The four of them traveled straight ahead for an entire day. As dusk fell, they finally found a relatively flat spot. However, "flat" was only a relative term—it was a patch of level ground less than three square meters in size. Setting up two tents in such a small space was clearly impractical.
Feidric thought for a moment, then began chanting an incantation. "Lorenzo's Magnificent Mansion!"
The moment the magic took effect, a doorway materialized on the empty ground, appearing out of thin air before them. Beyond the door lay the most luxurious residence imaginable. Feidric had used this spell many times before. Cerydra, the Northern Territory Empress, had initially dismissed it as "ostentatious and impractical," but later came to praise it as "incredibly useful."
Cipher leaped down from a tree branch, her entire body as light as a feather. She landed without a sound, then unhesitatingly pushed open the door and stepped inside, eager to claim her favorite room.
The Magnificent Mansion Spell was essentially a form of demiplane magic. Unless an enemy also employed spatial magic, intrusion was impossible, making it theoretically very secure.
It was worth noting that during the day, the group had encountered attacks from ferocious beasts like venomous snakes, forest wolves, and black bears. While these creatures would have been extremely dangerous to ordinary people, they posed no threat whatsoever to Cipher and her companions.
After a comfortable night's rest, the four of them set out again early the next morning, venturing deeper into the forest. Gradually, Cipher could clearly feel the surrounding trees growing taller and thicker. What had started as trees around ten meters tall had now become towering giants of twenty, even thirty meters.
However, this didn't mean the forest was becoming denser. On the contrary, these massive trees monopolized all the surrounding nutrients, making it difficult for smaller vegetation to survive. They couldn't grow tall enough to reach the sunlight, and their roots couldn't compete with the thick, sprawling root systems of the giants for sustenance.
As a result, the deeper they went, the more open the forest floor became, making the path far easier to traverse than it had been at the beginning.
On the third day, the group rose early and continued their journey. It wasn't until they stopped for a short lunch break that a small squirrel caught Cipher's attention. Her cat ears twitched, pointing directly toward the creature's location.
"To our left rear," she whispered. "Is that squirrel watching us?"
Feidric and Douglas showed no outward reaction, continuing with their tasks—one serving food, the other eating—but their eyes subtly flickered toward their left rear.
You can't just whip your head around and stare, Cipher thought. That would give us away immediately. Even Aria knows that basic adventurer's common sense.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Aria did exactly that. She spun around completely, then, to Cipher's bewildered expression, threw herself into Cipher's arms.
"Sister Cipher," Aria said loudly, hugging her tightly, "can I have a bite of what you're eating?"
Then, she whispered into Cipher's ear, "I saw it. The little brown one climbing the tree trunk, right?"
Cipher finally realized what had happened. Has Aria suddenly gotten smarter? To think she'd come up with such a brilliant plan to justify her sudden movement and get a direct look at the squirrel.
Then, Cipher felt a ticklish sensation on her chest. She looked down to find Aria had buried her face in her bosom at some point, nuzzling against her.
"Sister Cipher," Aria murmured, "you smell so good~"
Cipher was speechless. She could no longer tell if Aria's main goal had been to observe the squirrel or to take advantage of the situation to grope her.
"Ahem!" Feidric suddenly coughed into his hand. After a brief pause, he spoke aloud, "What are you two doing in broad daylight?"
It sounded like a warning, but immediately after he spoke, his voice echoed in everyone's minds: I saw it too. Could that squirrel be a Druid?
It turned out that while covering his mouth to cough, Feidric had quickly cast a Divination School spell, allowing the four of them to communicate telepathically for a short time.
So what's the plan? Cipher asked.
If it's truly a Druid, Feidric replied, that means we're nearing the core of the Great Forest.
Should we approach them directly? Aria chimed in. Reveal our identities and purpose?
I wouldn't recommend that, Feidric cautioned. We know too little about the situation inside the Great Forest, and we have no idea how these Druids treat outsiders. Besides, our mission is to investigate a potential Outer God Incident, which means these Druids could be corrupted. Recklessly revealing everything about ourselves would not be wise.
Feidric continued, In my opinion, we should just carry on as usual. Sooner or later, they'll get impatient and reveal themselves to us.
Let's do that for now, Cipher agreed.
Mm-hmm, no objections from me, Aria added.
A moment after the three had finished their telepathic conversation, Douglas's voice finally echoed faintly in their minds.
Wait, where's the squirrel? Why haven't I seen it yet?
Feidric: ...
Aria: ...
Cipher deadpanned, And here I thought we were all experts.
After finishing lunch, the four of them cleaned up the site, taking all their trash with them, and resumed their journey. Throughout the afternoon, Cipher never once looked back, but her cat ears remained keenly focused on the squirrel. She could hear its every rustle and movement with perfect clarity.
If she had only been suspicious at first, after the squirrel followed them for the entire afternoon, she was now one hundred percent certain: it was definitely a Druid.
Just as the sun began to set and the sky darkened, a series of rustling sounds suddenly reached Cipher's ears. The cat ears atop her head twitched, quickly pinpointing the source. Directly ahead, several green figures were moving swiftly through the trees. They soon appeared before the group, stopping about ten meters away. With wary expressions, one of them demanded:
"Who are you? What is your purpose for venturing so deep into the Great Forest?"
There were five of them in total. Four held wooden staves, while the fifth carried a crude-looking wooden shortbow. Their skin was slightly tanned, their faces adorned with paint-like patterns, and a few feathers were tucked into their hair. Cipher's first impression was that they resembled indigenous tribesmen from her past life's Africa.