The next day, the team set out early in the morning. They had already checked and packed their supplies the night before. Once the sun came up, they finished a quick breakfast and hit the trail.
They left Berg Town and followed a mountain path west, passing through woods overgrown with weeds and shrubs. Before long, they reached the edge of their base camp.
Compared with the peaceful town, the air here felt distinctly different. Even the distant scenery had turned gray and still, like a drawing sketched in pencil.
"This is the place."
Bad Apple, walking at the head of the group, stopped and looked back at everyone. Yan followed close behind him, then came Sylutia, Bona, and Karl.
"The black-and-white parts of the Land of Shadows aren't really there. They only seem to exist. In truth, they're just projections of the Cloud Sea Continent." He gave Sylutia a brief explanation.
"When they gain color, they gradually become real."
"Every time we walk through them, we leave faint traces behind. Once enough traces accumulate, this part of the illusory world can become real."
"But the process takes a very long time. Most people won't live to see it."
"Even if people won't see it, there's still an advantage. If your perception is especially sharp, you can follow these faint traces of color to figure out which route the people who came to this Secret Realm before us took."
"As long as we follow that same main route, we'll be safe. Of course, the downside is that everyone thinks the same way, so there tends to be less to find along those routes."
"This time, we're mainly here to get familiar with the area and help Tia learn the ropes of exploring, so we'll stick to the main path."
Once