General Store

Returning to the restaurant, Ina saw Vilanthe still reading under the light of the bar. She carefully turned the page as if she were handling a fragile treasure. The book indeed deserved such careful treatment. It was an ancient book, its cover made of black calfskin, and though it was made of the finest paper, it had become yellow and brittle with age.

This book was borrowed by Vilanthe from the Library of the Stars Academy. Vilanthe was diligent and hardworking, and with the heritage of her Treelord bloodline, she was adept at learning magic. In just one year, she had gone from a beginner who knew nothing about magic to a mid-level magician. She also read extensively and quickly built a good rapport with the staff in charge of managing books, allowing her to borrow some precious ancient books.

"Vilanthe, could you do me a favor?" Ina rested her arm on the bar. "I want to look up some information in the Academy library, but I'm not sure where to start."

Vilanthe stood up: "If you are looking for books related to the Blood Race, there are almost none in the library. The few that exist are from the perspective of humans, filled with speculation and conjecture." The Blood Race was a special species. They had long lives and were selfish in nature. They were eager to collect treasures as collections but would not write their own experiences and knowledge.

Vilanthe knew that Ina was worried about the curse on Elvys, and she had been keeping an eye out for related materials, but to no avail. However, this time Ina was not asking about that.

"I want to look up a few books about the living conditions of races other than humans on the continent."

"Didn't those races all leave Moro continent?" Vilanthe was somewhat surprised. After coming to the Dragon Flame Restaurant, she also learned about the secret of the large-scale disappearance of different races during the development of the old god relics.

"Yes, so I'm looking for records from over 200 years ago, preferably untold diaries or biographies written by the races themselves."

Vilanthe nodded, understanding. She took out a piece of paper. "I will write down some recommended books. If these are not enough, I can ask the staff who manage the books."

After writing them down, she suddenly seemed to remember something and put down the pen in her hand. "Miss Ina, I'm afraid you'll have to ask in person. I plan to go back to Flemington."

Ina had expected this. Vilanthe wouldn't stay in the restaurant forever; she had her own business to handle. Therefore, Ina wasn't surprised by Vilanthe's words and just said, "You should start from the Silver Leaf Forest. The journey is shorter that way."

Vilanthe nodded.

Ever since she met Atelika in the Silver Leaf Forest, she began to dream uncontrollably about her mother. She couldn't stand the seemingly benevolent and sacred Bright Church, which was actually full of filth!

Vilanthe could only remind herself again and again: to nourish her spirit, conserve her strength, and strike when the time is right. She would first go to Flemington to become a powerful lord, only then could she gain a foothold in the Orlan Empire and contend with the church.

Ina sent Vilanthe to the outskirts of the Silver Leaf Forest. When they were about to enter Flemington, Vilanthe declined Ina's company. "Miss Ina, I'll go alone."

"Remember to write to me often," Ina instructed. She looked at Vilanthe, who was now much more resolute than when they first met, and said word by word:

"I hope you get what you wish for."

The history of the Moro Continent records: In the year 1578 Moro history, Queen Vilanthe entered Flemington alone with her credentials and succeeded the title of Lady Marquess of Flemington.

---

Ina returned to the restaurant in the Silver Leaf Forest. Atelika had cleaned the wooden house thoroughly, leaving the cleaning magic puppet that Ina had brought with her aside, making one wonder if she was really a tree or a mop or broom.

She pulled out a large stack of books and began to look through them. Atelika squatted on the side, staring at the decoration made of mother-of-pearl on the cover of a book.

Ina suddenly asked, "You knew Vilanthe was the daughter of the Treelord, so why didn't you get close to her?"

Atelika's gaze was still firmly fixed on the mother-of-pearl: "Every time she saw me, she was very sad. Her emotions were much deeper than others, sadness, pain, anger... I thought I shouldn't get close to her."

She pointed at the shell that was changing colors like a rainbow under the light: "Is this a pearl shell from the sea?"

Her question stumped Ina. Uncertain, Ina replied, "River mussels... should also be able to produce pearls, right? Do you want to go see the river?" The river flowing through the Silver Leaf Forest was called the Mel River. It was a rapid and broad river. Ina had never been to the Mel River, but the lake where they had a picnic before was connected to the Mel River.

