Deep World.

The cosmic and spiritual qi disappeared tens of thousands years ago, the whole world changed in more than a hundred ways.

All the life forms are still fighting for survival as before. But without cultivation or magic, the knowledge about how the world works without qi are spread between the intelligent races.

The elves specialized themselves in metallurgy and livestock, the dwarves in mining and construction, the humans in medicine and agriculture.

The world is relatively pacific, since the three major races need each other one way or another. Even without cultivation, life can thrive.

Elven Republic, deep on the elden forest.

"Damn, why hasn't the last volume been released yet?"

"What is the author thinking?"

In front of a bookstore, a long line of elves waited, everyone was anxious.

The bookstore was located near a huge old tree, which completely blocked the sunlight and allowed only lighting through street lamps.

The entire elden forest is made up of trees as old as civilization itself, and sunlight rarely reaches the forest floor.

"Look! The door is opening!"

Slowly, the door to the bookstore opened, and a young elf woman appeared.

"The last volume of 'Chronicles of a forgotten world' is now for sale!", the elf woman spoke with a smile.

"Finally! I've been waiting here for a week!"

"I can't help but cry!"

The elf woman ignored the elves and went back to inside the bookstore.

"Get out of my way! I need this book!"

"What are you doing!?"

A riot broke out in front of the bookstore, with some elves trying to break the line.

"Excuse me, this is my turn!", Suddenly, the voice of a young elf caught the attention of the others.

"But how lucky, he is! He won't have to worry about getting the book!", the elves murmured and looked at the young elf with envy.

The young elf is Alonn, who has just reached the age considered mature in elven society, 20 years old.

He is 1,85 meters tall, has black hair whose length barely reaches the chin, dark blue eyes, and a thin body. His clothes are common, and he clearly isn't someone rich or powerful. His pointed ears were a little red from the excitement.

After entering the bookstore carefully and looking around for a moment, Alonn went to a counter where several books were. There were only a few dozen units, and the price was not low.

Alonn swallowed his own saliva and picked up one of the books carefully, after examining the contents for a while, he took some silver coins out of his pocket and placed them in a golden vase beside the table.

Alonn's heart was a little bitter, as these coins were the fruit of a year's savings.

He looked around for a while, as if looking for someone, but sighed in disappointment seeing that there were only other customers and the bookstore manager on the place.

"Thank you", the young elf woman who is the manager, said with a smile to Alonn.

Alonn bowed slightly with a smile and then left the bookstore.

"Finally, I will finally be able to read the last volume.", Alonn murmured as he walked to his house, his eyes were shining with excitement.

The streets of the capital are very busy, many dwarves and humans can be seen, and the lamps scattered throughout the city illuminate the magical ambience of the city.

Huge ancient trees with houses built on their trunks or treetops, big bridges above everyone heads connecting the trees with elven soldiers on patrol. The scenery of the elven capital is unique even among other cities in the republic.

"Mother, father. Give me your blessings.", Alonn said as he walked inside his house.

"May the world bless you, my son.", his father, Ronn, said as he read a newspaper on the chair. His appearance is almost identical to that of Alonn, with the difference being a scar cutting off his nose.

"Where is mother?", Alonn asked as he walked to the kitchen.

"She has gone to the market.", Ronn answered.

After drinking some water and eating a piece of bread and a apple, Alonn walked to his bedroom.

His house is located in a thousand-year-old tree on the outskirts of the capital. The house has three floors, but there is a staircase that leads to the treetop, where there is a small garden built by his mother on a plataform.

"Son! Don't forget that you need to go to the Smithy Fortress tomorrow!", Ronn he shouted when he saw Alonn coming up the stairs with a book in his hands.

"Yes, father.", Alonn spoke with a smile.

Having reached the age of twenty, Alonn must work if he wants to continue living with his parents.

Fortunately, he always had a talent for forging weapons, and won the attention of a teacher when he was still in school.

The teacher recommended him to the secretary of the mayor, and Alonn was given a chance to work in the republic's most sophisticated forges!

