Page 205 of Axis of Fire

A comfortable silence settled between us.

Unfortunately...

My mind no longer believed in silence.

Thoughts kept spinning endlessly inside my head.

“Today you’re finally going to see the real side of Istarus,” Stasia said excitedly, though I still couldn’t tell whether her enthusiasm was genuine or not.

“Oh—stop here, please.”

Looking out the window, I realized we had stopped beside a pier, with what looked like an enormous marketplace stretching away on both sides.

Then I noticed Stasia pulling a small circular object from her belt bag.

At first glance, it looked like a compact mirror.

She pressed it against a floating circular platform, which immediately rose to meet her hand.

“What is that?” I asked quietly.

“Thank you. Have a wonderful day,” she told the driver before motioning for me to get out of the taxi.

Once we stepped onto the street, Stasia held the object closer so I could examine it properly.

It looked less like a mirror now and more like a small metal case engraved with a crest.

“It’s a sigil case,” she explained. “It’s automatically refilled every week.”

She shrugged casually.

“I stole this one from Tarven. He barely uses it anyway.”

“Wait... what?” I frowned. “You mean he hardly ever pays for anything?”

“How do people even earn money in Istarus?”

“Every resident receives an electronic currency account at the age of sixteen,” Stasia explained.

I nodded.

“Istarus also provides every citizen with a living allowance.”

“The amount is different for everyone. It’s calculated based on how valuable you are to the world.”

“Wait. And what if that isn’t enough to cover things like rent, utilities, or food?”

“That never happens,” Stasia said with a smile.

“The minimum allowance is calculated to fully cover every person’s essential needs. Automated systems handle all the calculations, and every citizen goes through a reassessment once a year.”

“But what if their needs change?” I asked. “Maybe last year an apartment was enough, but now they want to maintain a house?”

“Then they find ways to become more valuable to the world,” Stasia replied.

“Through magic. Skills. Achievements.”

She smiled.