A tree crown, a huge tree crown, a tree crown that can cover the sky.
When you enter the Emerald Garden on the 'flying bird', you will be amazed by the majestic cloud-like branches and leaves in the sky.
There are not only birds and magical beasts of various sizes on the canopy, but also cities placed in it. Some elves jump flexibly between the canopy without worrying about falling, while airships and gliders fly up and down from time to time.
Weaving through it like a bird.
Three sacred trees form a stable triangle, standing on three huge hills, and in the middle of the vast blue fields and lakes, an exquisite palace with sapphire-like domes and pavilions is located.
The pavilions are generally on the ground, half of them facing the lake, reflecting the brilliance in the sun.
That is where the Elf Queen lives. The palace covers a huge area, and there is a forest behind it. The entire structure is connected by circular roads, and on this huge central ring, there are circular roads of different sizes one after another.
Connect the gathering places of elves everywhere to form huge 'flower crowns'.
This is the center of the Emerald Forest, the Emerald Garden, the royal capital and main gathering place of the forest elves. About one-third of the forest elves live here.
The 'flying bird' flew across the sky and slowly landed towards the ground. The mirror-like lake surface reflected the sky. As it continued to get closer, the clouds inside gradually grew larger, as if it had entered another sky.
In the warm wind, the white wooden 'flying bird' slowly stopped on a neat lawn, and then two figures walked down from it.
"Here we are, here is the periphery of the 'Golden Leaf Corolla'. Did you see the golden oak tree on the road in the distance? Because its leaves will turn bright yellow after summer, it is very beautiful, so this place is called the Golden Leaf Corolla.
"
"Come with me. I remember that Teacher Westena lives on Xiangjin Street in the east of the city. It's not too far away." Charlie and Lorraine Hill introduced, and then asked the elves on the apron to help take care of this place.
After setting up an aircraft, we took great strides forward.
The two first walked through the roads outside the city, and then entered the increasingly prosperous interior.
Compared with the monotonous colors and architecture of most human cities, the gathering places of elves are undoubtedly much more diverse and exquisite. The houses here are basically not the same. They have different colors and styles, and some are made of simple white stones.
There are walls painted with light green lime, windows decorated with emerald glass, colorful gravel roads, roofs with crimson tiles, and even houses built inside big trees.
Although they look different in height, they are all arranged in arcs according to the streets, giving them a colorful and regular beauty that makes people's eyes shine.
Walking on such streets always brings a lot of surprises, because you never know what kind of new buildings you will see after turning a street.
Elves have plenty of time and energy, and they often live here for generations, so they also spend more time and energy on decorating their houses to make them in line with their inner thoughts and comfortable life.
Looking past the light yellow fence, Lorraine Hill could see that many families had flowers, plants and trees planted in their yards. Some trees even extended their branches and leaves into their balconies or even windows, bringing a sense of natural harmony and beauty of life.
There are very few people hawking in the street markets here, and some shops are not open all day long. As an operator, the boss will only open the door at specific times to welcome customers, and local residents have long been accustomed to it, often only going during the opening hours.
Buy something in the store.
In addition to common clothing, daily necessities, restaurants and other shops, girls can also see many shops selling musical instruments, paintings, and even alchemy creations. Compared with ordinary shops, this place is not sparsely populated, and you can even see some elves.
In the store, we discuss some of the latest popular things and exchange experiences with each other.
Elves do not reproduce quickly and have a long lifespan. This also leads to friends who like to get together to maintain long-term relationships. This also makes their social circle very stable and they rarely engage in short-sighted and deceptive behavior.
Here, the girl saw the kind of joy and leisure that is rare in human society, just like the paradise in Eastern legends.
After walking through the streets, Charlie and Lorraine Hill finally stopped in front of a courtyard.
It is surrounded by low white walls, and inside the walls is a green lawn. There is a three-story house in the courtyard, and most of the house is under the shade of a big tree.
The wind blew through the streets, causing the leaves to rustle, and the mottled tree shadows on the walls to sway, making people feel like it was a good time to take a nap.