Alonn is definitely happy with the opportunity, since he will have a stable salary for the rest of his life if he gets the secretary's approval.

What does a steady salary mean to Alonn? It means that he will be able to buy as many books as he wants in his entire life!

While humming, Alonn he sat in the chair in front of the desk in his room and opened the book after turning on a lamp.

'Chronicles of a forgotten world' is a series of fantasy books, with the first book being released ten years ago, when Alonn was still a child.

The book's narrative is about a world where magic and cultivators exists, as well as magical creatures like dragons. Seven heroes begins a journey to defeat villains all over the world and to discover some secrets of the starry sky.

For a young elf like Alonn, this type of book has a fatal attraction. He grew up being taught that magic is nothing more than a fantasy created by the elders to amaze children.

All over the world, belief in magic or cultivation has completely disappeared, what remains are mere legends from a distant past.

But this type of story brings great satisfaction to young elves, who dream of exploring the world and leaving the elden forest.

Because of the big trees, most people in the capital depend on clocks to get a sense of time. Without realizing it, Alonn stayed up all night reading the book, without looking at the clock that hung on the bedroom wall.

When he read about a quarter of the book, the birdsong woke Alonn from his immersion.

Looking at the watch on the wall, Alonn almost swore loudly when he saw it was time for him to go to the Smith Fortress.

Because of their special constitution, elves do not need to eat or sleep as much as humans, Alonn simply changed his clothes and went down the stairs.

"Son, didn't you sleep again?", his mother, Meria, asked when she saw the black pouches under Alonn's eyes.

She has black hair that reaches her waist and blue eyes as Ronn and Alonn.

"Yeah, i'm going", Alonn said as he went into the kitchen to eat some fruits before leaving.

"May the world bless you, my son.", Meria said and then made a short prayer.

After leaving the house, Alonn walked to an old tree at the end of the street and went up the stairs to the suspended bridges.

To reach the smithy fortress, the best way is to follow the path of the bridges suspended between trees instead of crossing the forest floor.

"Hey Alonn, good luck there!", one of the soldiers on the patrol recognized Alonn and waved at him.

Alonn smiled and waved back before starting to run.

Although the bridges are suspended several tens of meters above the forest floor, Alonn and probably no elf are afraid to fall, probably because it is part of the elven culture.

After running for a long time, Alonn began to smell smoke coming from the trees. It turns out that the Smithy Fortress is located on top of one of the oldest trees, so the smoke spreads with the wind above the trees and doesn't pollutes the air of the capital bellow.

The Smithy Fortress is probably one of the most sophisticated buildings of the republic, as it is made of a non-flammable material called Hokim, hard and resistant as stone while being light as common wood. Hokim has a black natural color.

Alonn went up one of the stairs that led to the top of the trees and then he saw the great black fortress where the great forges are located.

The sunlight made Alonn narrow his eyes in discomfort for a moment but he quickly adapted and went to the fortress through the suspended paths made of Hokim above the trees.

Smoke comes from all corners of the fortress plant, as if a fire is occurring inside it.

Along with the smoke, the sound of metal being hammered was like a bell in Alonn's head.

"This is going to be my second home from now on...", Alonn murmured and walked into the forges.

Many elves walked everywhere, with torn and dirty clothes. Theris is not a single person in the entire smithy fortress who has no dirt on their body.

After undergoing a brief identification, Alonn was taken by one of the guards to one of the great hearths.

"Hey boy!", an elf with blond hair was waiting by the furnace and waved to Alonn. He was Alonn's teacher when the young elf was at school.

"Hello, teacher.", Alonn greeted the professor.

"Haha, it's good to see you. And I'm not your teacher anymore", The teacher spoke with a smile and tapped Alonn on his shoulder.

His name was Leaff, and he was Alonn's teacher for four years in a row. He is currently forty years old.

"I hope you came prepared. The metal has already been prepared for you, and the secretary will arrive soon.", Leaff spoke with a smile.

Alonn wasted no time and started analyzing the metals he will work with.

"Do you already know what you're going to forge?", Leaff asked.

