The Sea's Gifts

Blue sky, white birds.

Only where sea and sky met were there wisps of faint clouds, like smoke or mist...

At high tide, the reef zone here was almost completely submerged. Only at low tide did it emerge above the sea surface. As a result, the reefs were packed with oysters and mussels. Elves did not like shellfish, so the reefs along the shore had practically been claimed by oysters.

Every so often, Roy had to clear away the shellfish growing around his fishing spot. But this was a reef zone with abundant shellfish, so there were plenty of fish hiding in the cracks between the rocks.

Aside from being careful not to snag the hook on the bottom, this was practically the perfect fishing spot.

The wind was rather strong, and the tide had not yet risen, but wave after wave crashed against the coastal rocks, bursting into countless splashes and bubbles. Fine droplets of seawater drifted away on the wind, filling the entire Coastline with the scent of the sea.

Roy threaded a piece of Sand Worm onto his hook and used both hands to cast his line into a relatively narrow stretch of sea beneath the reefs. Whenever waves surged through the narrow cracks in the rocks, they flowed back out again a moment later.

During a spring tide, one could see that this dark pool, enclosed by surrounding rocks and only a dozen or so square meters in size, contained some entirely black sea bream.

When preparing fish dishes, elves preferred to skin the fish, remove the flesh from the backbone, marinate it in salt and pepper for a while, then fry it in oil before drizzling it with prepared sauce. However, they preferred fish with fewer bones, as that made cooking much less troublesome.

This kind of Black Sea Bream was rather troublesome to prepare. At the market by the dock, only two fish shops were willing to buy it.

Sometimes, Roy would set his bucket outside the Fish Market and sell to elves who came to buy fish. But those elves were rather picky, so Roy would usually rather earn a little less and take the fish directly to the fish shop, where he could go anytime.

In just one morning, Roy caught half a bucket of fish. Aside from several Black Sea Bream, there was also a beautifully patterned Three-Knife Fish. Roy planned to steam that Three-Knife Fish for dinner.

As noon approached, the tide began to rise again. The sea came crashing in wave after wave, constantly striking the reef Rock Wall and gradually swallowing the reef zone.

Roy knew that if he did not leave now, wading out after the water rose would be extremely troublesome. Sharp shell fragments were everywhere here.

So he packed up his fishing rod, lifted the heavy bucket, carefully climbed down from the reefs, and walked across the soft beach toward the Fish Market at the dock.

Castleton Harbour's dock was not particularly large. Along its less than three hundred meters of wharf, rows upon rows of fishing boats of all sizes were moored. Some were wooden boats that could only fish close to shore, while others were sailing ships capable of reaching more distant waters.

Standing out starkly among these fishing boats were the large sailing ships docked in the deep-water area. Most of these Three-Masted Sailboats were merchant vessels.

They brought Dalierduo's spices and gemstones from the south, as well as all kinds of Magic Herbs and delicious mushrooms from the Eternal Night Forest in the north.

The entire Elf Continent was divided among three powers. A group of Wood Elves occupied the vast southern lands. They worshipped the Child of Nature, and most Wood Elves lived upon a gigantic World Tree. It was said that the Tree Canopy of that great tree was itself an immensely prosperous city.

The central region held the largest territory, and it was the domain of the Silver Moon Elves. The Silver Moon Elves had always believed their branch to be the royal bloodline of all elves, though the other two elven races did not recognize this claim.

The Eternal Night Forest in the north had always been the territory of the Dark Moon Elves. They were accustomed to living in darkness, and many assassins came from the Eternal Night Forest.

Castleton Harbour, meanwhile, belonged to the Silver Moon Elves. It faced the sea on three sides and stood close to the Gabu Great Trench, making it a natural harbour.

The bustling Fish Market was filled not only with local elves selecting fresh fish, but also merchant ships from Buenos City. They packed the fresh Sea Fish from the market into Wooden Boxes lined with ice, then transported them to Buenos City.

The elves and the Gana Sea Clan had signed a non-aggression pact for the nearby waters. Thus, over the past century, Castleton Harbour had gradually grown from a remote fishing village into a bustling fishing port.

On the eastern side of the dock stood a lively Fish Market.

Many elves disliked the overpowering fishy stench, so after returning from fishing at sea, they sold their catch on this elevated sandy rise near the dock.

This place had originally been nothing more than a desolate beach. Only after more and more elves began trading here did it gradually develop into a prosperous Fish Market.

Stone slabs had now been laid in some areas, and small wooden huts and sunshades had even been built in places.

Ms. Angeli's fish stall stood beneath one such sunshade. However, she preferred buying large Sea Fish caught in distant waters by big Fishing Boats and had little interest in Roy's Black Sea Bream. Roy usually did not bring his catches to her.

