Moonlight in the City

Roy sat on the granite railing of the bridge, his legs dangling over the edge. The clear waters of the Da Nei River flowed along its straight course into the Endless Sea.

A crescent silver moon hung in the night sky, its snow-like light spilling over the small city.

The streets were quiet, with only the occasional carriage passing by.

This was Castleton Harbour, a natural harbor only two hundred kilometers from Silver Moon King City Buenos.

The distant sound of three-masted sailing ships setting sail rang out, a crisp 'ding-ding-dong', as it was high tide.

The time for ships to leave the harbor was determined by the tides.

It had been almost a year since he came to this world, and he really wasn't a qualified transmigrator.

Roy smiled self-deprecatingly. Others could change their lives by making soap from mutton fat, olive oil from olives, salt from the seaside, or cooking delicious dishes, but what about him...

The level of civilization in this world exceeded Roy's imagination. Magnificent carriages were everywhere on the streets, three-masted sailing ships dozens of meters long were docked in the harbor, and there were airship terminals outside the city, with airships floating beside the towers. This was a world with magic.

Magicians were just a slightly more special profession here. Roy had seen elf magicians in robes on the street more than once.

Roy felt like a country bumpkin, so out of place among the elves in this city.

His mother, Ms. Belinda, was a pure-blooded Silver Moon Elf. She told Roy that his father was a Bard who had wandered here from the other side of the Endless Sea, a place called the Grimm Empire. So he was a half-elf, a mix of elf and human, just one who looked more like a human.

But she almost always said these things after having a little wine, making it impossible for Roy to tell if it was just drunken talk.

Roy didn't think so. He hadn't inherited any elven traits. His body grew quickly, despite regularly drinking Tree of Life sap.

Roy's home was on a long street by the sea in Castleton Harbour, where the Da Nei River flowed under the bridge at the end of the street.

The location was relatively low in the city, in a residential area for commoners. Every time it rained heavily, the water that gathered from higher ground would turn the streets into rushing streams.

The sparkling river water made a tinkling sound, like a cheerful movement being played.

Roy sighed.

Even in a magical elven world, life had to go on.

Roy also wondered if this was all a dream. He had tried to wake himself up in different ways, such as shouting loudly in a crowded square, or challenging Mrs. Winnie, the owner of the potion shop at the end of the street, and her pet Night Blade Leopard...

Now he sat on the railing of the stone bridge at the end of the street, watching the rolling Da Nei River, taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, and stretching out his arms.

'Wake up, Roy.'

Roy, with his arms outstretched, imagined himself as a seagull, and jumped into the cold river...

'Splash'

The moment he fell into the river, Roy felt his brain go blank.

The cold river water enveloped his body, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself still soaking in the river, his feet already touching the soft silt at the bottom. He struggled, swallowed several mouthfuls of river water, and finally climbed onto a flight of steps on the bank before he was exhausted.

This stone platform was where the neighbors usually washed clothes and fetched water. Fortunately, there was no one there at night, or Roy would have been embarrassed.

He gasped for breath, lying weakly on the stone slab.

The wet clothes stuck to his body uncomfortably, and the stone slab was a little cold, but it made him more awake than usual.

Although he had expected it, Roy still felt a little disappointed.

It seemed he really couldn't go back...

"Roy, is that you?"

Beside the railing of the river, an elven woman's head popped out, her ears pointed, a silk scarf wrapped around her head, looking suspiciously at the steps.

"Ah, good evening, Mrs. Jillian!"

Roy recognized the elven woman as his neighbor, Mrs. Jillian, and immediately sat up from the stone steps, perking up to answer.

"Need any help?"

"Oh, no, I wanted to try some night swimming." Roy forced a smile, his Elvish still a little stiff.

"Alright, suit yourself."

Seeing that Roy was still alive and kicking, and didn't seem to be thinking of doing anything foolish, Mrs. Jillian ignored him and pushed her cart towards the dock. It was high tide, and fishing boats would be returning from the sea, and she was going to collect some Spanish Mackerel from the boats.

Ms. Jillian is Roy's neighbor, selling Spanish Mackerel at the port's fish market.

If there's anything Roy finds decent about this city, it's that fish is really cheap. Occasionally, Ms. Jillian would bring home leftover Spanish Mackerel, and if she was in a good mood, she'd even give one to Roy.

The fresh seafood here isn't too fishy. Just a little salt, some pepper, and lemon juice, and the pan-fried flavor is amazing.

The elves here only eat fish and fruit, a very healthy diet. You rarely see a fat elf.

Roy walked down the street, soaked to the bone. The night wind made him shiver. He thought running a few steps would ward off the chill, but his clothes, soaked and clinging to his body, made running extra heavy.

