“Your grimoire,” Master Edwards coached.

  Jamie pulled out her grimoire as General Ames cast a barrier spell around her and Alaric.

  “Now flip to the torture page, go to the fingernail peeling spell.”

  “Oh," Jaime raised her eyebrows. "The one where we practiced by peeling those cute sumo mandarins?”

  “Yes, so with this spell, you can tweak it by increasing your mana flow for more precision, then gently graze at your body. You should be able to peel away the filth. Gently though, or you’ll peel your skin off.”

  Alaric looked deeply alarmed. “What?”

  “They went through a lot, give them a break,” General Ames said and laughed.

  With a wave of his hand, Jamie and Alaric were clean. However, a pile of filth was left behind.

  “She will not learn if you do everything for her!” Master Edwards scolded.

  General Ames' beautiful autumn eyes lay on the pile of dirt. “Jamie can do the cleanup.”

  “I can handle it,” Jamie said confidently.

  "We'll leave you to it then. I have dinner plans," Master Edwards said with an air of mischief.

  A few moments later, Jamie beamed like the sun and rested her head on the edge of the hot tub. When she finally opened her eyes, she started to watch women coming and going. Everyone was wearing a coverup mana suit, which means, their bodies were covered up but when they were in the water, it felt like they were naked.

  A frog-like creature made of clay waddled over to Jamie. “Ma’am, is there anything I can get you?”

  “What do you have?”

  “Our most popular is berrywort and elderberry wine with a twist of sweet rice wine. Very good for the skin and the digestive system.”

  “Will I get a buzz?”

  “Yes, most surely ma’am. 9.7 ABV”

  “I’ll have one. And, what are those women snacking on?” Jamie’s eyes pointed at a pair of gossiping elderly women to her right.

  “Dried fruit from this region. We’re known to use real soil, so our fruit has bold favors embraced by the Sun.”

  “That sounds really good, can I get a serving?"

  “Of course.” The creature opened its mouth and took out a plate, the cocktail, and a small plate of mixed-colored fruits shaped like daisy flowers.

  The creature broke off a piece of its finger. The clay piece quickly morphed into a small stool and table. It placed the plate on top. “Anything else?”

  “That is all, thank you!”

  Jamie took a sip of her drink. The favors were expected, but surprisingly refreshing and light. She touched her skin. I swear my skin feels softer.

  “It’s not your imagination, your skin is softer. They used special potions and spells for all their food here,” a feminine voice said.

  Jamie turned to see another gorgeous Mander woman, the bombshell type with blonde curly hair. Her perky boobs nearly popping out of her mana suit. The woman smiled at her.

  “How many shapeshifters have you killed?”

  Jamie’s jaw dropped. “You’re a contestant.” Jamie raised a mana shield around herself. Her body felt tense. Easy. Easy. If she makes a move, I'll aim for her neck.

  The alluring stranger smiled and raised both hands in the air. "I'm not going to attack. This place's security is no laughing matter." The woman chuckled at the thought and placed her plate of the water. The plate floated and moved on its own, following her, as she moved closer to Jamie.

  “I’m Leonia of the Center District.” She held out her hand for a handshake.

  Jamie looked at Leonia’s hands. Should I touch her hand? Touch is an easy way to get bewitched.

  Leonia noticed her hesitation and softly smirked with her full lips. “Cautious.” She withdrew her hand. “I can’t blame you. You don’t have it easy.”

  “I heard the Center District is very wealthy, why are you competing when you could lose your life?”

  Leonia burst into laughter.

  “Sweetie, you don’t understand what’s at stake.” She took a sip of her purple drink and for a second, Jamie caught a glimpse of despair.

  “Well, tell me. I’m clueless about this world besides the survival skills I was taught.”

  “Back in the old days, before the merge, humans only knew of one world.” The woman turned and looked at Jamie with a life a life-and-death seriousness.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Startled by the change in demeanor, Jamie curiously looked at the woman before her. “Okay...?”

  “Nowadays, we’re able to tap into more energy sources to make life like how you see it now, being able to travel light years in mere seconds, that takes massive energy. And energy comes at a high cost.”

  “Cost? It’s just magic though?”

  “What is magic?”

  “Mana and stuff.”

  Leonia laughed once more, this time with more obvious amusement. “Mana, magic, whatever it is that allows us to perform extraordinary things in your world requires energy. Now where do you think that energy comes from?”

  “Where?”

  “The sun.”

  “The sun? What do you mean? There’s only one sun.”

  “Yes, but there are many galaxies. Each galaxy comes with...” Leonia held up her pointer finger, "One sun, one source of life."

  “What are you saying? If you take the sun out, everything dies. Living things need the sun.”

  “Exactly. There are at least two trillion galaxies, those in power consider it an endless supply. They pick galaxies to mine the sun for power, your mana. They take the mana back to districts like this and incubate it. When the supply is low, they just go out and get more.”

  “So when General Ames goes on his expeditions, he’s scouting for new mana sources...”

  “Exactly. Galaxies with the means fund women like me or people with the potential to get a seat at the table. As an extra measure to ensure our sun isn’t mined for mana.”

  “I don’t understand, if there are so many galaxies, why would it matter?”

  “Because humans are humans. The deadly sins still exist in people despite the merge. Currently, there are regulations on which galaxies can be mined but not too long ago, the old old King mined a rival galaxy because his wife ran away to be with someone from that rival galaxy.”

  Leonia intently watched Jamie, as her face slowly clenched at the realization of what she just heard.

  Jamie looked at Leonia. Surely I misheard. “Leonia, that can't be. He killed everyone on that planet for one person? That’s just evil.”

  “Yes, the Veinhams took care of that old, old King. Thank Gladmora.”

  Jamie took a chug of her drink. This conversation is getting way deeper than she intended. “Waiter?” She looked around and before she could ask Leonia on how to ask for the waiter. The creature appeared. Jamie pointed at her drink, “Another please.”

  “So how is this world different than yours?”

  “It’s day and night. We don’t have magic where I’m from.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. Magic like most good things has to be harnessed. If people don’t know how to harness it, magic even if it exists will be useless.”

  Jamie's mind raced. My life was a lot simpler when all I knew about was the Love Contest. I don't know how I feel about this. The ethics... but at this point, I should focus on my survival.

  “I’ve been tracking a shapeshifter from the outskirts of the Center. It’s a sly one. Took a girl from right under me. Now I’m after it out of pure pride.”

  Jamie looked up at Leonia. “We might be tracking the same one.”

  “This one is different. It can use magic in unique ways. I’m starting to wonder if it is a shapeshifter.”

  “What?”

  “The Veinham barrier was broken due to the cunning works of the witches. I wonder if they’re doing their tinkering and creating a new kind of shapeshifter.”

  “That’s possible?”

  “Yes, of course. The servers here are made of Aztec clay with frog souls. That’s why they look like frogs. At night, they return to being frogs but during the day, they’re spa servers.”

  Jamie frowned. Hmm, servers or slaves? I’m not sure what to make of that. But then again, they are frogs. I used to eat frogs.

  “I’m going to track the shapeshifter tomorrow, but tonight, I’m going to a friend’s party. Have you gone to any Mander party?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Jamie said with hesitation.

  Leonia looked at her. “Look, work is work. But you have to let loose sometimes. You also need to have contacts of your own.”

  “It’s just that, people are trying to kill me.”

  She laughed and then looked at Jamie. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re not the only one.”

  “You too?”

  “Yeah, how about we talk more at the diner, I didn’t eat before.”

  Jamie nodded and the two left the bath. As Jamie put on the clothes that Master Edwards brought, she looked over at Leonia. Can I trust her? Well, it can’t hurt to talk. Besides Master Edwards and even General Ames is here.

  Jamie felt a blood lust and immediately created a barrier around herself. She increased the barrier around her hand and slammed the mana needle to the ground, the needle pierced the cleaned tile floor. There, that should do it!

  Before she knew it, the needle emerged from the ground once more, this time there were two. Like before, Jamie attempted to break it by smashing it into the ground. And just like before, the needle re-emerged, and this time, it doubled again. Four more mana needles appeared.

  “Stop it, just dodge for now!” Leonia shouted. She already slipped on her suit.

  “How do we beat it then?”

  “You have to concentrate your mana and shoot the central mana bead controlling it.”

  “What? Why don’t you try!”

  “Haven’t you noticed? It’s not coming over me,” Leonia said, as she sat cross-legged on the wooden bench.

  I didn’t. I was too busy dodging this thing. Wait, if it’s coming for me…

  Jamie created a clone of herself and the needles spilt up to attack her.

  Darn it! Why did I think it would only go for the clone? But wait, if these things are made of mana, then…

  Jamie pulled out her Elvish Qiang Spear and slashed at the needles. Please work! I’m all out of ideas!

  This time, no new needles reappeared. This mana-draining spear sure is handy.

  “Oh my Gladmora! You have the Elvish Qiang Spear? I thought that was only a legend.” Leonia said and eyed the spear enviously.

  “Want to see?” Jamie asked.

  “You don’t know do you?”

  “Know what?”

  “Once the spear touches a person, you have their mana frequency locked. It’s almost like a GPS, you can tell where that person is. There are other tricks to it, you should look into it”

  “Oh, cool.”

  “Cool? I know a lot of bounty hunters who would kill for that. And I mean kill.” Leonia’s suit changed into a cute pink sundress.

  Jamie placed a finger to her temple, "Master Edwards, a mana needle tried to kill me."

  Master Edwards laughed and motioned for a pretty redhead to grab him another drink while they shared a bed. "You got rid of it?"

  "Yes sir."

  "Very good. I'll have Ames put up another barrier. Go enjoy yourself, the only attacks that can be made here are from afar. Like the one you encounter. These are simple attacks that you should be able to handle." Master Edwards took a big sip from his new beer and grinned at his redhead companion. She danced in front of him in a black kimono.

  "What? I had help with this one."

  Master Edwards smiled at the girl and her black kimono fell to her ankle. "You got it, Jamie! Got to go!"

  Jamie's jaw dropped. He hung up on me!

  Jamie and Leonia started to walk to the diner. Jamie looked around to see if Master Edwards was around. If that man is near, he will hit on Leonia, which would really annoy me.

  Moments later, the two entered the dining room hall and Master Edwards was still nowhere in sight.

  Leonia said excitedly, “They have the best-grilled fish here. I don’t know how they do it.”

  Another frog creature server approached them and led them to their table.

  “We want the freshwater stream view,” Leonia said as they entered a small private room.

  The server nodded and pressed a few number buttons on a bamboo panel on the wall of a small room.

  In a flash of an eye, Jamie found herself, comfortably seated on a magnolia embroidered pillow, next to a small table, around 2 feet tall. On the table were small little pickled appetizers.

  Leonia immediately ordered, “Can we get your deep-fried octopus and grilled eels?”

  Their frog server nodded and opened its mouth. The server pulled out a plate of steaming hot deep-fried octopus and sizzling grilled eels on a hot plate from its mouth and placed the plates on the table.

  “We need time on the food. Where’s the menu?”

  The server reached into its mouth and pulled out two menus made from bamboo. Then he handed them the two menus and then vanished.

  Leonia glanced at Jamie, who already helped herself to the small dishes.

  "So, have you been with the Veinham men?" Leonia tapped both her pointer fingers together to nail down her point further.

  Jamie's jaw dropped and she started to choke on her half-chewed food.