The Record of Unusual Creatures
chapter-242

Chapter 242: Living Conditions

Everyone at the back of the vehicle was a little confused about what Vimm and Hilda were talking about. Nonetheless, they could basically grasp the meaning of it: the space-time accelerator accident had shaken the foundation of the fragile society, and there were many problems within the elven society itself. However, as outsiders, none of these problems were of their concern. They were not in a position to ask questions.

The levitating vehicle was fast, and it arrived in Dawnbreak Island in no time. As the vehicle passed through an energy shield and went over the wall, the towering steeples in the Aerym Royal District materialised up ahead. The vehicle proceeded to fly towards one of the homogenous steeples and landed on a semi-circle platform extending out from the steeple. Hilda opened the vehicle door and said to them, “This is my home.”

Lily glanced curiously at the huge steeple, chuckling. “Whoa, it looks huge.”

Hilda smiled haplessly. “At least, we are not short of living space.”

Meanwhile, a few Aerymian elves that looked like servants were darting towards them. The servants looked excited when they saw the queen, who had gone missing for the past couple of days. The heartfelt joy and repose on their faces spoke of the prestige Hilda was accorded there. Hilda and Vimm proceeded to brief the servants, then introduced Hao Ren and his company to them. “They are our VIP guests, please arrange their accommodation and take good care of them.”

“I have to call for an assembly of the elders.” Hilda wheeled. “I would like to apologise to you all for I have to attend to some emergencies in the Kingdom.”

Lily replied noisily. “That’s okay. We can help ourselves. By the way, can I look around?”

“You may.” Hilda nodded with a smile. Then Vimm and Hilda got back into the levitating vehicle and left in a hurry.

A young, slim female elf came up and signalled Hao Ren to follow her. “Allow me to bring you to the guest rooms.”

Everyone followed. As they entered the steeple, they passed through a long and dull-looking corridor with a series of simple yet elegant arches to the guest area. They received quite a lot of curious stares along the way; wherever they went, the palace staff would pause and look at the new guests in strange costumes. Rebuked by the leading young elf, the curious onlookers quickly dispersed.

“I apologise for the indecency, they were just curious.” The young elf bowed slightly in apology.

A lift carried them to the mid section of the steeple. Then they were led to an oval-shaped hall with rooms on every side—this was the VIP guest area. The rooms were specially catered to VIP guests. Before leaving, in front of the lift, the young elf said, “Have some rest here. Food is available in the cabinet at the end of the hall. Dinner will be served separately. If you need assistance, please press the green button in the room, or look for the Royal Guard in the lift.”

Hao Ren nodded back in acknowledgement. Lily was suffocated by the formal and solemn atmosphere of the Royal Palace. Just as the young elf left, she howled happily, ran in circles, then scampered in and out of the rooms. Vivian had a stretch. “Truly a queen. Look at this place, it’s huge!”

“Although they’re short in resources, they can still maintain a normal life,” said Hao Ren. He then sauntered around the place, checking out the rooms. The VIP guest room was simple. Nothing fancy, only functional furniture, which were clearly mass-produced products. The lack of style and design showed that they were churned out from the production line with cost-effectiveness in mind—a distinctive characteristic of a living, resource-constrained society. While the ruler may have gotten more material quota, they were using the same things as the ordinary people—cost-effective products from the production line, which totally forwent craftsmanship.

However, being a queen had its privilege: there were ornamental plants in every corner of the hall and rooms. These green bonsai plants added life to the otherwise dull atmosphere. Aerymian elves were originally from the forest, so they had a natural instinct for plants. Wherever possible, they would strive to decorate their living space with green despite the fact that they had to live in a efficiency-obsessed industrial machine for survival. Earlier, Hilda’s treeguard had mentioned that Aerymian traditional artistry and plants were inseparable. However, this kind of artistry was considered a luxury now. It was only maintained among royalty and the elites while what the eco-dome had was limited.

There was a lift at one end of the oval hall, and a round, floor-to-ceiling window at the other end, through which one could have a bird’s-eye view of the city. Hao Ren was standing right there, looking out at the exotic scenery. The filtered sunlight shone through the dome, and the greyish-white city was slowly coated in a golden light from the sunset. There were also small aircrafts traversing in the golden sunset. Suddenly, Vivian, who had come up to him without him realising, was heard saying, “Disregarding the dire situation they’re experiencing, this is a beautiful place.”

Hoa Ren just nodded without saying a word. He was recalling what he had learned from the employee handbook, trying to look at the whole picture from the viewpoint of an inspector. Since he landed on the floating island, he had been carefully observing every detail of the Aerymian society. He tried to understand the culture and status quo from the characteristics of the city, the words and deeds of everyone there. But, as a foreigner whose worldview and race was totally different from the Aerymians, reaching a proper conclusion was difficult. Nevertheless, observational skills were something every inspector had to have. He continued looking out of the window and remained silent for a moment before poking the MDT in his pocket. “Give me some suggestions.”

“No comment. From now on, you have to deal with things according to the SOP,” the MDT replied. “Anyway, the hint is: Madam Raven said you’re fully in-charge—I hope you get what she meant. I do hope you can solve things using your given ability. Don’t simply ask for help from the goddess or other higher forces. Build your influence and connections, then solve problems independently, befitting an inspector. The only limit you must always observe is that you cannot disturb other civilisations; under no circumstances should you help one civilisation you like at the expense of another civilisation. You cannot be partial.”

Hao Ren laughed. “Then worry not. I don’t know anyone yet for me to be biased against.”

Lily had made her rounds around the rooms when her biological clock sounded its hungry alarm on the dot. She remembered the female servant elf telling them that there was food in the cabinet, so she ran looking for it. She found a rectangular box in a metal cabinet. “Is this edible at all? It looks weird…”

She put the box on the table. Hao Ren saw it—the food was like some sort of synthetic stuff. It was mostly yellow or green sticks, the length of a finger, and crispy to the touch. Lily took one and put it into her mouth, chewing noisily. Then she frowned. “It tastes bland! A little salty like a chalk!”

“You ever tasted chalk?” Vivian gave her a sideways glance.

Lily was not embarrassed at all. “I have. The first time I saw a chalk, I took a bite out of curiosity. That taste is still fresh in my mouth just like yesterday.”

The maiden probably inherited the “fine tradition” of her race from her parents, that was to take a bite of everything just to taste them out…

The chalk-like synthetic food could not even appeal to a non-picky eater like Lily. So, she found another: a kind of paste in a cylinder. It was cream-like and sweet smelling. With high expectations, Lily gouged a little out with her finger and put that in her mouth. The moment the paste reached her tastebuds, her tail puffed up instantly. ” It tastes of engine oil!”

The MDT got out from Hao Ren’s pocket and examined the paste. “It’s a product of chemistry. Although it’s able to provide energy for carbon-based living things, don’t expect much in terms of taste. The addition of special flavour and some texture require a complicated production method, which is wasteful.”