The Dawn of the New World

They didn't shy away or run and hide after seeing him but continued watching with keen eyes from a safe enough distance. Their inquisitive nature was almost palpable in Hao Xuan's eyes, like small children.

They followed him and Princess Helena as they crossed several dirt pathways to finally come out on the other side of the forested area. The most common sounds one would expect from a bustling settlement grew louder and louder as Hao Xuan stepped onto the wide-open fields that surrounded the small city.

Most of the fields had some sort of herb or crop growing being cultivated on it. There were droves of other demihumans freely moving about each field, yelling, casually chatting and some even singing as they went about their business without a care in the world.

Hao Xuan felt like he had stepped into a different entirely. If everything he had seen and experienced since coming to this world was some sort of a horror/action movie then this would be a children's cartoon show brought to reality.

It was so peaceful in fact that he felt uncomfortable just being there. He had been fighting for so long, always moving from one grievous situation to the next that he had become accustomed to all the negative aspects of living such a life.

And now standing in a field of flowers beside the beloved Princess Helena who was being greeted by all those kind faces with loud cheers and showered with ardor looks of adoration, he was sticking out like a sore thumb.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to stay under the radar, his comparatively gigantic frame towering over the frail-looking princess made for quite a unique image and invited a fair few inquisitive gazes.

He chose to keep his silence and allowed Helena to do all the talking as she expertly navigated through the sea of people that had started to gather around them.

All manners of furry tails, ears, snouts, paws and claws stood out on each person but they were still very much human.

The curious youngsters jumped and hopped like rabbits trying to see who or what Hao Xuan had in his embrace while many just stared wide-eyed, too afraid to come close.

The older ones stood on the side trying to do some small talk but she just apologized and tried to walk past them. But their numbers had almost doubled within the blink of an eye and seeing as she was too nice to say no, Hao Xuan stepped in.

He released a bit of aura and used his manliest voice.

"We need to hurry. I don't have time to waste here," speaking loud enough that everyone around them could hear him clearly.

Princess Helena was startled by his sudden intrusion but quickly caught up.

"Ah, yes. my apologies," she said trying to sound as apologetic as possible before increasing her pace.

Under the quizzical gazes of all the spectators, they quickly left the area and headed towards the city, reaching it within a minute.

There was no city wall or even a wooden fence separating any of the areas. The stone structures just started to appear one by one, almost like they were growing out of the ground rather than being placed there at some point thereafter.

They were remarkably similar in design with identical hollow square rooms joined together to form each one.

Hao Xuan had actually seen something before on earth but he couldn't remember where exactly, only that it was a very ancient civilization.

Each street was evenly spaced to the exact centimeter creating a mesh system while the buildings formed suspiciously precise geometric and topological cells.

Hao Xuan's brow continuously furrowed the deeper they went into the city. He couldn't recognize the oddness from the top because of all the wooden structures that were erected in random places since they disrupting the natural flow but being on the ground level allowed him to see a much clearer picture.

There was a lot more to this place than met the eye.

He then directed his attention towards the streets that were filled with numerous unique characters running about different businesses, shops, and what appeared to be even government-controlled offices.

And almost ninety-five percent of the ones he had come across so far were all normal individuals with there rarely being an armed guard walking about.

'This place is weird. Are they not afraid to get attacked? How would they protect themselves if something happened?' he thought inwardly, much like an American visiting any other civilized country.

Far fewer people recognized the princess here and even less tried to talk to her.

They slowly veered towards the eastern side of the city which was relatively close. The buildings were larger here, more sparsely placed with even fewer people. More and more trees started popping up until they outnumbered the stone structures.

It looked like a fight between nature and modernization and nature was winning here.

Some palm trees started to show up with golden sand on the sides of the streets. Running water in the distance and some larger beasts perching here and there.

"Kyuuu~"

The furry panda-like creature hiding within Princess Helena's bosom suddenly popped back up, calling out for something.