9 Chapter 9 - The Good Wanderer
Lee set his eyes straight to the North. Whatever he came across, be it beast or plant, he chopped them down, absorbed essence and sold them to the Shop. His Essence points began to rise gradually. While walking, he asked about the way of Mana.
[While Qi Cultivation is a long one-lane road, Mana Magic is like a short multi-lane road. The usage of Mana is not limited to Wizards, Sorcerers and Warlocks, but to melee fighters and ranged attackers. A Tank can channel Mana into his shield to increase its efficiency. An Archer can supply Mana into the arrow to make it go faster and farther. The level of Mana mastery goes like:-
1. Rookie
2. Official
3. Veteran
4. Elite
5. General
6. Lord
7. Saint
There were 10 levels of mastery, but as time went by, none could step into 8th, 9th and 10th. So those names are long forgotten, because Mana is difficult to master. Qi cultivation can help you grow, but only Mana mastery can make you great!
The Mana Pool inside a person will enlarge by 10% when stepping into the next level. This itself is the greatest reward. It means the storage of one's Mana has increased and more could be absorbed from surroundings.]
Lee has comprehended a summary on this world. The technological advancements are far behind Earth and cannons are the only instrument to shoot. It's like a medieval world, but with cultivators in it.
Lee glanced at the Essence point and was frozen. He doesn't know how long he has been walking, but a whooping 4,390 Essence points were accumulated overtime. Lee paused for a second and turned to look back. The way he came walking was cut clean enough for trains to run. He chuckled and shook his head at this scene. After resuming his journey, he soon stopped when his enhanced sense of smell picked up the scent of blood.
Lee believed his senses and ran like a wind through the forest. He didn't bother to absorb essences. After a few seconds, he saw two carriages at a distance surrounded by a pack of Cold Wild Wolves.
Eight warriors were defending the carriages from the relentless attacks of the pack. Two warriors were killed and dragged away by wolves. Those left were in no good shape. Lee didn't stay idle, and started to kill the wolves from the outside. When wolves saw Lee mercilessly chopping down their pack, they concentrated their attack on him. But how could those wolves even touch him?
Lee was like a whirlwind standing in a 5 meter circle. He was bruised and wounded, but he didn't mind those. A wolf bit him, but didn't live to tell the tale. Soon the stress over those warriors was lessened.
While they were defending against lesser wolves than before, they saw a stranger recklessly slaughtering a wolf pack. They were initially afraid whether he might be eaten by wolves, but later saw that their concern was unnecessary. The stranger was cutting down wolves into two in one swing. They were baffled by this young man's courage and strength. They ultimately hoped him to be an ally.
Lee cut down wolves in a perfect rhythm. Soon, wolves began to frighten and tried to run away, but those warriors showed their gratitude by slaying those runaway ones. After chopping down the wolves except for those that ran away, Lee stored his blade and began absorbing essence, later selling them to Shop. He didn't care for the time or audience. Within a few minutes, only bloodmarks remained.
After selling the last wolf, Lee who was squatting on the ground stood up and walked towards the warriors. He wanted to ask the way to the nearest settlement. But when he saw that those inside the carriages were nursing the warriors, he decided to take a break before a conversation. He faced the forest and looked around him. His keen senses can hear the howls, smell their scent and see the resentment in their eyes. He was so absorbed in his observation!
About this moment, a little boy of about six years came near him and pulled his pants. The little boy disrupted his observation. Lee turned to look at the boy behind him, and smiled. The boy immediately ran towards the carriage. He looked at the running figure of the little boy.
[Lee, the language of humans here is largely different from English. I'll transmit the necessary knowledge to your brain. You'll feel a faint dizziness.]
Before Lee could even voice his suggestion, a few foreign memories came flowing into his mind. He stood there motionless as he familiarised with the language. A few seconds later, he became thorough in this new language. When he glanced at the carriages, he saw 4 armoured knights with relatively less wounds coming towards him. Lee quickly took the blade out of the Inventory and held in his hand behind his back. He doesn't want them to know of the existence of the system. They stood before him and took off their headwear.
"We thank you for rescuing us from the jaws of wolves. We don't know how we can show our gratitude. I am Darwin Lockheed, leader of this escort mission. May we please know our saviour's name?"
