You will arrive in Maia, the Free City. Your new destination is Forcena, where King Richard can tell you everything you need to know about Mana Stones. It will take you three chapters to get there, so let's get going!
If you have the cash, equip everybody with weaponry from Maia. I personally skip this step, because I save up for the more expensive dwarf weapons, but it's up to you. Anyway, leave the city to the west. A sailor will stop you and tell you that the Priest of Light has fallen ill while erecting the barrier. This is bad. Leave Maia and you will be on the Golden Road.
The Golden Road is a simple path filled with Porons and Assassin Bugs. It connects Maia to Merchant City Byzel, which will become very important in the second part of the game. For now, the three invasions that the beastmen, ninjas, and wizards are carrying out has caused them to close the city to foreigners. That doesn't matter.
(need to put a quick tutorial on switching characters and abilities)
Three screens away from Byzel, on the Golden Road, there is a cave that leads to the Cleft of the Earth, a giant snakelike trench running across the continent, which seperates Forcena and the Molebear Highlands from Byzel and Maia. There is a bridge going across it. This is where you need to go.
The entrance to the cave holds a Silver Statue. Save. The next screen is the Cleft and bridge. Walk onto the bridge and you will be greeted by some Altenians and their Machine Golems.