The city market was alive with noise.
Merchants shouted over one another, advertising their goods. The scent of roasted meat mixed with the fragrance of fresh herbs. Wooden carts creaked across the stone streets while people moved through the crowded lanes in a constant stream.
For Evan, the place was nothing short of fascinating.
This was not the first time Lyra had brought him into the city, but it was the first time he was old enough to truly observe everything.
And observe he did.
Evan sat comfortably in Lyra's arms as she walked through the busy market street.
His eyes moved everywhere.
Stalls.
People.
Clothes.
Weapons.
Strange fruits.
Shiny objects.
Everything looked interesting.
Inside his mind, however, Evan wasn't acting like a child.
Okay… focus.
This is a medieval cultivation world.
Which meant two very important things.
First—power determined everything.
Second—knowledge was priceless.
If he wanted to survive and eventually grow strong, he needed to understand this world properly.
Language.
History.
Cultivation systems.
Everything.
Evan looked around the market carefully.
Then his gaze landed on something extremely important.
A book stall.
His eyes lit up.
Perfect.
He immediately raised his tiny arm and pointed.
"Ba!"
Lyra continued walking.
Evan pointed again.
"Ba!"
Lyra still didn't stop.
Evan frowned.
He leaned forward and pointed aggressively this time.
"BA!"
Lyra glanced at him.
"Yes, my prince?"
Evan pointed toward the book stall again.
"Ba!"
Lyra followed his gaze.
A small wooden stall filled with books and scrolls stood beside the street.
She blinked.
"…Books?"
Evan nodded enthusiastically.
"Ba!"
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"You want… books?"
Evan nodded again.
"Ba!"
Lyra stared at him for a moment.
Then she sighed quietly.
"You are one year old."
Evan pointed harder.
"BA!"
Lyra looked at the stall again.
Then back at Evan.
"…Fine."
She walked over.
The merchant behind the stall was an older man with thin glasses and a long grey beard. He looked up as Lyra approached.
"Welcome, welcome!"
His eyes landed on Evan.
"Oh?"
"A young reader?"
Lyra smiled politely.
"My pri-child seems interested in your books."
In her mind
'I nearly let it slip that he's a prince. I guess it's a habit at this point... sigh.'
The merchant laughed softly.
"That's wonderful!"
"Reading from a young age builds wisdom."
Evan nodded seriously.
Correct.
Lyra placed him on the counter so he could see the books more clearly.
That was a mistake.
Evan immediately began pointing everywhere.
"Ba!"
"This one?"
"Ba!"
"And this one?"
"Ba!"
"And… this one too?"
"BA!"
Within moments, a small pile of books had formed on the counter.
Lyra stared at the stack.
Then at Evan.
"…My son."
Evan pointed again.
"Ba!"
Lyra rubbed her forehead.
"You cannot even read yet."
Evan froze.
Then he slowly turned his head toward her.
Inside his mind, he spoke calmly.
Watch me.
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
So instead—
He dramatically grabbed one of the books.
Opened it.
And stared at the pages very seriously.
Lyra blinked.
"…You are pretending to read."
Evan flipped the page confidently.
The merchant chuckled.
"A promising scholar!"
Lyra sighed.
"Son, these books are not toys."
Evan slammed his tiny hand on the page.
"Ba!"
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…You are not winning this argument."
Evan immediately switched strategies.
He puffed his cheeks.
Then—
"WAAAAAAAH!"
The cry was loud enough that several nearby shoppers turned their heads.
Lyra closed her eyes slowly.
"…You are manipulating me."
Evan continued crying.
"WAAAAAH!"
The merchant leaned closer.
"Well…"
"Children with such passion for books are rare."
Lyra opened one eye.
"…You are not helping."
The merchant shrugged.
Evan sniffed dramatically.
Lyra sighed in defeat.
"…Fine."
She turned to the merchant.
"We will take them."
Evan instantly stopped crying.
Lyra glared at him.
"You stopped very quickly."
Evan smiled.
"Ba!"
Lyra shook her head.
"You are going to be trouble when you grow older."
Evan smirked inside and said this in his mind:
'You won't even know what hit you, woman. Let's see what the future will be like.'
The merchant wrapped the books neatly and handed them over.
"An excellent investment in the young scholar's future!"
Lyra paid and picked Evan back up.
As they walked away, she looked down at him.
"You cannot read yet."
Evan blinked.
Inside his mind, he smirked slightly.
I used to read cultivation novels in my previous life.
Learning this language will be easy.
Lyra continued walking through the market.
Evan watched everything carefully.
This world was larger than he had imagined.
Humans filled most of the streets.
But occasionally, he noticed people who looked… slightly different.
Different clothing.
Different features.
Some even carried strange spiritual auras.
Then suddenly—
Evan froze.
Something had caught his attention.
Across the street, moving through the crowd, was a figure wearing a long cloak.
Most people would not have noticed anything unusual.
But Evan did.
Because for a brief moment—
The wind lifted the edge of the cloak.
And he saw her.
Golden blonde hair.
Long and radiant like sunlight.
And beneath the hood—
A glimpse of striking blue eyes.
Evan's eyes widened.
Whoa…
His gaze remained fixed on the mysterious figure.
Her features were unlike anyone he had seen before.
Graceful.
Sharp.
Almost ethereal.
Then he noticed something else.
Her ears.
Long.
Pointed.
Evan's mind immediately connected the dots.
An elf.
He had read about them countless times in fantasy stories back on Earth.
But seeing one in real life—
Even if it was only for a moment—
Left him completely stunned.
Lyra noticed his sudden silence.
"My prince?"
Evan didn't respond.
His gaze remained locked on the cloaked figure as she moved through the crowd.
The elf walked calmly between the people of the market.
Unnoticed.
Like a shadow passing through the city.
For a brief moment—
Her blue eyes glanced in Evan's direction.
Then the crowd shifted.
And she was gone.
Vanished among the sea of people.
Evan continued staring at the spot where she had disappeared.
His mind buzzed with curiosity.
So other races exist in this world…
Lyra followed his gaze.
But she saw nothing unusual.
"Did you see something?"
Evan slowly pointed toward the crowd.
"Ba…"
Lyra looked again.
Still nothing.
She gently patted his head.
"Perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you."
But Evan knew what he saw.
And for some reason—
The memory of those blue eyes stayed in his mind.
Like the beginning of something important.
Something he didn't yet understand.
And somewhere beyond the market crowds—
A pair of blue eyes glanced back once more.