Join Rufus, your tour guide, on an expedition through eight lands of Neopia!

Neopets: The Ultimate Field Guide

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Chapter One

Neopia Central

Rufus here at the heart of Neopia Central! This bustling metropolis is the hub of Neopian life. Filled with a variety of shops and many colorful citizens, it's the perfect place to find anything and everything we'll need for our expedition. That's right, Dear Traveler, rule #1 in Percival T. Wanderwart's Guide to Modern Adventuring is: If you plan to make a start, buy supplies and look the part.

Who's Percival T. Wander-wart, you ask? Why, only the boldest of adventurers and, of course, my grandfather. Granddad took me on my very first expedition when I was just a young Mynci lad. If it weren't for old "PT" as they called him, I wouldn't be half the guide that I am today.

Following Granddad's sound advice, I've put together a list of supplies that we're sure to need on our journey. I like to refer to it as my "Before You Explore Checklist."

The first item on the list is a copy of The Neopian Times. The Times is Neopia's weekly newspaper and an essential tool for any explorer. With its exciting articles, editorials, and comics, it's the perfect way to learn about the different lands of Neopia.

The Neopian Times keeps me up-to-date on current events. Why, just the other day I read a particularly useful article about sightings of a Snow Beast on Terror Mountain. Snow Beasts may sound horrible, but they're absolutely fascinating creatures, I assure you. If we're lucky we might just see one in our travels!

Forgive me, Fellow Explorer, I'm getting ahead of myself. As your guide, it's my duty to introduce you to the very best that Neopia has to offer. I've found it helpful to organize that information into the following four categories: What to Know, Where to Go, What to Do, and Who Are You?. These categories are bound to make things easier as we track down the items on our checklist.

What to Know

Neopia Central couldn't have a more appropriate name. It's quite simply the center of all things Neopian! Need a lemon and guacamole hot dog? How about a zombom mug? You're sure to find it here. The town is also home to the Neopian Bazaar, the Neopian Plaza, and the Marketplace. Each area has its own unique set of shops. Nearly anything you can possibly imagine is sold here!

In addition, you'll find everything you need for the daily business of living. You can open up a bank account at the Neopian National Bank, buy stamps at the Neopian Post Office, or purchase a remedy for an itchy case of NeoMites at the Neopian Pharmacy. The locals are quite friendly and always willing to serve.

Where to Go

So many shops, so little time! Let's get cracking on our checklist, shall we? The sooner we collect our items, the sooner we're off to explore the wilds of Neopia!

Art Centre: Neopia's Art and Literature Centre is located beneath the busy streets of the main town in a series of dark and ancient tunnels known as catacombs. No one knows how the catacombs came to exist, though it's rumored that they were once a burial place for some of Neopia's more famous historical figures like Solvang the Butter Grarrl and Thomas a Crumpet. Together these two opened one of Neopia's first bakeries, though it's hard to imagine a Grarrl with enough willpower to keep from devouring all his pastries.

But I digress; these days the Art Centre draws artists from all over Neopia—no pun intended. They gather here to participate in poetry and storytelling contests and wander through the local art gallery. It's here that we can pick up item #1 on our list, The Neopian Times, available for free in this cozy little cave of literature and learning. Got it? Good. Just roll it up there and put it in my pack, will you? Splendid!

Art Gallery: A quick visit to the Art Gallery will provide us with another item on our list: Neopian Portraits. It may seem a bit odd to carry portraits along on an expedition such as this, but rule #27 in Percival T. Wanderwart's Guide to Modern Adventuring is: To get right to a culture's heart, learn about it through its art. There are fifty-four different kinds of inhabitants in Neopia, and with a portrait of each you'll learn to identify them on our journey.

How are we going to carry fifty-four portraits, you ask? It's simple really; just stick them in my rucksack. Of course there's room! The sack is rather enchanted, I'm afraid. It was given to me by one of the Tyrannian elders years ago. It's quite bottomless, but somehow manages to keep its small size. Now, onward, I say!

The Magic Shop: This quaint little shop is run by a wizard named Kauvara. She took over the business when the old shopkeeper left under a cloud of suspicion. Rumor has it that he was selling fake items without the least bit of magic in them! Kauvara, on the other hand, has spent years studying the art of magical brewing. You can be certain that anything you buy from her is 100 percent magical, whether it's a Stream of Light Potion or a Potion of Concealment. Let's purchase the third item on our list, Flying Potion, shall we?

The Bookshop: The bookshop is easy to spot—it's shaped like a giant book! The friendly Nimmo shopkeeper stocks all kinds of titles, from The Loveliest Uni to Snot My Fault. Old Percival always said that reading improves one's intelligence. I've read quite a few books myself and was even awarded the Neopian Book Award, given to those Neopians who've read the most books! But enough about me, let's buy the second item on our list: 1002 Spells for You.

Excerpted from Neopets: The Ultimate Field Guideby Vivian LaRue Copyright © 2008 by Vivian LaRue. Excerpted by permission.
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