The female elf immediately bowed to her.
“Lady Elune. We found a human. He seems to have escaped from some territory, and we are completely unable to communicate with him.”
The elven girl addressed as Elune walked over to Jiang Lin, her pale purple eyes sizing him up.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on his tattered clothes, his grimy face, and the dusty black cat on his shoulder.
Then, she spoke.
Her voice was as cold and clear as a mountain spring hitting stone, her tone as beautiful as a chant.
“What is your name? Where did you come from?”
Jiang Lin didn't understand, so he could only remain silent.
Elune tilted her head slightly and switched to another language.
Jiang Lin continued to shake his head.
She switched to yet another.
Jiang Lin still shook his head.
Elune was silent for a moment before finally asking in an extremely stiff, heavily accented Human Common Tongue:
“What... is... your... name?”
Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment.
She actually knew the Human Common Tongue?
Though it was stiff and the accent was thick, it was indeed the Human Common Tongue.
“Matthew,” Jiang Lin answered.
Elune nodded slightly, seemingly trying to commit the name to memory.
Then, she asked again in that stiff language:
“Where... are... you... from?”
“I drifted at sea for a long time, and then I ended up here,” he said.
Elune frowned slightly, appearing to process this information.
She asked again:
“Where... is... your... home?”
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Lin replied.
“The Saintas Kingdom. So, may I ask where this is? Do you know of any city-states nearby with a long-distance teleportation array?”
Elune fell silent for a while, seemingly trying to figure out the meaning of his long, complex sentence.
In the end, she still didn't understand.
She turned back to the male and female elves and said:
“He doesn't seem to be a runaway slave. He said he met with a disaster at sea and drifted here. Furthermore, he knows absolutely no Elvish, and he doesn't look like he's been trained.”
The male elf frowned.
“Lady Elune, do you believe his words?”
“At least for now, there's no reason to doubt him. If he were truly a runaway slave, he should have brandings or marks from chains on his body. But he has none.”
The female elf also nodded.
“I checked his wrists and neck just now; there are indeed no marks of restraint.”
Elune continued:
“Besides, if he really escaped from some territory, it would be impossible for him to know nothing of Elvish. Even if the humans in our territory have low status, they can still understand basic Elvish. This person... seems to have come from a place completely isolated from the world.”
“I remember books mentioning a continent across the sea with many humans. Do you think he drifted over from there?”
“Across the sea? How could that be?!”
“The two continents are so far apart, and the sea is full of all sorts of sea beasts. How could he possibly make it on his own...”
The male elf was silent for a moment before asking, “Then what do you intend to do, My Lady?”
Elune glanced at Jiang Lin, an inscrutable light flashing in her pale purple eyes.
“Bring him along. Once we reach the town, we'll make arrangements.”
The female elf was somewhat surprised.
“My Lady, you want him to ride in your carriage?”
“Yes.”
Elune nodded slightly.
She looked at Jiang Lin’s soot-covered appearance; it was clear he had been wandering for a long time.
“In his current state, if we make him walk behind the caravan, I'm afraid he won't last until we reach the town. Furthermore...”
She paused, her voice growing softer.
“My intuition tells me this human is a bit different.”
The female elf looked at Elune and then at Jiang Lin, deciding to trust her young mistress.
“My Lady is kind-hearted. Since you've said so, we shall do as you wish.”
Elune turned and walked toward her carriage.
The female elf walked over to Jiang Lin, pointed at the carriage, then at him, and made a gesture for him to get in.
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment before nodding.
He stood up and followed the female elf toward the most exquisite carriage.
Little Black sent a telepathic message from his shoulder:
“They were jabbering for so long just now. Did you understand any of it?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know they want you to get in the carriage and aren't planning to sell you?”
“I guessed from their expressions and gestures. Besides, if they wanted to attack, they would have done it already. I didn't feel any malice from them anyway. I need to find a nearby town and a map regardless. If I can catch a ride, I might as well take it.”
“Fair enough.”
Little Black curled back into Jiang Lin's arms.
