500th Time Reborn, A World Only Known By Women: The Karma System

"What is this place called?" I asked, looking around at the dark and dirty streets with an uneasy feeling. This place just oozed trouble, and I really didn't want to be here for long if I could help it.

"The Bottom," Connie said after a moment of thought as she led me down one of the many narrow alleyways between buildings that looked like they were on the verge of crumbling down into rubble, with only a stiff breeze being needed to send them tumbling to the ground below. "I don't come over here often; it is too dangerous."

Connie led me deeper into The Bottom until we came to what appeared to be a dead end in front of us, but she turned towards one side where there was a door that I hadn't noticed before and knocked quietly. A few moments later, the door opened a crack, and I could see a woman's eye looking out at us warily for a moment before she opened the door all the way and stepped back to let us in.

The woman was around our age with long black hair that was done up elegantly on top of her head with some kind of jewelry woven into it, but her clothes were very plain compared to what I had seen from other women in this city so far. The most extravagant thing about her outfit was a long green cloak that covered most of her body, but even then, it looked like something you would wear while traveling rather than something meant for show or to attract attention.

"Connie, what are you doing here?" the woman asked as she looked at us both before her gaze lingered on me a bit longer than necessary. "And who is this?"

"This is Galio. She's been helping me out lately," Connie said, and the woman nodded before she turned to lead us deeper into the building; it was so dark in here after being out in the alleyway that it took my eyes a moment to adjust. "She is looking into Hilda's disappearance."

The woman led us into a small room that had a table with two chairs set up near a window that was covered by heavy curtains, and she gestured for us to sit down before she sat across from us. The room had a musty smell to it, and the air was thick with a strange tension that I couldn't quite place.

"I am Teresa, but I didn't know Hilda that well, but we are all trying to find her. She was the hope that everyone had for a better future," Teresa said, and I frowned.

"A better future?" I asked, and Teresa nodded.

"Hilda was going to be the one that changed things for us; she was going to make things better for everyone in this city," Teresa explained, and Connie nodded her agreement. "But now she is gone, and we don't know what to do."

I leaned back in my chair as I looked at the two women across from me; they both seemed pretty broken up about Hilda's disappearance. But it sounded like there might be more to it than just a political move by Carrie because if that were the case, then they would have just killed Hilda instead of making her disappear without a trace like this. There had to be something else going on, but since I dealt with the cultists, I had no clue.

There seemed to be a lot going on in this city, so I wasn't just going to be able to tackle this problem head-on. I needed to talk to more people and get a feel for the lay of the land before I could really start putting together what was going on and how I could help. But it sounded like talking to Teresa might be a good place to start.

"Do you have any idea what Hilda was looking into that might have gotten her into trouble?" I asked, but Teresa shook her head.

"No, my ears are only around The Bottom. This section of the city can be considered dangerous, but that is only because they think that having a good time is dangerous," Teresa said with a shrug, and I frowned.

"Giving people drugs and sex for money is dangerous," Connie said, crossing her arms, but my ears perked up.

"Sex? Drugs? Where? Here?" I asked, and Teresa gave me a knowing look.

"Your black ears and strange facial hair... you are that Cat God everyone had been talking about, right?" She asked, and I nodded, making a mischievous smile spread on her face, but Connie seemed to know what was coming.

"Galio is coming home with me to enjoy some good Grashalor hospitality!" Connie said as she got up and pulled me up with her.

"Kitten, don't worry! I can tell that you like this one, so I will let you enjoy her, but just know that my door is always open for you, Cat God. I might be a plain woman, but I have done a business of giving people pleasures that you can find nowhere else. Feel free to come back at any time, and we can talk more about Hilda, and I can give you some more private information that I do not want to share with prying ears around," Teresa said, looking at Connie the entire time.

I was more than interested in that, but I still needed to squeeze in some more information from the Grashalor family, and I did tell Connie I would be coming back with her.

"Well, I will come to stop by tomorrow. I am interested in all the things that you have to offer, but the information is something that I need," I said as Teresa nodded and got up to head back out to the street.

"I will be waiting for your return, Cat God. I am curious to know if the rumors of your excellence are true," Teresa said and then closed the door.

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