The Return of the Smith

The White Eagle Port was as damp as ever in the early morning, even in this winter when water froze solid. The cold, damp air sent a bone-chilling cold through the early risers, causing them to pull their collars tight and cinch their clothes.

The rising sun on the horizon painted the clouds a rosy red, bringing a sliver of warmth to the people.

On the fishing boats that had just docked, sailors busily unloaded baskets of fresh fish. This immediately attracted a crowd of fishmongers, who inquired about the catch and prices.

Horse-drawn carriages carrying grain and produce from the south drove into the city, while carts laden with ore and local specialties were transported from the city to be loaded onto ships bound for Middle Earth.

White Eagle Port was the northernmost ice-free harbor on the New Continent, backed by the mouth of the abundant Har River and sheltered from wind and waves by White Eagle Bay, making it a natural deep-water port. When the famous explorer Grand Duke of White Eagle landed here, he saw a giant white eagle soaring overhead and decided to build a city. His family adopted the white eagle as their emblem. The bay, the port, and even the grand city at the harbor's mouth were all named after the white eagle.

The west wind blew here year-round, intensifying significantly once ships reached the open sea. Heavy cargo ships could sail towards Middle Earth at 20 knots. Now, with the clipper ships recently developed in Middle Earth, they could even reach speeds of 30 knots, crossing the storm-tossed ocean separating the old and new continents in just over ten days. Thus, White Eagle Port became a bustling hub connecting the two continents.

A wooden steam sailing ship approached from the distant eastern horizon. It was a massive three-masted vessel with two paddle wheels partially submerged on its sides, churning the water. The large ship had furled its sails and was propelled entirely by the wheels. It gradually neared the port, emitting two long blasts of its steam whistle.

A customs launch immediately rowed out to inspect it. Soon, guided by the launch, the large ship slowly docked.

Sailors lowered the gangway, and passengers began to disembark from the cabins on the upper deck, descending the stairs. The captain, wearing a tricorn hat and dressed in full regalia, sipped his meticulously groomed, thick mustache and smiled as he greeted each disembarking passenger with pleasantries like, "I hope you had a pleasant journey." Meanwhile, the sharp and capable first mate had already disembarked and was directing a few foremen lounging on the dock to organize the unloading.

Under the guidance of customs officials, the disembarking travelers formed long queues, heading towards the customs hall to complete their entry procedures. Of course, the elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies, accompanied by their servants, proceeded to the VIP channel reserved for upper-class individuals. After a brief process, they could clear customs and depart in waiting carriages. The commoners, often with families in tow, carried or dragged heavy luggage, forming long lines as they waited.

Before long, there were no more VIPs to process at the VIP channel. Miss Harris, who was responsible for VIP customs clearance, found herself with free time. She stood up, looked at the long queue in the commoner channel outside her counter, and slightly furrowed her beautiful brows. She spoke to the guard beside her:

"John, there are so many more people from Middle Earth this year. Are they all new immigrants? There usually aren't this many families immigrating."

The security guard, John, clad in a navy blue customs uniform and a silver-domed helmet, nodded. "Yes, there's a war going on in Middle Earth. I heard five or six countries are involved. Many people are selling their assets to try their luck in New Continent. It's better than losing their lives unknowingly in the war."

"Then why don't they go south? The land there is fertile. I heard they can grow three harvests a year. Plus, the southern alliance cities have a policy that unclaimed land becomes yours once you cultivate it. Wouldn't that be better than working as a miner or a cowboy here?"

"Heh, I overheard some sailors in a bar a couple of days ago saying that tickets from Middle Earth are incredibly hard to come by. Anyone who can get a ticket to New Continent is snapped up, no matter the destination."

As they were chatting, the last passenger disembarked from the ship and slowly walked towards the VIP channel.

It was a young man. He wore a popular dark gray, round, small fedora from Middle Earth. His attire was a new, minimalist style dark gray pinstripe suit, with a khaki trench coat over it. However, he wore a pair of popular New Continent calfskin boots, making his outfit somewhat incongruous.

He was tall and slightly thin. His face, due to his leanness, appeared somewhat long and angular, but his handsome blue eyes made him quite striking. Most notable was the enormous leather suitcase he was dragging. The suitcase was half his height, with a retractable handle on one side and four wheels on the bottom. Even though the suitcase looked bulging and quite heavy, the young man effortlessly glided it along the port's stone pavement with one hand.

The young man pulled the suitcase to the VIP channel counter, removed his hat, revealing his short brown hair. He bowed to Miss Harris and presented his identification.

Miss Harris took the document. Just as she was about to examine it closely, the guard, John, glanced at the insignia on the identification. The passport the young man presented was blue-covered, with a white eagle emblem printed on the cover. However, it lacked the golden border signifying noble status. He immediately spoke up, reprimanding him:

"Hey, kid. Don't you know the rules? Go to the commoner's counter and queue up."

The young man smiled. He opened his trench coat on the left side, revealing a small, round golden badge pinned to his suit underneath.

The badge depicted a scale. On the left side of the scale were vials of potions, and on the right were piles of gold.