"...", Alonn contorted the corners of his mouth and didn't respond, he hadn't really thought about it because he was busy reading the book.

The big hearth was emanating so much heat that Alonn was already sweating all over his body, and he was starting to feel a little weak from not having slept well.

"Are you okay?" Leaff asked when he saw that Alonn's breathing was a little irregular.

"Yes, don't worry.", Alonn replied with a smile and decided what he was going to forge.

"I hope you don't waste my time, Leaff.", The secretary said suddenly, he had just arrived at the place.

The secretary has blond hair and green eyes, and does not appear to be very old. He was wearing casual clothes for someone so important, and a sword was hanging at his waist.

"Hmph! Don't worry, I trust Alonn!", Leaff said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, First Secretary.", Alonn greeted the secretary while bowing slightly forward.

"I heard great things about you, I hope I won't be disappointed", The secretary said as he put a hand on Alonn's shoulder.

Alonn nodded and then turned to the metals.

"May the world give me luck.", Alonn murmured slowly and started to work.

He first put on thick leather gloves, then took one of the big pliers and took a piece of metal into the furnace.

After the metal was heated enough and was completely incandescent, Alonn put the metal on an anvil and began a round of hammering.

Undoubtedly, a smith's job is not easy, and even with advanced elven equipment, it took Alonn several hours to complete the first half of the forging.

The metal was now shaped like a spear tip, and it still needed to harden the steel enough and then polish it to be able to sharpen it properly.

Alonn didn't realize that his body was on the verge of collapse and continued to work.

After finally sharpening the spear tip, Alonn blew out a sigh of relief and fell to the floor.

The secretary suddenly started to clap and he said, "Splendid! This is a wonderful work for a young smith. You really have talent, although you need to improve on many things, especially your own body. You hardly had the strength to finish shaping the metal, and that's a big problem!"

Alonn was breathing deeply and did not have the strength to answer the secretary.

"Boy, are you okay?", Leaff asked when he saw Alonn's precarious condition.

Alonn wanted to answer no, but he had no strength.

"Don't you see that the boy is about to pass out? Take him away before the smoke from this place suffocates him to death.", The secretary said and took a paper out of his pocket.

"Here, boy, this is the proof that you were hired for the great forges of Fjörd, the capital of the elves! Come to work when you recover.", the secretary spoke and put the paper in one of Alonn's dirty laundry pockets.

Leaff then helped Alonn to his feet and said goodbye to the secretary.

Outside Smithy Fortress, Leaff looked at Alonn with a bitter smile and said: "You need to take more care of your health. Even if you are an elf, you cannot escape the limitations of being a mortal."

Alonn finally joined forces to speak and said, "I know, thanks for your concern."

"Now go to your house, I have to go to the school.", Leaff said and released Alonn, who almost fell without strength.

Without waiting for Alonn to say anything, Leaff left the weak elf alone.

For the first time, Alonn wanted to exercise regularly and lead a healthier life.

"It looks like I'm not going to have that much time to read anymore", Alonn spoke with a sigh and started walking home.

On the way, Alonn didn't seem as enthusiastic as he used to, and anyone looking at him thought he was sick because of his pale skin.

When he got home, Meria looked at her son in surprise and shouted, "What happened to you? Are you sick?"

"Very hungry... and sleepy.", Alonn spoke as he went to the bathroom to take a shower.

"I'm going to prepare something for you to eat.", Meria said and went to the kitchen.

After showering and wearing clean clothes, Alonn went to the kitchen and ate like a glutton.

"You need to be more careful, why don't you exercise your body with your father during the sunrise at the top of the tree?", Meria spoke with concern.

"I think this is a good idea.", Alonn said as soon as he finished eating.

"Go to sleep, I will wake you up when your dad goes to exercise tomorrow morning.", Meria spoke and started to clear the table.

Unfortunately for Alonn, having eaten enough he created a false impression of not needing to sleep urgently, and he ended up reading the book again in his bed.

But in the end, he couldn't escape and ended up sleeping after a while, with the book on his face.