With the dawn's fading light, the once silent Malden Orchard was filled with movement.
A young man named Leylin emerged from a small wooden hut. He wore a pair of worn leather shoes, dragging a large basket in his left hand and across his back. A snow-white towel was wrapped around his neck. His work today was physically demanding.
Before leaving, Leylin double-checked the lock on the door was secure, gave the bolt a shake, and then confidently walked into the orchard. The gnolls had been rampant these days, and to ensure the contents of his house were not damaged, necessary protective measures were necessary.
Malden Orchard was located in the northern part of Silverpine Forest, close to the western coast. The low temperatures in the early mornings cast a haze over the orchard. This pervasive mist was a constant source of worry for Leylin, as it would cause him to step on the immature fruit trees.
Leylin had always treated the trees in Malden Orchard like his own, caring for them with great care. Hard work always pays off. The fruits grown in the Malden Orchard have made Leylin a small fortune.
"My little sister should be here at noon to buy this week's fruit. I have to hurry," Leylin said, heading deeper into the orchard.
This little sister Leylin was referring to was named Vereesa Windrunner, a high elf from the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. She was called little sister because she had two older sisters. Since she was the youngest, Leylin simply called her little sister.
To buy the fruit from Leylin's orchard, the high elves paid Leylin 200 gold coins each month. What did 200 gold coins per month mean? It meant that in two years, Leylin could buy a house in the most luxurious area of Lordaeron's central area. However, Leylin had no plans to do so at the moment, nor would he entertain such foolish plans.
This high price made Leylin more diligent in picking better fruit for these high elves. Integrity must be paramount in business.
It was apple season, and when Leylin picked, he sought those that were green with a hint of red, plump and glossy, to sell. He picked carefully, trying to keep the apples fresh, and if conditions permitted, he would leave a few dark green leaves on the tips. This made them look better.
After a morning's work, he had two baskets full of apples. He brought them to the gate of the Malden Orchard estate. Inside the fence stood a small house built for him by the high elves.
This house maintained a low temperature for a month. The constant temperature spell was cast by Dar'Khan, the elven mage of Quel'Thalas.
At noon, the sun in Silverpine Forest was directly above the sky. Leylin simply stayed at the orchard gate, munching on an apple to quench his thirst. These elves were meticulous and punctual.
Sure enough, before Leylin had even finished chewing the apple flesh, the azure sky was obscured by a large flying creature. Leylin, who was not surprised by this, stayed where he was, waiting for the dragonhawk to land.
Not my little sister? Leylin thought to himself.
The one who came this time was another Windrunner. Unlike my little sister's attire, this Windrunner was wearing a green ranger coat, a green hooded cloak tucked neatly behind her.
Her soft light-yellow hair could be vaguely seen outside the brim of the hat. This outfit could cleverly hide her in the green of the forest.
The Windrunner looked up at Leylin, her beautiful face exposed to Leylin's sight.
She was very beautiful, even more beautiful than my little sister. The heroic aura of the Windrunner in front of him was something my little sister did not have.
"Are you Leylin?"
"The fruits are all here, four portions in total. Please check carefully. If there is nothing else, I will go back to the house first." Leylin answered the question irrelevantly.
He did not want to greet this strange Windrunner. It was meaningless.
"Do I annoy you so much? I heard from my little sister that you treat her very warmly." The strange Windrunner smiled faintly. Leylin's cold behavior just now did not make her angry, or rather, she did not reveal her feelings.
"Why didn't my little sister come today?" Leylin stopped and turned around to ask.
The Windrunner stroked the light green longbow in his hand, made a bow drawing motion and said: "As a Windrunner, she must undergo training to become a qualified ranger. In the future, the number of times you can see her will be few and far between."
"Really? Then please tell her for me that she must train well and become a qualified ranger general." Leylin said a little disappointedly.
Leylin was very unhappy that his little sister did not come this time. In the past, his little sister would always come here on Friday noon, which had become a habit in Leylin's life.
"You're quite generous, but my younger sister isn't like you. She even had a fight with me, her elder sister, over what happened today. But the more she wants to come, the more I try to stop her. I want to see what this human, who captivates my younger sister, actually looks like," the Windrunner said.
The strange Windrunner sized him up again.
"I'm afraid I'm disappointed," Leylin said self-deprecatingly.
The Windrunner shook her head slightly, saying, "Not really. We Windrunners don't judge people based on first impressions. I trust my younger sister's judgment. By the way, I mentioned your suggestion to Magister Rommath. Just yesterday, Rommath agreed and made an exception to admit you to let you study magic in Quel'Thalas. However, you have to promise to deliver fruits to Quel'Thalas free of charge for the next year."
These were all words he'd said to cheer his younger sister up, but he hadn't expected her to take them seriously. Leylin kept some of his secrets.
He is quite different, since he is a person who transmigrated in this world together with a system.
"I'll prepare," Leylin replied melancholy.
"I heard that you are a very interesting person, and you are good at telling stories and drawing interesting simple sketches. But today, you don't seem so cheerful." Windrunner recalled that when they were practicing at night, her younger sister always introduced the person in front of them.
Leylin did not hide it and said directly: "If the elf who came today was your younger sister, I would definitely take her to the west coast to play and tell her the story of Chihiro when she moved to a new home in the countryside."
"So, I have become the villain in the eyes of you two." the Windrunner smiled bitterly.
"Not really," Leylin said generously. "If you don't mind, we can be friends."
The Windrunner's eyes flickered with delight beneath her slender lashes, but she quickly masked it with a cough.
"So, as a greeting, would you like to tell me a story or draw me a picture?" the Windrunner asked with a sweet smile.
This smile made Leylin's heart tremble, and he continued, "Your smile is beautiful. Let's draw a picture."