The mountain city of Barry, built around the colossal tree, was astonishingly vast. When Gauss and Aria left the barbican and entered the outer district, dense clusters of buildings instantly flooded their vision. Amidst them, apart from faint glimpses of the towering inner city walls and the central giant tree Tel'ashir in the distance, only the surrounding forest of houses and bustling streets remained.
"Which way now?" Gauss looked around, feeling slightly lost.
"Let me see..." Aria took out a crumpled map and carefully unfolded it. Gauss leaned in for a closer look—the map clearly outlined the structure of the Forest Capital. At its center was the inner city and Mother Tree Tel'ashir enclosed by the first defensive wall. The area between the first and second walls formed the outer district, divided into four quadrants. Some barbicans were scattered beyond the outer district.
Broadly speaking, the city could be divided into four zones: the core area with magnificent structures built along Mother Tree Tel'ashir's roots extending upward to mid-high levels; followed by the gradually outward inner district, outer district, and barbican zones.
"Each outer district area has two Adventurers Guild branches. We're currently in the southern district, and the nearest guild branch is Southern District Branch No. 2," Aria traced on the map.
"Looks like we'll need a ride..." Just as Gauss spoke, a passenger carriage conveniently stopped before them.
"Where to, honored guests?" the coachman asked enthusiastically.
"Adventurers Guild, Southern District Branch No. 7."
After settling the fare, the two boarded the carriage. Through the curtains, the Forest Capital's unique scenery—architecture blending with nature and bustling crowds—flowed past their eyes.
"We're here." The carriage stopped before a spacious square.As they disembarked, the gray wolf Ulfen following behind also halted, while the raven Eck perched steadily on its head.
The square teemed with figures, nearly all adventurers. Low-level adventurers were everywhere, and professionals wearing rank badges were also numerous. The strength of a major city was evident—though the majority remained low-level or 1-star adventurers, Gauss's eyes had already caught several figures sporting gleaming bronze 4-star and 5-star badges, something nearly unimaginable in Grayrock Town.
But upon reflection, Barry's large native population combined with adventurers gathered from other towns made this scene reasonable.
Following the crowd, they approached the guild building bearing the familiar sword-shield-staff emblem. Inside the porch, people were efficiently directed—the right path led to the unranked adventurer area, while the left was for professionals.
Entering the left passage, a brightly lit hall immediately unfolded before them. Though quite populated, the spacious hall didn't feel crowded. Most adventurers wore barely contained excitement, enthusiasm, and joy on their faces.
As Gauss and Aria navigated the hall, the word they heard most was "labyrinth."
"So many people..." Aria murmured quietly.
At the reception counter, despite a long row of service windows, lengthy queues had formed. When their turn came, a blonde receptionist with a professional sweet smile handed Gauss a color-printed booklet upon hearing his inquiry about labyrinth access.
"This is the latest Labyrinth Guide. The labyrinth is currently open to all registered adventurers—just complete registration here to freely explore. However, labyrinth exploration carries risks, so please be cautious."
After receiving the guide and completing the registration forms, the receptionist returned their adventurer badges. "All other required information is detailed in the guide—please read carefully," she politely indicated for the next in line.
Gauss and Aria took the guide to a relatively quiet corner by the wall seating. The fresh booklet's cover read "Edition: New Calendar Year 1015, January 2nd." Clearly, the labyrinth's discovery predated this, since the guide was printed by January 2nd.
Opening it, they found the receptionist hadn't been dismissive—the booklet meticulously covered all necessary information: the labyrinth's location, routes from their current location with transportation options and costs, essential exploration supplies with recommended stores, loot recovery channels, medical assistance, and various precautions...
"Worried for nothing," they both sighed in relief. En route, they'd feared the labyrinth might be restricted to local adventurers or have additional requirements. Instead, there were no restrictions, and the local guild had thoughtfully prepared detailed guides for outsiders. Of course, travel expenses, supplies, and potential medical costs were expected mutual benefits.
Cross-referencing the map, the labyrinth entrance lay in the western wilderness, quite distant from the southern district—likely half a day's ride. As it was already past noon, they decided to find nearby lodging, rest overnight, and depart for the labyrinth tomorrow.
Outside the guild hall, luxurious hotels surrounded Southern District Square No. 2. Gauss and Aria paused before one, examining its posted rates:
"Single room: 20 silver coins per day."
"Suite: 1 gold coin per day."
"Premium suite: 5 gold coins per day."
The staggering prices instantly deterred them. Robbery! Though the rates included full board and premium location, the prices were outrageous. Who could afford 5 gold coins daily—full black-iron or hundred-silver adventurer teams? Even single rooms were exorbitant—20 silver coins could buy a house in Grayrock Town after five days.
After one glance, they promptly turned away. Fortunately, the labyrinth guide listed dozens of affordable taverns and inns, mostly in residential areas. Following the map, they found the nearest one—prices immediately plummeted.
"Single room: 30 copper coins/day." Though still pricier than Grayrock Town's rates, after the earlier "sky-high" quotes, this seemed acceptable. While cheaper options likely existed in such a large city, for just one night, they couldn't be bothered searching further.
"Um... sorry, we're fully booked!"
"Sss—already full? How unfortunate, sss—"
Before entering, Gauss and Aria overheard this flustered exchange. Fully booked? But the peculiar conversation piqued their curiosity, so they proceeded inside.
Pushing aside the curtain, they reached the front desk, where the proprietress looked uneasy facing a figure. Upon seeing it, Gauss's hand instinctively moved to his sword hilt.
Before the counter stood a snake-person—his lower body a thick golden-scaled serpent tail supporting a humanoid torso, dressed neatly.
"Sss—easy there, mate, I'm harmless, sss." The male snake-person turned swiftly, baring a wide grin, forked tongue flickering, making his reptilian features appear particularly eerie.
Gauss loosened his grip—not from trust, but noticing the 3-star bronze adventurer badge on the snake-person's chest. With both badge and city gate clearance, his identity was likely legitimate, though his half-snake form was startling.
A half-snake person? Gauss's first encounter nearly made him mistake the being for a monster. Though perhaps it could've been bestiary material... but against a 3-star adventurer of unknown class, victory wasn't assured.
"Well then, I'll try elsewhere, sss—" The snake-person shook his head ruefully, maintaining his creepy smile as he slithered away.
As Gauss watched him leave, the proprietress whispered, "Looking for rooms, guests?"
"Yes, but you just said you're full?"
"We have singles and doubles available." Her eyes darted nervously toward the entrance, as if fearing the snake-person's return.
Understanding dawned—the "fully booked" excuse was solely for that adventurer. The proprietress had judged by appearance.
"Pets allowed?" Gauss pointed at Ulfen and Eck. Ulfen promptly panted obediently.
"Of course."
"Two singles, then." While paying, seeing the proprietress still uneasy, Gauss reassured, "That adventurer meant no harm—he's long gone." His senses confirmed the snake-person's departure. Perhaps due to his [Reptilian] talent, he'd felt an unusual clarity regarding the snake-person—no malice, just an unsettling smile.
"I know, I know... just snakes unsettle me, and other guests might object..." the proprietress stammered.
Gauss accepted the keys without further comment. Business owners had discretion over clientele.
Only upon reaching their third-floor rooms did Aria remark, "That half-snake adventurer should've tried larger taverns—they're more mixed, with half-elves, elves, half-orcs, dwarves..."
"Maybe he wanted quiet?" Gauss speculated. These small inns were indeed calmer than rowdy taverns.
Retiring to their rooms, both lay down to rest, weary from days of travel. Neither planned extensive city exploration—the labyrinth was their goal. Sightseeing could wait for another time.