The interior of the carriage was even more spacious than it looked from the outside.
The inner walls were covered in pale gold fabric, and the seats were made of a soft suede material that made one sink right in, so comfortable it made one want to sleep.
Elune was still sitting at the far end of the carriage, holding a book in her hands.
When she saw Jiang Lin enter, she only lifted her eyelids briefly before continuing to read.
The female elf also boarded the carriage and sat opposite Elune.
Jiang Lin sat in the seat closest to the door, taking Little Black from his arms and placing it on his lap.
Little Black curled into a ball, its amber cat eyes darting around as it studied the two elves in the carriage, transmitting:
“This carriage is quite luxurious. It's much higher class than those merchant caravans in Clearwater City. I bet this elf is some kind of noble.”
Jiang Lin nodded. “Probably.”
The carriage slowly started moving.
The hooves of the pack beasts made a crisp clicking sound on the dirt road, and the carriage swayed slightly with a hypnotic rhythm.
The female elf took out a tea set from a drawer under the seat and began to brew tea.
Her movements were elegant and skilled. The pale green tea was poured into exquisite porcelain cups, releasing a refined fragrance.
She handed the first cup to Elune and the second to Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin took it and nodded slightly in thanks.
The tea was sweet and mellow upon tasting, with a faint floral scent and an indescribable freshness, like morning dew.
“Good stuff,” Little Black transmitted.
“It's much better than that tea the City Lord gave you.”
Jiang Lin still didn't answer, simply sipping the tea slowly while unobtrusively observing the two elves in the carriage.
Elune's gaze remained on the pages of her book, but Jiang Lin noticed that her page-turning speed was much slower than before.
The female elf sipped her tea while looking at him warmly, her pale green eyes holding a near-maternal gentleness.
Suddenly, Elune closed her book, looked up, and said something to the female elf.
“Once we reach the town, find a place for him to settle down first. Then ask around to see if anyone recognizes him. If we really can't find anything about his background... let him stay at our family's manor for the time being. We happen to be short on hands there.”
The female elf smiled slightly.
“My Lady is kind-hearted. But are you sure you want to keep him at the manor? He is a human of unknown origin, after all.”
Elune was silent for a moment, her pale purple eyes glancing at Jiang Lin.
“You saw it too. He has very few scars, so he doesn't look like he's done heavy labor. His eyes... they don't look like those of an ordinary, low-born human.”
The female elf followed her gaze to Jiang Lin, looking thoughtful.
“My Lady is right. But since you've decided, we'll do as you say.”
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Elune reopened her book and the female elf continued brewing tea.
The carriage continued forward.
The scenery outside changed from meadows to sparse woods, then from woods to rolling hills.
The sky gradually darkened.
The female elf lit the magic lamp inside the carriage. It was an exquisite crystal lamp that gave off a warm, gentle light, bathing the entire carriage in a twilight glow.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally came to a halt.
The female elf gently nudged Jiang Lin's shoulder, gesturing for him to get out.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes and stepped out of the carriage.
The carriage had stopped in front of an inn in a small town.
The inn was a three-story stone and wood structure, simple yet refined in appearance.
Several magic lamps hung at the entrance, emitting a warm light.
The female elf led Jiang Lin into the inn and said something to the innkeeper who came to greet them.
The innkeeper nodded, his gaze lingering on Jiang Lin for a moment before turning to lead them upstairs.
The room wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. There was a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. In the corner was a washstand with clean towels and a set of toiletries.
The female elf said something to Jiang Lin and made a gesture for “rest,” then smiled slightly and turned to leave.
Jiang Lin closed the door, walked to the window, and looked out.
The town in the night was quiet and peaceful.
The flagstone road shimmered with a faint silver light under the moon, with rolling hills and vast forests in the distance.
“What do you plan to do next?”
Little Black lay on the bed, its amber cat eyes watching him.
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
“First, I'll get a map from them to figure out where this is. Then, I'll find a way back.”
