As much as Garet wanted to learn more about his new powers, especially the Void Seal he had used in a critical situation, he now needed to return to the Iron Gate, and preferably as quickly as possible.
The first step after awakening had been taken, and now Garet needed to move on.
He knew that this world was dangerous, and seeing the great walls of the Iron Gate towering above the gorge did not give him the same confidence in the future that most of the city's inhabitants had.
What if the Monster Wave happened again, or some powerful monster even stronger than the Third Manifest decided to destroy the city?
"I need to think about this carefully," Garet mused as he ran through the field where the caravan had crashed that morning.
There were no more carts or sacks of grain. One day was more than enough to clear everything away and deal with most of the aftermath.
Although Garet did not help the city guards clear away the remains of the caravan, he also contributed to the cause, even more than they did.
The Green Flower Bracelet on his wrist was proof of that. It was a Natural Artifact, and if Garet had failed in his mission, it was unlikely that another Awakened would have succeeded.
"100 shield coins, right? To be honest, that's not very much," Garet mused. "One meal of simple buns costs 12 coins. Although the thing is, I'll be paid for the search itself."
If Garet had done as Korona did and taken not only the Spiky Moon Fruit but also the Stone Groug's crystal core with him, he would have received much more than 100 coins.
In this case, the person who gave the assignment was a little sneaky, because it was obvious that whoever took this mission would most likely have to fight the Stone Groug and defeat this dangerous monster. However, there was no reward for defeating the monster, because the Green Flower Bracelet could go to an Awakened without a fight if they were lucky.
Garet nodded, already thinking about his next mission.
'If it weren't for Korona, I would most likely have died today. I need more experience and skills. I think I need to lower my expectations a little for the sake of the future.'
It was very difficult to restrain the thirst for power and money that most Awakened felt, especially those like Garet who had barely had enough money for food their entire lives and lived in a poor city.
But so far, Garet had done quite well in this regard.
It was not uncommon for an Awakened who had barely completed their first mission to take on the next mission of a higher Tier. At best, this ended in injury, but usually in death.
Sure, Garet was unlucky in how strong this Stone Groug turned out to be, and that Xir influenced Melisa's decision about his Tier, but his luck in meeting Korona was much greater.
Returning to the Iron Gate was much more difficult than coming back.
Even if it was someone like Xir, a well-known Awakened in the Iron Gate, he had to meet with the guards so they would let him through. For him, it was just a nod, but still, control over the south and north gates was constant.
The Iron Gate was a large city, and even though it was now late at night, there was a line at the northern gate, both for people on foot and on horseback, as well as for carts full of goods moving toward the massive gate capable of letting even a giant through if necessary.
Garet stood in line like dozens of other people in front of and behind him.
The only one of the three gates with a relatively short line was the armed one. Only people who had never been to the Iron Gate before went there for inspection, or if the reason for visiting the city was urgent, such as escaping the Monster Wave.
Konrad, Cirka, and other people from the Pit had passed through these gates yesterday. Garet, as an Awakened, received special treatment, which was not surprising to anyone.
But how did the guards know who had been in the city before and who hadn't? The Iron Gate was huge, and it was impossible to remember everyone.
"Hmm, they all have the same one as me," Garet muttered to himself, glancing at the shield emblem hanging from his belt.
However, something caught his eye.
All the people he saw in front of him had different shield emblems. It wasn't that they lacked a seal on the back or tier plate, but on the front, in their star.
Garet looked at his emblem, at the four-pointed star in the center, while everyone else had a three-pointed star.
It didn't take Garet long to figure out what was going on. The auras of the people around him were weaker than Korona's, significantly so.
'I see, so the three-pointed star is for ordinary people? This city...' He looked up at the very top. 'I doubt other places are as well thought out. At least there was nothing like this at the Pit.'
One person after another passed through the gates. There were no incidents except for some noise at the central, large gates.
A large carriage full of goods could not pass because the guards would not let it through, and there were reasons for that.
"I'm telling you, we had to take more goods because the caravan was destroyed this morning! We didn't have time to get new documents!" The man in the expensive outfit and high boots covered in mud waved his hand irritably.
The guard crossed his arms with a carefree expression.
"Since when is that my problem? You have six artifacts with you and many other rare materials, although here." He pointed to the document. "Only three are listed! Do you think you're the first one who wants to bring artifacts without documents?"
"And? What do you think I should do?"
With a sly grin, the guard replied: "Either go back or go straight to the Thornspire to register the artifacts."
The man's face reddened with anger as his thick mustache was ready to straighten with his shouts.
"Are you an idiot?! How am I supposed to get to your Thornspire without any Awakened in my party!"
The guard shrugged.
"Well, then you'll have to go back to your city and do everything there." He chuckled. "You saved money on mercenaries by not hiring any Awakened. That's your mistake."
This argument could have gone on forever until something stopped the man's anger.
No, the guard's smirking face in front of him still annoyed him to no end, but the line to his right shifted forward as a shield emblem hanging from the young man's belt caught his eye.
"YOU!" The man exclaimed, causing the entire line to flinch except for the young man.
"Hmm?"
It took a moment, but Garet realized that he was being addressed.
"Me?"
"Yes!" He stepped forward with a broad sweep of his arm, pointing to his carriage. "Want to make some money? Right now!"
Who would refuse?
Garet scratched the back of his head.
"I guess yes?"