Atelika shook her head. Although she had never left the forest, she had seen the river in the memories of other Treelords. "The river has silver stones, but they are not as beautiful as these iridescent shells."

Ina suddenly lifted her head, "Silver stones?"

After Atelika's description, Ina identified that the natural ore exposed on the river bed was actually mithril, an ore even more precious than she imagined!

The Mel River must have flowed through an open-pit rich mine, which brought the ore to the places it passed through.

Mithril ore certainly couldn't be mined, even if the elves hadn't sworn ownership over mineral resources, it was still the wealth of the Silver Leaf Forest. But she could trade with the elves who had found mithril. Ina had seen the elves use mithril-coated magic arrows, which exponentially increased the lethal power of their bows.

Perhaps the elves had surplus mithril? It's been nearly 300 years since the elves and humans cut off contact. Maybe the elves were willing to trade mithril, which is expensive and rare in the human world but they have in excess, for some useful goods?

Thinking of this, Ina immediately stood up and started to inspect which Silver Stripes trees near the restaurant were suitable for transforming into treehouses.

"Aren't we going to the river to look for shells?" Atelika asked, leaning on the window.

"Let me first open a general store here."

Carrying an enormous parcel, Cicely returned home. Her neighbor, Cosu, burdened by guilt after unintentionally causing Cicely to drink poisonous hot soup, felt compelled to make amends. Thus, she voluntarily offered to help Cicely move. Her current wooden cottage, filled with countless holes, was beyond repair.

Cicely had never wanted to move. She spent a long time choosing her silver-lined tree, painstakingly decorating the small wooden cabin, transforming it into a delicate and cozy home. She kept telling herself that as long as the rain was not torrential, the water leakage was not too bad.

"Cicely, have you chosen a new silver-lined tree?" Cosu approached, her intricate bow and quiver slung across her back and a dagger, forged with mithril and adorned with beautiful silver patterns, attached to her waist.

On seeing Cosu dressed in such a manner, Cicely knew she was heading out hunting and immediately grew cautious. "You should find a companion before venturing out so you don't accidentally gather poisonous mushrooms or wild vegetables."

Just as Cosu was about to argue, Cicely suddenly grabbed her wrist, "If you have time, why not help me repair the cabin first? I have some interesting things to show you."

Cosu wasn't rushed about leaving. She allowed herself to be drawn into Cicely's cabin, asking as they went, "Did you go fishing again? What else would you use to fix the house? But I don't smell any fish..."

Inside her home, Cicely opened the parcel she'd been carrying, showing Cosu its contents. "I have glue now. Two whole bottles of it."

"Where did you get it?" Cosu picked up the bottle to examine the glue. It looked thick and pure, encased in a sturdy potion bottle, corked tight. It was more refined compared to their homemade fish glue.

"Do you remember the owner of the Dragon Flame Restaurant? She opened a general store nearby. It's full of stuff I need," Cicely explained as she laid out item after item from her parcel. There were seven or eight of them in total.

"So, you can trade food for these items too? How many green vine powders do you need to exchange for all these goods?"

"No," Cicely shook her head, "I traded a piece of mithril ore for them. A piece smaller than my fist got me all of these!"

Cicely was clearly thrilled. Over the years, mithril ore often washed down from the upstream into the gentle basin of the Mel River. Though less frequent than before, the elves' long lives allowed these small amounts to accumulate. Cicely had a small box full of mithril ore.

Mithril could be made into weapons and armor, not only increasing their lethality but also their durability. But she didn't change her weapons that often, so she didn't need all that mithril ore.

"That's really cheap! Let me see what you've chosen." Cosu exclaimed.

The two bottles of glue had strong adhesion, were waterproof, and could even be used to repair cracks in houses and fishing boats.

Apart from the glue, Cicely also buys a shiny metal box. Inside, a black-textured stone was fixed to the bottom, while the exterior was decorated with colorful, fine lines.

