Jarvis bowed sincerely toward Eric and expressed his heartfelt gratitude: "Thank you for protecting Ringwood Town from such a vile race. We will forever be grateful to you and the orphanage. We have also collected various weapons and other items; you may come and take them." His heart bled to say it, but those things truly didn't belong to the town.
Eric waved dismissively and took Jarvis' words halfheartedly. Whether Dark Elves were a vile race or not, he didn't know, but the townsfolk could think whichever way they liked. He was certain they would forget it all soon—that was human nature.
"You may keep whatever you've collected. Just dispose of a few things... In short, they worshipped some undead entity. If such methods remain, this town will swallow itself sooner or later."
Jarvis earnestly nodded. Though most texts were unreadable, some books were written in Celestial, through which he'd deciphered the tribe's customs.
He had hesitated over destroying certain items, but since Eric had prompted him, he solidified his resolve to eradicate them entirely.
Jarvis also planned to train qualified individuals to Mana Wielders. It would be chaotic if too many Mana Wielders appeared inside the town, but the incident with the Dark Elves was a wake-up call for them—that troubles could strike like a storm anytime, and by then, regret would be too late. Eric also wouldn't be there to save them again.
He forced a smile and tried once more to persuade Eric to stay. He knew Lyria and Livy would remain if Eric did. Unsurprisingly, Eric refused.
Jarvis eventually sighed in defeat.
After walking silently together, he suddenly recalled something and said gravely, "Eric, upon learning of Cooper, Jack, and Isolde's fate, Stuart left town swiftly. He knows you'll return in eight months."
He paused, then added, "You may not know this, but Stuart was close to a mercenary team in Batley City. I lack details on their strength, but they might cause trouble upon your arrival there."
Though Jarvis was unaware of Eric, Lyria, and Livy's future plans, he was mostly certain that they would first head toward Batley City, as that was the only largest city in the entire southern end of the Silvia Kingdom. Only through there could one journey to other larger cities or places easily.
Eric calmly nodded. He was mostly certain that he wouldn't have to wait that long before they received trouble from Stuart and his buddies. That was because neither Stuart nor his mercenary friends would want to create large trouble within a city; at least the mercenary group wouldn't do that over some friendship with a noble from a countryside place.
At this moment, Jarvis noticed where Eric and the others were heading, and his eyes widened.
"You're taking due north?" Jarvis verified.
Eric nodded. He couldn't hide obvious things, and it also didn't matter, as they weren't some wanted criminals.
Jarvis exhaled deeply. "I won't dissuade you—you're now all Mana Wielders—but this path is unsafe!" he warned severely.
"The danger is no less than the south west forest, if not more. A little further away from here, the danger might only be at most Newborn Rank 1 Mana Beasts, but as you move further north, you are likely to encounter Young, or perhaps even Adult Stage Rank 1!"
"Even we Rank 1 Mana Wielders don't usually take this path, as there's a high chance of losing our lives. Even Batley City's experts and Mana Wielders avoid this route and would rather take a roundabout way if they want to come this far..." He paused and asked awkwardly, "Did you perhaps choose this route after reading library books?"
Eric wanted to punch Jarvis in the face.
What the hell? Write it clearly if it was that dangerous!
The only thing that was written was that this route was dangerous, without describing how dangerous. It just said it was slightly risky for Mana Wielders.
If Batley City's experts didn't easily want to traverse this path, then it only meant that the danger was high enough for them to waste time taking a detour.
Regardless, none of this mattered much to them anymore, as they were now all strong and badass.
More importantly, Eric desperately needed trouble. Maybe a battle royale against 100 newborn Rank 1 chicks could help him ease the difficulty of the upcoming breakthrough requirement significantly.
Jarvis smiled bitterly and hastily explained before Eric could berate him, "Many of our library books come from our neighboring small towns. Their information barely spans less than 50 miles north of our town. I suggest you all take the northwest route instead. There might still be some dangers, but a Rank 1 Mana Wielder could handle those as long as they remain cautious of their surroundings."
Eric wasn't too interested in 'safe' routes, so he inquired with deep interest, "Just how dangerous is north? Up to which rank Beasts usually appear?"
He would really hesitate if the danger-meter rose till Adult Stage Rank 2 or Elder Stage, as those take at least one capable Master Rank to handle.
He was confident taking up to Young Stage Rank 2, but beyond that, it would become life-threatening. This was especially true because different Mana Beasts were differently capable. Even within the Physical-type Mana Beasts, which were usually 'easier' to handle, two different species of the same rank could have vastly different strength and capability. In other words, just because one Young Stage Rank 2 seemed easier to deal with didn't mean all Young Stage Rank 2 would be the same.
Due to this uncertainty, most Mana Wielders often avoided traveling to a place where they didn't know which kind of creatures might appear. Otherwise, a group who could take down Physical-type Rank 2 Beasts might just die from a mere Rank 1 Spirit-type, as those may not fight face to face like the Abyssal Grinner or the Undead who appeared during the graveyard incident.