There was no gate on the low fence built of white stone. Charlie and Lorraine Hill walked directly into the courtyard, climbed the stairs, came to the house, and rang the doorbell.
A crisp sound of glass wind chimes rang under the eaves, and soon after, a response came from inside the room.
"Wait a moment, I'll be right over."
Then with the sound of footsteps, the door opened, revealing the elf sage standing behind the door.
Vistena wore a loose dress at home, and her golden hair was braided from one shoulder to hanging on her chest.
"Charlie, and... you are really fast." She seemed to want to call out Lorraine Hill's name, but stopped talking at this time.
"Teacher Vestina~" Charlie stepped forward and gave the elf sage a big hug, and it took a while before she got off Vestina.
"I've made you laugh, come in and sit down first." Vistena showed a helpless smile to Lorraine Hill, and then greeted the two of them to come in.
The two entered the hall, which was slightly shady. There were a few books placed casually on the wooden sofa, and there was a vase with blue-leafed sunflowers in full bloom on the table.
After the two sat down, Vistena brought two glasses of refreshing thirst-quenching juice, then sat down together and asked about the situation along the way.
"No problem, I'm your outstanding student." Xia Li introduced with a pat on her chest. It seems that in her heart, this is what a qualified senior sister should do.
Lorraine Hill looks so young and not weak in strength. He should be a student accepted by Teacher Vesterna in Emenas. Taking care of his junior sister is natural and should be done.
Vistena, knowing that Charlie had misunderstood the matter, nodded and shook her head. It was not easy to explain the relationship at this time.
"It's really troublesome for Charlie. You are the only one who has been active outside the forest recently. I really can't find any suitable candidates for a while."
Then Vistena asked about Charlie's current situation before turning her gaze to Lorraine Hill. She blinked and then spoke.
"You have just arrived today, so you should take a rest first, and then I will talk about the business." After saying that, he asked the two to stay in his home temporarily and arranged a room for them.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Vistena spoke to Lorraine Hill alone while Charlie was looking at the room.
"What should I call you now? I think it's better not to tell Charlie your true identity yet."
"Just call me Jia Lan. The elves probably don't know much about this name at the moment." Lorraine Hill also nodded in understanding.
"Okay then, I'll call you Jialan. After dinner tonight, I'll take you for a walk in the flower crown. There will be many opportunities to talk."
After that, the two settled down in Vesterna's home. The elf sage prepared comfortable beds and pillows for them, and also arranged a room with a balcony.
At night, after the three of them had dinner together, they went out for a walk at Vistena's suggestion.
The streets are not deserted at night, and some shops will open during this time, especially the opera house and concert hall, where elves gather.
Walking on the street, Charlie was immediately attracted by those good-looking and favorite things. During this period, she also said hello to a few friends she hadn't seen for a long time. Seeing her having a lively exchange with familiar partners, Vistena finally met Laurence at this time.
I talked about the reason for this invitation.
"It has been five years since we last met in Emenas."
"Yes, time is really fast." Lorraine Hill nodded.
The two talked about the changes over the years, and the content of their chat ranged from Emenas to the situation in the empire, from the changes in human society to the partiality of the elves today.
"Nearly five years have passed. How does Roland view the current situation in the empire? Do you feel disappointed and resentful?" Vistena turned around, her face dimmed under the light of the street lamp.
"Both the nobles and the common people are drowning in their own calculations and interests. They have complicated ideas, chaotic slogans and pursuits, and the past beliefs and vows are no longer there. Everything is broken, like the residue of glass being stirred."
"Human beings, or life, are not noble or rational. They are not as beautiful as you describe."
"Yes." At this point, Lorraine Hill could only nod and admit.
Compared to Crancia, her experience in the empire will be more depressing. Perhaps only by experiencing many things herself can she understand the difficulties and complications involved.
Just like the simplest thing, the organization will provide financial support to residents who are physically disabled and unable to take care of themselves, so that they can gain the ability to maintain their lives. However, such regulations are quickly exploited by people with intentions. In some poor villages, some people even
Take the initiative to harm yourself or injure your family members in order to seek welfare.
