327's answer nicely covers your first question.
As for the second question: There's plenty of things to do, but triggering side quests isn't one of them. Try daily quests, or join a guild and do Guild Expedition and/or Guild Battlegrounds. You can expand your Friends List and work on your Tavern. You can start hunting down spots on Great Buildings, to gather Blueprints, Forge Points and/or Medals. You can use the forum and wikis like
this one to learn everything you're wondering about. That should fill up a bit more than 40 minutes...
Everything in this game takes time. It only gets worse, so you'll have to get used to it. However, there are lots of different things that you can, and should, do simultaneously. Focusing exclusively on quests and progress in ages will lead to both boredom and an unbalanced city. Explore all the aspects of the game!