Chapter 57
After Mii dematerialised, Truen decided they should resume their adventure .
The bell was located by the door that could not be opened with normal means . Zero wanted to do the honours of ringing the bell so Truen lifted him high enough to reach it . The bell wasn't made of metal . Instead, it was an electronic one that chimes three times before activating the portal behind that door and unlocking it .
The duo walked through the portal and arrived at the exact spot they left last night . The fire they grilled fishes over had long died out and only ashes remained . The fish bones were where they left them and Zero asked if it was alright to leave everything the way it was .
"It's fine," replied the elf . "The forest cleaners will take care of the rest . "
"Forest cleaners?"
Truen nodded . "Nature has its way of taking care of things like that . When something dies or is left behind that is not man-made, nature will send something to return it into the soil . "
After listening to Truen's explanation, Zero got excited and decided to catch the forest cleaner in action .
Unable to deny the brunet, the bodyguard was caught in another dilemma .
Chuckling weakly, he explained . "Zero, the forest cleaners won't turn up immediately . It could take weeks to months or even years . Why don't we search for a leaf that matches Gaia's hair colour first? Who knows, we might be able to catch these shy cleaners in action . "
Zero frowned . While he did want to find that leaf, he was also very curious about the forest cleaners . Who were they? What did they look like? What will they do with the bones and ashes?
Sensing the boy's hesitation, Truen threw in a compromise to appease the child . "We can wait here for two hours if you really want to . However, if they do not appear we should carry on with our journey . Endow Hill is not a very big place, I'm sure we will have the chance to meet them before we leave . "
Reluctantly, Zero agreed and they climbed a tree to hide among the foliage . An hour passed and Truen sniffed the air suddenly before frowning . Zero was on the brink of nodding off and the sudden movement caught him by surprise .
"What's wrong?"
"Rain is coming . "
Zero tilted his head to a side . "Rain?"
Before Mii could answer, Truen already launched into an explanation about how 'rain' was a phenomenon that occasionally happened . Water would fall from the sky over a large area for a period of time before stopping . The sky would become very dark and sometimes there would be strong wind and loud sounds following flashes of lights in the sky .
"We should take shelter soon, it's not good to stay out in the rain . "
"Why not? Is rain bad?"
"No, rain is not bad . It is actually good for the plants and rivers . However, you might fall sick if you stay out in the rain for too long . "
Zero didn't question further and helped Truen look for shelter . True enough, the sky got darker after twenty minutes and the wind picked up speed . From a distance, Zero saw how the light in the clouds flashed . A low rumbling noise followed it and Zero jumped whenever that happened .
"The rain is coming, do you want to hide out in the lamp until it passes?"
Zero shook his head . While he was frightened of the loud noises he was curious about the rain . "I want to know how the rain is like . "
For the next ten minutes, Truen ran through Endow Hill with Zero on his back to hasten their search . Fortunately, they found a small cave hidden behind some rocks just before the heavy downpour . It was drizzling by the time they made it to the cave . The gentle pitter-patter got heavier and soon, it became a raging storm . Trees swayed so violently that Zero feared they might break . The lightning and thunder came closer as the dark clouds ruled over the sky . Zero huddled close to Truen, seeking comfort in those arms .
"Truen, where does the rain come from? Why is it coming this way?"
The elf hugged the brunet close . "The rain is created by gods . I don't really know how it was created, you should ask Sedna or Gaia about this . As for why it happens, many plants and animals drink water . Humans too . Water is very important and the rain helps to replenish the water used by plants and animals from the rivers, ponds and lakes . "
Zero hummed . That made a lot of sense . Zero used the water in the stream to clean up yesterday . He'd seen many plants too and if everyone needed water, 'rain' must be very important indeed .
"I'm going to call Sedna and ask her if she knows anything about how 'rain' was made . "
Truen chuckled and helped Zero dial for Sedna . While Zero waited for the call to connect, Truen discreetly texted his bosses in the group chat, updating them about Zero's progress .
"Hello Sedna!"
The goddess couldn't contain her joy when she heard the adorable voice .
"Zero! How have you been? Did you eat well? How was your sleep? Was the lamp comfortable? Do you need anything else?"
The brunet grinned widely as Sedna rambled away . "I'm good, Sedna . The fish Truen caught and grilled was delicious . Sleep was good too . The lamp had everything inside and it was so spacious! I couldn't reach the bell but Truen was there to help me . Also, I don't need anything else but I have a question . "
On the other end of the line, Sedna was nodding and tearing up . "Yes Zero, how can I help you?"
"I was just wondering if you know how 'rain' was created . Truen said that 'rain' was good for plants and animals replaces the used water . "
The Goddess of the Sea smiled . This question was right up her alley .
"Yes, Truen is correct . Water is important to many living creatures, some even live in it . Remember the shellfish? It isn't the only animal that needed water . The bird, Namekuji and even the frogs need it too . However, unlike animals, the plants that need water are unable to move . Rain is a way that Zeus and I made to help these plants get the water they needed . We used magic to create a cycle that borrowed water from rivers and seas, bringing them over to the plants who cannot move from time to time . Small amounts of water will rise into the sky to form clouds . As water is very heavy, it is not possible for the wind to carry it far . With clouds, it is possible to transport large amounts of water further . Once there is enough water in the clouds, the wind will blow it to the place with plants that need water . The clouds will then undergo change and become dark when the water come together and become heavy again . The light and sounds coming from them are a result of the clouds working hard to becoming water so you don't need to be too worried about them . Once all the clouds become water and have fallen back to the ground, the rain will stop and you can see the sun again . "
The explanation was very thorough but some parts still eluded Zero . Nevertheless, he thanked Sedna but decided to ask Mii about it later . At the end of the call, there was one thing that made Zero conclude that Sedna and Zeus were awesome .
"Truen, did you hear what Sedna said? Water can travel upwards! No wonder the goddesses are so powerful . . . they can make water go upwards and move them around . "
The elf nodded . He didn't quite understand Sedna's explanation as that was beyond him . However, he was also impressed by how the gods could make so much water travel upwards without anyone knowing .
"I wonder if they can make anything else travel upwards too . . . " Truen mumbled and Zero hummed .
"Maybe they can make fishes travel upwards?"
"No, that will be terrible because fishes need water to live in . "
"But clouds are water, right? Wouldn't they be fine?"
Truen looked at the pouring rain from the cave . "And fall down like that? I don't think so . It would hurt the fishes . "
Frowning, Zero nodded . "Yes, that will be bad . We don't want to hurt the fishes . "
"Mhmm," Truen agreed . "I think having water is enough . "
Zero laughed cheerfully . "Me too! It might be nice to see different things though . "
Truen didn't nod but remained thoughtful . Sometimes Zero had ideas that were out of this world . But Truen wouldn't trade it for anything else . After all, it was what made the job so interesting .