Upon seeing the badge, Miss Harris's light gray eyes flickered.

"Oh, my apologies,"

She quickly lowered her head and read the name on the passport:

"Mr. Edward, Smith. You are a respected Alchemist."

"I dare not claim such a title. I am still an Alchemist apprentice," the young man replied with a smile.

"Are you returning for a visit?"

Miss Harris asked. After all, practitioners like Mage and Alchemist were in high demand in Middle Earth, and no one had yet returned from Middle Earth after completing their studies. It was said that the positions and salaries offered to practitioners in Middle Earth were incomparable to those in New Continent. Furthermore, only in Middle Earth could practitioners find all the necessary materials for advancement. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call New Continent a desert for practitioners.

"I'm not leaving this time. After all, my home is here. And Middle Earth is at war. I'm just a humble Alchemist apprentice, and I don't want to lose my life on the battlefield for nothing," Edward said with a smile.

"Then welcome home, Mr. Smith." Miss Harris happily stamped Edward's passport with a blue customs seal and handed it back to him.

Edward, Smith took his passport, casually put it in his trench coat pocket, and tightened his coat. He put on his fedora, smiled and nodded at Miss Harris and the guard John. There was no dramatic confrontation or show of force as often seen in traditional novels. He picked up his large suitcase and walked out of the White Eagle Port customs.

Outside the port, Edward turned up the collar of his trench coat. The weather was indeed quite cold. He held onto the large suitcase and looked around. To the west of the port lay the familiar walls of White Eagle City. The port was only about a hundred meters from the city gate.

A straight stone path led to the city gate. Just as he was about to step forward, pulling his suitcase, a carriage slowly drove past him. It was a passenger carriage, with a black cabin and four tall wheels at the corners, clearly imitating the style of Middle Earth's hackney carriages. However, the craftsmanship of the carriage appeared much rougher than those from the old continent. The driver sat high up in the front seat. He looked to be in his forties or fifties. Unlike the drivers in Middle Earth, who wore black trench coats and black fedoras as standard uniform, he wore blue denim overalls and a cowboy hat unique to the northern New Continent. His red hair and beard were messy, like a ball of fluff.

The driver called out to Edward's back, "Sir, would you like a ride in a hackney carriage?"

Edward turned and saw the driver, then smiled.

"Uncle Delton, do you remember me? I'm Edward. Edward, Smith."

"You're little Edward?" The driver's rough face broke into a hearty smile the moment he recognized Edward. He shouted loudly, "Hey, little Edward, why are you back? Get in, get in! I'll give you a ride home."

Saying this, the driver Delton jumped off the carriage and kindly reached out to take Edward's suitcase, intending to lift it onto the luggage rack on top of the carriage. However, the suitcase was very heavy. Delton tried to lift it twice but couldn't.

"This suitcase is a bit heavy; it's filled with equipment I brought back from Middle Earth. Let's put it inside the carriage," Edward explained with a smile to Delton. He then took the suitcase, lifted it, and placed it inside the open carriage door.

Instead of sitting inside the carriage, Edward jumped onto the high driver's seat with Delton, sitting side-by-side in the front of the carriage. Delton flicked the reins in his hand and shouted, "Giddy up!" The two quarter horses pulling the carriage slowly began to move towards the city gate.

"Little Edward, we old neighbors were all very sorry about your parents."

The old driver patted Edward's thigh and continued, "We all thought that after you became a Mage, especially with your parents gone, you wouldn't return to New Continent. I didn't expect you to come back. You're not leaving this time, are you?"

"Yes, Uncle Delton, I'm not leaving this time. The war in Middle Earth is about to spread across the entire continent. I heard all low-level professionals will be sent to the front lines. Rather than being cannon fodder on the battlefield, it's better to develop here in New Continent; there are more opportunities. I came back as soon as I graduated. I plan to reopen my parents' shop."

As they spoke, the carriage entered the city gate. The guards at the gate saw Delton's carriage and didn't stop to question them, even greeting Delton warmly.

After entering the city gate, the carriage turned left. This was a street running along the city wall. On one side of the street was the city wall, and on the other were small shops selling items like fishing nets and baskets. The carriage continued to the very end of this street.

At the end of the street stood a shopfront facing the main street, not connected to other buildings.

The city wall stopped here, as it connected to the high stone mountains. Grand Duke had chosen this location for the harbor precisely because of these continuous stone mountains.

The seaward side of these stone mountains was a series of high cliffs, with only a golden beach at the entrance of White Eagle City. Building city walls here would make it easy to defend and difficult to attack. White Eagle City was built in the basin formed by these stone mountains.

According to historical scholarly research, this area was once the mouth of the Har River. These continuous stone mountains were carved open by the Har River, and later, due to sediment deposition and a change in the river's course, the Har River's mouth had shifted to the north of White Eagle City.

Edward jumped off the carriage, retrieved his luggage, bid farewell to Delton, who invited him for dinner that evening, and turned to look at the dilapidated shopfront. The shop's sign was a hammer, with the words "Blacksmith Shop" written on it.

"Finally home..."