charge half of the entry fee. It would be 30 copper."
The old man was seriously enraged by this.
"They are my benefactors; you cannot charge these lads entry fees. If you want anything, ask me."
Seeing the temper of the old man, they felt troubled. Marcus, who had taken the money from the corpse, didn't feel troubled.
He knew grave robbing was bad, but money was of no use to the dead. He only took the money and emblem from the corpse and nothing else.
However, there were no copper coins, only gold and silver coins. Even if he didn't have money, he could just borrow it from the old man.
After Old Man Caleb argued with the guards for a few minutes, they finally gave up.
Entering the place, Caleb offered Marcus and Cedric to stay at his place.
As they were approaching Old Man Caleb's place, they heard a commotion. It seemed like three lightly armored guards were harassing a woman.