Arthur, still shocked by the events he had just witnessed, snapped out of his daze and realized that the young man he had seen earlier was now approaching him. Arthur didn't know how to react—whether he should run away or let the young man come closer.
After some consideration, Arthur decided to let the young man approach. This decision wasn't made lightly. The young man was already so close that even if Arthur tried to run, it would be futile. It was better not to take any actions that might seem suspicious.
The young man quickly stood in front of Arthur and asked for his identity.
"Excuse me, sir. My name is Arthur, and I seem to have gotten lost in this meadow," Arthur introduced himself after the young man asked. Arthur intentionally addressed him as "sir" to show respect, as the events he had witnessed earlier had made it clear to him that the young man before him was not an ordinary person like himself.
'He seems like just a regular mortal, not a hunter,' the young man concluded after studying Arthur closely and confirming that there was no trace of a hunter's aura around him. The fact that Arthur had politely addressed him as "sir" further convinced him that Arthur was just an ordinary mortal.
"Are you from a city near here?"
"No, sir, I come from a very distant city, and I don't know how I ended up here. Do you know where we are right now?"
"We are in the Thousand Tree Meadow on the northern continent. From what I can tell, you're not from the northern continent," the young man replied.
Arthur confirmed that he wasn't from the northern continent and that he was indeed lost. He also asked the young man for help in getting to the nearest city, hoping to find a way back home.
Arthur was fortunate that the young man he met was kind enough to help him. In addition to his good fortune, Arthur's communication skills, honed during his time working at an office, played a big part. He had developed strong communication abilities, especially when dealing with superiors.
After agreeing to take Arthur to the nearest city, the young man spoke an incantation, and soon a small bird, about the size of a butterfly, flew out from his chest. The bird was red with white markings, different from the small bird that had transformed from the giant one the young man had defeated.
"Transformation," the young man said loudly.
Moments later, the small bird grew into a large one, the same size as the giant bird from earlier. Its colors remained the same—red with white markings. However, there was now a small structure on top of the bird.
The bird lowered itself and allowed the young man to climb onto the structure.
"Come aboard," the young man invited Arthur to enter the small building on top of the large bird.
Inside the building, it felt like being inside a vehicle, with several seats arranged inside. The young man sat at the front and gave instructions to the bird. The bird, upon receiving the instructions, flew up into the sky and quickly headed in the direction the young man had indicated.
Arthur, on the other hand, sat quietly right behind the young man, awestruck by what was happening. As they traveled, Arthur and the young man conversed. Through their conversation and Arthur's communication skills, he learned the young man's name and gathered more information.
The young man's name was Jake Vermillion, and he was a hunter from the Vermillion family. Although their conversation went smoothly and Arthur gained some insight, he could tell that Jake was only sharing general information.
The journey to the nearest city took quite some time. Along the way, Arthur enjoyed the expansive meadow with its towering trees. After several hours of travel, the vast meadow gave way to a dense rainforest. Eventually, they reached a city at the foot of a mountain.
"Our journey has come to an end. You can get off here," Jake said as they landed. Arthur thanked him and bid him farewell. Jake could not take Arthur to his home because of the Vermillion family's rules, which prohibited outsiders from staying there. Arthur understood and wasn't upset, as he and Jake had just met.
Jake quickly resumed his journey, and Arthur walked toward the city. Outside the city, there were tall walls, possibly over ten meters high. At the city gate, Arthur could see a sign that read: "Red Rainforest City."
As Arthur entered the city through the gate, he noticed several guards standing watch. He was informed that the guards would stop hunters, but mortals like Arthur could easily enter the city.
Jake had explained that the guards only stopped hunters because they were concerned that they might be from the "Demon's Path." Hunters from the Demon's Path caused trouble and killed mortals within cities. Although the city was also guarded by hunters from the Truth Faction, this measure was still in place to ensure the safety of the city's residents.
Arthur entered the city without any issues. As soon as he stepped in, the bustling atmosphere of the city surprised him. People were walking around the streets, and many shops were open, with street vendors selling their goods.
"This is a bit more crowded than I expected," Arthur remarked. He had imagined the city would be quiet and peaceful.
He continued deeper into the city center, and the crowd began to thin out, though there were still plenty of shops. As Arthur tried to proceed further into the city center, suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.
Arthur turned around to see who had touched him and found that the hand belonged to an old man.