Chapter 63

Some time later, the young guide managed to arrive without facing too many problems at a building that was difficult to call 'home'. Its structure was leaning and worn, almost on the verge of collapsing under the influence of gravity, while the walls were full of cracks that extended like veins across their surface, similar to the roof, evidently battered, which barely offered shelter against the elements, allowing rain and wind to make their way inside.

Despite the evident deterioration of the construction, it hid an unexpected aspect. Despite its leaning structure, a testament to years of abandonment, the facade showed signs of meticulous cleaning. The walls, though marked by the passage of time and the harshness of the weather, were free of dust and dirt, and they showed signs of handmade maintenance and repair.

Even the battered roof had several patches in different places, making various sections of the house habitable, and it showed signs of being swept and cleaned regularly, fighting against the inevitable accumulation of leaves and debris.

The young guide hurried to the curious house and opened the front door with her key, entering quickly. After closing the door, she leaned against it for a moment and let out a tired and somewhat relieved sigh.

The interior of the house, unlike its worn facade, radiated warmth and cleanliness, a testament to the care of its inhabitants. The interior walls, though marked by time, were painted in vibrant colors, and from them hung photographs and drawings, carefully placed and lovingly, telling the story of the family and their most precious memories.

After resting for a moment at the door, the young guide headed further inside the house, reaching a room that only had a worn curtain as a 'door', which she moved aside to enter. The room, despite having only an old-looking bed, a small table, and a couple of shelves screwed to the wall with some perfectly folded clothes, was impeccably clean.

The bed, made with carefully mended sheets, and the floor, despite being broken in several places over time, were constantly maintained, as were the walls, which had various drawings hung up, giving the simple room a warm and homely feeling.

Inside the room, the young guide took out the linen bags she had been fortunate to win that day and carefully stored them in a discreet corner of the room, where a small section of the floor could be lifted, revealing a small hideaway. In it were several mana crystals that seemed worlds apart from the ones she had won today.

The mana crystals in the hideaway were not only much smaller than the medium-level ones she now had, but they also lacked the almost artistic appearance of the medium-level ones. In fact, they were so simple that they could barely be described as mana crystals and were more like small loose pieces of a slightly iridescent crystal stalactite.

After covering her little hideaway again, the young guide took out the red handkerchief with the sandwiches and placed it on the table, along with the old knife. She then carefully removed her beautiful dress, leaving her in simple, somewhat worn underwear with several patches, but like everything else, it was very clean and well cared for.

Sitting on the bed, she began to inspect her dress thoroughly, almost as if looking for any imperfections, which she found. One of the buttons on the dress seemed to be slightly loose, so she went to the small table, took out a spool of thread and a small steel needle, and carefully resewed the button, trying to maintain the original style, aiming to avoid any damage to the design of the dress.

After a final inspection, ensuring that the dress had no more defects, the young guide went to the shelf on the wall, where she took out some slightly patched long dark shorts and a loose, light white blouse.

Now dressed in comfortable clothes, she went to the back of the house, where there was a small patio with a little stone washbasin in one corner. There, she proceeded to wash the dress with great care, making sure to clean it thoroughly while avoiding any damage to the dress.

Once the dress was clean again, she carefully and delicately wrung it out, making sure to remove as much moisture as possible without twisting it too much, as that could damage the fabric or the buttons of the dress. She then hung it on a line that crossed the patio with the help of a couple of hooks, making sure to position it where the rain couldn't reach it in case it rained during the night.

After finishing with her dress, the young lady walked back into the house and reached a kitchen that, although modest, was impeccably clean and organized, with various well-maintained utensils arranged in a meticulous order. The shelves, filled with jars of spices and basic food, revealed a life of homemade and careful cooking.

Inside the kitchen was someone who could only be described as a carbon copy of the young guide, looking almost exactly like her, but there were two things that differentiated them.

In the case of the young guide, she had smooth and silky hair, while the young woman in the kitchen had wavy hair that fell softly down her back. However, the most marked difference was that unlike the young guide, who had an energetic and healthy complexion, the young woman in the kitchen looked incredibly pale, with an almost greenish color to her skin, and her lips, unlike the young guide's beautiful cherry color, were almost deathly white with small purplish discolorations in some areas.

"Clara, why are you awake?" The young guide exclaimed with a bit of concern as she approached quickly the young woman sitting on an old-looking chair next to a small table with three seats.

"Don't worry, Sofia, I'm fine. I woke up a while ago and since you hadn't arrived, I decided to make dinner," the young woman in the chair commented with a slight smile on her face, pointing to an old-fashioned wood stove in a corner of the kitchen, over which there was a boiling pot.

"Don't overexert yourself, you know you've been more delicate than usual these days. Better I take you to bed," Sofia tried to lift Clara from the chair, but Clara put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"You don't have to treat me like I'm useless, Sofia. At least let me help with this, or I won't be able to rest peacefully in that bed." Sofia looked at Clara with a complicated gaze, but after a moment, sighed and left her in the chair with a sad expression. However, at that moment, Sofia remembered something, and deep emotion filled her body, surprising Clara a bit.

"Clara, I've found the solution to our problems. Today the world smiled at me and decided to finally help us. I'll be right back..."

Clara blinked in surprise at the sudden emotion shown by Sofia, who ran out of the room even before finishing speaking. Shortly after, Clara shrugged with an ironic smile on her face and stood up from the chair with difficulty to check the soup that was about to be ready.

Not long after, Sofia returned with two linen bags with an expression full of excitement and presented them to Clara, who was checking the soup.

"Look what I got today."