Chapter 908: Chapter 907: A New Breeze in Moss Woods
Sunlight penetrated the tall canopy, forming bright beams that crisscrossed through the leaves, scattering dappled light on the forest path covered in fallen leaves. A small, unknown beast suddenly darted out from the bushes, leaving a trail of soft rustling sounds.
A short male gray elf, with gray hair like a child, emerged from the nearby bushes. He wore a brown short-sleeved shirt typical of residents of the Moss Woods Forest Region. On his shoulder was a bag sewn from thick cloth, and by his waist were tools for collecting herbs. The sunlight filtering through the forest fell into his gray eyes, giving them a light shimmer.
With a slight rustling sound, several other gray elves also emerged from the nearby bushes or the path. They gathered together and began checking the day’s harvest.
A gray elf companion approached the short-haired male elf and said casually, "Rupert, I’m moving to the city tomorrow."
The short-haired gray elf opened his eyes wide in surprise, "Why?"
"Haven’t you heard? The clan leader is calling upon the young and physically able tribe members who long for a new life to move to the city," the companion explained. "We have a huge order of alchemical raw materials with the Cecil Empire. Scholars have established large herb farms and distillation facilities around the city. Working in the city is much more respectable than picking fruits and honey in the forest."
"...I’ve heard, but I don’t plan to go. I’ve lived in the forest for most of my life, and I’m not used to the city’s chaotic atmosphere."
"I knew you would say that," another companion walked over and patted the short-haired gray elf on the shoulder, "We’ll miss you—when we have free time, we’ll come to visit you."
"You’re all going as well..."
"We’ve all decided to try our luck—the clan leader has always been wise. We decided to follow her call; perhaps everyone will have a better life."
The companions left one by one, leaving only the short-haired gray elf standing at the forest edge. He stood there bewildered for a while, then moved to the side of the path. The nimble gray elf climbed a large rock, and from this high place, he looked into the distance with a slightly hesitant gaze—
Beyond the dense forest, on the open space at the forest edge, a beautiful city stood quietly by the Windy River. It was Wind Song, the city that the gray elves took pride in.
The diligent gray elves have taken root in the Moss Woods for thousands of years, and this ancient city has taken root here with them. The reforms carried out by the wise Bai Zhi Clan in the past two centuries have rejuvenated the city. The gray elves, originally accustomed to living in peace within the Moss Woods, suddenly realized their innate talent in commerce. The flourishing herb and alchemical crude processing businesses quickly turned Wind Song into the most important commercial hub in the northern parts of the Augari tribal country.
More and more gray elves have changed their ancestral habits, moving from the forest to the city, and traveling throughout the western continent along trade routes. They changed the perception of many people from another race who saw gray elves as a small and fragile race and brought unimaginable wealth to the Moss Woods. Today, Wind Song is more prosperous than ever in history. The new districts are home to merchants and representatives from various races. The gray elf clan leader, Lady Venna Bai Zhi, resides in the city center, leading the land to become wealthier and stronger each day, just like her wise father.
However, not all gray elves have abandoned traditions. In the vast Moss Woods, with its dozens of forests, many gray elves continue to uphold the habit of living reclusively and in harmony with nature. As more roads and towns occupy key points in the forests and as trade routes to the human world are established through the jungles, these tradition-keeping gray elves gradually become like hermits of modern society, an anomaly in the course of civilization, continuing their past lifestyle... and increasingly out of place.
"Maybe... it’s time to step out of the forest..."
...
A tall Red Valley messenger came along the main road by the Windy River, entering the city before noon.
The familiar cityscape relaxed the messenger’s mood. He wore a tunic with the Bai Zhi Clan’s emblem, leading a horse through the bustling southern market of Wind Song. Merchants of various dialects shouted their wares, colorful flags flapped in the breeze, lining the prosperous streets.
The short-statured gray elves were everywhere, mingling with tall beastmen, Red Valley people, humans, and even dwarves and fairies. In this market primarily for small and medium-sized herb trades, merchants from all over inquired about prices, calculating for tomorrow, competing with each other under the rules while generously and stingily playing with each copper coin in their pockets.
The messenger crossed the market’s busiest section. A team of soldiers walked past the market’s end, their shiny armor and powerful mechanical crossbows making these short warriors appear formidable.
