The map provided a detailed view of the city, but Arlo had hoped for one that encompassed the entire continent or kingdom. However, it seemed that those maps were not given out freely.
"It appears that money remains a common necessity, regardless of the world you find yourself in," Arlo sighed, before examining the map more closely. "That being said, this is one big city... But I suppose that's to be expected from the capital."
According to the map, Arlo had only explored a small portion of Lithra during his time there. The city was encircled by a formidable stone wall.
Countless streets radiated outwards from the central plaza, a bustling hub of commerce and activity. At the very heart of Lithra stood the majestic royal castle.
As he had made his way through the city earlier, Arlo couldn't help but steal countless glances at the castle, wondering what it would be like to set foot inside such a magnificent place.
The map also revealed the various districts within the city, each dedicated to a different facet of urban life. Arlo, who hadn't had the chance to explore many of these districts, made a mental note to do so upon his return to Lithra.
For now, however, his attention was focused on the terrain surrounding the capital, as this would be his next destination. The map indicated that there were four main entrances to the city, located at the north, east, south, and west borders.
The city was bordered by a dense canopy of trees that stretched out as far as the map showed on its north end. To the west, rugged mountains loomed, their steep cliffs and narrow passageways rich in minerals and ore, as indicated by the "Mines" label on the map.
The south and east ends of the city were surrounded by vast plains, open fields covered in undulating waves of grass. Small villages and farmsteads dotted the landscape, scattered across the gentle terrain.
These southern and eastern regions seemed to be the preferred routes for most carriages and merchants, as they harbored the least risk compared to the other directions.
Unfortunately for Arlo, the map revealed that he was currently on the north end of the city, heading straight for the forest. A small annotation on the map mentioned "danger," causing Arlo to frown.
"Great, so I'm actually heading somewhere dangerous," he muttered to himself. "Isn't a forest where people gather herbs too? I should've taken a quest to collect some... actually, maybe not. It's not like I'd know what to look for anyway, and I don't have time to waste searching for herbs only to get paid a few copper in return."
With that conclusion, Arlo continued walking down the road, making his way towards the gate at the northern border of the city. Having already been near the border, it only took a few more minutes of walking to finally arrive.
Before him stood a large, closed wooden gate, safeguarded by armored guards on standby. The guards appeared far larger than Arlo and wore helmets that concealed their faces, while gripping long steel spears.
"Um... the gate is closed. What am I supposed to do now?" Arlo muttered as he approached the guards.
The guard who noticed and overheard him quickly turned to face Arlo before responding, "You there, would you like to head outside the gate?"
"Yeah, would that be possible?" Arlo asked, nodding.
"Yes, there's a postern gate over there for adventurers," the guard replied, pointing at a small gate by the wall, adjacent to the large gate.
Arlo turned to where he pointed and noticed another guard safeguarding a different entrance. People, whom Arlo assumed to be adventurers based on their equipment, walked in and out of the gate.
"Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed that. Thank you," Arlo said, giving a polite bow before making his way over to the postern gate.
After a few steps, the guard he had spoken to earlier called out to him. "Hey, you! Are you planning on heading out there alone?"
Arlo tilted his head to the side, a confused look on his face. "Yeah, is there a problem with that?"
"Isn't that obvious?" the guard replied, his tone serious. "It's nighttime, the worst time of day to head into the woods alone. The monsters in the woods have been very active lately because of the dungeon. That's why the northern gate is the only one that's closed."
Arlo raised a brow, his mind racing with thoughts. 'Dungeon? There are dungeons in this world? That wasn't shown on the map. Maybe it's further up north? Damn this cheap map… that being said, I wonder how they're similar to the 'Labyrinths' of my old world…'
Shaking his head, Arlo focused on the more important part of what the guard had said.
'But more importantly, the monster part sounds bad… if it's bad to the point where they have to close the gates, then he's probably right when he says that I shouldn't head out there on my own. But… I'll be dealing with monsters when I return to my old world anyway, so I might as well use this opportunity to see what I'm capable of. I have my barrier active, so I should be fine, right?'
"Thank you, guard, but I'll be fine on my own. Even if it's just F-Rank, I'm still a Hunter," Arlo said confidently.
The guard looked at him, slightly confused. "Hunter? Don't you mean Adventurer?"
"Ah, right, that," Arlo replied, realizing his mistake. "Also, before I go, I had one last question. You mentioned that this is the only gate that's closed. Does that mean that the others are open all day?"
"Well, of course. This is the capital city, after all," the guard explained. "We have travelers, traders, and all sorts of carriages entering and leaving the city all day. Although those gates have far more guards guarding them than this one."
"I see… that makes sense," Arlo replied, nodding in understanding. "Alright, thank you, sir. Goodbye."
With those final words, Arlo walked off, heading straight for the postern gate. The guard at the gate asked Arlo for a pass or permit, but Arlo didn't have one. Fortunately, his Adventurer's card worked as a pass, and all he needed to do was state his intentions whenever he left or entered the city.
"Looks like getting this adventurer's card was a good idea," Arlo sighed with relief as he walked through the small gate.