Jarvis pondered a little, then answered, "I'm not sure, but there are rumors that there were sightings of Elder Rank 1 and even newborn Rank 2! I still think it's far better for you all to take the northwest route. Just a small mistake, and all three of you can die from a clever beast's ambush. It's far too dangerous!"
He sighed. He didn't want anything to happen to the trio, as he had promised Bella Noll. Other than that, he also personally liked the three of them, who were raised in his small town and had grown up to become Mana Wielders at such a young age. They were all the pride of Ringwood Town.
Noticing the trio's bright eyes even after warning them, Jarvis was baffled.
'Come on, even a Rank 1 Mana Beast takes a group of experienced Rank 2 Mana Wielders to take down. Is that all a joke to you...?' He paused in his thoughts as he noticed something inconceivable.
"...Both you girls are already mid-stage?"
Jarvis gaped at Lyria and Livy, then his jaw dropped further upon checking both Hannah and Wilburn's mid-stage Rank 1.
'Were they always this talented?' Jarvis was utterly shocked.
He didn't get shocked at Eric's progress at all. He didn't know why, but he always felt Eric was a monster in human skin. It was almost an instinctive feeling—that was why he always treated Eric equally, sometimes even above him.
Lyria and Livy smiled and nodded politely, while Hannah and Wilburn smiled sheepishly—they had only become so thanks to Eric; otherwise, they wouldn't have reached mid-stage for another 50 years perhaps.
Eric waved off his concerns. "Don't worry, old man, we'll be fine. Are there any chances for Elder Rank 2 or newborn Rank 3 appearing?"
Jarvis woke up as if ice-cold water had been poured over his head upon hearing Eric's question.
"That's impossible." He rapidly shook his head. "Batley City will definitely exterminate any Beast in their surroundings who approaches Rank 3 or even Elder Stage Rank 2. As far as my understanding goes, a newborn Rank 3 Mana Beast is extremely dangerous. They are enough to destroy the entire Batley City. If such a beast ever appears nearby, City Lord Gideon will definitely request urgent help from Capital Sildargrade. I think if your luck is truly terrible, then you can only encounter up to newborn stage Rank 2."
Hearing this, Eric calmed down and was at ease.
With their over-pumped, steroid-filled biceps, even a Young Stage Rank 2 wouldn't be that difficult to deal with. This was not only because of their abilities but also because they were filthy rich. Whereas other Mana Wielders fought with Mortal-Tier weapons, their early breakfast was usually filled with Tier 2 weapons with spicy runes inscribed on them.
Most importantly, only heroes suffer from bad luck. As a boss-level character, it was given that their luck was off the charts!
In any case, they would gladly welcome any Young Stage Rank 2 with open arms. However, if it truly reached Elder Stage Rank 2, then they would have to run away in haste, as those required at least one capable Rank 4 Mana Wielder to kill.
Noticing how calm the trio was, Jarvis sighed and finally surrendered. After a while pondering, he gave another piece of advice.
"There are actually quite a few isolated villages on the northern plains, or so I've heard. I've never visited any or had any contact with them, as they are too isolated and only live among themselves. If you come across them, you can seek shelter or request their help. Though I won't say to blindly trust them—in a place where you're surrounded by uncertain dangers, you can only depend on fellow humans."
Eric, Lyria, and Livy nodded gratefully to Jarvis's suggestion and didn't speak further.
By the time they arrived at the northern gate, night had fallen. The area was dark, with some torches sparsely lit near the gate by the guards, who were standing over walls and near the open gate.
Just as Eric and the others walked out of the gate, at some distance, a group of six figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the trees.
Four men and two women—five of them wore tight-fitting leather armor, some had weapons strapped behind or on their waists.
These people also began heading toward the gate—or rather, toward Eric and the others.
"My my, Stuart, you told us the boy was quite handsome, and that was truly an understatement. For this one, even I am reluctant to sell him on the black market." A woman who was nearly six feet tall purred as they stopped about ten meters in front of Eric and the others.
Her name was Narriah. She had long pink hair tied in a bun, a tattoo of a burning bird on her open left shoulder, and two short sabers strapped to her waist on both sides.
They—the Shadow Claws Mercenary Team—were already informed by Stuart Eldridge that their three targets were all very tall, nearly 7 feet, so it wasn't hard to differentiate Eric, Lyria, and Livy from others.
They had been lurking within the forest for the past few days. Only when Stuart received a report from his spy that the trio had returned and were heading toward the northern gate did they make their appearance.
Otherwise, if the three young adults were made aware that Stuart was bringing five strong mercenaries, then these cute, tall children would turn and flee without a doubt. Despite having two Rank 2 Warriors within their group, they didn't have complete confidence in catching all three, so they intentionally delayed and only showed themselves at this moment.