The Pearl Bamogo spent five days in Anastasia Harbor for repairs before setting sail again.
There were no accidents on this journey, and more than ten days passed. On February 21st, they finally arrived at the Orange Harbor.
There are two more stops ahead before arriving at the port of the royal city of Tourmaline Closter, but Chen Lun plans to get off the ship here and complete the letter delivery mission.
"Fuluoyin, you guys just stay on the boat. I will come over to meet you and then we will enter the royal city together."
Chen Lun stood in front of the gangway and turned to speak to the circus cadres.
"Um."
Flo Yin nodded obediently.
"Please be safe on the road."
"Yes."
Chen Lun smiled, took a step forward, and gave Fuluoyin a gentle hug.
But at this moment, Noah on the side suddenly spoke:
"Mr. Jack, can you take me with you... You will pass through the Coleridge Forest and the Augusta Mountains. I heard that there are many rare natural wonders there. I want to go and see them and do some sketching."
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"You know, I'm better at portraits, but not so proficient in depicting landscapes and scenes. I would like to take this opportunity to hone my painting skills."
Chen Lun thought about it and felt that it would be okay to take Noah along.
However, Antonio, the cow next to him, suddenly spoke up:
"Anton also wants to go on the road with Mr. Jack. Anton wants to walk in the forest and breathe the real natural air... The sea is too bad, and the city is too bad. Anton hates it very much!"
Chen Lun chuckled and nodded at Noah and Anton.
"In that case, you two should follow me."
The man and the cow seemed very happy, and Noah even dragged out the painting bag and suitcase he had prepared. Seeing that they had brought two people, Chen Lun simply asked Maggie:
"Would Maggie like to come with us? I remember the Natural Religion Society is in Coleridge Forest..."
"No, Captain."
Maggie shook her head.
"I don't want to see some acquaintances again, so as to avoid embarrassment... And now I have become a vaccinator. In their eyes, I have completely become a heretic, which will cause you more trouble later."
Seeing Maggie's refusal, Chen Lun did not force it.
After giving a few more instructions to the circus troupe, he led Noah and Anton down the gangway.
In fact, the two sides did not cut off contact, because the circus cadres had his "Pale Mark" on their bodies, which allowed them to sense and communicate at any time... In addition, Chen Lun also left his fraudulent incarnation on the ship, so he could take charge of the overall situation well.
After getting off the boat, Chen Lun took one man and one cow and set out from the Orange Bay and walked towards the city center.
Since Anton was traveling with him, it was not convenient to take a carriage, so he simply chose to walk.
Maple Leaf City is quite large, larger than any city Chen Lun has stayed in before. To its north, there are three small town areas. Among them, the town of Olivarez is closest to Coleridge Forest and is the only way to the forest.
It was afternoon.
Chen Lun then passed through Maple Leaf City and arrived at the small town of Olivarez.
The two men and the cow standing on the roadside attracted the attention of many locals... After all, the population of this small town has always remained around a thousand people, and any new faces will attract the attention of local residents.
Especially Chen Lun and Noah were well dressed and brought a cow with them, which was a very strange combination. Many old people in Olivares stared at Chen Lun and his friends with a strange and xenophobic look, and they almost wrote "damn outsiders, get out now" on their faces.
Chen Lun ignored the strange looks from the passers-by on the street and looked up into the distance. Beyond the building complex were endless mountains and lush forests.
The town is surrounded by forests and mountains, with no end in sight.
This place is like a primitive settlement. The residents living here probably rarely go out and have lived and multiplied here for generations.
Chen Lun narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had an intuition from the Coleridge Forest ahead that "Cloud Leap" might not be very convenient to perform... There seemed to be some strange things hidden in the forest that interfered with space-related supernatural powers. If he leaped rashly, he would most likely get lost halfway.
He thought about it and gave up the idea of flying directly into the cloud with Noah and Anton for the sake of safety.
"Let's go, let's go eat something and get some information... The locals should know something about Coleridge Forest, maybe we can get something valuable from them."
Chen Lun said to Noah and Anton.
"Okay, Mr. Jack, I'm a little hungry too."
Noah smiled.
Antonio said it didn't matter, as it was quite resistant to hunger and could go into the big forest later and find some plants and grass to eat there.
