Roy's Gift

In mid-September, the long rainy season in Castleton City finally came to an end.

After attending the temple assembly, Roy didn't go with Jasper to the Black Pearl to enjoy the sunset over Castleton Port. Instead, he slowly walked home along Brown Street.

He's been a bit tired lately, so he's planning to take a day off.

With the Wisdom Holy Grail, baptism in the Side Hall becomes much simpler.

Of course, Roy also received an invitation from the court on Wednesday to attend the trial on Sunday, where the Gray Dwarf Relf and the Blood Elf Yudora would be tried.

Also invited were Captain Danser.Simpson of the Second Brigade of the Seventh Knights Order, Instructor Nora, and his fellow instructors.

Having just gone through his third court hearing, it was a very unpleasant experience for Roy.

Perhaps for every elf who participated in the trial, that experience was not pleasant.

Therefore, Roy felt a deep-seated resistance to the fourth trial.

Of course, since this is the trial of Relf and Madam Yidula, Roy will have to attend the trial no matter what.

He hoped that Captain Relf and Madam Yidula would be imprisoned for life so that they wouldn't come out and cause him trouble after their sentences were served.

So he planned to see Captain Simpson one more time before attending the trial.

They hope he will testify that the two pirates intended to harm Princess Ophelia. If this charge is upheld, the Arbitration Committee will likely choose the maximum sentence for the two pirates.

As Roy passed Mrs. Mrs. Winnie's Potion Shop, Roy waved to the Night Blade Leopard hiding under the bush wall.

The water level in the Da Nei River has finally dropped a little.

The protests by the Half-Elf in the Lower District lasted for a full week. Although normal order had been restored in Castleton Port, a large number of Half-Elf still gathered in Heroes Square to stage a sit-in protest.

The last rays of the sun sank below the surface of the sea, turning the edge of the ocean orange.

On the distant sea, some Flying Fish Boat spread their wings and quickly returned to port.

Roy saw a warm light shining from his yard, and a surge of indescribable joy welled up inside him. He pushed open the yard gate and saw a magic chandelier shining in the living room.

Ms. Belinda was lying on a wicker chair on the terrace, her face covered by a sun hat, wearing a casual sundress, enjoying the cool air on the terrace.

Hearing the creak of the courtyard gate, she suddenly sat up from the wicker chair, her sun hat falling to the side. She gripped the railing of the terrace with both hands, leaned down, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Roy, how have you been these past two weeks?"

Roy could sense her exhaustion; the sculpture project probably hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd hoped.

"I'm still wondering if it's the art-filled Buenos City that makes you want to stay..."

Roy pushed open the door, took off his shoes, and ran into the living room.

Ms. Belinda rushed down the stairs, and just as she was about to pick Roy up like a child and spin him around, she realized that Roy was only half a head shorter than an adult Silver Moon Elf...

Roy brewed a pot of Lemon Tea and poured a glass for Ms. Belinda.

Sit down across the table and say to Ms. Belinda:

"The elves in the Lower District of Castleton City have been protesting against the Elder Council for a week now. Last week, there was a battle at the port, and two pirates were reportedly captured. Everything is normal at the academy, and nothing major has happened on Brown Street."

Belinda, holding the teacup with both hands, asked Roy:

"Should we move to a place closer to the Elf Academy?"

Roy paused slightly, then said, "Actually, the environment here is quite nice. How did things go in Buenos?"

A cloud of worry settled over Ms. Belinda's delicate face as she said dejectedly, "It's not going very well. Although Buenos City has countless Art Gallery of all sizes, it's also full of artists seeking opportunities. Many of them, like me, have to travel around the city every day, promoting their work. Unless the work is particularly eye-catching and doesn't have its own unique style, it's difficult to get noticed by these Art Gallery..."

It's clear that this trip to Buenos had a significant impact on her.

Roy blinked and questioned her:

"So... this is your reason for not wanting to come back after being gone for so long?"

While Ms. Belinda was in a daze, Roy reached out and took one of Belinda hands, saying, "You should have come back sooner and rested at home. If you treat every trip you take as a vacation, you'll probably have a lot of fun!"

Belinda curled her lip and retorted, "Ha! You make it sound so easy."

"That's exactly it! Next... are you going to do your creative work at home?" Roy continued to ask.

Belinda said somewhat unsure of herself:

"Yes, during my trip to Buenos, I met many sculptors who have made great achievements in sculpture. Some of their works gave me a lot of new ideas for my own sculpting, so I'm going to give them a try when I get back."