Roy had his own sales channel. The stall owner willing to buy his fish was a restaurant Boss. Aside from owning a stall at the Fish Market, he also ran a restaurant in the city. One of that restaurant's specialties was steamed sea bream.

Of course, that dish had acquired its unique flavor thanks in part to one of Roy's small suggestions.

Roy's Black Sea Bream had thus found a steady outlet, though the purchase price remained low.

Two Kole per fish, regardless of size.

Naturally, if Roy caught Black Sea Bream smaller than two palms, he threw them straight back into the sea.

Carrying his bucket, Roy walked through the bustling Fish Market of Castleton Harbour. Whenever he saw a familiar face, he would take the initiative to greet them.

The elves at the Fish Market were all ordinary people. Nobles would never come to this filthy, foul-smelling market. Many of the elves here were low-status Half-Elves.

To the Silver Moon Elves, Half-Elves like Roy, who looked more human, were tolerated far more readily than certain other Half-Elves.

The elves had a collective name for Half-Elves: Blood Elves.

Yet elves were also so "artistic" by nature that they could easily throw themselves wholeheartedly into a new relationship.

And before new love, love knew no boundaries...

Roy had heard that a large number of Half-Elves, unable to endure the discrimination on the Elf Continent, had left the continent by ship in groups.

Speaking of which, Ms. Jillian's two daughters, Roy's neighbors, were just like that. Her eldest daughter, Sabrina, had some Wood Elf blood, while her younger daughter, Moira, had some Dark Moon Elf blood. Like their mother Belinda, Ms. Jillian was a Silver Moon Elf...

The elves at the Fish Market had long grown accustomed to Roy, and some even greeted him warmly.

"Roy, went fishing again?"

"Yeah. Jilu, how's business today?"

"Don't even mention it. Those fish merchants from Buenos have pushed the prices down too low!"

"..."

Whenever this happened, Roy never quite knew what to say.

But the fish stall Boss in waterproof leather trousers did not mind at all. He merely wanted someone to complain to, and Roy was undoubtedly a good listener.

Jilu continued grumbling.

"Our Fish Market should unite and resist those foreign fish merchants together. Hey, look over there. It seems another big ship has docked."

Following Jilu's gaze, Roy saw that another large ship had indeed pulled into the deep-water dock with the tide.

The ship's design was highly unusual. Even its sails were not made of the white silk commonly used by elves, but of a dark gray material. On one half of its raised sails was clearly embroidered the image of a sword, shield, and griffin.

Though the Five-Masted Sailing Ship was several hundred meters away, Roy could still clearly see that the sailors aboard were not Pointed Ears, but a group of humans who looked somewhat like him.

The human sailors stood excitedly along the railings, cheering and waving toward the shore...

Before long, Roy carried his bucket to a fish stall. Unlike the others, this stall had a very mixed variety of Sea Fish, and there was hardly a merchant in sight among the customers gathered there to choose fish.

The stall owner was an Old Elf. Though time rarely left marks on elves, the sparse white hair atop his head and the faint wrinkles in certain parts of his face still made it clear that he was very old.

Elves lived for around eight hundred years, but that did not mean they were immortal...

Time would still take their lives. Yet an Old Elf also represented a wealth of life experience, even if he was merely a stall owner at the Fish Market.

"Went fishing again?" the Old Elf asked Roy kindly.

Compared with the other young elves, Roy was more practical and knew more about living.

The elves of Castleton Harbour lived in an environment abundant in resources. Even the poorest among them could afford breadfruit.

Elves did not have particularly high demands when it came to food. Most young elves chose instead to pursue greater artistic refinement.

They could recite poetry before the sea, but few young elves would specifically come to the shore to fish like Roy did.

"Only seven. Fourteen Kole."

Roy placed the bucket at the Old Elf's feet.

"Pour them in," the Old Elf said without even counting them.

He then counted fourteen white shells from his money pouch. These were the smallest denomination of currency circulating in the Silver Moon Elf Kingdom, a rare type of shell.

Roy had once searched the Coastline around Castleton Harbour, but he had never found shells of this kind on the beaches here.

Roy tucked the fourteen Kole into his wallet. These thin, polished shells were very light. He could not help patting his pocket. If his luck tomorrow was as good as today's, the appraisal fee would finally be covered.

But another matter concerned Roy even more.

Carrying the bucket with only one Three-Knife Fish left inside, Roy turned and looked at the Five-Masted Sailing Ship at the Deep Water Dock. The huge Great Sea Ship looked quite old and worn. Its ram was a bronze griffin statue. Not only was its left wing broken, but it was also covered in green Copper Rust. It clearly needed proper repairs.

Unlike the elves' refined, streamlined hulls, this sea ship had a sharp bow and a rather square stern. One could tell at a glance that it could carry a great deal of cargo.

Roy was in no hurry to go home. Instead, he carried his bucket toward the Deep Water Dock.