Within a few minutes, the two carriages entered Peasants' street and soon stopped in front of an inn named Cabbage Inn.
It was a three-storied building that could hold more than a hundred people inside and covered an area around 30 meters in diameter. Many men and women walked in and out of the Cabbage Inn as Abium opened the entrance gate and entered the front yard.
He also looked back at the street and noticed something odd about the whole surroundings.
Unlike other towns, this town was located very far away from the capital and was isolated from other territories. But Abium noticed that a lot of warriors were gathering in this town.
'Hmm, there must be a reason.' He frowned but soon shook his head.
'It doesn't matter.' He cast that thought away from his mind and started walking towards the main building. Meanwhile, Helena and others also walked out of the carriage and followed after him, leaving Orson to take care of the horses.
Soon, the group arrived near the entrance door and opened it.
A second later, the people inside that Inn also noticed their arrival and looked in their direction in curiousness. Some were in the middle of chatting in the reception hall, while a few were having breakfast silently. He also saw a group of elite adventurers among the group and felt most of them were 3rd and 4th-tier warriors!
Shaking his head, Abium glanced around and soon smiled. He immediately identified a few of them and waved his hand at them.
His attire drew most of the attention, but he didn't mind others' gazes and walked ahead.
At that moment, a middle-aged man, around 40 years of age with curly gray hair, sat at the corner table and appeared to be chatting with a few warriors. He wore a brown linen shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He sat on the wooden oak chair and leaned back at the stairs connected to the upper floor. He had hooded hazel eyes, extra long eyebrows, fair skin, and an oval-shaped face.
He was none other than Claude!
"Uncle Claude!" Abium walked ahead and asked with an excited smile on his face.
"Eh? Abium? You're finally back!" Claude instantly stood up from his seat and nodded his head.
Other warriors who sat near Claude were also surprised by his arrival and gave him a skeptical look.
Noticing the confusion, Claude let out a chuckle and spoke.
"I already told you guys about his facial changes, right? Worry not, he is that scrawny little kid."
At that moment, Helena took a step forward and greeted Claude.
"Good to see you again, Uncle. It's been a while." She paused for a moment, turned her gaze towards the other veteran warriors, and bowed.
"Greetings, Mr. Paulie, Mr. Jack, Mr. Sean, and Mr. Drex."
"Helena? You also came back from the capital? But what are you doing here?" One of the warriors showed a confused expression and asked.
Meanwhile, Claude shook his head and answered before Helena.
"Actually, Abium was the one who introduced Helena to me at the Dust Gate Town. But due to some reasons, he told me to keep his arrival secret from you guys."
As Claude explained more about Abium to his friends, another voice interjected from above.
"From when did you start dyeing your hair, lad?"
Abium's ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice and soon looked up at the wood stairs.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with a pale face walked down the stairs and stared calmly at Abium's face. He had short gray hair, a high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, and a square face. He wore a normal butler uniform and had a white scarf on his neck.
It was Alfred!
'He has the same amber eyes and golden hair. He looks just like Thea!' Alfred got startled inside but didn't show it on his face.
Three months ago, he heard the news about the goblins' raid and was deeply saddened by it. After that, he asked some soldiers to search for clues about Abium. But he didn't hear single good news.
But that changed when Claude's group returned to Roseglen City and attacked the city garrison!
Seeing their return, Alfred was overjoyed inside and personally went to ask about Abium's whereabouts. But to his bad luck, they knocked him out on the spot and kidnapped him in the daylight.
After Claude kidnapped Alfred from Viscount Gauvain's mansion, he revealed all the information about Abium to Alfred and even told him about Abium's miraculous transformation at the Baxbron Woods.
As Alfred was thinking about those things, Abium hurriedly moved closer to the wooden staircase and spoke with a nod.
"I'm glad that you are safe, Uncle Alfred."
Meanwhile, Claude and other warriors turned their heads toward Alfred and showed shocked faces.
'How did he recognize him?'
On the other hand, Alfred didn't mind their questionable gazes and spoke to Abium.
"Humph. Of course, I will be alright. Now, answer my earlier question. From when did you start dyeing your hair? What's wrong with those pointy ears?" Alfred didn't know what to say and asked with a flow.
Alas, his mind went into chaos at that moment.
'No good. He became a mage! It's the worst possible outcome, my dear younger sister.'
