Fontaine is a city submerged in water. The water is like a piece of silk, slowly pouring down from the valley, surrounding the buildings, the streets, and the hearts of people. Standing on the edge of the city, looking at the reflection in the water, I seemed to have returned to my childhood. At that time, there was also a stream by the village. In the evening, ducks floated on the water, and the laughter of women washing clothes floated among the cattails.
I am a traveler. I have walked many roads, seen many scenery, and done many chores. When I came to the city of Fontaine, Catherine handed me four commissions, saying that they were “daily” – to be done every day, and there would be rewards for doing them. I nodded, as if I had agreed to help Aunt Wang next door fetch water for her.
The first thing was to dive into the water to repair some device. I can’t repair things, but I am familiar with water. I took off my coat, did a horse stance, and dived into the water. It felt so good. The water slid over my ears and wrapped my limbs, as if I was back in my mother’s arms. Finding the damaged parts and installing them is like sewing the fallen pages back into the book. After coming out, I was covered in water, and I was a little embarrassed to be thanked.
The second thing was to deliver a document. I walked through the city with the neatly sealed letter. On the road, I met children chasing bubbles and old people walking slowly across the bridge with a cane. I was not in a hurry to get on the road, but instead saw the scenery along the way. When the document was delivered, I felt that I was not completing a task, but participating in a little bit of life in this city.
The third thing is to drive away a monster called “phantom”. They are not like fairies or evil spirits, but more like – the sorrow in people’s hearts. They float in the mist, sometimes hiding in the corners of the wall, sometimes hiding under the bridge. I raised my weapon, not for fighting, but just to wipe the city’s dream a little clean. The phantoms dispersed, revealing the light of the street lamps, with a kind of warmth of sunshine shining into the window after the rain.
After completing these four things, Catherine said: “Your reputation has risen.” I asked her: “What is reputation?” She said: “It means people start to trust you.” I nodded and said nothing. I remembered when I was a child, my mother asked me to buy soy sauce, and the adults in the neighborhood smiled and said: “This child can do things, don’t worry.” – I also had reputation at that time.
In Fontaine, reputation can be exchanged for many things. Tools, food, clothing, and even more opportunities to communicate with people. I exchanged for a device that can detect the location of phantoms. I took it and wandered around the streets like a toy detective. But I know that what is truly precious is not the device, but the thin thread that is slowly woven between people – trust.
I complete these little things every day, talk to people, help a little, and see the other side of this city. The tower is still standing, the court is still majestic, but the child in the corner has an extra piece of candy, and the stone steps at the door of the old man’s house have been cleaned up. These changes are the gentleness of daily life.
Sometimes, I get tired and wonder: “Is this just a punch-in in the game?” But I think, isn’t life like this? Getting up early every day, going to the vegetable market, washing clothes and cooking, going to get off work and going home, it seems ordinary and trivial, but this is how people live, and it is the way people connect with each other.
At night, I stand by the river of Fontaine and watch the rippling water. In the water, my figure and the lights of this city are reflected. Someone called me: “Traveler, will you come tomorrow?” I smiled and said, “Come, I come every day.”
Yes, I come every day. Not for rewards, not for upgrades, but to do something to make this city better and to make my heart more peaceful.
This is my life in Fontaine.
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