He turned and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Just then, the female elf knocked on Jiang Lin's door.
She was carrying a set of clean clothes, which she placed on the bed, then pointed to the washstand in the corner and made a washing gesture.
Then she smiled slightly and left.
Jiang Lin walked to the washstand.
On it were a basin of clear water, a bar of soap with a faint fragrance, and a clean towel.
He took off his tattered clothes and began to wash his body.
The dust and grime accumulated over nearly a month were slowly washed away, revealing the jade-white skin beneath.
His long golden hair was carefully cleaned, restoring its original luster as it hung wet over his shoulders.
After finishing his wash, he dried himself with the towel and changed into the clean clothes.
The clothes were unexpectedly well-fitting.
It was a simple set of light gray trousers and a shirt made of soft, thin material that was snug but not restrictive.
Over it was a deep blue robe with no decorations, except for a few thin silver threads embroidered at the collar and cuffs.
Jiang Lin stood before the small mirror in the room, taking himself in.
His long golden hair was draped wet over his shoulders, water droplets sliding down the strands and sparkling in the morning light.
His skin was as white as jade, his features perfect and flawless, and his golden eyes looked like two ambers in the morning sun.
The elven clothing, though simple in style, perfectly complemented his tall and well-proportioned frame.
Little Black crouched on the edge of the bed, licking its own equally clean fur, and glanced at Jiang Lin.
“Tsk, look at you, all dressed up.”
Jiang Lin didn't rest that night. Instead, he watched the street outside the window, observing the passing pedestrians—all of whom were elves with pointed ears.
He began to recall exactly where the elven territories were located on the continent.
Wait... had he and Little Black really returned to the previous continent?
Could it be that by heading west, he had ended up on a neighboring continent instead?
...
The next morning, someone rang the doorbell.
Jiang Lin stood up, adjusted his collar, and walked to the door.
The female elf was waiting outside.
When she saw Jiang Lin come out, her expression visibly froze.
Her gaze stayed on Jiang Lin's face for three full breaths, a flash of unmistakable surprise in her eyes.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she only made a dazed “please follow me” gesture and turned to lead him downstairs.
Little Black jumped onto Jiang Lin's shoulder and transmitted:
“Her expression just now... she was surprised by how good-looking you are, wasn't she?”
Jiang Lin nodded.
The inn's first floor, the dining area.
Breakfast was already laid out on the long table. Fresh bread, jam, honey, fruit, and a pot of steaming floral tea.
Elune was already seated.
She was still wearing that pale blue gown, her silver-purple hair braided loosely and hanging behind her. She held yesterday's book, appearing uninterested in everything around her.
But when Jiang Lin sat down opposite her, her gaze finally lifted from the pages.
Then, she froze.
Clatter.
The book slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
Those pale purple eyes widened slightly, her pupils even constricting a bit from surprise.
She stared at Jiang Lin's face for a long time.
So long that it wasn't until the female elf cleared her throat softly that she snapped out of it.
Elune quickly looked down, picked up the book, and reopened it.
But the tips of her ears were flushed with a very faint red.
Seeing this, the female elf's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
She said something to Elune, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
“My Lady, what's wrong? Your book is upside down.”
Elune glanced down at the book in her hand, and the blush on her ears deepened.
She silently turned the book the right way up, pretending to continue reading.
However, anyone who looked closely would notice that her gaze wasn't on the pages at all.
The female elf said a few more things in a soft voice.
Elune didn't answer; she just picked up her teacup and took small sips, trying to hide her loss of composure.
Jiang Lin took all of this in, his face remaining calm.
Little Black transmitted:
“She's blushing.”
“Just my everyday life. You get used to it after seeing it enough.”
Breakfast was hearty.
The freshly baked bread was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Spread with honey and jam, it was sweet without being cloying. The fruit was sweet and juicy, and the floral tea had a refined fragrance.
Jiang Lin ate in silence, occasionally looking up and meeting the female elf's warm gaze, to which he would give a slight nod of acknowledgment.
...
Rate on N.U.
