After a nice and long conversation, Malerva and Zeth left the Council Building. "I need to go home now," Zeth said. "Okay, happy birthday again!" said Malerva, and they bid farewell to each other. As Zeth made his way home, he thought that he needed to stop by the market. The potato and water supply at home was running low. He bought some potatoes and filled his water flask at the market.
In the current world, items were incredibly valuable. So much so that communities sent their wizards on explorations at regular intervals. While the wizards fought against demonic creatures, they also searched for useful items. Objects such as forks, spoons, flasks, and cleaning supplies, which used to be simple, were now considered precious because they could no longer be produced.
As Zeth made his way home, he wondered if he could participate in the explorations one day. Typically, every boy who reached the age of 15 in N1 had to participate in exploration missions, but Zeth had no magical abilities. "Still, I can be useful," he thought. He could carry items, clear debris. Zeth was strong.
When Zeth arrived home, Sola greeted him at the door with a smile. "Welcome back, big brother!" said Sola. "Thank you, Sola," replied Zeth. As he organized the items in the shelves, he remembered why Sola hadn't attended the birthday party. Perhaps she forgot? "Oh well," he thought to himself. Zeth had never been one to care much about birthdays. When he finished his task and turned around, Sola was holding a shiny stone in her hand. "Ta-da!" said Sola.
"Happy birthday, Zeth big brother!"
"Haha, so you remembered! But why didn't you come to the party? It was a lot of fun!"
"Well... I fell asleep! Hehe." Sola had a funny and shy smile on her face. She did actually fall asleep, but that wasn't the only reason she didn't come. She had left them alone to bring Zeth and Malerva together. In addition, for the past two days, she had been spreading the news about Zeth's birthday to everyone in N1 without getting any proper sleep. She was tired.
"Haha, I understand," said Zeth. He approached Sola, knelt down, placed his hand on her head, and said, "Thank you very much, Sola. Your brother loves you very much!" Sola was happy, her face lit up with a big smile. Zeth looked at the stone he had received. It was a red-colored stone with a peculiar shape that fit in the palm of his hand. It emitted purple lights, enchanting to behold. Sola had threaded a string through the middle of the stone so that Zeth could wear it around his neck. Zeth did just that.
"Where did you find this stone?" asked Zeth.
"That's a secret!" said Sola. Zeth didn't press further. In reality, Sola had obtained the stone from Stephany. The stone belonged to the treasure section of the Council Building, and Stephany had given it to Sola to pass on to Zeth. It was believed that the stone enhanced magical ashes.
Zeth spent the rest of the day exploring N1 with Sola. It was a nice day, considering the conditions in N1.