So Chen Lun found a restaurant along the way that looked a little more upscale in its decoration and pushed the door open and walked in.
"Sir, um, how many people are you...?"
A waiter in a dark blue vest stood at the door and asked hurriedly when he saw a customer coming.
But he glanced at the cow next to Noah a few more times, wondering what the two gentlemen meant by bringing a cow with them.
"Three of you, just help us find an empty seat in the hall."
Chen Lun casually took out two silver cups and handed them to the waiter.
"Oh, of course! Please follow me, sir!"
The tip of two silver cups was already a considerable amount in a small town like this. The waiter was extremely happy and his attitude became even more enthusiastic.
At this moment, he had completely ignored the existence of the cows and led the way respectfully.
Soon, he led Chen Lunnuoya and Anton to the east corner of the first floor lobby.
"There's enough space for two... three of you to sit down. Um, here's the menu. What would you like to order?"
The waiter took out a menu and handed it to Chen Lun.
Chen Lun casually glanced through the dishes. All of them were seasonal foods, as well as the restaurant's signature dishes. However, the prices were all relatively affordable. Even the most expensive "Baked Steak with White Truffle and Foie Gras" only cost four silver cups and thirty copper crores.
He ordered a signature steak, a plate of pasta and tea for himself, and handed the menu to Noah. While Noah was ordering, Chen Lun turned around and glanced at the other diners in the hall.
At a nearby table, five young people caught his attention.
There were three men and two women, all carrying large travel backpacks, and they looked like students out for fun.
"Hey, Gray, we'll set off after we finish eating. I hope we can gain something today."
A young man with a brown crew cut stuffed a mouthful of noodles into his mouth and spoke in an unclear voice to the girl in front of him.
"Just go in like this? Oslo, I have to say this is a bad idea... We don't know what's inside, it's too dangerous, not to mention..."
The red-haired girl Gray lowered her voice, but Chen Lun's hearing was extraordinary, and he clearly heard her say:
"The location marked on the treasure map is deep in the Coleridge Forest. How can we possibly reach it today..."
"It's okay. We can find a travel agency here. It will be much better if we have a guide to take us in. It can also avoid trouble."
At this time, another short-haired girl wearing glasses spoke up.
She ate her vegetable salad elegantly and adjusted her glasses.
"Isn't Coleridge Forest a restricted area of the Empire? Would a travel agency dare to take people in?"
A tall boy with dark skin and afro asked in a deep voice.
The girl with glasses glanced at him strangely and explained:
"Why is no one doing this lucrative business? Although the Empire strictly prohibits ordinary people from trespassing into the Coleridge Forest, it cannot stop such a vast area... I asked around before coming here. In this small town of Olivares, there are people who specialize in the guide business. This is not uncommon..."
The last short boy took out a notebook and added to his companions:
"Messiah is right. In addition to the travelers who go to the forest to seek excitement, there are actually many local hunters who go in to hunt every day... The Coleridge Forest feeds these hunters, and there are also a small number of foreign poachers who go in to kill rare animals, bring out their teeth and fur, and sell them at high prices in big cities like the Royal City."
"It seems that you have done enough homework in advance. I feel relieved."
Oslo, the boy who spoke first, laughed, earning eye rolls from the other four.
Chen Lun quietly eavesdropped on the conversation of the five young men and roughly understood their identities.
This is a group of college students from Morning Glory College in the neighboring city. They took advantage of the holiday to come to Maple Leaf City and wanted to enter the Coleridge Forest to search for treasure... The treasure map was obtained by accident during their outing in the suburbs.
In addition to Grey, Oslo and Messiah, the tall dark-skinned boy is named Stiller and the short boy is named Arnel.
The five of them came together and planned to go to a famous local travel agency to seek help after dinner.
Chen Lun wrote down the name of the travel agency and planned to check out the situation later.
At this time, the waiter had already brought the food up. Chen Lun called Noah to start eating, and then shifted his attention to the other tables of guests in the hall.
Most of the people who come here to eat are locals. While eating, they will chat about some strange things that happened in the town recently... Some say that the cannibals in the big forest have reappeared, and many neighbors have gone into the big forest and disappeared. There are also reports that a hunter brought back strange edible plants from the big forest, but the hunter and his family were admitted to the hospital the next day and did not survive more than two days.