He still managed to hide his emotions and soon took a deep breath to calm down his thumping heart.
In the meantime, Abium showed an awkward smile and began to explain everything in detail.
"It's a long story, uncle, but I am an elf now," Abium explained how he entered the Forgotten Land, became a mage, and also told him about how he got his territory.
Alfred listened to Abium's story and was deeply astounded.
'He really didn't face any shackles? Moreover, what kind of adventure is this? Forgotten Land? He even crossed the Borderland without facing any difficulty? Pocket Dimension? Undead Realm? What kind of luck is this?'
At first, when Claude told Alfred how Abium saved them from the goblins' ambush, he found it very hard to believe it.
Alfred knew that without training in any path, fighting against the goblins was like courting death.
But as he heard Abium's legend, he deeply felt something was wrong with the whole situation!
'Chosen one? Or, did he get any forbidden artifact? But how did he obtain it?' His eyes narrowed in doubt and suspicion. Soon, he shook that thought away.
'It's not a bad thing. Also, this child's character has completely changed.'
When Alfred saw Abium's eyes, he noticed a big difference. His timid, shy character had long gone and was replaced with a mature one.
'Calm, calculative, and decisive.'
While discussing, other servants, soldiers, and their families came from the second floor and surrounded Abium and others. They attentively listened to his adventures and asked many questions. Although he didn't mention anything about Goddess Nyara, the pocket dimension, and the Ancient Mage Runeth, he told other things with a little exaggeration. He knew that they wouldn't believe him even if he told them about Nyara and the Ancient Mage. After chatting with them for a few minutes, he turned his face serious and said.
"Listen up, everyone! Go and get your belongings as soon as possible. We are leaving this town in a few minutes."
Noticing his serious face, Claude and other veteran soldiers stood up and nodded in understanding. They had long noticed the arrival of Baron Harry's soldiers outside the Inn and knew that the trouble was on their way.
But they didn't get anxious and calmly followed Abium's orders. After a few minutes, 50 members stood outside the Cabbage Inn and were ready to set out. Women and men carried most of their belongings while children and old people moved toward the carriage and entered with their luggage.
After confirming everyone had arrived, Abium looked up at the morning sky and muttered.
'It's almost 9 A.M. We need to move faster.'
After that, he took a large leather bag from his space ring and spoke.
"Everyone, listen carefully. We are going to the Frozen Mountain Range, so make sure to put on the woolen clothes." While saying so, he gave the dress to Claude and signaled him to distribute it to the weak ones.
At that moment, he saw Viper standing beside him with a hesitant look and furrowed.
"What is it, Mr. Viper?"
Meanwhile, Viper deliberated for a moment, took out a silver ring from his pocket, and gave it to him.
"Take this ring, kid. A northerner came to our Inn yesterday and gave this to me to pass it to you. Although I don't know his intention, he seemed to be wary of you." Abium frowned as he heard Viper's words and pondered.
"Is he an enemy or an Ally?" He asked after a short pause.
"He looked like an elf but I couldn't see his face clearly due to his black hood. But what can I assure is that he appeared to be a dangerous one. He must be a powerful mage." Viper said with a grave tone, causing Abium's eyes to widen.
'Elf? Did the Elven Royal Family notice something?' Abium rubbed his chin and soon shook his head.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
After thinking for a moment, Abium said as he looked at the ring and quietly observed it.
The ring was made of pure silver and appeared inscribed with minute runic circles at the center.
'It's a communication ring.' He instantly identified it. After looking at the ring for a second, he put the ring on his finger and continued to walk.
Meanwhile, Viper walked closer to Abium, glanced at the surroundings from time to time, and asked.
"What are you planning to do with this Baron? It appears he already locked down the whole town. His lackeys are constantly watching our every movement."
"They are not a problem, Mr. Viper. I will crush anyone who dares to cross in our way." Abium said in a chilling tone and marched forward.
Simultaneously, he cast [Seer's Intuition] spell and thought about the dangers of the upcoming journey.
A second later, his amber eyes suddenly turned into pure crystalline and soon returned to their normal state.
At that moment, he sensed some miraculous feeling about what would happen in the future and got stunned inside.
'It really is a mysterious feeling. I can tell there will be few dangers up ahead but not a life-threatening one that could cost my life.' A wide smile appeared on Abium's face.