Despite lacking horses or other ways to shorten the travel, Liam spotted traces of civilization on his second day, before midday had yet to pass.
That early arrival at the destination almost made Liam wonder whether he had taken wrong turns. Yet, that wasn't something he could fail at with his skills, and much had worked in his favor.
Liam had resumed navigating the trees after his encounter with the Uncles, which should have slowed down his advance, no matter how good at it he was.
However, Liam had also basically never stopped. His only real break had consisted of a short nap, leading to an uninterrupted advance the Uncles couldn't have accounted for.
So, it seemed Liam had truly arrived at his destination in half the expected time, and the sight stunned him.
Liam had lived in Krosstoen village all his life, even spending most of it in its mountains. That place barely counted fifty people in total, featuring even fewer small houses.
Instead, the current scenery was so grand that Liam climbed his tree even higher until he could gain an unhindered view over it.
In the distance, the white forest suddenly came to a halt, as if someone had carved a massive hole in its depths. There, an oval palisade expanded, encircling hundreds of wooden habitations that stretched at the sides of a main road.
Liam couldn't capture more details from his position, but that scene was enough to fill him with some innocent wonder. He had never seen such a vast, numerous, and neatly arranged gathering of habitations, especially when some seemed to be two or three stories tall.
'Towns are truly big,' Liam gasped in his mind. 'Is a city even bigger?'
The innocent wonder turned into restlessness, making Liam hurry down the tree and advance on foot toward the town. He basically ran, reaching the immense clearing in no time, only for his eyes to widen at that closer inspection.
The palisade wasn't tall, barely reaching two meters, but it still shocked Liam. He had never seen such an extensive barrier, and its contents promised to be even more incredible, bringing him to the wooden spikes to peek inside.
Liam could only see the back of houses and their muddy surroundings from his position. He even heard endless chatter and footsteps further back, but his tingling nape put an end to his youthful curiosity.
The palisade wasn't the only structure encircling the town. Towers rose all around it, and a bow-wielding man standing on top of the building to Liam's right spotted him.
"Young man!" The man shouted, his bow lowered, even lacking an arrow.
"Hello, Sir Uncle!" Liam immediately addressed the guard, waving up at him. "Is this Slygrove?"
Liam's tone confirmed the guard's belief in his harmlessness, prompting a genuine and even explanatory response. "It is, but you must pass through the gate up North to enter it."
The guard accompanied his explanation by pointing in that direction, which was enough to bring out Liam's blinding innocence.
"Thank you, Sir Uncle!" Liam cried, waving both hands at the guard now, before shooting North.
That blinding innocence drew a smile on the guard, but Liam didn't see it, too captivated in his excitement to linger any longer there. That also made the man divert his gaze, missing Liam's uncanny speed.
Liam ran alongside the palisade, reaching his destination in no time. He soon found a tall wooden gate with two towers rising at its sides, as well as a couple of spear-wielding men before its entrance.
Naturally, Liam slowed down while approaching the gate, but part of his excitement faded when the two guards noticed him and crossed their spears. For a second, he had almost forgotten who he was and what he had done, as well as the precautions he should take.
"Sir Uncles!" Liam called, now calmly walking toward the guards, stopping a few meters from them. "The other Sir Uncle told me I had to come here to enter the town."
The two spear-wielding men sized up Liam. His innocent tone was reassuring, but his tight black robe was ominous. He looked too muscular to be a random kid, but his belongings lacked anything too worrying.
"Name and reason for visiting," One of the guards said.
"I'm Liam," Liam responded. "I'm looking for information."
That wasn't a mistake out of youthful exuberance. Liam had thought about giving a fake name, but he was a bad liar. He wasn't sure he could do that and maintain his act. Still, Liam believed everything would be fine as long as his origin remained a secret.
Besides, Liam cared about his name. His father had given it to him for a reason. Liam might have failed to uphold it, but that didn't make throwing it away any easier, especially because his family was at the center of his goal.
"What kind of information?" The guard asked.
"I'm searching for someone who knows where the Sects are," Liam bluntly admitted.
The two guards couldn't help but exchange a glance at that point. The absurd statement made them dismiss Liam's scary frame. Only a real kid could talk like that.
Still, correcting Liam's youthfulness wasn't the guards' job. He looked convincing and sounded harmless, which was enough for them.
"Let me check your pouch," The other guard asked, withdrawing his spear. "Are you looking to spend the night in Slygrove?"
"No, Sir Uncle," Liam responded, offering his pouch without any hesitation, which worked in his favor. "I don't have any money anyway."
The guard quickly browsed the pouch's contents, eventually nodding at his companion and giving it back to Liam.
"We'll hold you to that," The first guard announced before stepping aside. "Welcome to Slygrove, Liam. Curfew is at sunset, so you'll have to leave the town by then, or we'll come looking for you."
"The Recruiters Guild's building is down the main road to the right," The other guard added, even wearing a reassuring smile. "And it's either Sir or Uncle, not both."
"Oh," Liam couldn't help but exclaim. Obviously, the guards had pointed him toward the Recruiters Guild. That was the norm with young men wanting to become cultivators, but it was also the place Liam preferred to avoid.
Luckily, the guards linked Liam's exclamation to the correction about his way of addressing people, not thinking much of it.
"Aren't you going inside?" The first guard asked, snapping Liam out of his hesitation, making him cross the gate silently.
What Liam had spotted from the tree unfolded directly in his vision now. The town's main street was strangely solid and devoid of snow, while wooden houses expanded at his sides.
Yet, the not-muddy street, tiled roofs, and crowded environment couldn't rekindle Liam's innocent wonder anymore. Real towns surpassed his wildest imagination, but his goal soured the incredible experience.
