Ang stood in the Rainforest Camp, looking up at the towering, densely packed trees, his heart filled with awe for nature. This forest far exceeded his imagination. Both its scale and its complex ecosystem left him feeling curious and reverent. He wandered around the camp and saw many different kinds of trees, but unfortunately, he recognized very few of them. Ang took out the Compendium of Materials he carried with him and flipped through it, only to find that the book contained very little information on these trees. This made him realize that many of the Santa Cruz Rainforest's resources had yet to be systematically researched and classified by the Magic Guild, or perhaps they simply were not suitable as magical materials.
There were not many people in the camp. Many were merely passing through and stopping here briefly. Perhaps because this camp stood at the very edge of the rainforest, those truly venturing deep inside would not spend much time here. Ang noticed a man sitting in a corner, intently sharpening a dagger. His clothes were plain, but he carried the air of someone weathered by hardship.
Driven by curiosity, Ang walked over and asked, "How long have you been here, sir?"
The man looked up at Ang, a trace of confusion in his eyes. Seeing Ang dressed in a magic apprentice's robe, he set down his dagger and casually asked, "A mage?"
"Something like that." Ang smiled. Though he was still only a magic apprentice, he was already confident in himself.
The man's eyes lit up, as though he had spotted a potential business opportunity. "Need a guide? I can take you deep into the rainforest."
Rather than explain his situation right away, Ang asked curiously, "How much does a guide cost?"
The man immediately perked up and