The cart moved slowly, and the wind was cold enough that Mark was glad that he was wearing a cloak. He did notice that Old Bert and Ned’s clothes were thick like wool, and they were also wearing cloaks.

Mark observed the surroundings and saw that the autumn trees were still filled with small animals like squirrels. He could also hear a lot of birds singing warning other birds to get out of their territory. He wondered when they were supposed to migrate.

“Old Bert, when is winter coming?” Mark asked while checking his bag for things he would need to replicate later.

“I reckon winter will arrive in about a month. You planning to stay in the village or travel to the city immediately? Because if you do plan to travel to the city, you should do it as soon as possible so you can settle yourself there before winter’s teeth bite you in the ass.” Old Bert laughed.

“You’re probably right old man. I’ll stay the night in your village’s inn and go to the city the next morning. Do you know anybody who would sell their horse to me?”

‘You will need to ask the innkeeper about that.”

Mark was glad that the duration of his Comprehend Language skill was affected by his Intelligence stat causing it to last longer, so he didn’t need to cast it every hour. He thought that sooner or later, he would really need to learn the local language since he wouldn’t be able to read even with the spell.

Should he stay in the village and find someone there to teach him the language and more of the local culture or go to the city immediately? Mark asked himself. Once he saw the village, then he would decide his next step.

The cart arrived at the village exactly a couple of hours later, just like old Bert said. Mark expected to see some sort of wall with a gate with guards, but he just saw some houses built together with some sort of plaza at the center. Most of the houses were two-story made of a combination of stone and wood. He saw children playing at what he assumed was a plaza since it was in the center of the village. The cart was going to a large three-story establishment, the largest in the village, and what he assumed as the inn.

While the cart was moving, a lot of people were greeting old Bert and Ned jumped from the cart and joined a couple of male youths. Old Bert yelled at Ned telling him that he couldn’t go anywhere, not until the veggies were delivered. Some of the people directly asked old Bert who Mark was, and he told them that he was a foreigner passing through.

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Old Bert navigated the cart to go at the back of the inn. Mark helped the old man and Ned to transport the vegetables since there weren’t a lot of them anyway. After they were done with the veggies, old Bert introduced Mark to the innkeeper.

“Edmond, this boy here is Mark. He’s a guard for a foreign caravan but got lost.”

Old Bert turned to Mark and introduced the innkeeper to him.

“This is Edmond the innkeeper as well as the mayor of our village. This village is named after his grandpa.”

“Good afternoon, sir. I would like to stay for the night and maybe have a look around your village or something.”

“Look around? Nothing to see here boy, just regular houses. No tourist attraction or something like that but you’re welcome here, nonetheless. It’s a copper per night and it includes a hearty breakfast which will be served until ten in the morning.”

Old Bert separated from them when he saw that Mark and the innkeeper were talking.

“Can you exchange my copper coins with the local ones? Old Bert and Ned said that they were really different from what I have.” Mark showed Edmond a pouch with ten copper coins.

The innkeeper scrutinized the coins and said that one of his coins could be worth more than three or four of the local ones, so Mark agreed with one to two exchange rates. After they agreed with the exchange, Edmond gave 19 copper coins to Mark to exchange his 10 copper coins.

Mark also gave another copper to Edmond for all the food that he would partake of while he stayed at the inn. Since it was already lunchtime, the innkeeper invited Mark to have lunch at the inn.

Mark saw Old Bert and Ned at a table inside, so he joined them. There were a few people inside the inn. Once he was seated, a waitress came to take his order. Old Beret said that the girl, who was named Alice, was Edmond’s daughter. She was pretty and he saw that Ned was sweet on her based on the blush he saw on the kid’s face.

Alice said that the available lunch was stew and lamb chops and the drinks available were apple cider and ale. Mark then said to the girl that he would be having what old Bert and Ned were having. While they were eating, Edmond joined them.

Mark asked the innkeeper if he knew a wizard since he needed help in finding his caravan. He then told the innkeeper that story he concocted about him suddenly finding himself in the forest while his caravan disappeared.

Just like what old Bert said, Edmond mentioned that he could probably find a wizard in the city of Argent. The innkeeper also mentioned that the services of a high-level wizard were very costly.

The innkeeper asked Mark how long he had been a guard since he looked so young. Mark mentioned to them that he was 25 years old and had been a guard for a couple of years and old Bert, Edmond, and Ned were surprised. They thought that he was the same age as Ned, who was 18.

Edmond then said that if he was planning to travel to the city of Argent, he needed to be armed since the road was dangerous. He could encounter wild animals and small monsters and even a bandit or two.

Mark admitted to the group that he knew how to defend himself since he was a low-level apprentice mage. The people on the table were surprised and Ned got excited.

“So that’s why you don’t have a weapon! I was wondering about that.” Ned exclaimed.

“Actually, I have a staff but when I woke up in the forest, the only thing I have with me is my leather satchel.”