Melvin couldn't help but smile at his daughter - her eyes shone like a star in excitement while roaming the streets of Blakewell City in the province of Awarnach.
The place was foretold to be the busiest location in Columbia. Known for its pseudo-Art Deco architecture, the place is full of commercial buildings with little to no aspects of nature.
The policies are pretty strict and its residents only mind their own business unless it's personal. Nevertheless, these people are polite, much like those from the Commonland.
Whenever the young elf stumbles upon something that sparks her interest, she returns to her parents and informs her mother regarding her discovery. She would repeatedly disappear once again and show up.
This time, Eleanor emerged out of nowhere like an exploding matter while the couple - Melvin and Arwyn - navigated the streets to find transport. That was the result of her teleportation ability.
"Mom, you won't believe what I just saw! There's this beautiful fountain with a lady statue right in the center. And guess what? People were selling all sorts of strange candies nearby. One of them even gave me a free sample, and let me tell you, not only are they cold, and sweet, but they also have this incredibly smooth texture..." Eleanor joyfully described her experience.
"You can't simply vanish and reappear like a fairy! Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers?" Arwyn angrily yelled, feeling annoyed. "This time, young lady, you're grounded," she groaned out of frustration. She cast a spell that revoked her abilities.
"But Mom," pleaded the girl with begging eyes as she clenched her fists and leaned forward.
"That's not going to work, sweetie" her unfazed mother reminded her with her arms crossed.
"We must hurry. I heard the locals saying that our only way of getting to Greenwood is about to leave," informed Melvin.
"Shouldn't we stay here for at least a day?" Arwyn insisted. "It's been almost a week since we arrived from Svearania," she added.
"This city will deplete our resources if we stay here too long. Prices are quite high, so if we don't have enough, it'll be impossible to get to our destination," Melvin insisted.
"Eleanor, how much does a package of candies cost?" he asked.
"The shopkeepers told me they are about twenty gold coins," the girl replied.
"See? That's around five hundred and fifty silver, or fifty thousand copper," said Melvin.
"Everything will be much more affordable once we get to Greenwood, so hurry."
Thus, the family resumed their walk and Eleanor sighed that she wouldn't be able to experience the city for the remainder of her youth. When Arwyn demanded to catch up, the young elf glared at her with her tongue sticking out, irritating the mother into pinching her daughter's long ears and dragging her to come along.
After hours of traveling, they finally arrived at the train station. Unlike the entrance, there was no need to line up, as each passenger could board one of the trains on a set of rails going from Awarnach to New Albion and vice versa.
The trains were designed to stop at every station. Since Greenwood was located in the northeast of Raleigh, they would have to arrive in the middle of said province.
"Welcome to Dweller's train station," greeted one of the ticket examiners, her emotions oozing with disinterest. "Hand over your tickets so we can allow you to hop in."
Eyes met between the family and the examiner, their presence caught her attention. "Why don't you take a look at that... Elves? In here?" she murmured to herself.
When Melvin handed over his ticket, it was swooped from his grasp quicker than ever.
"Hmm, Raleigh, huh?" She read its contents. "You may proceed. Just choose one of the carts; they're heading in the same direction anyway," she permitted, with her voice less enthusiastic than ever.
The family passed the checkpoint with gratitude and boarded one of the trains. Fortunately, they made it just in time. As they boarded, the wheels started rolling, smoke billowed from the chimneys, and the engines rang like bells.
Gradually, the trains moved faster and swiftly crossed the horizon, showing the beauty of this land from a distance.
Eleanor in her seat, gazed through the window and watched the scenery in amusement. At a glance, she witnessed the trees, the animals, and the mountains looming over, backed by tall buildings. It felt like she lived in an entirely different world - something far different from hers.
As the train crossed a line, the vibrant atmosphere of the red sands became visible, with an even more mountainous horizon in the distance. Instead of tall buildings, there were now small wooden structures much closer to the tracks, allowing a clear view of the residents.
Rather than people in formal attire, the residents wore rugged clothing and hats similar to those worn by Devin, the Tourguide. The passengers refer to them as Cowboy hats in conversations.
Furthermore, they appeared chubbier and more peculiar. Her only insight into their way of life was their horses, which they always kept with them, and people testing their small shiny-looking matchlocks in their pockets at a shooting range.
The young elf was intrigued by the land and its inhabitants. She found them to be quite different from the humans in her homeland. Additionally, she was surprised by their ability to adapt to their environment despite the heat.
Beyond the town, there are tents where the natives live. These are also humans, but unlike the townspeople, they have darker skin and wear different clothing that sets them apart. They appear to uphold religion, with rituals happening in the middle of the camp.
As the train passes by, a group of spear-wielders are seen preparing their weapons before leaving, presumably to hunt. In addition, she could even see another batch of them marching in the distance.
"I wonder what they are going after," wondered Eleanor.
"Buffalos," said a young voice behind their seat. "There are a lot of them in this place"
When she gazed behind, it was a sun-dweller boy in a cowboy hat. Sun-dwellers are humans hailing from a continent south of the Palelands. It was known as Sol-terra.
From the looks, he's pretty upbeat and chill. He sat comfortably, looking through the window while his mother napped beside him. What sets them apart from the mainland sun-dwellers is their accent, the boy sounding more like Devin albeit in a child's voice.
"You're an elf?" Blurted out the young man, eyes widened.
"You sound different..." described Eleanor out of confusion.
"Well..." The boy chuckled, knowing she didn't mean to be rude. "That's because I'm from here - I'm Columbian. I may be a Sun-dweller by blood but I am a resident," he explained.
She clapped her hands and bowed her head down.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized, blushing in embarrassment.
"It's fine," the boy accepted. "I will let that slide. Just... be careful when talking to people like me next time. Some don't take these kindly like I do," he stammered for quite a bit.
"I will," promised the elf with her eyes sparkling beautifully.
"So what are you folks doing here?" asked the boy.
"We are planning to settle down in Greenwood. From what I'm told, it's somewhere in Raleigh," the girl answered.
"Greenwood? That's weird. I thought that nobody lived there," said the boy with bewilderment.
"Say again?" She asked dumbfoundedly.
"Greenwood is a forest that the Emperor considered a national park. Perhaps there might be a misunderstanding. You could settle down in Brandyvile when you get there."
After that, Eleanor withdrew to her old posture, contemplating the possibilities.
And finally, the long ears arrived at their destination.
As they exited, it was sunset. They were met with a breeze and an environment where sand and dirt blended well like peanut butter and jelly. The passengers passed their tickets to the stations and got out.
From there, they stood in a town made of wood populated by people in either rugged or fancy attires minding their business. Gazing around, they saw a wooden sign on the top of a saloon that signifies their location. They read through it, and they got their answer.
"It appears that we are in town Hoffward." Said Melvin. "Luckily, one of the examiners gave us a map of the town... and various others," he added, as he withdrew a series of scrolls showing all the towns.
"Are there any nearby places of transport?" Asked Arwyn.
"According to the map..." Said the man as he carefully read. "Our source of transportation is right in front of us - by the saloon."
"Well, I don't see anything, Father..." Said Eleanor.
Suddenly, a carriage appeared on the side of the building as it prepared to move out. It turns out they were looking at the wrong angle. Eventually, one of them began walking toward it.
"Let's go," said Melvin.
The rest of the family continued. The locals exchanged glances at the couple, and soon they became the talk of the town for once. Apparently, their appearance seemed out of place, leaving everyone feeling weirded out.