Elven cultivators

Spring of the year 9366 in the Dawn Calendar.

Bishui Port.

Kyle led his horse through the city gate, the shadows receding from him, revealing a bright and open space before him.

The voices of people surged in like a tide.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and people came and went on the stone-paved road. The shouts of vendors, the rumble of carriages and horses, and the clanging of hammers from the blacksmith's shop blended together, creating an extremely noisy scene.

Kyle glanced around, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"This city is much more prosperous than before. After the fall of Cresollong City, it has actually become better than before."

His voice was deep and hoarse, like a piece of iron polished with sandpaper, sounding rough and dry, making people unconsciously frown.

Hawke, walking beside him, scoffed.

The burly man was wrapped in a dark gray hooded cloak, the hood pulled low, covering most of his face, revealing only his hard jawline and pale skin.

"The dragons and their descendants are a bunch of brainless bastards. They haven't even tried to come up with a new trick in thousands of years. They've made a mess of the entire continent. They deserved to be wiped out."

Kyle glanced at him sideways, offering no comment.

He knew very well that his companion was not standing up for the many races oppressed by the dragons, nor could he possibly have such thoughts.

Hawke was simply annoyed by the dragons' arrogance.

Over the years, they have tried to infiltrate the dragon clan in an attempt to expand the organization's influence.

It wasn't just the dragons; even the dragon descendants looked down on their organization's ideology.

Not only did they arrogantly reject them, but they also launched a crackdown on their organization, causing them to lose a significant number of men.

Many members of the organization, like Hawke, deeply hate the dragons.

The recent upheaval and the successive destruction of Dragon Cities across various regions were also fueled by their organization, which used this opportunity to vent their anger.

The two led their horse up Tide Street and slowly made their way through the crowded streets.

Kyle's gaze fell on a signboard standing on the side of the street.

The wooden board was painted white, with a dark oak frame around the edges, and the words "Coral Merchant Guild - New Arrival of Silvermoon Clan Goods" were written in cursive script at the top.

Below the notice board, dozens of product names were densely listed, ranging from metal ingots to potions, from scrolls to spirit ink, a wide variety of products.

Next to the notice board were several long tables, with neatly stacked goods on them. Several young people were busy introducing the products to the onlookers, their voices full of enthusiasm.

Every now and then someone would take out a bag of silver coins and stuff it into the other person's hand, then leave with the goods, completely satisfied.

Kyle's gaze lingered on the notice board for a moment before turning to the other side of the street.

The shop across the street also had a notice board in front of it, but the name of the chamber of commerce had been changed to "Bishui Trading Company", while the content was exactly the same.

"New arrival of Silvermoon Clan refined mithril," "Silvermoon Clan superior healing potions are selling fast"... and so on.

Continuing down the street, you'll see similar notice boards every few shops.

Almost all the merchant guilds, large and small, sell goods from the Silvermoon Clan.

Some shops even printed the Silvermoon Clan's oak crest at the top of their notice boards, with the font size even larger than their own guild's name.

At first glance, it gives the illusion that the Silvermoon Clan's goods have dominated the entire Tide Street.

Hawke noticed this as well, and frowned, saying, "Are Silvermoon Clan's goods selling so well?"

They had heard rumors that the Silvermoon Clan had launched a large number of high-quality products and established trade relations with many forces and merchants, but they hadn't paid much attention to them.

But now, looking at it this way, the popularity of the Silver Moon Clan's products far exceeded their expectations.

The two exchanged a glance, quickly reached an understanding, and went into one of the shops together.

The shop was more spacious than I had imagined, with several magic crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling, emitting a soft white light.

The shelves were neatly arranged with various goods. Metal ingots were stacked in silver-gray square arrays, and medicine bottles reflected an amber or emerald luster under the light. Scrolls were bundled together with thin rope, and spirit ink was stored in sealed ceramic jars with wax seals on the mouths.

Each item is labeled with the words "Yinyue Clan" indicating its place of origin.

Some also come with the oak crest of the Silvermoon Clan.

The shop was bustling with people, and several adventurers were loudly haggling with the shopkeeper, their tone so urgent that they would miss out if they waited even a moment longer.

The two walked around the store, becoming more and more surprised as they looked.

These items were of much higher quality than they had imagined, far surpassing similar products on the market.

Many of the things they saw were quite appealing to them.

To avoid arousing suspicion, the two bought a few things and then left the shop.

"How does the Silvermoon Clan manage to produce so many high-quality items?" Hawke asked, frowning.

Kyle said quietly, "I'm afraid all the powers in the Eldron Plains want to know the answer to this question."

Hawke paused for a moment, then said with barely concealed envy, "With Silvermoon Clan's products selling so well, they must be making a fortune every year."

Kyle didn't respond to that.

He thought more deeply than Hawke.

Trade brings more than just wealth; it brings something deeper—influence.

As more and more forces began to rely on Silvermoon Clan's goods, and as they became accustomed to Silvermoon Clan's trading rules, Silvermoon Clan's position on this plain was no longer solely maintained by force.

This is a more stable and lasting force.

Unlike Dragon City, which uses violence to force others to submit, it can attract numerous forces to willingly come to its door, knocking on the gates of Silvermoon Forest with the most sincere smiles.

