Chapter 37: The Courtyard

"This is it!"

Larry’s heavy breathing had finally steadied, and his face was alight with excitement. The party had ventured a bit deeper into the forest, and as the buildings grew denser along the roadside, they had finally arrived at their destination.

"Is this where that adventurer found the wooden plaque?"

The half-elf Haian, holding his longbow, scanned the surroundings with his silver-grey eyes, his face filled with profound curiosity. It was a sprawling courtyard. Unlike the ruins they had encountered along the way, this estate was remarkably well-preserved, with most of its structural integrity intact.

This allowed Xia Nan to compare the architecture against the knowledge he carried from his previous life. The layout was perfectly symmetrical along the central axis of the main gate, with houses arranged in orderly, aesthetic rows. It featured the classic black tiles and white walls; the eaves of the roofs were as graceful and light as wings in flight; the beams and pillars were coated in black lacquer and adorned with exquisite cloud carvings. The windows and doors used intricate, hollowed-out lattice work, though the paper that once covered them had long since rotted away, leaving only ragged scraps clinging to the corners.

"It’s exactly the same," Xia Nan whispered to himself.

At the same time, as his gaze swept across the courtyard, he paused, having noticed something peculiar. In his memory, the mansions of ancient nobility always featured lotus ponds of varying sizes. Whenever someone walked by, the koi fish raised in the ponds would swim over, gathering to beg for food. This courtyard was no exception, featuring high-arched bridges, winding covered corridors, and even a classical stone pavilion extending into the center of the lake.

Everything seemed normal—provided one could ignore the lush shrubs and tall weeds growing directly beneath the pavilions and corridors. Forget about lakes or ponds; there wasn't a drop of water in the entire courtyard. Despite the structures appearing to have been built only months ago, there was no trace of water beneath the arched bridges or lakeside pavilions. It was as if they had been built directly onto a meadow.

Observing this bizarre scene, Xia Nan became even more convinced of his earlier theory: these buildings absolutely did not belong to this world.

"Huh?"

A cry of surprise came from Larry. Xia Nan looked over and saw him standing before a rockery, his chubby face filled with bewilderment. Following his gaze, Xia Nan couldn't help but look perplexed as well.

"Clipping?"

On the upper left side of the rockery, the jagged, pale stones were eerily fused with the branches of an oak tree. The rough grey stone and the verdant leaves were interwoven, contrasting yet perfectly merged, as if they had grown that way. It looked exactly like a visual glitch caused by colliding character models in the poorly made games of his past life.

However, seeing it in the real world felt even more surreal—as if something from another world had been forcefully and carelessly shifted into this space, creating this peculiar spectacle.

Meanwhile, the half-elf and Wood were not paying attention to that. They were making a final check on the objective of their mission.

"Young master..."

Withdrawing his gaze from the architectural carvings he had compared countless times, Wood slowly shook his head at the half-elf. "It’s confirmed. This isn't the style of the Matriarch's clan."

Although elven clans each possessed unique styles shaped by their living environments, subspecies, and customs, they all shared one universal, unchanging trait: harmony with nature. Whether through green vines or glowing fungi, elven architecture was always tightly integrated with the surrounding natural landscape. While these mismatched buildings used wood and brickwork to an masterful degree, they were fundamentally different from the aesthetic of the elven race.

Hearing this, a look of disappointment clearly crossed Haian's face. Yet, that was all. He had been mentally prepared for this outcome. Having received confirmation from Wood, the half-elf let out a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted from his heart. He called over Xia Nan and Larry, saying with a sincere expression, "The mission is over. I have my answer. We’ve been in the forest for many days now; if no one has any objections, we can head back."

Larry and Doris had grown up in the town. They weren't exactly pampered, but they hadn't endured much hardship. Having spent several days in the Mist Forest and seen both adventurers and magical beasts, they were already satisfied. Naturally, they had no reason to oppose the return trip.

Xia Nan, however, did not respond immediately, his face showing hesitation. He had joined Haian’s party not for the pay, but primarily to figure out the origin of the wooden plaque in the half-elf’s possession. Now that they were deeper in and familiar-looking buildings were appearing, the truth seemed within reach. To turn back now...

Noticing Xia Nan’s hesitation, Haian mistook it for a concern about the reward and quickly added, "Don't worry. Even though the mission results aren't what I expected, your 100 gold coins will definitely be paid in full."

Before the words had even faded, Larry patted his chest generously. "I'll cover the reward! If it weren't for you, I’d probably have died in the jaws of those rust-monsters last night. 100 gold is nothing—I’d pay 500!"

Since the secret of his "transmigration" was at stake, Xia Nan could not explain himself. He glanced toward the depths of the forest beyond the courtyard. He mused to himself: *Even though we are still on the outskirts of the Mist Forest, we are approaching the boundary. Any further in, and even with professionals in the party, there's no guarantee of safety.*

Given the pattern of the buildings, if he wanted to find the source of the plaque, he would have to go deeper into the Mist Forest. With his current strength, that was far too dangerous.

*Perhaps I'll come back later?*

The thought lasted only a moment. Facing the enthusiasm of his companions, Xia Nan stopped hesitating and nodded to Haian and Larry, agreeing to the return trip.

Just like tourists from his past life who, no matter how uninterested they were in a site, would buy local souvenirs to prove they had been there—or at the very least, take a few photos—Larry and Doris, having experienced what was likely a once-in-a-lifetime "Mist Forest tour," were not about to return empty-handed.

With the return trip decided, they began scanning the surroundings for portable souvenirs.

"Hey! This stone statue is actually quite well-made, much more detailed than the work of the craftsmen in town!" Larry exclaimed in surprise, pulling a stone statue of a viper from some unknown corner. It was as thick as an arm, with every scale carved with incredible detail, the snake coiled and its fangs slightly bared in a striking pose. It was incredibly lifelike.

But Xia Nan couldn't help but frown. This stone statue didn't look like anything from the Eastern civilization he remembered.

"Hey! Come over here, everyone!" Larry shouted. "There’s a statue of a rust-monster here too! It’s exactly the same as the ones we ran into yesterday!"

Upon hearing this, as if realizing something, Wood, who had been standing behind Haian, suddenly darkened his expression. His figure blurred, and in the next second, he was shielding the half-elf.

He roared, "Alert!!!"