Chapter 125 The Queue
Aleshia continued to hide from the adventurer. After a few more hours of travel, he finally reached his destination. In front of Aleshia stood a large gate. As she gazed at its enormity, she noticed a long line of various types of people waiting to enter. Noting that the adventurer did not join the queue, she decided to follow him from a distance.
Meanwhile, Lucia marveled at the many humans in the queue. Some wore leather armor, while others donned armor made of unfamiliar metals. Lucia also noticed that some humans exhibited traits of different animals, though these traits were often obscured by their clothing or hair or had been entirely removed. As Aleshia walked by, Lucia boldly stared at each person, trying to understand why they would choose to sever a part of themselves. Some individuals in the line possessed keen perception and shot suspicious glances at Aleshia.
The adventurer she followed seemed oblivious to their scrutinizing looks and continued along another route, which featured another gate, this time surrounded by elegantly dressed individuals. Some of them adorned their outfits with family crests that shimmered with prestige. Observing this, Aleshia thought, 'Are those little ornaments enchanted?'
As the adventurer entered and progressed along the line, a guard approached to inspect him. "Halt," the guard commanded, eyeing the adventurer from head to toe. "You must wait in either the commoner or adventurers' line before entering and going through the screening process. If this is your first time in this city, you must be a noble to enter this line or hold an adventurer rank of B or higher. Otherwise, you must return to either of those lines."
The adventurer pulled a card from his bag and handed it to the guard. After reviewing it, the guard apologized and allowed him to continue the line. While the adventurer talked to the guard, Aleshia overheard snippets about a strange occurrence in a nearby forest.
Listening in, Aleshia quickly realized that the strange events the gathering talked of were partly due to her involvement with the Green Wolf clan and their leader, Dahdin. From what she gathered, the people at the gate referred to the land she had just come from as "The Forest of Beasts." Based on the name and how the crowd spoke about it, it seemed to be a forbidden area. However, some powerful individuals hired by the city were permitted to enter the Forest of Beasts to investigate the unusual disturbances.