Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 68: Travelers Fee

The atmosphere inside the truck was anything but bright.

Abigail sat stiffly, her expression dark. No matter how many times she replayed it in her head, she still couldn’t believe she had just been extorted for money, by Adam of all people.

The image she had formed of him before today didn’t match the reality at all, and that mismatch irritated her more than she cared to admit.

Adam, on the other hand, sat casually against the truck’s interior despite his wretched state.

Dried blood stained his armor, his injuries were obvious, and yet he looked completely at ease.

He didn’t spare the heir a second thought. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing wrong with what he had done.

Abigail wasn’t going to contribute anything meaningful by tagging along anyway.

Adam already suspected what she suspected.

Her presence only meant one thing, more people he’d have to look after if things went south.

From his perspective, the money wasn’t extortion at all. It was a traveler’s fee.

Or, put more accurately, an incentive for his permission... and his protection.

Honestly, the one who should be upset is me. I charged too cheap.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Being a good guy doesn’t always pay, he mused, but I guess it’s the deeds that matter.

Abigail caught that smirk from the corner of her eye.

She didn’t know why, but seeing that grin made her even more irritated.

Her fingers tightened against her sleeve, as frustration simmered beneath her calm exterior.

Still, there was nothing she could do about it.

So she endured it in silence, waiting for the truck to reach its destination.

Compared to Abigail’s controlled politeness, Smor had an entirely different problem.

He couldn’t stop looking at Adam.

The more he watched him, the harder it became to reconcile the man sitting across from him with the Adam he remembered.

The way Adam had arrived. The way he had dismissed countless heirs without fear or courtesy. The way power clung to him so naturally, so unquestioningly.

None of that belonged to Crazy Adam.

How does someone change this much?

Earlier, his mind had erected a kind of mental barrier, a subconscious defense to shield itself from the shock.

As long as Adam remained distant, half-seen and half-ignored, Smor could easily shield himself from reality through denial.

But now Adam was right there.

And that wall was cracking.

Piece by piece, it fell apart until Smor found himself staring straight ahead, unblinking, his gaze empty, as if his thoughts had dragged him somewhere far away. Everyone in the back of the truck noticed it.

Adam glanced at him with a questioning look. Yet Smor kept staring.

Finally, Abigail, seated beside him, tapped his arm sharply. The contact jolted him out of his trance.

"Huh—?" Smor flinched, then quickly straightened.

"Is there a problem, my lady?"

One of the members of their group, an elf with long, pointed ears, clearly from one of the Essential races, tilted his head and said, "You spaced out for a moment. Looked like your head was in the clouds."

Smor blinked, confused, then realization struck. He cleared his throat and composed himself, smoothing his expression back into place.

Abigail studied him for a moment before asking,

"What were you even thinking about?"

Smor was silent for a while.

Then his gaze shifted deliberately slowly, until it landed on Adam.

"How did you change so much?"

The truck went quiet the moment the words left Smor’s mouth.

Every curiously surprised gaze first settled on him before slowly shifting to Adam.

Even the Acolytes were pulled into the conversation now, listening intently, the leader included.

Adam remained silent for a while.

"Change?" he finally said, his tone uncertain.

"I had no idea I—"

"Stop playing with me."

The sharp interruption cut through the air like a blade.

"..."

Smor leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Adam.

"You and I both know you’ve changed."

There was no anger in his voice, only urgency.

A raw, restless curiosity that refused to be ignored. Smor didn’t even know why he needed the answer. He only knew that he did.

Someone doesn’t change like this overnight. Not someone you once stood above. Not someone you once pitied.

Perhaps he already knew what he was looking for, and this was it

"Adam," Smor continued, his voice steady but heavy, "you and I both know this isn’t how things were before. Back then, you were the one with the most motivation. You trained like you could reach anything if you just gave it everything you had."

The truck stayed silent as he spoke. Even the Acolyte leader began to realize that this wasn’t a random exchange, there was history here.

"You made it seem like effort mattered more than talent; you made it seem that with enough dedication, people like us, people who weren’t meant for greatness, could still reach for impossible heights."

Abigail watched him quietly through her sunglasses.

"But then reality hit."

"No matter how hard you tried you were still...you."

He searched for the right words, then let out a dry chuckle.

"At that moment, all those lofty dreams we borrowed from you died. The idea that effort alone could break every ceiling, it vanished."

Smor leaned back slightly, exhaling.

"To be honest, I even appreciated it."

"You made me see early that everyone has limits. That everyone has a set path. Without that realization, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today."

He tapped his chest lightly.

"My path was decided. My special talent just placed me higher than most, but it was still a path."

Then Smor straightened again, his eyes locking onto Adam.

"So why?"

"Why did you have to change?"

"Why did you have to make me realize that maybe, just maybe, if I had put in more effort, I wouldn’t just be a follower... but something more?"

Silence swallowed the truck.

Smor leaned back into his seat, as if the weight he’d been carrying had finally been set down. He had said everything he needed to say.

Abigail remained quiet, watching him carefully.

Everyone else, kept their eyes on Adam, waiting to see how he would answer.

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A/N: Hey guy, just wanted to let you know if we reach top 60 of the golden ticket ranking or get up to 800 power stones there will be a mass release.

Thank you for the support so far it is really encouraging.