From the air, the city looked as though it were being swallowed by greenery.
Vines covered the walls built from massive timbers. Many rooftops had been layered with soil and planted with fruit-bearing shrubs, while ancient trees several meters in diameter stood throughout the city.
Stone-paved roads wound around those enormous trees, which were too difficult to fell. Weeds and small flowers sprouted between the paving stones and had to be cleared every few days; otherwise, the roads would disappear beneath the greenery within a month.
"Doesn't it look a little different from what you imagined?" Nadia asked with a smile as the Airship descended.
"It does," Altaïr replied, drawing his gaze away from the giant trees below. "We spent some time in Metapetatto City.
"That was a jungle city too, but the jungle only surrounded it. Inside, it wasn't much different from any other city.
"Here, though... it feels as if the city itself has merged with the jungle."
"Exactly. Cities like Metapetatto are far more common, nestled against forested mountains and facing the sea.
"That allows them to make efficient use of resources from both forest and sea while maintaining convenient trade and transport links. More importantly, Monsters from deep within the jungle almost never attack them.
"Many cities were founded in similar locations. Minegarde, Geo Wandreo, and even Dundorma all follow the same pattern."
She paused and gazed toward the green city ahead. "Grom-Baum is an unusual case. It is more like an experiment.
"An attempt to see whether humanity can coexist more closely with nature.
"So far, the people of Grom-Baum have managed quite well. The city is more vulnerable to Monster attacks than most, and transportation is somewhat more difficult.
"Overall, however, life here is peaceful and prosperous. Goods from deep within the Telos Jungle are their signature exports and are always in high demand. The city is also a popular tourist destination.
"Incidentally, Grom-Baum has produced many excellent Gunners."
"So it's a lot like Loc Lac, right?" Isis tilted her head. "One lies in the middle of a sand sea, while the other is deep in the jungle.
"One has sand everywhere, and the other has leaves everywhere!"
"You've grasped the essence of both places." Nadia smiled at her. "The two cities represent humanity's hope of living in harmony with nature.
"One coexists with the forest, and the other with the desert."
Sajji, sprawled across Altaïr's shoulder, twitched his ears. "This place still seems better, meow. Open your mouth in Loc Lac and you get a mouthful of sand, meow."
Kral laughed. "People from Grom-Baum say much the same when they visit Loc Lac: 'Loc Lac is better. At least mold doesn't grow on everything there.'"
The Hunters turned to look at Kral.
He adjusted his glasses somewhat awkwardly. "Well... I come here fairly often because of the research team's work.
"Grom-Baum is beautiful, but adapting to life here isn't easy.
"You wake up with a stiff neck, move your pillow, and find two pill bugs the size of your palm. You open your field notes and discover a mushroom growing between the pages... that sort of thing."
Sajji blinked. "That sounds pretty good, meow. Both are food, meow."
Altaïr patted Sajji on the head.
He was the only one present who could follow Sajji's train of thought. As a former wild Felyne who had once struggled to survive in the sand sea, Sajji would put anything that moved into his mouth.
Just as the atmosphere grew slightly awkward, the Airship touched down.
—--
They descended the gangplank one by one.
Already familiar with the city, Kral was about to lead the Hunters toward the Gathering Hall when a figure leaped down from a large tree beside the road and trotted over to them.
She was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen wearing light armor. It was crafted from Velociprey leather and a small amount of metal, but it was not the standard Velociprey Armor Set. It was lighter overall and better suited to agile movement.
"Excuse me, are you the High Rank Hunters sent by Guild headquarters?" she asked.
Her expression was tense as she tried to appear formal and serious, but the faint trembling of her eyelids betrayed her nervousness.
"We are," Nadia replied with a gentle smile.
The young woman quickly straightened. "I'm Tala, a member of the Forest Patrol. Guild Master Ota instructed me to wait here for you.
"Grom-Baum's roads are rather winding, and even locals sometimes get lost. Guild Master Ota asked me to guide you."
"That's true. Roads in other cities are generally straight and laid out in a grid, but these twist and turn. The first time I came here, I wandered around for ages without finding my way back to my lodging," Kral muttered.
Isis's gaze settled on the wooden weapon strapped across Tala's back. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Is that a Bowgun?"
Following Isis's gaze, Tala glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, no. This isn't a Hunter's Bowgun. It's a giant crossbow."
She drew a metal bolt from the quiver at her waist. It was as thick as a finger, slightly longer than a forearm, and had no fletching. "This is what it fires. It isn't as powerful as a Hunter's Bowgun, but it's lighter and safer."
Kral explained, "The Forest Patrol is a city defense force established jointly by the Grom-Baum Guild and the local government two years ago.
"Most of its members are apprentice Hunters who received Hunter training but failed the final examination, though it also includes some ordinary soldiers. They generally wield these easy-to-operate giant crossbows.
"Their regular duties include maintaining order within the city and dealing with any small Monsters that wander inside."
Altaïr exchanged a glance with Sajji, who still lay across his shoulder.
Wasn't this basically the Loc Lac Rangers?
Nadia saw through their thoughts and smiled. "Grom-Baum's Forest Patrol was modeled after the Loc Lac Rangers.
"Don't underestimate that giant crossbow. I tried one once, and its accuracy was quite impressive."
Sajji stared at the bolt in Tala's hand. "But isn't it a little too weak, meow? Even if it struck a Velociprey's vital point, it would probably take quite a few hits to kill one, meow."
(Even an ordinary Velociprey is fairly large. Encountering one in person would be terrifying.)
Tala tugged at the giant crossbow's strap and explained, "Grom-Baum's outer walls are extremely sturdy, so Monsters like Velociprey rarely make it inside.
"The real trouble comes from large insects like Vespoid and Bnahabra. We see plenty of them every day.
"This type of crossbow was designed specifically to deal with Vespoid. A shot to the torso kills one instantly, but unlike a Bowgun, it isn't powerful enough to damage buildings or injure civilians by accident."
"So it's mainly meant for Vespoid. That makes sense." Altaïr nodded in understanding.
This showed that the Forest Patrol had not simply copied the Loc Lac Rangers; it had adapted their methods to local needs.
By contrast, such a crossbow would be useless in Loc Lac. Nothing as fragile as a Vespoid flew through its skies. There, they had Remobra...
Tala led the group through Grom-Baum's winding streets.
With timber so readily available, stone buildings were relatively rare in the forest city, and most structures were made of wood.
The climate was clearly ideal for plant growth. Altaïr even saw fresh shoots sprouting from the roof beams of several houses...
Perhaps because of the risk of fire, a dense network of waterways ran through the city, with partially covered canals visible beside almost every road.
No wonder there were so many Vespoid. With trees, water, and the warmth and scents produced by human activity, it would have been stranger if they did not gather here in droves.
After weaving through the streets for about ten minutes, they finally arrived before a massive wooden building.
The Hunters entering and leaving, along with the emblem displayed above the entrance, made it clear that this was Grom-Baum's Gathering Hall.
Just as Altaïr and the others were about to push open the door, an unsettling buzz reached their ears.
Almost on reflex, Tala spun around and raised her giant crossbow. She hauled back the lever built into the weapon to cock it, then pulled the trigger without appearing to aim. A finger-thick iron bolt shot out.
The shaft thrummed as it pinned a passing Vespoid to the Gathering Hall's gatepost.
Lowering her giant crossbow, Tala gave them a shy smile. "Welcome to Grom-Baum."
Nadia leaned slightly toward Altaïr and Isis and murmured, "Now you know why Grom-Baum produces so many Gunners, don't you?"
* * *
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