101: Former Glory
Klayr spent the whole day practicing sketching, recording every corner of Ellington Castle in his sketchbook.
His painting skills are not bad; at least the lines in the sketchbook can depict the appearance of the castle, brick by brick, or a roof with blue sky and white clouds.
The two had considered leaving the castle the next day, but upon reflection, it seemed that Count Amy hadn't made any threatening moves against them after learning they were both elves.
This is the most beautiful place in the entire valley...
Seeing Klayr use large swaths of black graffiti and fine outlines to depict the Bread Tree, the black and white color scheme really does have a certain charm, like life and death intertwined.
While Klayr was engrossed in painting, Roy took a walk in the small square.
There are many elf students in this small square. Some newcomers will stop here for a while to learn about the area before looking for a campsite.
No expedition team would stay in the main building of the castle; even the first-floor hall was empty.
Roy also saw Half-Elf selling berries and Breadfruit at a stall in the small square, marveling at how merchants really were everywhere...
The small Stone Sculpture basin in the middle of the square, I don't know who cleaned it, still has a steady stream of clean water flowing out of it. The excess water flows out of the castle through a very inconspicuous waterway in the square.
Just as Roy was curiously looking at the Stone Sculpture basin, he happened to see Edith and several elven girls strolling around the small square.
Their eyes met across the Stone Sculpture basin.
Edith stepped confidently out from among the elven girls, stood smiling in front of Roy, and said:
"Every year this place becomes like this, suddenly very lively. Occasionally, a temporary Free Market will form here, and almost all the students who are doing outdoor practical courses in the Malaga Jungle will come here to exchange resources."
Roy said to Edith, "Thank you so much this time. If you hadn't introduced this castle to us, we would only have thought that the ruins were magnificent based on our limited understanding. We would never have had such a detailed understanding of this castle."
"There's no need to thank me. You're a member of Sixteenth Team, so it's only natural that we explore the castle together." Edith's smile was very sweet.
She walked up to Roy, and the two of them slowly walked forward along the drain.
"Roy, I heard you know Princess Ophelia?" Edith glanced at Roy with her large blue eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Roy explained, "Actually, it was Her Main Hall who did me a great favor. At that time..."
After Roy recounted his experience at the harbor that night, Edith smiled and said, "Oh, I see. You're lucky, you also have a good friend."
"Yes," Roy replied. By this time, the two had reached the edge of the small square. In front of them was a densely populated residential area inside the castle. Although most of the roofs had collapsed, the rooms were almost all intact, and the stone beds inside had not collapsed.
Roy exclaimed, "This castle is huge. There must have been many Silver Moon Elf living here back then."
Edith, her hands gripping the railings surrounding the small square, pointed into the distance with sparkling eyes and said, "Of course, besides the elves in the castle, there's also the garrison of the Seventeenth Silver Pegasus Legion across the street."
Every time Ellington Castle was mentioned, her eyes would become very eager, showing how much she admired Countess Amelia.
Edith braced herself on the railing with both arms, her body displaying a graceful curve.
However, the image of Sabrina's long, white legs suddenly flashed into Roy's mind, instantly bringing him to his senses. He followed Edith's gaze and looked into the distance.
Edith continued, "When my grandmother founded Castleton City, she felt that Castleton was a bit far from Ellington, but Castleton had a natural harbor, so a port city had to be built there."
"But at that time Ellington Castle was the residence of the Silver Moon Elf. It was close to the Malaga Jungle, which was rich in resources. With Ellington Castle there, the Silver Moon Elf had a limited population, which led to the slow development of Castleton City. And Castleton Harbour was very important to us."
"My grandmother went to great lengths to get the Silver Moon Elf to move to Castleton City."
Edith frowned, gesturing around the castle with her finger, and said, "You see, Ellington Castle is only this big. Even if you moved all the Silver Moon Elf from Ellington Castle to Castleton, Castleton would only be a small town at best. To become a harbor city, a city's development depends on its population..."
"As a newly emerging city in the Silver Moon Kingdom, this place embodies the hard work and sacrifices of countless Silver Moon Elf —all for the sake of Silvermoon!"
Roy rarely had any contact with these things. In his previous life, he mostly fished by the sea. Now, he had become an Novice Priest and was learning divine magic every day...
He never even considered how Castleton City was built.
But now, hearing Edith mention these things, I asked with some curiosity:
"Could you tell me about Countess Amelia? I'm very curious about her legendary life. I imagine she spent the first half of her life under the rule of the Elven Dynasty!"
Clearly, this was a question Edith was extremely willing to answer.
