ʕ•̫•ʔ---Seventh

I turned back to Usumgallu. "You said this place is some kind of connection realm, so—"

"No. You're wrong," Usumgallu interrupted briskly. "This place is not part of the Forest of Forgotten Tales."

"Huh? It's not?"

"This place is the center of all realms." He paused, watching my face twist in confusion before sighing. "If you need a proper explanation, visit the Early Knowledge Book Mall."

His tone was flat, his expression less than impressed.

I could tell Usumgallu thought I was an incompetent owner—and honestly, I didn't blame him. I had been thrown into this "Owner of Realms" status without so much as a manual.

But right now, my priority was finding a way out of this place—and more importantly, gathering clues about the missing creatures. 

If my hunch was correct, they had either gotten lost… ended up like Amaterasu, or worse, drained dry in ruins and have no idea what happened. 

I shoved that unsettling thought aside.