Lee was impressed in his behaviour. He can tell that this man here is well-disciplined and a true leader. He was stout and tall with brown beard, moustache and well-combed hair. There was an air of command around him.
"My name is Lee. I am a wanderer without a settlement. I came across the incident coincidentally. I am happy to be of help."
Lee decided to wear the mask of a wanderer, since he was actually without a settlement.
"Sir Lee is being humble. Your intervention saved the lives of many. We are grateful for your help. Since you're without a settlement, would you like to go with us?!"
"I thank you for considering this simple wanderer."
Lee showed his agreement and all were delighted. While walking towards the carriages, he saw men, women and children stepping out of the carriage and bowing with courtesy. They were all happy to see a young man defending and slaughtering an entire pack of wolves. When Lee entered a carriage, Darwin gave his signal to continue the journey while sitting opposite to Lee.
From their conversation, Lee was able to know more about this guy. Darwin was a veteran knight and led many knights on missions. He was welcomed to join the Royal Army but he declined stating that it restricted his freedom. Him politely declining the Royal Army's opportunity caught Lee's interest. After further asking, he was able to learn that the Royal Army was indeed powerful, but was under the control of political bureaucrats and was mainly used for their personal use.
Lee was able to know that they were returning from the city of Lorin. The men, women and children were residents of Eturt village, about 9 miles away from the city. This routine travelling is to purchase necessary food items for the village. Eturt village had agricultural lands, but they were becoming less fertile. So they had to travel to the city with protection. Darwin has been their escort for about 3 years, with a meager payment of 20 Bronze coins. His personality to help those in need without expecting anything won Lee's reverence.
When asked about him, Lee cooked up the story of being separated from his group, at an early age. His sword's uniqueness was questionable, but Darwin suppressed his curiosity. Lee understood the meaning of Darwin's gaze and answered that he once came across a large stone with this sword stuck on top of it. Darwin couldn't truly believe the story, but so he decided to gulp it down.
The carriages were slowly moving along the path with uneven swinging and sometimes, stumbling on a rock. This made Lee extremely uncomfortable. He made an excuse of keeping watch for wolves and got out of it. The relief he felt was immense. The carriage was moving slower than his walking speed. So he had enough time to absorb essence and sell the surrounding trees to the Shop.
The pale blue sky was getting darker by minute, alerting his senses. A few minutes later, a few burning torches in the distance caught his attention. He raised his doubts to Darwin, who was walking alongside him.
"Sir Darwin, what are those big torches?" (Lee)
"Torches?! Where?!"
Darwin could only see some faint light spots as they were still about one and 2 miles from the village.
"Goodness….what were you eating all this time?! I'm struggling to see those faint light spots from this distance!
Lee understood that his senses have been greatly increased. Darwin informed the people inside the carriages that they are nearing the village. Those inside the carriages were sleeping peacefully while Lee couldn't even sit properly.
The carriages halted before the village gate. A man went near the gate and spoke to the guard above the wall. That guard disappeared and the gate was raised. The carriages went inside the village without wasting time. Lee saw a large wooden board hanging before the gate and it read 'Eturt Village'.
The gate was closed and villagers came gathering around the carriages. It was night and torches were burning here and there inside the village. The wall was high enough to block any signs of burning torches inside the village. Lee looked around to see huts made of wood, one or two had a second storey.
Darwin was narrating the incident of wolf attack under the torches' dim light. While he was narrating, many glanced at Lee with an amazed expression. Lee felt immense awkwardness welling inside him. When he was feeling helpless, the Village-head approached him and said-
"Our treasures cannot equal the deed you have done. We are truly sorry for our lack of hospitality. Please do not be displeased."
Lee was surprised. This man in his 70's led this village thriving between cold forest and wild beasts. Lee couldn't help but reply-
"I have been wandering without a settlement for years. Your hospitality itself makes me content."
The Village-head was happy to hear this. Darwin informed Lee that they will be staying in the village for some days, for his companions to recover. Lee was happy to hear it. The Village-head guided Lee to his home to rest. The extra room in the second floor was offered to Lee.