Chen Lun felt that even though the local residents had lived here for dozens or even hundreds of years, they still felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity with Coleridge Forest... Perhaps it was because it was so huge that these ordinary people could not explore it completely in their entire lives.
The meal is finished.
Chen Lun took Noah and Anton out of the restaurant. The five young students had already left.
"Mr. Jack, what should we do next?"
Noah asked.
"Just now when we were having dinner, the guests at the table next to us gave me some inspiration. Perhaps we can use the help of the travel agency to familiarize ourselves with the environment of Coleridge Forest... After all, it is not easy to cross the forest to reach the Augusta Mountains, and I don't know the exact location of the Meteor Tower."
Chen Lun thought for a moment and said.
Noah nodded in understanding.
"Let's go. The 'White Gull Travel Agency' should be just around the corner at the end of the next street."
Chen Lun chuckled and walked forward with the man and the cow.
In a short while, they arrived at their destination.
"White Owl Travel Agency" is not big, even slightly smaller than the restaurant mentioned earlier. In addition to the name, the sign also has an icon of a white gull spreading its wings.
When I pushed the door open, the first thing I saw was a specimen of a great white gull hanging on the wall. The boss was standing behind the front desk, having an intense discussion with three groups of people.
In addition to the five student groups, there was a couple and three men wearing peaked caps and dark jackets.
The boss looked very young, even very young... a girl of only about sixteen or seventeen years old, with two golden ponytails on her head, but she looked very old.
"Believe me, you won't find another store with this price even if you search the entire town of Olivares!"
The boss patted the price book in front of him and said confidently.
The three men had no objection and happily took out three gold pounds and placed them on the front desk. The couple also looked wealthy and paid the tour guide fee without hesitation.
The five students were still bargaining, but they were ultimately unable to resist the strong will of the young female boss and ended up paying one pound per head. However, seeing the painful expressions on the students' faces, it was clear that this money was probably their savings.
The female boss with golden twin ponytails counted the gold coins with a smile on her face, then raised her head and looked towards the door.
Her gaze moved from the cow and the boy with glasses to Chen Lun, and her eyes lit up.
"Hey, business is really good today... Welcome, welcome, gentlemen, are you interested in traveling to Coleridge Forest? It only costs one gold pound, and I guarantee you will see the beautiful scenery that is worth your money. Maybe you can even bring back some special souvenirs!"
Chen Lun walked forward and pretended to look at the interior decoration of the travel agency. His eyes swept over the old photos and cheap souvenirs, and he said:
"What is your travel route? A general walk around? Or go deep into the forest..."
"Of course we won't go too deep. The innermost part of Coleridge Forest is still very dangerous. Even the bravest hunters in the area will only wander around the periphery..."
The female boss with golden ponytail raised her eyebrows.
"However, if you have any special requests, I can consider them, but I also need to be responsible for your safety, so we will still rely on the tour guides from our travel agency."
Chen Lun glanced at her.
"I don't need your travel agency to accompany me all the time, but when I reach a place that I really can't go deep into, I need you to guide me in the right direction... My destination is Mount Augusta."
"Why are you going there? It's dangerous!"
The female boss with golden ponytail frowned and looked up and down at Chen Lun, Noah, and even the cows behind them.
"Fifty pounds."
Chen Lun said calmly.
The female boss stopped asking questions, smiled, patted the table and said:
"good!"
Chen Lun directly took out fifty gold coins from the panel, put them in a small purse, and handed it over.
The female boss' eyes lit up, and she slipped into the inner room holding her purse. Before entering, she asked everyone to wait for a moment, saying that the tour guide would be here soon.
About ten minutes later.
The door of the inner room opened again, and a beautifully dressed girl wearing a pink beret came out carrying a bag.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Everyone looked at the tour guide with strange expressions. The pair of golden twin ponytails were quite dazzling.
The husband of one of the couple said hesitantly:
"Aren't you the boss here?"
"Huh? Forgot to introduce myself... My name is Rutina Castillo, I'm a tour guide for White Owl Travel Agency... and a part-time boss."
The girl with blonde twin ponytails adjusted her beret and giggled.