'I haven't really thought this through,' Liam realized while walking aimlessly down the main road, his wandering gaze failing to capture anything in particular.
Liam was ignorant about the ways of the world. His idea was that richer areas would provide better opportunities to learn where the Sects were.
However, the guards' response had shown how naive Liam had been. The Recruiters Guild handled cultivator-related topics and, probably, monopolized them.
Reaching a richer area only meant that Liam could head directly for the Guild instead of having to wait for an envoy to come to him.
'Can I even go to the Guild?' Liam wondered. 'What if they have me redo that test?'
It was unclear whether the Guild already knew about Liam, and the basin test was another issue. He honestly didn't know what to believe after seeing the talking scroll, and trusting his theoretically awake dantian didn't sound like a good option, either.
Liam stood out like a sore thumb during his aimless advance. Slygrove only had one main road, so most of its population gathered there during the day, and many threw suspicious glances at him.
Outsiders never fared well in small communities, and Slygrove wasn't big enough to be an exception. Moreover, Liam's robe radiated ominous vibes. He wasn't even wearing overgarments in that cold, which only made him more suspicious.
Still, Liam was used to that general attention. It had been the same in the village, and that far higher number of people failed to make it overwhelming.
Instead, something else ended up claiming Liam's attention. A strangely white two-story building stood out during his aimless advance, claiming his gaze to the symbol at the center of its triangular roof.
A stylized man with spread arms and legs stood inside a metal ring. Both items seemed made of copper, highlighting them.
And in front of the white building, an old man with a crooked back and a simple white robe swept the entrance with a broom, his short grey hair and beard strangely well-kept.
"Young man," The old man called when Liam got closer to inspect the building, interrupting his sweeping to look at him. "What brings you to the Church of the Man?"
Liam had guessed the building's identity, but couldn't be sure. After all, he had only heard descriptions about that symbol, and most of it was because Adrian had to join it.
As for what Liam knew, it was what everyone else also knew. The Church of the Man mostly had volunteers who did charity work all across the Kingdom. They helped where they could. They did that when Cyrus fell ill, curing him in exchange for one year of Adrian's services.
"Is this the Church of the Man?" Liam asked, recalling what the guard had said. "Uncle? Or should I say Sir?"
"It's one of its churches, yes," The old man confirmed, smiling amiably. "And I'm Deacon Ford. You can call me that."
"Deacon Ford," Liam immediately called. "What does the Church of the Man do exactly?"
"That's a difficult question," Deacon Ford chuckled. "The Church does many things. Mainly, we try to help. I believe you need help, too, since the Heavens brought you to its doors."
"I'm looking for the Sects," Liam nodded. "Does the Church know where they are?"
"The Sects?" Deacon Ford repeated. "I don't think I can help more than the Recruiters Guild."
Liam was already about to reconsider his options when the Deacon continued.
"But," Deacon Ford said, supporting himself on his broom, diverting his gaze, "Can you see those three mountains North-West?"
Liam followed the old man's gaze, but had to spend a few seconds looking past the buildings to spot something. Far in the distance and just vaguely, three shapes that resembled mountains did in fact stand.
"I see them," Liam confirmed.
"Those are the Three Peaks," Deacon Ford explained. "Ever since I was a young boy, they said that the immortals lived there."
Calculations happened in Liam's mind. Those mountains looked to be very distant, and the fact that he could see them anyway vouched for their height. They wouldn't be easy to reach or explore at all.
"However, if I may," Deacon Ford exclaimed. "It's a tragedy to see such cold eyes on a young man."
Liam's gaze snapped back at the old man. He frowned, even checking his eyes' edges, wondering whether the change in his mindset had caused physical alterations.
"Oh, forgive me," Deacon Ford chuckled. "I've seen many people in my life. I've learned to notice what others might miss. You might even say it's my job."
Liam didn't reply. Remaining silent was better than talking in his case. Still, the Deacon's face kept radiating nothing but amicability.
"Hatred is a contagious burden, young man," The Deacon continued. "It can only spread. The only way to stop the cycle is to let it go."
Despite the Deacon's amicability, Liam's alertness increased. The old man might have used that precise word by chance, but too much was at stake for Liam to ignore it.
"Do you want to come inside?" Deacon Ford offered. "The Church can help you let go."
"Isn't that the same as punishing victims twice?" Liam asked, opting for voicing a genuine doubt.
"What do you mean?" Deacon Ford questioned.
"You are blaming those who suffered," Liam explained. "You are saying it's their responsibility to stop the cycle. Meanwhile, those who caused the suffering can continue living as they have always done."
Deacon Ford couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise. He hadn't expected Liam to have such a profound and thoughtful response.
"Punishing wrongdoers is the work of the Heavens," Deacon Ford pointed out. "Man defiles himself when he takes matters into his own hands."
"What if the wrongdoers can defy the Heavens?" Liam wondered. He didn't know anything greater than the Ancestral Beasts, and the Dragon King was the son of the strongest among them.
"The Heavens are above all," Deacon Ford declared.
"If they were," Liam commented, "They would have taken care of problems before any resentment could be born."
"It isn't our place to question the will of the Heavens," Deacon Ford said. "As men, our job is to become the best version of ourselves."
Liam felt that the conversation had become too vague for his mind, so he began to leave, heading for the town's gate while uttering a simple salute. "Deacon Ford, thank you for the directions."
"Young man!" Deacon Ford called, gasping. "Hatred can only lead to ruin for yourself and others."
'But it wasn't hatred that caused mine,' Liam thought, not stopping his departure. 'It was perfection.'