The incident with the mutant beast that night turned into a trivial side note.

When leaving, Hannah briefly saw the center of the marketplace from a distance.

The brilliance of nighttime lights was absent during the day, leaving only a flat, expansive open ground in sight.

No passersby were around, as there were royal guards standing on both sides.

They must have been the ones to accompany Sheffield Benedict to ensure his safety.

Although Sheffield Benedict was intelligent and clever, his combat abilities were not strong, and his mental power barely touched on an A-grade.

But that did not cause anyone to underestimate him.

Gregory Lawrence walked at the front alone, with Big White and Golden Lotus stepping along side by side.

Hannah and Arnold Simmons walked at the rear.

Gregory Lawrence was a chatterbox, unable to stay quiet for a few minutes without becoming restless to strike up a conversation.

He had visited many places and could casually pick any to discuss for three days and nights without pause.

On the road, Hannah was looking at the map.

She was so focused on it that she seldom joined the conversation.

Conversely, Arnold Simmons and Gregory Lawrence would chat from time to time.

The distance between the Ninth District and Heimu Forest was very short.

Rather than saying they were adjacent, it was as if they were directly connected.

Just like the dense forest behind Gregory Lawrence’s backyard.

There was no barrier between the Ninth District and Heimu Forest, but the closer one got to the forest, the fewer the inhabitants there were.

By the time only five hundred meters remained, no houses could be seen.

...

Heimu Forest.

True to its name, the trees in Heimu Forest almost all appeared to have a charred blackness as if they had been scorched, and even the leaves seemed to be covered with a layer of black ash.

The forest was eerily silent.

But the greater the silence, the more unsettling it became.

This was not Gregory Lawrence’s first time entering Heimu Forest, but this time was different; to say he wasn’t nervous would be impossible, "Are we... really going to go in, or maybe, another day?"

Hannah looked at him with a smile, "I think another day isn’t so good. Why don’t we go in at night? It would be thrilling and terrifying. Who knows, we might not even walk a few steps before bumping into a lost Split-tooth Evil Wolf. One bite for each of us, how fun."

Gregory Lawrence’s eyes widened, "You’re trying to scare me."

"Not at all," Hannah said with an innocent face, "So do you still want to go or what?"

Of course, Gregory Lawrence wanted to go.

For the sake of his undiminished spirit of adventure, he charged in!

Arnold Simmons walked over with the map, positioning himself between Gregory Lawrence and Hannah, "It’s morning now, ten hours till dusk. If we go in now, it will help us become familiar with the terrain."

Many had visited Heimu Forest, but those who had truly walked the entire forest were few and far between.

The map they held was provided by Gregory Lawrence.

It was a hand-drawn map, which Gregory Lawrence had obtained at a high price from an old mercenary.

Arnold Simmons briefly analyzed the terrain and the routes.

"Let’s go," he said as he put away the map, taking Hannah and heading straight into Heimu Forest.

For a moment, Gregory Lawrence stood stunned before catching up to them, "Hey, wait for me!"

He ran inside.

After several meters, he ran back to pick up the two black and white creatures left behind on the ground and continued chasing after the others.

Today was their first day entering Heimu Forest.

Though it was still morning and the sun was shining brightly, Heimu Forest seemed to block out the light; even with the sun filtering through, it was just a faint layer.

As he walked, Gregory Lawrence had to carefully avoid stepping on the rotting carcasses of mutant beasts on the ground, "What kind of human tragedy is this, it’s too cruel, just too cruel."