The delivery was to the Kingdom of Crentis.

There was a bigshot merchant there who was apparently a close friend of Merchant Kelly.

Her name was Merchant May.

Marcus kept one hand on the wheel as the M939 truck continued down the dirt road leading toward the kingdom. The diesel engine rumbled steadily beneath them, loud enough that people along the roadside could hear the vehicle coming long before they actually saw it.

And once they did see it, they stared.

Marcus had already expected that.

The truck looked completely out of place in this world.

There were no horses pulling it.

Just a massive metal vehicle rolling down the road on its own with thick tires crushing dirt and stone beneath it.

Farmers stopped working in the fields just to watch it pass.

A pair of merchants leading a wagon immediately pulled their horses aside when they heard the engine growling closer. The animals looked nervous, ears pinned back as the truck moved past them.

"Yeah, we’re definitely attracting attention," the co-pilot muttered from the passenger seat.

Marcus kept his eyes on the road.

"That stopped being avoidable the moment we crossed the forest in a helicopter."

Fair point.

The truck continued forward.

The Kingdom of Crentis slowly grew larger ahead of them.

The outer walls were far more visible now. Thick stone reinforced with wooden watch platforms. Guards moved along the battlements carrying spears and crossbows while large banners hung from the towers, swaying slightly in the wind.

The city itself looked active even from a distance.

Trade caravans lined up outside the main gate.

Horse-drawn wagons.

Travelers.

Merchants.

Adventurers.

And now, an M939 military cargo truck rolling straight toward them.

"...This is gonna be awkward," one of the crew in the back muttered.

Marcus honestly agreed.

As they approached the gate, the reaction became immediate.

People moved aside.

Some out of caution.

Others out of outright fear.

A horse near the roadside suddenly panicked as the engine noise echoed against the walls. Its owner barely managed to calm it down before the animal bolted.

Several guards atop the wall suddenly pointed downward toward the truck.

Marcus saw movement near the gate.

More guards.

Weapons ready.

"Yeah," the pilot muttered. "There it is."

The large wooden gates of Crentis remained open, but the guards at the entrance quickly formed a line across the road.

Spears lowered.

Crossbows raised.

The truck slowed as Marcus eased off the throttle.

The diesel engine continued rumbling heavily while dust rolled around the tires.

Then the truck stopped completely a short distance from the gate.

Silence followed.

As silent as a running military truck could be.

The guards looked nervous.

Marcus noticed that immediately.

Not aggressive.

Nervous.

Which honestly made sense.

From their perspective, this thing probably looked like some kind of armored carriage built by a madman.

One of the guards stepped forward cautiously.

He wore chainmail beneath a dark green tabard marked with the crest of Crentis. A sword hung at his waist, though his hand remained near it the entire time.

His eyes stayed fixed on the truck.

"Who are you? What is this?"

"Uhm, this is a carriage that we use. It’s kind of a new technology if I must say. And as for our identification, I’m an adventurer at the Kingdom of Renshade, at the city of Berm."

Hearing that, his eyes widened. "Wait, Kingdom of Renshade? What path did you use to get here?"

"Oh, that’s a trade secret. We are on an escort mission, delivering cargo to a merchant named May. Perhaps you know her?" Marcus said.

"Surely you guys didn’t come from the Forest of No Return?"

The moment those words left the guard’s mouth, several of the nearby guards visibly stiffened.

Even the civilians watching from farther back reacted.

Some whispered immediately.

Others made signs with their hands like they were warding off bad luck.

Marcus kept his expression calm.

"No," he answered smoothly. "We used a different route."

Technically not a complete lie.

The guard continued staring at him, clearly trying to judge whether he was telling the truth or not.

Marcus did not blink.

The co-pilot beside him wisely stayed quiet.

After everything they had just survived, the last thing they needed was for someone to panic because they mentioned flying through a cursed forest filled with living trees and flying monsters.

The guard’s eyes shifted toward the truck again.

Then toward the cargo bed.

"...You said this is an escort mission?"

Marcus nodded once.

"Urgent delivery."

"For Merchant May?"

"Yeah."

The guard frowned slightly.

"What exactly are you transporting?"

Marcus leaned slightly against the open window frame.

"Cargo."

The guard looked unimpressed.

"That doesn’t answer the question."

Marcus shrugged lightly.

"And opening sealed merchant cargo in the middle of the road probably won’t make Merchant May very happy either."

A few of the nearby guards exchanged glances at that.

That part, at least, was true.

Merchants with influence tended to hate delays.

And from the reaction around them, Merchant May clearly had influence.

The lead guard exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"Do you have identification?"

Marcus reached into his jacket calmly.

Several guards visibly tensed the moment his hand disappeared inside the coat. One crossbowman near the gate even raised his weapon slightly before the lead guard motioned for him to relax.

Marcus pulled out the adventurer guild identification card issued in Berm.

The metal-backed guild card caught the sunlight briefly as he handed it over.

The guard took it carefully.

Almost cautiously.

His eyes immediately scanned the front of the card.

The crest of the Adventurer’s Guild.

The Berm registration mark.

Marcus’s rank.

The guard blinked.

"...This is real," he muttered quietly.

Another guard stepped closer beside him.

"What does it say?"

"Guild-issued identification from Berm," the lead guard replied.

The second guard looked surprised.

"...That far?"

The lead guard looked back at Marcus.

"You really came from the Kingdom of Renshade."

Marcus nodded.

"Told you."

The guard studied the card for another few seconds before handing it back.

His posture eased slightly after that.

Not relaxed.

But no longer immediately hostile.

Still, his eyes kept drifting toward the M939. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The truck was clearly bothering him more than Marcus was.

"...What kind of ’carriage’ is this exactly?" he asked carefully.

The co-pilot quietly muttered under his breath.

"Here we go again."

Marcus ignored him.

"It’s a long-range transport vehicle," he explained. "Designed to carry heavy cargo over rough terrain without relying on beasts."

The guard stared at the massive tires.

"...Without horses."

"Correct."

The guard looked even more suspicious somehow.

"That doesn’t make sense."

Marcus gave a faint shrug.

"Most new technology doesn’t at first."

That answer earned a few confused looks from the guards nearby.

One younger guard slowly walked around the front of the truck, staring at the grille and headlights like he expected them to suddenly come alive.

The diesel engine continued rumbling steadily.

The sound alone made several horses nearby nervous.

One merchant farther back whispered nervously to another.

"...Is it enchanted?"

"I think it’s possessed."

The co-pilot almost choked trying not to laugh.

Marcus pretended he didn’t hear it.

The lead guard finally stepped back from the truck slightly.

"...Merchant May wasn’t expecting this," he admitted.

"She’s expecting the cargo," Marcus replied. "That’s what matters."

The guard looked toward the gate behind him.

Then back toward Marcus again.

"...I’ll need to notify her people."

"Fine."

"And until then, you stay here."

Marcus nodded once.

"No problem."

The guard hesitated briefly before adding:

"...Just don’t move the carriage suddenly."

The pilot quietly snorted from inside the truck.

Marcus ignored that too.

The lead guard turned and motioned toward several men near the gate.

One of them immediately ran inside the city at full speed.

Probably to contact Merchant May.

Meanwhile, the others remained outside, maintaining a cautious perimeter around the truck.