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

The Bottom was like this city's entertainment district, and it lived up to the name as I walked into the area with its vibrant lights, music, and people. I quickly spotted Teresa talking to someone near a booth; the other woman seemed to be wearing a bright yellow dress like the one Jana had been described as wearing.

I walked closer, not wanting to interrupt them but trying to get close enough so I could hear what was being said. Unfortunately, most of it sounded like small talk, and I couldn't really pick up anything useful from the conversation.

It seemed as though Teresa noticed me walking closer because she looked up just as her companion finished speaking and quickly changed the subject.

"This is a friend of mine," Teresa said, introducing me to Jana. "Jana and I have some history together." She didn't give any other details, but I could tell it was important.

"It's nice to meet you," I said politely before turning back towards Teresa. "Do you have time to talk right now?"

"I do; what did you want to speak about?" she asked as she looked back at Jana, who looked about to leave, but I put my hand up.

"What we discussed before that you were tight-lipped about, but I would also like to talk to Jana. This is Jana Wood, right?" I asked, and Both women nodded. "Good, I was just to see Mother Willow, but things didn't go over very smoothly, so I was told I might be better to talk to you."

"Let's get out of the streets and head back to my place. It is much more private, and we can relax and have a drink in my lounge as we talk," Teresa explained, and I nodded as she led the way back to her place. During the walk, Jana looked over at me with an odd look before speaking up.

"You met with Mother Willow, but it didn't go smoothly?" Jana asked as she looked at me with green eyes that went well with her blue hair, but I could see that she was showing some blonde roots.

"Let's just say I threw some things in her face after asking a few questions. According to her, the Mothers rule the city, and Carrie is just a figurehead, so they don't care who the leader is," I explained, and Jana nodded.

"This is true. Not much goes on in this place without one of the Mothers saying something," Jana said with a nod as we reached Teresa's house.

The house itself was tucked at the end of an alley, but there were open doors along the alley. Some of them had women lying together, while others had them doing more, but even with the door open, they ignored the outside world. I wondered what kind of drugs they were on that made them so oblivious? Or maybe it was that they just didn't care; it was so hard to tell in this world without coming outright to ask the question.

Teresa's house from the outside was modest, but she had clearly taken the time to make her home a comforting place. The inside was full of blues and purples, making it feel like we were in another world as we sat in Teresa's lounge while she served us drinks.

"So what kind of trouble is Hilda involved with?" I asked once everyone had their drink, and the room seemed comfortable enough for deeper conversation.

"Hilda hired the Balishire family, but for what that is, no one seems to know. There aren't even rumor's to guess, but if I were to go out on a limb, I would say it might be to do with something newly discovered recently by a Golem. I think that Hilda was trying to adapt it, but this would give Mother Balishire even more control than she already has," Teresa said, and I sat back in my chair and nodded.

"So, what is this product? Learning about it should lead me to another suspect. I see no reason for any of the Mothers that I have talked with to be the ones to take Hilda, so that leaves me to the only possible conclusion. Whatever this product is, it must affect the Guildmaier Family in some way. If it was, then they might be responsible for the magically created golems that are attacking the Richmer's Farm," I explained.

Jana looked at me with surprise, and I could tell she hadn't expected this from me. It was clear that she had thought that I was out of my depths in this situation, but it seemed like my guesswork might have been right on the nose.

"Yes, you're right," Jana said slowly as she leaned forward to look at both Teresa and me before nodding again. "The product is called Aquashell."

"Aquashell? What is that?" I asked as I tried to wrack my brain for what this would be.

"Aquashell is a material made from sugars and a bunch of other stuff. It is lightweight and durable but also waterproof and resistant to damage from both heat and cold. Able to be molded into almost any shape, Aquashell can be used to make many objects used daily - from bottles for storing potions or carrying water and even storing things to keep them for longer. It is a pretty new thing, but Hilda was always all about that stuff, so it doesn't surprise me that she would do that. The problem is that you are right, and this would affect the Guildmaier's business, but they are pretty plain people until you get them drunk," Teresa explained, and I thumbed my chin, trying not to grin.

This was the first lead that made sense after everyone I talked to, but that didn't mean this case was solved. From what I had heard about the Guildmaier family, they seemed like honest blacksmiths who liked to drink. It was hard to think that they would do something like either of them things, but this would just warrant an investigation.

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