Roy quickly encouraged him, "That's a good idea."

When she doesn't have to go out to work, Belinda's favorite thing to do is lie in bed and sleep in.

Roy prepared a simple breakfast: a Breadfruit and Lemon Tea, and then hurried off to school.

These past few days, Sabrina has often been waiting by the roadside.

Being able to travel to school with a beautiful elf companion is actually quite enjoyable.

Belinda slept until noon before coming down from the second floor wrapped in a white sheet.

She stood in front of the mirror, ran her fingers through her messy hair, then took a hot shower and changed into a clean, crisp tank top and Lantern Pants.

She sat at the table, enjoying the breakfast Roy had prepared early in the morning.

Then, carrying the Lemon Tea, I went upstairs to the second floor and pushed open the door to the studio opposite the bedroom...

Belinda had expected the studio to be covered in dust, but to her surprise, everything in the studio was neatly arranged.

Even the rusty carving knives left behind before leaving have now been polished to an extremely sharp edge, with a thin layer of grease applied to each knife, and they are neatly arranged in a row according to their length.

On the wooden shelf were two whetstones and a row of glistening stones.

Most of them are Green Jade, with a few pieces of moonstone and hexagonal crystal.

These are all items Roy recently found at the College Back Street Free Market.

Ms. Belinda reached out and picked up a smooth, blue pebble, pressed it against her face, closed her eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her face...

After the martial arts training class ended, Roy was about to go to the third Teaching Building with Klayr when Instructor Nora called him aside.

Instructor Nora pulled Roy to the weapons rack in the Training Ground and stared at Roy, asking:

"Roy, would you be interested in joining my Adventure Group?"

Instructor Nora has a straightforward personality, which is rare among female Silver Moon Elf.

Roy was a little stunned; he hadn't expected to receive an invitation from Instructor Nora, so he said:

"Join your Adventure Group? But I don't know anything about it!"

"Since you are a Novice Priest, do you know Minor Healing?" Instructor Nora asked Roy.

"Yes, I will," Roy replied.

"Do you know Purification Art?" Instructor Nora asked again.

"Yes, we will," Roy replied.

Instructor Nora patted him on the shoulder and said with great satisfaction, "That's enough. Our Adventure Group just happens to be short of a Priest. How about it? Join us!"

"..."

Roy didn't know what to say...

Seeing Roy's hesitation, Instructor Nora thought for a moment and then said:

"Actually, you can also join as a temporary member. We rarely go on adventures. We only go to some Magic Beast Forest to try our luck during holidays."

"If you want to come with us then, just let me know, and you're welcome anytime."

This condition is quite lenient.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Okay!"

"Class is probably about to start, let's hurry!"

Seeing that Roy had agreed, Instructor Nora waved Roy off casually.

Klayr waited nearby.

Seeing Roy running over, he asked him curiously:

"Roy, what did Instructor Nora say to you just now?"

As Roy hurried towards Building No. 3, he said, "He hopes I can join their adventure during the holidays..."

Klayr exclaimed enviously, "Why didn't Instructor Nora ask me for such a good opportunity?"

Saturday has arrived in the blink of an eye.

Ms. Belinda has been locking herself in her second-floor studio for the past few days, busy sculpting new pieces every day.

Roy was worried that this would make her feel depressed, so she took advantage of her free time in the evening to go to the door of Ms. Belinda's studio.

'Knock knock knock...'

I knocked lightly on the studio door, but it wasn't actually closed.

Standing at the entrance, one can immediately see Ms. Belinda standing in front of the workbench in her studio, with a stone in front of her, using a shovel to remove excess stone from the eye sockets of the statue.

Ms. Belinda turned around and saw Roy leaning against the doorway. She put down her shovel and asked him with interest, "What makes you interested in watching me carve?"

Roy walked in, circled the partially completed head, and said with a smile, "I just wanted to take a look!"

Ms. Belinda raised her chin, glanced at the row of sharpened carving knives on the shelf, and said to him:

"... The carving knife is well sharpened."

Roy stood beside the statue, smiling without saying a word.

He looked at a delicate ornament on the shelf: a small boat sailing out to sea, with a child about to jump off.

The exquisite boat is engraved with many intricate openwork patterns.

Roy observed very carefully, but remained silent...

Ms. Belinda, knife in hand, turned and glared at Roy with her beautiful eyes:

"What's up?"

Roy rubbed his nose and said, "Um, Belinda, I have a friend I want to give her a gift..."

"So you're planning to... have me carve a small gift for you?"

Roy chuckled, "Yes."