In a deep dense forest. A group of three people were going on an adventure. All three of them were equipped with their own set of weapons and tools.

One of them, a young lady with long red hair, red eyes, and slightly dark skin, was wielding a gun and a sword. She wore a red jacket that flowed down to near her feet; her pants were like a flowing fire, and her boots were made of leather. She had a calm and observative expression. She looked like this group's leader.

Another one of them was a man with a black outfit, a brown leather jacket, dark brown pants, and a pair of leather boots. He looks like a middle-aged man and is the oldest of the group. He has slightly dark skin, dark eyes, and short black hair. His body was full of muscles, and he was slightly taller than their leader. He had multiple scars, the most prominent being the one on his right arm. It was a long scar that started from the back of his hand into his shoulder. He wields a sword and seems to be the main attacker of this group.

The last and final member of this group was a young man. He had bright-colored skin akin to that of a noble lady, a bright smile, short brown hair, golden eyes, and a relatively average build. He is equipped with a long wooden-like staff with a small crystal on its very end. The crystal was held by three wooden fingers that were attached to the staff. He wore a black robe that looked to be made of the finest material.

"Sis, where are we going?" The young man said.

"Didn't I tell you already? Sigh. The Secluded Palace." The young lady replied.

"Kid, you really should try to find some memory-increasing spells. You forget things too easily." The middle-aged man advised.

"Oh? I don't think it's that bad." The young man pouted.

"Hahaha, I suppose it isn't. I've seen worse but they're all old people."

"Hmph." The young man pouted.

Rustle.

"Hmm? Stay alert!" The young lady spoke.

"Got it!" The two replied immediately.

Suddenly, a brown bunny jumped out of the bushes. It looked at them for a second before finally leaving.

"Huh? It's just a rabbit huh?" The young man spoke.

"A bunny, that's a young one. But we found a clue from that." The young lady said.

"Huh? You found a clue? How?" The young man was confused.

"Kid, you really need to have a better memory. That bunny is not a native here. There was no bunny in this area before the Secluded Palace was spotted. It's a common conclusion that the Secluded Palace caused bunnies and a multitude of other animals to appear here." The middle-aged man explained.

"That's correct. Unfortunately, we don't have a spell that can track the bunny's footsteps or track. We can try and follow where it came from from its latest footsteps, but it's unlikely to lead to the Secluded Palace." The young lady added.

"Oh, I see..." The young man understood.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

As they continued to move forward. They saw more and more animals, from cows, chickens, pigs, and much more.

"Why are most of the animals farm animals?" The young man asked.

"Hmm? Farm animals? Good observation. We already concluded that these animals probably came from a barn near the Secluded Palace. This means that the Secluded Palace is at least the size of a small village." The young lady said.

"Huh? How did you come to that conclusion and why didn't you two tell me?" The young man was very confused.

"You forgot one of the most important information we have about the Secluded Palace? Sigh. There have been a few sightings of the Secluded Palace; one of them said that they saw a barn. A few also said that the Secluded Palace was incredibly massive, probably the size of a country, but this sighting is not to be fully trusted. We were simply making a guess using this information. Having farm animals running around this forest can be used to say that the barn sighting is real, but we're still skeptical about that. As for the size of the Secluded Palace, we used the information about the barn, and farm animals to make a guess that says that the Secluded Palace has its farm. We made this guess because we used our current information about farm animals and a barn. If there are farm animals and a barn, it would make sense for it to also have a farm. It would make the Secluded Palace a self-sustaining place. We believe the size of it to be at least the size of a small village at the very least since we guessed it having its farm, and it being a palace." She explained.

"Wow... That's a lot to take in... Hmm... That means that the Secluded Palace isn't just a palace but an entire village?! That's big!" The young man said in shock.

"Yes, it is, but comparing it to any noble's land in size, it still loses." The middle-aged man said.

"Why are you even comparing it with a noble's land size? If it's the size of a country for an exaggerated example, it'll win." The young man asked.

"I like comparing things from time to time. Sometimes, I compare those shitty nobles to us lowly peasants." The middle-aged man said.

"I'm very sorry. As a noble, I'd like to help you." The young man said.

"No need kid. Acceptance is something I have learned. Let's continue forward, shall we?" The middle-aged man said as he smiled.

The young man smiled lightly and said, "Yes."

"Let's continue forward." The young lady smiled and walked forward.

...

Days passed by, and they continued to encounter more and more animals. They also encountered other adventurers who were sent to find the Secluded Palace.

Throughout these days, only a few sightings were found, but all of these were proven wrong later on.

As for why anyone would want to lie about a sighting, it's quite simple. Sightings of the Secluded Palace will be rewarded heavily. Since the rewards are so high, the authorities obviously would put more effort into the investigation aspect. And so, no one can make fake sightings. As for why there were people who were stupid enough to give fake sightings, those were just a troublesome bunch wishing to cause problems.

Within these days, the group of three, the young lady, a middle-aged man, and a young man, had been making a steady process of getting to the very core of all this mess.

They were the ones who made a significant breakthrough. They found out that the animals who came from the Secluded Palace weren't attacked by any other animals or monsters. As for why, no one knows.

Deep within the forest. The group of three was getting near something they didn't expect to see so early.

As they moved forward, they saw a huge building, a... palace. The Secluded Palace!

"We finally found it. Let's go." The young lady said with a hint of excitement in her words.

"Haha, let us go!" The middle-aged man laughed in eagerness.

As for the young man, he was happy and excited as he spoke, "Let's make our country proud!"

The young lady and the middle-aged man smiled when they heard him.

"Yes, let us go." The young lady spoke with a small smile.

They moved forward. The path, which was hard to move through, didn't seem like a problem to them. Their determination to see the Secluded Palace overwhelmed all obstacles.

After a walk, which seemed to take an eternity to finish, they stopped in front of a gate.

The gate was huge. It was too small compared to the palace inside, but even then, it was like a giant standing tall, an unmoving gate.

At a closer look, the gate looks divine; it was made of a metal closely resembling iron, yet at one glance, one can understand that it wasn't made of any metal or even any material; it simply is a gate.

The three were in awe of this. Their expectations were completely different. Their expectations were too small compared to what was before them.

"Oh? Why are there people here?" A man wearing a black vest, a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, white gloves, a black tie, and golden-rimmed glasses. He had short black hair, slightly brown skin, a black mustache, and a confused look.

"You are?" The young lady asked in caution as she was woken awake from her awe.

"Me? I am nothing important to speak of. But since you asked, I shall speak. My name is Roland, a mere servant of the twin siblings of Longevity." He spoke politely.

"May I ask who the twin siblings of Longevity are?" The young lady asked more politely this time. She finally regained her composure.

"Yes. Then, to start, they are. Hmm?! Lady, why are you here?" While he was speaking, someone walked in.

"I came here because I found out that a group of three has, well... Found their way here." The lady said. She had long white hair, soft snow-white skin, and deep grey eyes. She wore robe-like clothing with a pinkish flower-patterned design. She was a beauty like no other, she was a divine beauty.

For another time, the group of three was in awe. Who would have thought that a beauty lived in this palace? Maybe someone, but with little information about the Secluded Palace, who would think that it's not a dangerous place? Not a place where a beauty lived.

For another time, the young lady confronted her. She spoke politely as she did with the other man, "Forgive my rudeness, but are you one of the twin siblings of Longevity?"

"Oh? Did he speak of me? Yes, I am. My name is Xiu Ying of Longevity. The owner of this palace. I may not be a king or queen, but I am certainly a figure if you will." She spoke politely yet her words were vague.