A wagon that entered the city in the morning was being stopped and questioned by several merchants. The wagon bore the Cecil emblem. A human merchant with a strong accent stood in front of the wagon, bragging about his experiences on this long trade route with a beaming face. The laborers busy at the back of the wagon animatedly shared a crude joke in a fast-paced eastern dialect that made it hard to hear, eliciting laughter from others.
A gray elf merchant was peddling odd pieces of fabric at the market’s end, machine-woven from Typhon and transported by the Cecil’s Magic-guided Train across thousands of miles—while bulk transactions were controlled by upstream merchants, scattered goods could still reach the hands of small merchants.
A few short and stocky dwarves gathered at the fabric stall. They pinched the simple and cheap-looking fabric, one dwarf frowning, but his companion, tempted by the low price, began haggling with the merchant.
The messenger traversed the lively and almost noisy street, heading towards the leader’s longhouse. He passed the square in front of the longhouse, observing the largest square in Wind Song City where construction was underway. A group of workers, composed of humans and gray elves, were busy there, and a massive crystal device had already been erected. The metal base beneath the crystal device gleamed in the sunlight, and rune triggers awaiting assembly could be seen all over the ground.
Curious children chattered and clamored along the square’s edge, joined by many gathered citizens. Several tall beastmen mercenaries, their bodies covered in hair resembling tigers or some feline-human hybrid, strong fighters with intimidating chopping axes, could only offer helpless smiles at the enthusiastic citizens while maintaining order together with the square’s guardians.
The leader’s longhouse stood on the opposite side of the square, its tall sentinel towers and balconies draped with the flag of the tribal country of Augari. The messenger crossed the square, glancing at the nearly completed crystal device not far away with a curious gaze.
A low yet somewhat gentle voice came from beside him, "The magic obelisk brought by the Cecil people—it’s said that once this item is set up, most of Wind Song City will have bright magic crystal street lamps, and there won’t be any more worry of the old streets in the city’s west catching fire from toppled lanterns."
The messenger turned towards the voice, seeing a female beastmen warrior speaking to him. She had feline eyes, ears, fur, and even a tail, yet with obvious feminine characteristics in her face and physique—this dissonant and rough appearance was considered beautiful among beastmen.
"Lady Morelina, I’ve brought letters from the east," the messenger smiled, "cross-national letters."
The female beastmen perhaps smiled slightly, her sharp teeth glinting. She raised her hand, pointing towards the leader’s longhouse, "May the ancestors protect you, Todd— the chief is inside. She has been waiting for these letters for a long time."
The messenger expressed his thanks, crossed the edge of the square past the soldiers, traversed the slope between the longhouse and the square, and reached the longhouse entrance, where servants were already waiting to lead him inside.
Walking through the long corridor to the lord’s reception room on the second floor, he came face to face with the gray elf leader, Venna Baizhi — sunlight was streaming in through a row of diamond-shaped narrow windows on the wall, casting patches of light and shadow across the room’s furnishings. The wooden desk, cabinets, armchairs, and shelves appeared a size smaller than the furniture typically used by humans. The petite female gray elf, who appeared as a child-like figure, sat in a high-backed chair that was still quite large for her. She smiled at the messenger, "Todd, I’ve been expecting you for a long time — I thought you would have taken the train transporting alchemical potions back yesterday."
"Apologies, I was slightly delayed while handling the customs papers in Sherlin City. The Cecil Clan is adjusting their Administrative Office work processes, and the clerks there are still not very skilled," the messenger lowered his head, then took out a large bundle of thick items from his person and handed it to the gray elf chief, "Here are the letters you’ve been waiting for."
"I wasn’t truly blaming you — compared to a few years ago, the speed at which letters are delivered from the human world to Moss Woods has significantly improved," Venna laughed softly, took the package, weighed it in her hand, and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, "Ah... that child still writes so much..."
The messenger couldn’t suppress a smile, "The young lady is adept at expressing her feelings in writing."
"Since you’ve just come from there, tell me — is Melita doing well in Cecil City?" Venna blinked, not eager to open the thick stack of letters, "Has she adapted to life in the human world?"