Therefore, this regulation was later abolished and other methods were tried to improve it.
Is human nature inherently good? This may be a saying in fairy tales, but it is undeniable that there is indeed evil in human nature.
Humans are animals first and then humans. When you want to do something beneficial, there will be people who don’t understand and will sabotage it to satisfy their own selfishness. And when you exclude them, they will jump out and say,
I am also one of them, why can't I enjoy these? Now that you divide the status, how is it different from the nobles in the past?
All kinds of sophistry and rhetoric are always used by them casually and without any apology.
The same is true in other regions of the empire. With the royal family's several coups, abnormal changes, and rebellions, the past tacit understanding within the empire has been completely broken. Loyalty and oaths, from the existence that was praised in the past, have become things that are ridiculed and spurned today.
thing.
What is everything for, and why everything exists, are all put with question marks, repeatedly asked, and then abandoned, leaving only the most short-sighted and profitable parts.
Seeing Lorraine Hill's disappointed look, Vestena had no choice but to approach the girl, pat her on the shoulder, and comfort her softly.
"The current situation is very disappointing, but it's not your fault, it's just the way the world is."
"So, at the beginning, several sages told me that they did not have high hopes for the idea you proposed at the meeting that day."
"Fortunately, not everyone is like this, and there are still a few people who express their agreement."
"It's not that they don't realize the difficulties and complications they face, they just think it's the right thing to do."
"It's very interesting to say that it is precisely because we sages come from all ethnic groups and have deep experience and know the complexity of the operation of the country and society that we dare not speak out and put forward overly horrifying ideas. But it was you who barged in ignorantly at that time
, surprised everyone, giggle.”
"Because you are the great sage of Crancia. When you say this, many people are worried that it will directly affect Crancia and cause the only two countries left on the continent to enter a full-scale war again."
"However, fortunately, such a follow-up did not happen."
"There are many differences between Clancia and the Empire. After independence from West Wind, the overall liquidation was completed. Everything was overthrown and started over, which was very refreshing."
"The empire is different. Its territory is vast, and residents in various places have complex traditions, beliefs, pursuits, and even bloodlines. If you want to liquidate, it means that the entire empire will be opposed from top to bottom. Yes, even those civilians will
Against you because you are destroying their beliefs and customs."
"They sincerely recognize those things, the glory of the family, the oaths kept, local traditions, etc., and before you arrived, the empire had not completely fallen to the point where it could not survive, and nothing had changed.
thoughts and impulses.”
"At this time, if you do it forcefully, there will be no difference between you and the evil people who invaded."
"So, this time it is a hellish difficulty, Lorraine Hill." The sage moved the hair beside his ear, stood at the edge of the square, and whispered to the girl.
Time passed slowly, and the two of them sat on a bench by the square, watching the elves walking by, the puppeteers performing puppet plays, and the common lovers discussing with each other, until Charlie's excited footsteps broke the silence.
"Jia Lan, do you want some frozen candy?" As she said this, the elf girl ran over and handed over something that looked like a candied haws. It seemed that she had just gone to buy something to eat.
However, it is not a candied haws. Its outer shell is a layer of solidified and hardened sugar shell. It is about the size of an apple, has a light blue color, and exudes a slight blueberry fragrance. The inside is filled with ice cream, which can be eaten with a small wooden spoon.
The ice cream is made of cream and juice. It is slightly sour and sweet. When you put it in your mouth, it will have a cool and melting texture. After eating the ice cream inside, and then pairing it with the chewed hard candy shell, it has a different kind of taste.
"Teacher, do you want it too? I have another one here."
Watching Lorraine Hill take the jelly candy, Charlie smiled sweetly, and then continued to ask Vestina who was standing aside.
"This... I won't use it." After several thoughts passed through her mind, Vestina finally rejected Charlie's proposal in order to preserve her image.
"Oh, is it really unnecessary? I heard from Teacher Iweina that when you were still students, you liked this the most."
Well, it seems that the image has long since disappeared. Vestena couldn't help but sigh.