What the Silvermoon Clan could not achieve even through war, they accomplished through trade.

And the effect is even better.

"Anton is no ordinary man," Kyle murmured to himself.

"Just a lucky guy," Hawke scoffed.

If it weren't for Anton—who was still called Canglan at the time—killing the president of the Liuhuo Merchant Guild, the Liuhuo Merchant Guild wouldn't have been discovered by Kreso Dragon City and thoroughly wiped out.

The destruction of the Liuhuo Merchant Guild directly led to a devastating blow to their intelligence network and supply channels that they had operated in Bishui Port for decades.

To this day, it has not fully recovered.

That's why the two of them now have to make this trip themselves, searching for supplies in the market like ordinary adventurers.

Instead of the past, where a single word would bring things to them.

"That Anton was too cunning. If we had known he was Canglan earlier, we should have struck before he advanced to Legendary status. We wouldn't have given him the opportunity to become the clan leader and Legendary Sword Saint so gloriously today!"

Hawke said with a gloomy look in his eyes.

Kyle was silent for a moment.

However, Canglan's whereabouts were too elusive to be tracked.

Even the local power, Kreisor Dragon City, couldn't find Canglan's whereabouts, let alone them.

By the time Anton's identity was exposed, he had grown to the point that even they found him troublesome.

At that time, taking action against Anton would have come at too high a price, with almost no benefit; it would have only been a way to vent one's anger.

Taking this into consideration, the organization had no choice but to abandon the idea of ​​revenge.

As for now, it's even more impossible.

Kyle looked up at Hawke and, seeing his shifty gaze, couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

"Don't have any unnecessary thoughts."

"Anton is now a legendary figure, and this is his territory. Let's not cause any trouble."

"If we mess up what the adults asked us to do, neither of us will be in trouble."

"...I understand." Hawke's lips twitched slightly. "What can I do to a sword saint?"

Kyle gave Hawke a long look.

He knew, of course, that Hawke couldn't handle Anton.

To deal with a sword saint, you'd have to personally intervene.

But who knows if Hawke might lose his mind and attack the Silvermoon Clan elves, launching that pointless revenge.

Unlike him, a third-generation undead member, Hawke is a "product" of the second-generation undead.

The technology at that time was not very mature, and the aftereffects and side effects of becoming undead were relatively obvious, which could lead to a person's personality gradually becoming crazy and distorted.

Hawke is already showing this trend.

He has to keep a close eye on this guy to prevent him from doing anything irrational.

"Once we get back, we'll report Hawke's condition to the adults and find an opportunity to get rid of him."

Kyle secretly plotted.

Embracing death must have been something Hawke longed for.

The crowds on Tidal Street remained bustling.

When Kyle and Hawke came out of the twelfth shop, it was past noon.

Both of them looked rather unwell, their brows furrowed.

They had spent most of the day wandering around Azurewater Harbor, visiting every well-known merchant guild on Tide Street, but still couldn't buy enough magic stones.

The only two magic stone mines in the Eldron Plains are now controlled by the Silvermoon Clan.

Although the latter did not directly prohibit the circulation of magic stones like Kresol Dragon City, and immediately execute anyone found doing so, it also had no intention of selling magic stones.

As a result, the number of magic stones circulating in the market today is still very small.

Even at a high price, they could only buy a very small quantity, far from enough to meet their target for this trip.

But no matter what, the tasks assigned by the adults must be completed.

"It seems we'll have to go check out other towns."

Kyle sighed and walked towards the city gate with Hawke.

……

Silvermoon Forest, Eternal Palace.

Sunlight streamed in through the skylight, casting a warm golden glow on the smooth wooden floor.

The soft light from the light source stone intertwines with the light, illuminating the entire hall brightly without being glaring.

A dozen or so rattan tables were scattered about, their surfaces piled high with parchment scrolls and folders, the dense text and numbers winding like ants across the paper.

The young elves were engrossed in their work, their quills scratching on the paper. Occasionally, someone would stop writing, frowning as they searched for documents nearby, or whispering a question to the person at the next table.

Eleanor sat in the innermost seat by the window, with a thick stack of documents piled up in front of her.

Her quill quickly swept across the parchment, leaving behind neat and beautiful handwritten characters.

Since Anton became the clan chief, the clan's political affairs have snowballed.

The trade network expanded from the Eldron Plains to even more distant places, with new caravans arriving in Silvermoon Forest every day and new cooperation agreements requiring review daily.

The construction of the Primordial City is in full swing, and progress reports and material requests are sent over every few days, each of which requires her to check and approve.

The incorporation of the elven race was also progressing simultaneously, with missions being sent out one after another, and feedback pouring in. The work of settling the new people was complex and multifaceted.

There's also the scheduling of mineral vein mining, the expansion and restructuring of the forest guard, the inventory of supplies in the warehouse, and the allocation and management of the spirit gathering room...

One thing after another, it seemed like there would never be an end to it.

As a result, her cultivation progress was somewhat affected, and her cultivation level remained at the second level of Foundation Establishment, still far from breaking through.

Eleanor has recently been considering expanding the staff of the document room—now the assistant group.

We need to at least double the current staff to match the current workload and give her enough time to focus on her cultivation.