She narrowed her beautiful eyes, glanced back at the main building of the castle, and then said:
"Well, to be precise, she spent most of her life in the Elven Dynasty. During the reign of the Elf King, my grandmother was an elder of the Silver Moon Elf in the Malaga Jungle. The entire Malaga Jungle, including the Da Nei River basin and the 500-kilometer-long coastline here, belonged to the Ellington Family."
"At that time, the Elven Dynasty was facing irreconcilable conflicts. The three races of Silver Moon Elf, Dark Moon Elf, and Wood Elf had reached the point of war due to power struggles. The last Elf King was a member of the Wood Elf royal family. He poured most of the Elven World's resources into Darnassus and constantly squeezed the Silver Moon Elf and Dark Moon Elf' territories for their produce. This move directly caused great dissatisfaction among the Silver Moon Elf and Dark Moon Elf."
"At that time, the Naga Sea Clan of the Endless Sea wanted to occupy all the islands outside the Elf Continent, but the Elf King was unwilling to send troops to fight the sea race."
"It wasn't until the Naga Sea Clan's Naga legion appeared at St. Margaret Port on the edge of the Eternal Night Forest, the home of the Dark Moon Elf, that the internal conflicts within the Elven Dynasty truly erupted. The Silver Moon Elf and Dark Moon Elf Elves migrated out of Darnassus en masse; the Silver Moon Elf returned to Buenos, while the Dark Moon Elves returned to Neuhaus in the Eternal Night Forest."
"The Silver Moon Elf possessed the most powerful Unicorn Legion and Silver Pegasus Legion of the Elven race at that time. The Wood Elf had Treant Legion of nearly one million stationed in Darnassus. The Dark Moon Elf ' Specter Leopard Assassin Legion and Phantom Archer Legion retreated to the Eternal Night Forest to resist the invasion of the Orc Tribe from the Eastern Continent. Even now, the main force of the Silver Moon Dynasty's Unicorn Legion is still stationed in the Mist Canyon area of Eternal Night Forest."
Roy felt a little dizzy after hearing what Edith said. Weren't we supposed to be talking about Countess Amelia's glorious life? How did we end up talking about the division of the Elven Dynasty?
Edith squinted and continued, "Grandmother actually opposed the division of the Elven Dynasty, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't save the Elven Dynasty from its eventual decline."
Edith continued, her eyes clearly showing a longing for the past:
"For a time, my grandmother even fell into a state of self-doubt. It was during that time that she wandered the world on her Silver Pegasus. Only after she returned to Ellington Castle did she finally decide to build Castleton City."
"At that time, Castleton City was underpopulated, so she attracted many Half-Elf who had been exiled. She helped the Half-Elf build the Lower District of Castleton City, giving them a place to settle down. It was the arrival of the Half-Elf that allowed Castleton City to gradually develop..."
Edith said a lot to Roy.
Roy discovered that Countess Amelia's life was truly extraordinary. However, even with such a illustrious life, she became a ghost in Ellington Castle after her death, which left him somewhat puzzled.
Edith didn't say goodbye to Roy until Edith female companions called out to her from afar.
Roy wandered around the castle some more, but unfortunately every suitable campsite was already occupied by tents, preventing Roy from moving around freely.
Under the cover of night, Klayr ran over again to have Roy light the Divine Light...
Under the soft light, he took out his notebook and used his paintbrush to record the beautiful starry sky over Ellington Castle.
"Roy, do you know what Edith's dream is?"
Klayr put down her paintbrush and turned to Roy, asking him a question.
Roy was completely confused by the question, "I'm not sure... what's wrong?"
Klayr leaned close to Roy's ear and whispered to Roy:
"In the noble circles of Castleton City, almost all the young elves know that her ideal is to Princess Ophelia Ophelia's guard. She is very optimistic about Princess Ophelia's future. Once Princess Ophelia is able to take over the Silver Moon Kingdom and become the second Elf Queen of the Silver Moon Kingdom, her status will rise accordingly and she will restore the glory of the Ellington Family in the past."
"How do you know all this?" Roy asked in a low voice.
Klayr spread her hands helplessly and said, "Among those fools who foolishly pursue Edith, there are some young elves from the Klayr family."
"It's not you, is it?" Roy asked with a smile.
Klayr rolled her eyes and said, "If that were the case, do you think she would let me join the expedition?"
Roy looked at Klayr: "So what you wanted to tell me was...?"
Klayr continued in a low voice, "I saw you two in the square this afternoon, so my advice to you is... bro, calm down, just find a Silver Moon Elf girl who's easier to pursue, this one really isn't for you."
"I understand, thank you for your advice."
Roy responded.