"This black stone is called zeolite. Pour enough water into this metal box, and the zeolite will release heat, causing the entire box to heat up. Put the box in a pot, and you can get boiling water and hot soup without a fire," Cicely explained to Cosu.

Yet Cicely hadn't tried it herself. Under Cosu's curious gaze, she fetched a pot and clean water, carefully pouring it into the metal box until it reached the first line. "The owner told me that this amount is enough for boiling water. If you're cooking, you can add more depending on the ingredients."

Cicely didn't close the box by hand. The zeolite had started reacting with the water, causing the metal box to become warm. Using the tongs sold with the zeolite, she firmly closed the box and dropped it into the pot of clean water.

While waiting for the water to boil, Cicely and Cosu examined the other items. Among them, a blue-purple sphere was quite beautiful. Cicely excitedly picked it up along with another, pure white sphere.

"This is a set of lights called 'Stellar Orbits.' Let me remember how to install them." Recalling Ina's instructions, Cicely fixed the white sphere to the center of the cabin ceiling.

She didn't touch the blue-purple sphere, but it floated and started to slowly rotate around the white one. Its orbit was not large, mostly above their heads out of reach, but it occasionally drifted down within arm's reach.

Cosu stood up and gently touched the rotating blue-purple sphere, feeling a slight resistance. Looking at the white sphere in the center of the ceiling, she realized there was a strange attraction between the two spheres.

Cicely caught hold of the blue-purple sphere and pressed it a few times, causing both spheres to glow.

It was then Cosu noticed that the white sphere was not just white. When lit up, it resembled a flowing light-colored nebula, while the blue-purple one reflected the mystery of a vast starry sky.

"It's so beautiful. Lying on the bed, you can still see the stars," Cosu admired, "This must be the work of human alchemists."

Being younger, Cicely had never left the Silverleaf Forest. However, Cosu was different; she knew much about humans.

"Only alchemists can create such art?" Cicely asked as she used tongs to remove the silver box from the pot. The water was already boiling.

"Maybe orthodox mages who understand magical mechanics can create it too, but they wouldn't," Cosu said, watching Cicely open the silver box and pour out the excess water. This would stop the zeolite from heating up further. After cooling, it could be stored for the next use.

"They have a peculiar pride. It seems like making such harmless, beautiful things would hurt their dignity."

"But the humans who came to the forest weren't like that, right?" Cicely hadn't interacted with the group of humans who had visited the forest, but their stories were well-known.

"Those humans were different," a smile crossed Cosu's face, "They once told me, 'The differences between people can sometimes be greater than between humans and pigs.'"

Most of the goods Cicely bought, apart from the glue, were indeed the work of alchemists. After the establishment of the "Magic Pragmatism Society" in Rusen, although some promotion was carried out in the academy, no new members joined.

This act was against the mainstream view of magic. Even if some didn't agree with the idea that "the invention of magic should only be applied to magic itself", considering their mentors and friends, they didn't dare to openly express their opposing views.

However, two alchemists took the initiative to visit, as they were traditionally viewed as "unorthodox" within their professions. They brought many delightful inventions, some of which Ina purchased to sell at the general store. If the elves liked these goods, then perhaps the nobles and rich merchants might take an interest as well.

With a good start, perhaps more practical and affordable devices would be invented, allowing even commoners to enjoy the convenience of magic.

Seeing Ina happy to acquire a piece of mithril, Atelika was somewhat puzzled. "If you like money so much, there are certainly faster ways."

"Such as?" Ina raised an eyebrow.

"You could steal…" The seemingly harmless Atelika actually suggested such a thing. "In people's memories, I've seen foreign humans do this. They would almost kill each other over weapons and money, and then a few days later, the two who were once enemies would be friends again."

Atelika carefully watched Ina's expression. "Is this wrong?"

"If you weren't the one stealing, but the one being robbed, would you still be happy?"

Atelika, who had nothing to lose, was not afraid. "But I have nothing, I'm not afraid of being robbed."

Ina rubbed her forehead, sighing, "You've not even met these people, yet you're already led astray. I think Alfred need not worry about you being bullied by humans. Who bullies who is not yet certain."

"I just like making money while doing challenging things."