The high-walled border post dwindled into the distance behind them, its broken defense towers standing silent against the clear spring sky.
Along the paved highway, the air was warm and heavy with the scent of blooming wild flora. Ancient ironwood trees spanned the roadside, their leaves shimmering with faint, natural threads of green mana. Farther down the valley, the sprawling white spires and floating crystal keeps of the Grand Aetheria Academy rose against the horizon like a majestic alabaster mountain.
Julian jogged to keep pace with Adam, his heavy satchel of historical scrolls slapping against his hip with every step. He kept casting sideways glances at the dark-haired traveler, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and unbridled academic fascination.
"Senior Adam..." Julian panted slightly, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. "Do you... do you realize what just happened back there? Young Master Valen is the heir to the House of Astra. Their family funds three entire faculties at the academy! And you shattered the border's Grand Suppression Array with a single tap!"
Adam walked with a leisurely pace, his hands resting comfortably behind his back. "An array built on forced compression is inherently unstable. Tap the structural node, and the energy returns to the earth. It is simple mechanics."
Julian swallowed hard. Simple mechanics? He had spent six years at the regional academies studying high-tier spellcraft, and every textbook claimed that breaking a district-level suppression array required a siege engine or a rank-seven arch-mage's grand incantation. Yet Adam spoke of it as if he had merely untied a loose knot in a piece of string.
"Right... simple mechanics," Julian muttered, pulling out a small leather journal and frantically scribbling notes with a charcoal stub. "May I ask... which ancient sanctuary do you hail from, Senior? I have read through the grand histories of the First Era, but your technique bears no resemblance to any known school of magic."
Adam paused, looking off toward a small, clear stream running parallel to the highway. "I belong to no sanctuary. The schools you study were built long after the foundations were already laid."
Julian stopped scribbling, staring at Adam in silent confusion. Before he could ask another question, the rhythmic clatter of heavy wooden wheels and galloping hooves echoed from the bend in the road behind them.
A modest, wooden merchant cart approached, pulled by two sturdy earth-oxen. Driving the cart was an elderly man with a weathered face and white hair, accompanied by his young granddaughter, who sat atop several sacks of unprocessed mana-grain.
The old merchant pulled the reins, slowing the oxen as he drew parallel to Adam and Julian.
"Greetings, travelers," the old man called out, offering a warm, wrinkled smile. "The sun is high, and the road to Aetheria is long. If you are headed toward the lower city, you are welcome to rest your feet on the back of my cart."
Julian looked at Adam, waiting for the mysterious powerhouse to decline. But Adam simply offered the old merchant a gentle nod.
"Thank you, elder," Adam said softly. "The warmth of the afternoon makes a slow ride welcome."
Adam stepped easily onto the back of the cart, sitting down on a coarse burlap sack of grain. Julian quickly scrambled up beside him, clutching his satchel tightly.
The old merchant flicked the reins, and the cart creaked forward. The little girl looked at Adam with bright, curious eyes, reaching into a small basket to offer him a dried mountain berry.
"Here, mister," she said softly. "Grandpa says sharing food on the road brings good travel luck."
Adam took the small, wrinkled fruit, placing it on his palm. To Julian's shock, Adam did not look down on the humble offering. He held it with the same quiet respect he had shown when handling cosmic-tier phenomena. He popped the berry into his mouth, savoring the simple, tart flavor of the earth.
"It is very sweet," Adam said gently, a genuine smile gracing his features. "Thank you, little one."
Julian watched in absolute awe. Here was a being who had just dismantled an imperial noble's elite guard and shattered an ancient magic array without blinking yet here he sat, sitting on a sack of grain, eating dried berries with a peasant child, completely at peace with the world.