"From what I’ve seen, she’s living as well there as she did in Wind Song," the messenger nodded, "Rather than saying she adapted to life in the human world, it’s more accurate to say that the Cecil Clan has truly achieved their attitude of treating people of another race with equal respect — Cecil Castle is even friendlier than I imagined. Many people from different races and countries visit that city, even including those from the Typhon Empire, with whom Cecil theoretically has tense relations. All sorts of races are gathered there, just like the scenes at the market in Wind Song City, and everyone lives well without facing trouble due to race or habits.
"Of course, the laws there also treat everyone equally — even elves or Dragonborn, who are viewed as honored guests and allies by the Cecil Clan, would be imprisoned if they broke the law. In some ways, this gives us more assurance regarding the young lady’s safety — she’s always been a child who respects the law and proper conduct."
The messenger analyzed these matters with such calmness and clarity, suggesting that his role here was far more than just that of a "messenger."
"Dragonborn?" Venna raised an eyebrow, "We did receive news of diplomatic relations between the Cecil Empire and the Sacred Dragon Kingdom... but I didn’t expect those secluded Dragonborn to venture out from the mountains so quickly. I thought it would be at least until next year before a real Dragonborn visitor appeared in the cities of the Cecil Clan."
"We once tried to knock on the door between the mountains of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom, but always failed due to the long journey and differing customs. Now it seems the Cecil merchants are indeed more skillful at ’knocking,’ " Todd said. "From what I’ve observed, not all Dragonborn are closed-minded or conservative. At least those living in Cecil Castle appear no different from ordinary people — and they seem to get along well with the Cecil Clan. Let me think... they even have a very interesting greeting with their Cecil friends..."
The "messenger" paused to recall, stretched out his hand, and gestured, "Oh, it’s like this, raising a hand as if holding a wine glass, then shouting: ’Friend! Frost Resistance Potion! Glug, glug, glug!’ and finally, make the gesture of drinking it all in one gulp..."
"This..." Venna Baizhi was dumbfounded by Todd’s depiction, then after a long moment, she shook her head in confusion, "The customs of the Dragonborn are truly incomprehensible... No wonder they can survive in such cold places."
She then looked up, "But these details are not important. The key now is that we have a chance to do business with those Dragonborn — perhaps I need to discuss this matter with Schwarzk. Go notify him to come over in the evening."
"Yes, Chief."
The messenger Todd left the room, and only then did Venna Baizhi turn her gaze to the thick package of letters. After staring at them for a good while, the gray elf chief finally reached out and sighed longingly, "Ah... after all, she is my own child... It would be wonderful when the Magic Web signal from the Cecil Empire finally connects..."
The first letter was extracted and opened, elegant handwriting greeted Venna’s eyes:
"Mother, I have been living in Cecil City for a while, and it truly is an incredible city..."
...
"Truly an unbelievable life adventure..."
Gawain placed down the thick ancient book in his hand, unable to resist rubbing his eyes and softly murmuring to himself.
Over the past few days, he had spent nearly all his available time studying this ancient tome, and now had finally finished reading about Modir Vealt’s adventures.
He gained a great deal of knowledge lost to history, and the map hanging in his study now bore many new marks of varying significance.
After several days of reading, the foremost thought he wanted to express was this exclamation.
Modir Vealt... truly deserves to be called the greatest adventurer in this world, probably with no one else worthy of comparison.
The message to the northern parts of the Dark Mountain Range had already been sent, and Victoria Wilder was informed about the recovery of the family’s lost treasure. Besides expressing surprise and gratitude, she also mentioned she would take the book when she arrived in the imperial capital before winter. Until then, the book would remain under Gawain’s care for a while.
This book was certainly to be returned to the Wilder Clan — Gawain had no intention of keeping it for himself. After all, the most important content in the book was the knowledge it contained, which could be replicated. The precious original should return to its owner, carrying the owner’s memory of a past associate.
But before Victoria comes to the imperial capital, before returning the book, Gawain felt it necessary to consult someone about the details mentioned in the book.
After easing the weariness caused by extended reading behind his desk, Gawain raised his hand and glanced at the Mithril Ring on his finger.
It had been some time since he last chatted with that lady referred to as My Little Pony... I wonder if she’s interested in Modir Vealt’s adventure records...