Roy's house was just across the street, a detached two-story wooden building. There was no light in the windows; Ms. Belinda wasn't home yet.

The art gallery had been busy lately. Even when she came home, it was just a quick shower, a change of clothes, a night's sleep, and then she was gone again.

Elves Roy's age are usually still receiving basic education at home, but he already looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old human youth.

Elves live for about eight hundred years, but Roy, being a half-elf, is said to live to three hundred. Even with good care, he probably wouldn't live past four hundred.

For Roy, suddenly realizing he could live for three hundred years was almost like immortality. Life was going to be a long road.

But for Ms. Belinda, the reality she had to face was that Roy's lifespan was less than half that of a normal elf, and he would likely die before her. Every time she thought of this, Ms. Belinda would become melancholic.

Ms. Belinda thought Roy was precocious and could start school earlier than other elves, so she decided to set aside some money to send Roy to school.

The Elf Academy in Castleton values freedom. Students can freely choose their courses. He could start with some less important electives, which would also give Roy something to do.

The elves in this port city live an extremely casual, slow-paced life. Anyway, everyone has plenty of time...

Elves love a free life: fishing, gardening, singing, dancing, listening to music, and attending various gatherings. But living in the city inevitably involves some expenses. The high-level elves know how to enjoy life; only the elves at the bottom need to work.

Ms. Belinda is a sculptor's assistant, working at the art gallery.

When it's quiet, it's very quiet, but when it's busy, she spends almost all day at the art gallery, like now...

Pushing open the door, moonlight streamed in through the windows. Although the corners were dark, he could still see the furnishings in the living room. Against the wall was a wooden square table with only two chairs. The living room floor was covered with a thick sheepskin rug.

The windowsill was filled with flowerpots, blooming with tiny white baby's breath.

To the left of the living room was Roy's room, to the right was the kitchen, and Ms. Belinda's room was on the second floor. The second floor also had a terrace that could be climbed onto the steeply sloped roof. The terrace was also filled with potted plants. In the eyes of the elves, growing flowers cultivates one's taste.

Kicking off his shoes, he walked barefoot around the creamy white wool rug and into the washroom next to the kitchen.

Standing under the shower, he took off his clothes and rinsed off the mud and weeds clinging to his body. He dried himself quickly, needing to conserve water, since carrying water to the roof was a laborious task, a task Roy was always responsible for.

Roy changed into clean clothes, washed the wet clothes in a wooden basin, and hung them to dry on the second-floor terrace.

As he walked onto the second-floor terrace, he saw Ms. Jillian's youngest daughter, Moira, sitting on the opposite terrace with her arms around her knees, lifting her pointed chin to look at the silver moon in the night sky.

She was a half-blood of silver moon elf and night elf, her skin somewhat dark. She had awakened the night elf bloodline talent of Stealth early on, and like other night elves, she was quiet and introverted, disliking communication with others.

But this was the kingdom of the silver moon elves, and many silver moon elves even rejected night elves...

"Moira, why aren't you asleep so late?" Roy asked casually as he hung his clothes on the clothesline.

Moira turned her head, revealing a delicate face. "I slept a bit too much during the day, so I'm not sleepy now. Roy, I heard you're going to school next week?"

"Yeah, Belinda thinks I should go to the academy to learn some knowledge sooner." Roy tugged at the wrinkled corner of his clothes and invited, "Moira, do you want to go together?"

"I... I think I'll wait a bit longer. I'm afraid I won't adapt," Moira said shyly, shrinking her head.

Roy chatted with Moira for a few words before going downstairs back to his room.

Snow-like moonlight fell on the white sheets. Sitting on the bed padded with thick herbs, Roy opened his right hand, his eyes looking at the palm of his right hand. A firefly-like light appeared in his palm. He didn't know what this thing was for.

Feeling his empty wallet, he had saved for a long time to accumulate 76 Kele, thinking:

Only 24 Kele more to gather the cost of the elementary appraisal. Since this is a dream that can't be woken up... or maybe it's not a dream, then I should plan my future life well.

Roy looked at the faint light in his palm, rubbed his brow, and looked out the window at the city.

Snow-like moonlight filled the entire city.

The elves in the city also have high and low status. The nobles live in manors, wear gorgeous clothes, and attend various dances.

Ordinary elves don't live so freely. Half-blood elves and half-elves are the lowest status groups in the city. Half-elves like Roy or mixed-blood elves like Moira are even somewhat discriminated against by other elves.

When the elven nobles give speeches, they always shout about 'freedom and equality,' which in Roy's eyes is all bullshit...

But now that I've come to this world full of fantasy, I have to walk around and see everything.

The book has just been applied for. Now that it has been applied for, then I will do it first as a sign of respect. I am back