NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

After countless hours of travelling with the merchant, the scenery finally changed. As I gazed around, the sea of trees turned bald. The weeds on the ground also died out and turned into crisps without having the season of fall. We were on top of a hill of some sort, but the view remained the same.

There were no animals wandering in the vicinity, especially monsters that could attack us. I expected that something or someone would greet our figures, since this was our vulnerable time. But as the time passed by, nobody emerged behind the bushes.

"We are here," the dragonewt announced, and placed me down on the ground.

"Where exactly are we, merchant?" I asked, and looked around. "There's nothing but sticks and stones in this area. I think we're lost, if you'd ask me."

The merchant said nothing and continued motioning his fingers forward. I followed his signs and trundled onward, doubting something would change.

"Are you sure this is the place? I can see nothing else but the dull field up ahead," I confessed, and scratched my head.

It was like what I had mentioned to the dragonewt. There was nothing more but the dying plain below us, with cut logs and other crumbled stones. The scene came from the chaotic Kingdom of Mainland, where the city got destroyed by the adventurers and non-player characters.

But within a few seconds, those boring scenery changed. The world in front of me flickered as if there was something there our eyes cannot see. 

Upon reaching out at the invisible barrier, my system finally notified me about this peculiar presence.

[You have entered the Dragonewt's Zone or Dragonewt's Kingdom. Please be advised that you will feel a sudden sensation of nauseousness upon arriving at the other side.]

"Sorry, what?" 

Just like the arrows Ryoshi presented before, this place had a barrier of some sort covering the plain's other side. As my hand went inside the foamy screen, that shield sucked me like a vacuum. 

It took me a second before my bottom could hit the ground. And as soon as I landed on the floor, dozens of murmuring voices echoed through my ears. Upon peering my eyes open, a group of dragonewts flocked around me, with their hands pointed at my figure.

"What is a human doing here?"

"This place should be a sacred area."

"Should we call the soldiers?"

"Does the king know about this?"

Each of them voiced their concerns as soon as they witnessed my presence. Most of them disapproved of my appearance, while others had widened their eyes in glee. I could tell that these dragonewts did not expect my appearance, considering their genuine expressions on their faces.

As I glanced around, there were countless huts stationed nearby. When I squinted my eyes, a road of some sort greeted my eyes, with some equipment similar to the humans. I could only think that civilization still reached this place, but the people remained concealed from the outer world.

Well, since the outside had feral monsters and greedy creatures, hiding from the war became the safest route. Nobody could kill anyone if those creatures hid from the outside. 

Within a few seconds, someone arrived from the barrier. When I turned around, the merchant greeted my eyes, with a smirk on his face. It was as if the merchant was a different being when inside this realm.

The dragonewts surrounding us cheered when they witnessed the merchant. I tilted my head in confusion while searching for an answer for this occurrence.

"You must be confused about what's happening. Come, I will show you the way," the dragonewt insisted, and offered me his hand.

I grasped his hanging arm and pulled myself with it. As soon as I stood from the soil, the merchant led the way, while nodding at the cheering crowd.

I still couldn't deduce what was happening in our surroundings. If these dragonewts hailed for this merchant, maybe this creature in front of me had exceeding status? Despite his merchant title, this realm called him as someone else?

"That face you're making, Red. I can tell that you already found the answer to my identity," the merchant whispered.

I asked, "What does that mean?"

"You will know once we get there," he replied.

This merchant read me like a book as he spoke his words. That dragonewt did not even have to turn around to check my reaction.

I did not want to assume, since this dragonewt saved me from despair a couple of times. If it were not for this lizard, I would have already drowned from that stream before reaching this place.

We continued walking until we arrived at the road my eyes caught earlier. It had the same route as any other path near the forest. But the pavement did not have the same features as the ones that the Mainland had from what I had remembered. 

As I gazed at my sides, dozens of dragonewt and their families greeted the merchant in front of me. But when they directed their eyes at my figure, they glared in my direction before returning to their homes. 

"Why are the dragonewts averting their gaze when they meet mine? I thought that the dragonewts were harmless creatures?" I asked, while looking at the far away dragonewts.

My mother told me stories about the world and its people. It also mentioned dragonewts and their calm nature. They rarely get themselves into a fight, despite their superior prowess and physique. Those lizards did not use their advantage and continued being a merchant, selling goods to adventurers and non-player characters.

There were some dragonewts that became mercenaries and fought for their devotion. But that did not matter to me right now.

"We are inside my hometown where everyone is a dragonewt except for you. Of course, not everyone would react kindly if they see someone or something different. Not everyone is like you, Red. You have a kind and cold heart, unlike any other."

The merchant took me aback when he mentioned those lines. But everything he had said hit the nail, especially the former sentence. Creatures with intellect could think differently when faced with different circumstances. And this event was the perfect example for that, considering that I was a human roaming around in Dragonewt City.

However, I did not mind his witty remarks and continued following his footsteps.

After a few seconds, we arrived at a structure that had similar designs of a citadel. That building stood tall among any other constructions we passed by earlier. It even had guards stationed at the front gates, guarding someone important inside.

As we approached the door, the two dragonewt immediately told the personnel behind to open the gates. Those two lizards gawked their eyes in my direction, wondering what a human was doing with this merchant. 

But instead of voicing their concerns, the two dragonewts let me in without uttering a word. I could only guess that questioning someone with higher authority was not open around this place.

Those two dragonewts even gave a salute to this man upon greeting him inside.

We resumed our walk towards the isle and approached three tunnels heading onto various directions. It did not take a second before the merchant went onwards and opened the gigantic gates. Clicking sounds echoed from behind and eventually slid the door open, revealing a glamorous throne room inside.

As I looked ahead, a chair befitting for a king greeted my eyes. There were paintings hung above the wall, with different art styles from this realm. This place also had original furniture unavailable inside the Mainland.

The dragonewt cleared his throat and asked, "Have you found an idea who I am after looking at this place?"

"Are you the noble merchant who sells stuff to the king?" I answered.

The dragonewt before me heaved out a sigh before giving me a reply, "Close enough. But I expect more stellar answers than that."

If the dragonewt said those lines, it only meant one thing.

"Are you the king of this realm?" I asked once again, and gulped down the chunk of salvia inside my throat.

"Aye. I am the king of Dragonewt Kingdom! My name is Stormfly, leader of the lizard race, and the holder of the Ruby Obelisk."

Now that the dragonewt mentioned, I accepted Alice's offer for an obelisk. Before I could even react to the dragonewt, I searched myself to find the obelisk I received from Alice. If that puppet lied to me, all my efforts would turn into nought.

"If you are looking for the Sapphire obelisk from Alice, It's in your inventory," Stormfly, the dragonewt exclaimed, as he pointed his hands at the system's window.

"You know about systems…? And you know about Alice?" I asked, and stepped away.

Nobody should know what happened inside Wonderland, except for the four of us who battled Alice. And Alice was the only one who told me about that offer, which killed those two players.

Since this merchant knew what happened, I raised my guard and prepared my penitent's blade.