“Are you ready?” Alia asked Zoeske.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  They left the house after Jacob and Jule left. It was the first time Zoeske had looked at the view outside from the village in daylight. The vast land under the mountain was clearly visible from this village, which was located on the top of one of the mountains that surrounded the kingdom.

  “As you can see,” Alia said, “we are living far away from the kingdom, and I don’t feel bad about it.”

  They walked a few steps away from the village to get a clear view of it. Alia stopped at a distance that was good enough for them to see the whole place. Zoeske asked, “When did you first come here?”

  Alia pointed with her finger towards her house. She said, “Can you see how my house seems older than the houses around it?”

  Zoeske focused on the houses and noticed that other houses were totally built using wood, while Jule and Alia’s house was built with a mix of rocks and wood. He said, “It’s the only house that is built with rocks, right?”

  “Yes,” Alia said. “We came here four years ago and were able to build this village with the help of Jacha. And you can notice on the other side we are building a new house. This village is expanding, and the new generation will lead it in the near future.”

  “And that was okay with the kingdom?” he asked.

  “In normal circumstances, we would have died already,” Alia said. “But we took advantage of the war that happened five years ago. We built this village at this time, and by the end of the war, which lasted a year and a half, we had already gained the reputation for producing high-quality Sugmali tea. Our contribution to the kingdom’s economy saved us from their hideous acts toward our race.”

  “But isn’t Jacha an explorer?” he asked.

  “He quit,” Alia said. “The guild in the kingdom didn’t assign him to any official missions, which didn’t allow him to rank up. And we don’t have another guild near this area. The other guilds are way far from here, and we would probably be treated the same way in the kingdom due to the dominant race on this continent.”

  A boy was sitting far away under the shadow of one of the houses in the village, observing the ants on the ground, and thinking. He had long braids and naturally looked bored.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “That’s enough about our history for today,” Alia said. “You need to make friends here.” She placed both of her hands around her mouth and screamed, “LEON!”

  Leon looked at her. He said, “Ha?”

  “COME,” she demanded.

  Like a soldier, he ran immediately towards them. He wore a pale, short-sleeved t-shirt that revealed his skinny muscular body. It amazed Zoeske how a boy who looked a year or two older than him had such muscles. He looked physically strong, which raised a question in Zoeske’s mind, but he knew it wasn’t the proper time to ask this question.

  “I was searching for you, Alia,” Leon said.

  “You look concerned. What happened?” Alia asked.

  “The item we ordered from Asaska town was destroyed by cave orks that live on the side of the main path for the merchants,” Leon said.

  “That is bad, but I guess we can’t do anything about it at this point,” Alia said with a bothered face. “And was it paid for?”

  “Jacha was the one who was responsible for the payment process,” Leon said.

  “It’s okay then,” Alia said. “Let’s focus on what we can make. That’s why you were sitting here instead of working?”

  “I am sorry,” Leon replied.

  “Anyway, this is Zoeske,” Alia said. “Greet him.”

  “Hey, nice to meet you, Zoeske,” Leon said.

  “Nice to meet you, Leon,” Zoeske said.

  “I guess we will meet each other again later,” Leon said. “I have to go and work on the farm.”

  Leon ran toward the farm. Alia said after that, “He is my nephew, and he lost both of his parents from a young age. Among all the kids in the village, he is the one who we rely on to do most of the tasks.”

  “Shouldn’t you be easier on him?” Zoeske said.

  Alia laughed and said, “I didn’t expect that, but he actually likes to have many responsibilities. Maybe it’s his way to forget his loneliness. And yes, he is also good at magic. Actually one of the best magic users in the village.”

  Zoeske’s eyes glowed after he heard that. He finally found a place where he could start his journey in learning magic, and he felt that his tough journey to find Jacha was starting to make some progress.

  “Let’s go to the tea warehouse. Our most important building in this village,” Alia said.

  It was not far away from them. Just a few steps away. A small building that had been designed to keep the tea leaves dry and stay cool. It had also been aided by magic for extra protection against fire and extreme weather conditions.

  “This is actually the only building that Jacha had built,” Alia said. “His masterful skills in magic allowed him to create a layer that can protect this warehouse from different conditions. I don’t even know how this magical layer was made. It’s too complex.”

  “It looks simple, but serves in many ways. This is a line someone said to me,” Zoeske said.

  “Yes, this is ironic,” Alia said. “Most of the best magicians and explorers have the simplest, yet the most complex abilities. And this is actually how we became the main tea suppliers for the kingdom. We were able to connect with the merchants in Asaska town, who, on their side, decided to help us sell our product, the tea, to all the villages and the kingdom and their town, of course.”

  “But why are you the only one who produces this tea?” Zoeske asked.

  “Good question, it’s magic,” Alia answered.