Salaz Durin was born in a small town in the Kingdom of Daria and wasted his youth roaming the city streets. All he did was wander the city streets and return home at sunrise. His father was one of the richest men in town. He had a nice farm and made good money. No matter how hard he tried, he could not convince his son to work. But the day came when Salaz had to work, even though he didn't want to. Salaz's father suddenly passed away one night, leaving all his responsibilities to Salaz, his only child.
Salaz's irresponsible youth had not prepared him to face the realities of life. With the death of his father, Salaz was left with a heavy burden of responsibility. Unaware of the workings of the farm, Salaz became more and more bogged down with each passing day. The once rich land was now a barren wasteland due to lack of care. With the death of his mother, things became more complicated and the farm became unviable. Salaz was convinced that he should sell the farm and go into trade. Tired of the farm, Salaz confided this idea to his friend.
"The farm is not for me. I don't know how to run a farm anyway! I feel like I need to do something else."
Seeing Salaz's depressed state, his friend decided to support him. Salaz's friend was also in business. He offered Salaz a partnership. Salaz accepted without thinking. Salaz and his friend had years of successes and failures. Salaz was now an experienced merchant, but he was not making much money. One day his friend told him that there was an iron mine for sale and that this might be the opportunity they were looking for. Salaz clung to this last hope and combined all the money he had in his pocket with money from moneylenders to buy the mine that would change his life.
At first he was full of hope; he thought the mine would bring him great profits. There were wars all over the continent and wars were fueled by iron. But things did not go as planned. The amount of iron ore coming out of the mine decreased day by day, leaving Salaz in a big predicament. Moreover, the mysterious transparent stones that came out of the mine instead of iron ore turned all his plans upside down. These stones seemed too worthless to replace iron ore. Salaz did not know what these stones were, and this uncertainty put him in an even more difficult situation.
Moreover, the moneylenders he had borrowed money from were after him. Impatient to collect what they owed, the moneylenders began to pressure Salaz and his partner. Unable to withstand the pressure, his friend left Salaz with the moneylenders alone and ran away.
As the sun came out after the rainy days, Salaz set off for the mine. However, it was not the miners who were waiting for him at the mine, but the loan sharks he had lent money to. He tried to escape, but he was caught. The moneylenders took him to the warehouse where the mysterious stones from the mine were stored. The warehouse was in a secluded place.
When they arrived, the moneylenders cornered Salaz. "If you can't pay your debt, we will take your life and then everything else, including these shitty stones!” they threatened. As Salaz was in despair, wondering what to do, the door of the warehouse suddenly opened. In walked Zephyr, the kingdom's chief advisor, and the soldiers assigned to protect him. Salaz could not understand why he was here. Zephyr went straight to the pile of stones as if no one was in the room.
Zephyr examined the stones and turned to Salaz and said, "King Aldric has ordered me to investigate unusual news from every corner of the kingdom. He has heard rumors of these mysterious stones."
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"It seems he was right." Zephyr was one of King Aldric's most trusted advisors. His keen intellect and strategic thinking guided Aldric even in the kingdom's difficult times. When Zephyr examined the stones, he immediately understood the importance of this discovery.
“These are very precious stones,” Zephyr continued. Salaz's heart began to beat with excitement. "What features do they have?" he asked. He, too, had suddenly forgotten the existence of the moneylenders.
“These stones seem to be able to transmit light through them,” Zephyr said. "They also appear to be incredibly hard and durable. Imagine a mineral that combines these properties! It could make window panes, precious ornaments and who knows what else..."
As Salaz tried to make sense of Zephyr's words, the moneylenders interjected impatiently. They were angry at being ignored. "This man owes us a lot of money,” said one of the moneylenders. “The stones are ours.”
Zephyr gave the moneylenders a sharp look. “From now on, the king will deal with Salaz's debts,” he said in an authoritative tone. "As for you, you will leave this place immediately. If you disturb this man again, you will face the king's wrath."
The moneylenders were uneasy when they heard Zephyr's words. They did not want to run afoul of the kingdom. "My lord, we were only trying to collect our debts,” one of them muttered, stepping forward. With a wave of Zephyr's hand, the soldiers behind him charged at the moneylenders. The moneylenders surrendered without resistance.
As the soldiers took the moneylenders away, Salaz looked at Zephyr in astonishment. "My lord, I don't know how to thank you,” he said gratefully. “But why are you helping me?” Zephyr smiled. "Because unlike you, I have the vision to understand the value of these stones,” he said. "So does King Aldric. And we prefer to cooperate with you rather than the untrustworthy moneylenders. In return, you will not only be free of your debts, but you will have a respected position in the kingdom. Of course, we will share the profits."
Salaz thought about Zephyr's offer for a moment. He quickly realized the difficult situation he was in and the opportunity he was facing. Getting rid of his debts and having a respected position in the kingdom was a great opportunity he had been looking for years. Nodding his head, he accepted the offer.
"Of course, my lord,” Salaz said, bowing slightly. "At your service."
Zephyr smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent. Then let us take a few samples of the stones and make our way to the palace. King Aldric will want to see the stones for himself."
Although Salaz was confused by this sudden change, he decided not to think too hard. Under Zephyr's leadership, several samples of the stones were carefully selected and carefully packed.
It had been a year since Salaz had met Zephyr, and Salaz now had the belly of a great merchant. The stones from his mines, now called Lightstones, had enriched Salaz and the kingdom. Elites all over the continent were ordering jewelry made of Lightstones, and the merchant's worst fears came true. There were reports of Lightstones being found elsewhere on the continent. Soon there were many merchants selling jewelry made of the Lightstone. Now the Lightstone was ubiquitous, and its value had plummeted. Even people who were much poorer than the elite could afford jewelry made of these stones. Almost everyone, men and women alike, now owned a piece of jewelry made of the Lightstone.
Salaz had asked Zephyr for help dozens of times, but Zephyr ignored him. As if all this wasn't enough, the Adler Empire and the Sizat Empire were at war. The war had affected all of Salaz's investments. But it seemed that the gods had not yet turned their backs on Salaz.