The late summer breeze carried a tinge of sweetness, making people feel slightly intoxicated under the warm sun. August had passed, and October was near.
A young man extended his hand to the azure sky, his five fingers blocking the view. Soft sunlight streamed through the gaps between his fingers, the light changing and becoming extraordinarily beautiful. Then he sighed, lowered his hand, and the verdant mountains of Chablis returned to his sight—dry, comfortable air, and weather so clear it made people feel at ease and joyful.
The deep green that had covered the mountains since midsummer had already faded. The leaves of ginkgo, metasequoia, and sycamore were the first to turn pale yellow, while the fragrant trees in the forest blushed with light red. The mottled colors blended like oils on a palette, creating a natural beauty that tugged at one's heart.
He sat on horseback, one hand holding the reins, staring at a conspicuous gray-white cliff not far away—at the river's confluence at the foot of the mountain, with a cluster of red tile roofs. This was Chablis Town. In the past game, Chablis was almost unheard of; Brand only knew it was located in the middle region of Jandener, home to the few scattered minorities led by Erune—the mountain people.
North of the town was a dense forest, where the Silver Elves' ruins lay hidden beneath layers of tree canopies, called Balrog-Saint Gilles Ruins. This area used to be an expansive temple for the Silver Elves, with silver courtyards built in the dense forest center, one after another of holy white arcades, reflecting the mysterious and majestic beauty in line with the race's philosophy.
However, during the Year of the Shadow Dragon, Elves left this region for unknown reasons, leaving the temple abandoned. Now, if Brand remembered correctly, it should be inhabited by a group of Lizardman thieves. In the past game, this area had no real background; players went to the Silver Elves' temple ruins to battle primarily to plunder the Lizardman thieves' wealth. Of course, the game designers provided grander excuses, typically to eliminate harm for the people.
Brand found this quite laughable. Players never needed excuses, but game designers tried hard to ensure the world's consistency, thus they had to find some seemingly reasonable reasons for these game 'locusts.' Except for the storyline enthusiasts, it was originally a thankless task.
Now, however, his thoughts had changed. He found those backgrounds he previously didn't understand now seemed to shroud in mist.
Brand had never come to Chablis before. With instances like Balrog-Saint Gilles Ruins, there were no fewer than a hundred such instances in the Golan-Elsen Region in the past game. It was unnecessary for players to venture into other provinces when they were low-level. Designers' ideas also leaned towards this—only when players advanced in levels did they become mobile across various regions and countries.
But as a veteran player, he had more or less heard rumors about these regions: for example, Chablis' Balrog-Saint Gilles Temple ruins occupied by Lizardman thieves, or Levistan's eroded tomb filled with traps and undead creatures, and Karasel's Floating City—where players and mayflies battled.
Each was an adventure story filled with wealth and treasure, interspersed with the glint of swords.
Brand probably never expected that one day he would have the chance to visit these places when he was collecting this information. But now, standing on the hill looking at Chablis below—the rooftops with wisps of smoke rising like slanted lines, then dissipating in the clear sky. He felt grateful for not having the mindset to take advantage prematurely; otherwise, he would probably be entirely in the dark.
He thought about the Balrog-Saint Gilles Ruins and the Lizardman thieves.
However, the Chablis Region was indeed as beautiful as the forums claimed, peaceful and serene, making one want to leave their heart here forever, like a calm harbor.
Romantic led her beloved foal out from the forest behind, bought from a merchant traveling from Jandener to Brags. She couldn't bear to ride it much. The merchant lady curiously observed Chablis's mountains and rivers, her dark eyes glimmering with a layer of excitement: