If there was one thing Reyn liked doing, it was learning. That was why she was currently in a library. Although information was stored digitally, libraries were places with physical copies so the information wouldn't be lost if the digital data became corrupted.

  The library was peaceful and quiet. There were many people nearby who munched on snacks as they read. There were also many couples who read together. She learned that libraries were a dating spot for Telon citizens. Their history had stories of rebel forces falling in love while secretly meeting in libraries.

  Telon City was divided into five sections. At the very center were government buildings. These buildings were where the mayor and representatives worked. It was also where people showed up if they had complaints or ideas for the government.

  To the North were industries. It was where many things were processed and made like clothes, machines, vehicles, and many other things. The majority of workers were machines. Humans who did work fixed machines, led machines, or completed tasks that needed human thought.

  To the West were businesses. This was where companies sold products or offered services created in the North. It was also where many skyscrapers were located. Many people in this section of the city went about their day spending money or enjoying their time. Many machines also worked in this part of the city. Erald could often be seen in this part of the city.

  To the South were homes. This was where citizens lived. It was also the largest section of the city. The houses were clean and organized. Many schools were located in the neighborhoods. There were many parks where people played or relaxed. Hospitals could be found around every corner.

  To the East were farmlands where food was grown. Vast stretches of farmland stretched across the plain, tended to by machines. A wide variety of food was grown. Rivers flowed everywhere across the land.

  It was a society that seemed inconceivable to Reyn. The question was how citizens made money. From what she found, all basic living necessities were given by the government like housing, food, healthcare, and many other things. If it was a basic human right, then it was freely given. With the many machines Telon had, they could produce a surplus and unimaginable wealth.

  If the Izin Alliance specialized in biology and the Kenis Alliance specialized in superpowers, then Telon City specialized in machines. In fact, many parts of flying warships are sold by Telon City to other countries.

  The question was where was the Telon City military? Without a military, it was just asking to be invaded. Reyn hypothesized that they most likely had hidden military bases all over the land of Nya since there were none near Telon City.

  Reyn continued searching for information. She found that Frelie Verji was from the Mya continent and a superhuman soldier of the Izin Alliance. Frelie and Flenny were the only ones to have ever single-handedly taken out a flying warship.

  After the War of Ash, the Kenis Alliance suffered heavily. One of its members, Lingin, no longer had a government. Reyn looked through the images of starving children and corpses being feasted on by dangerous beasts.

  She looked for the reason why there was a war and found it. It was a war of ideals and history. The majority of people living in the Kenis Alliance were Kejils, while the majority of people living in the Izin Alliance weren't Kejils.

  Reyn dived deeper into world history. As she learned more and more, she came to accept that change was going to be very hard for both countries. Another thing that caught Reyn's eye made her full of doubts.

  Why did the Izin Alliance stop the war when they were winning? They even offered Frelie as a prisoner to Telon City in exchange for an armistice. Searching more, Reyn found that the Izin Alliance most likely didn't want to take too much damage from the war. There was a conspiracy, she could feel it.

  Reyn continued her search. She found that slavery was legal in the Kenis Alliance. It made her frown, but she understood. In her world, there was slavery. A thought came to Reyn's mind, was a world without slavery possible?

  She had seen how Telon City ran its work on machine slavery. Slowly, she came to the conclusion that it wasn't possible without machine slavery. With curiosity, Reyn continued searching.

  At a casino, Poki was on a ten-streak win. She had taken 500 Tellies to 50,000 Tellies. Currently, she was feeling hyped and scared. She had multiplied her money by one hundred times before, multiple times in fact, then she lost it all. As for multiplying her money by one thousand times, she had never done that before. The question was, should she continue?

  Knowing money wouldn't really mean much once she left this world, she decided to be decisive. "All on blue."

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  The casino wheel spun. Poki bit her lips with anticipation. Dopamine rushed through her head. The wheel started slowing down. Fear and hope ate at Poki.

  Finally, the wheel stopped. It landed on red. Poki took a small breath and breathed out. She was going to have to help Donna another day before she could gamble again.

  At a theater, Mercy was watching a play called Telon, the Usurper. It was a play that showed what Telon did to usurp the Kejils. The one who played Telon stood on a platform in a warehouse. "My loyal followers, today is the day we topple sin. Long ago, Kejil sowed his seeds, today, we will reap them. When we're done, there won't be a single Kejil left in this city. Follow me and help me make a world without sin. I know we will have to commit sin to destroy sin. Let us light a new dawn with the blood of sin, a dawn that will guide the future ahead. Are you with me!"

  The actors around him shouted with determination and courage. The entire theater was filled with energy. Everyone felt as if they were part of history themselves. Mercy munched on his kebab. Kebabs were a traditional food in Telon City since they were Telon's favorite food.

  Deciding he'd seen enough, Mercy got up and left. As he walked on the sidewalk, he thought of Reyn and Poki. They seemed to be enjoying their time in the city. The Host never set a time limit. Could they even die of old age?

  Mercy went into a restaurant and ordered a cold sweet drink. He decided to ask the Host himself. "Hey, Host."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Yes?"

  Mercy sipped his drink as he studied the people in the restaurant. "Is there a time limit to this game?"

  There was a pause for a moment. A piece of paper appeared. "There's technically no time limit."

  Mercy continued sipping his drink. "Can we die of old age?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "No, you're all immortal."

  Mercy stared at the Host. "So we can just stay in this world forever?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "I guess, until you die of course."

  Mercy's thoughts wandered. "How are those two kids back on the island?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "They're doing fine. Although, I think Pera might be mad at me. Actually, he's not mad, he's just giving me the cold shoulder."

  Mercy's eyes gleamed. "Drama? Oh, you've got to tell me what happened."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Aespia became a player and did a Brutal Challenge."

  Mercy paused for a moment. "I'm guessing she didn't succeed?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "No, all she got was renewed trauma. Pera's helping her to recover right now. Honestly, that boy can't seem to decide on his feelings. Now that I think about it, he's quite an indecisive person when it comes to his feelings."

  Curiosity bloomed in Mercy's mind. "Any new Castaways?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "No, not yet. There is a candidate in this world though."

  Mercy stopped sipping his drink. "Oh? Who's the one who caught your gaze?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "Hehe, wouldn't you like to know?"

  Mercy smiled, "I would indeed like to know."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Take a guess."

  Mercy thought for a moment. "Is it Frelie?"

  The air paused for a moment. A piece of paper appeared. "Yes, it's Frelie. I was hoping to reveal it as a surprise. Currently, Frelie is still under review. I have a little test for him."

  Curiosity filled Mercy. "A test? What sort of test?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "Hehe, I'm not telling. If you really want to know, catch Erald. No cheating allowed of course. If you catch him using ice cream, it doesn't count."

  Mercy smiled and looked outside. He saw Erald sitting in a tree, licking ice cream. "A challenge? Doesn't seem too hard."

  A piece of paper appeared. "It's a Brutal Challenge in of itself. I'll give you another wishing star if you can actually catch him... Sighs, that was supposed to be a secret. Oh well, it doesn't matter I guess. There's not a single thing in this world that can catch Erald. I doubt you'll be able to catch him."

  Confidence welled up in Mercy's eyes. "Is that so?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "Yes, that is so. Watching you chase him like a clown would be fun though."

  Mercy stood up with a calm smile and finished his drink. "Host, I'm wounded that you doubt me."

  Mercy threw his drink cup away in the trash and headed towards the tree. He walked up and stared up at Erald, who didn't seem to care about his presence. "Hey, you're Erald, right?"

  Erald didn't respond and continued licking his ice cream happily. "The name's Mercy. I'd like to play tag with you."

  Erald stopped licking his ice cream and looked down at Mercy. "I'll be the chaser and you be the runner. If I tag you, that means I caught you. If I can't tag you by the end of the day, I'll buy you ice cream. Interested in playing?"

  Erald stayed silent for a moment as he stared at Mercy. He then smiled joyfully and beautifully. It was a smile that shot Mercy through his heart and made him remember Mante's smile. The kid was a charmer, that was for sure. His voice was cheery and youthful. "Sure."

  Faster than the speed of sound, Mercy was in front of Erald with his hand reaching out. He was sure Erald wouldn't react fast enough. To his surprise, Erald was startled for a moment and then he smiled. Faster than Mercy's hand, Erald teleported below the tree.

  There was a smile on Erald's face as he looked up at Mercy. A smile crept up Mercy's face as he looked down at Erald. He could see a glimpse of why the Host said this was a Brutal Challenge in of itself.

  A crack of sound from Mercy's speed rushed through the surroundings. People looked towards the sound and found Mercy and Erald staring at each other. Before they could process the scene further, both of them disappeared. A crack of sound formed from where Mercy disappeared.

  Erald was on his back in the sky. He was relaxed as Mercy flew up towards him. As Mercy's hand was about to touch his back, Erald teleported away to the edge of a skyscraper. Mercy paused and looked at Erald. The kid's face was happy and playful.

  Based on Mercy's calculations, Erald's reaction speed was at least ten times faster than his. As long as Erald's reaction was faster, tagging him was close to impossible.

  Mercy looked and pointed in a direction. "Hey look, a bird!"

  Erald turned to look, and Mercy was immediately in front of him with a crack of sound. As Mercy's fingers were about to graze Erald's hair, Erald immediately teleported away. He appeared a short distance away with a smile.

  Mercy stopped and stared at Erald. He gave a smile and crossed his fingers behind his back. "Alright, I give up. What ice cream do you want?"