Margaret "That was so awesome! I didn't know they started in the sewers and met the Great Jermana. The books only told us they had a lucky encounter and started gaining wealth."

Gala "Perhaps, the stories are muddled on purpose, my child or... a work of Time."

Margaret "Hmmm... I think The Mindens might have messed with the stories a bit."

Gala "Now. Now, making assumptions can be really unhealthy, my darling. Speaking of the Mindens, would you like to move to our next duo?"

Margaret "Sarah and Diana. I'm not too familiar with them much but the boys in school like to chat a lot about them in school."

Gala "Well, then. Let's uncover the reason, shall we?...

Once upon a time, there stood a magnificent library, unparalleled in all the realms of The Universe, known to none other than the grandeur of Mindan. Its towering spires cast shadows that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon, and whispers spread that upon crossing the borders of this nation, all one could behold was the menacing sight of the great library.

At the southern entrance, a youthful scholar, freshly initiated into adulthood, pushes a wheelbarrow enveloped in a shimmering air bubble. As they step through the colossal doorway, a collective sigh of relief ripples through both the bubbles and the Minden alike. The nearby scholars' eyes are drawn to the peculiar cargo, brimming with intrigue. From beneath the visitor's iron helmet emerges a resonant bass, like a melody echoing from the depths of the sea.

?? "Listen, esteemed and fellow scholars! Behold, I bring forth a marvel unseen by any before. A treasure trove of knowledge, I declare, reserved for only the most daring of Mindens."

??? "Is this yet another one of your whims, Sai Korman?! Beware the old tale of the Walteran who cried 'Whale,' for this marks the third time this week, young lady."

Sai "Mellow down your skepticism folks because these are—

She yanks off the cloth, revealing two sleeping humans. The sight prompts nearby Mindens to abandon their stalls, some even attempting to prod the slumbering figures. Sai swiftly swats their hands away and removes her helmet, her expression now a stern frown.

Sai "Hey! Hands off! Finders keepers! None of your greedy paws on them until I give the word. Now, let's commence with our lesson in Human 101. First, we shall explore the sense of touch."

Using the back of her finger, Sai gently rubs against the right cheek of the smaller human girl, announcing that her skin is soft and squishy, unlike the rubbery texture of their own. As she does, a pile of strange blue coins bearing a symbol of a tree materializes in front of her, which she promptly tucks into a large pouch. Nervously, she extends her hand towards the massive human. However, upon contact, the human's eyes widen, and her right arm swiftly grabs Sai's torso, lifting the startled Minden off the ground. Diana, confused at first, rubs her eyes and takes in their surroundings, noticing the fearful gazes of the onlookers. She gently sets Sai down, who is on the verge of tears. Ignoring the young lady's distress, Diana lightly kicks her partner awake.

Sarah "Ow! Yo, what the?! Where in the fuck are we?!"

Diana "We got some serious company."

The pair then takes note of Sai in front of them and looks to the other Mindens. These people appear humanoid but with reddish skin and suckers on the tips of their fingers and are well clothed, showcasing much variety in style in not only their clothing but also their hairstyle despite having tentacles instead of hair. Sai wears a makeshift raggedy dress fashioned from paper, which fortunately covers her lower half, though her feet protrude slightly, also adorned with suckers on their tips. In unison, Sarah and Diana move to Sai's sides, both eyeing the tentacles sprouting from her scalp and reaching in for a squeeze. Sai remains frozen in fear, struggling to suppress the tingling sensation coursing through her body.

Sarah "Okay, apart from that weird ass beak, the rest of the face looks human enough. A bit cute even."

Sai "Hey! My beak is perfectly normal!"

Diana "Now, you decide to talk, huh?! Tell us where we are!"

Sai "Okay, I can answer your questions but first... I wish to make a deal."

Diana "Look, buddy. We don't have the time for that."

Sarah "Calm down, Diana. Let the little dude try to win us over."

Sai "Okay. Please, keep any high information about yourselves private unless I say so. In return, I'll serve as your personal butler during your stay here. I'll do anything you ask!"

Diana "You all look like a bunch of scrawny nerds. Can you even do anything that can help us?"

Sai "I assure you, my knowledge will prove invaluable. Please consider the offer... I-I really need this."

Diana "... Nah. Hey, Sarah. Let's ditch her and check out this place on our own."

Sarah "No, I think having a butler can be cool. I want to feel what it's like to have someone serving me for once instead of the other way around."

Diana "What? You can't be serious."

Sarah "Look. We're not on Earth anymore, and this is their land. Maybe learning from them can prevent more trouble aka more tragic shit or getting your ass handed to you. Kanji would agree, you know."

Diana "Fine. I guess having someone to keep track of my reps could be useful."

Sarah "Looks like it's a deal. How are we doing this? With magic? Some complicated science shit?"

Sai "Heh, with what I know, magic is out of the query for me and I'm not smart enough to make any advanced devices. Good thing, I have bought a couple of binding contracts from a Tradan who visited us a couple of months back. It cost half of my savings but it is worth it for this moment."

She takes out a written contract and places it on the base of the wheelbarrow.

Sarah "Gonna admit, that's the cleanest contract I've ever seen."

Sarah and Diana sign the bottom of the supernatural contract, which emits a bright green light before disintegrating into ash. Diana immediately orders Sai to do 20 pushups, which she accomplishes with ease, albeit with a hint of annoyance. Diana applauds her impressive effort, and the pair disembarks from the cart, with Sai taking the lead. As they notice the crowd beginning to follow them, Diana shoots them a stern glare, causing the group to scatter.

Diana "The fuck are their problems?"

Sai "They're just hungry for merits, like any typical Minden. I'll explain more about that once we reach my home."

Sarah "So, is this place just one huge ass library?"

Sai "Indeed, the area we're in now is the Southern Haven. The library itself is enormous beyond measure, taking up an estimated 90% of Minden's surface. Imagine beholding a structure that spans your entire field of view. The library is actually molded into a perfect cylinder, with this ground floor forming a circular shape. The Southern Haven, where we currently stand, is a rectangular section attached to the southern entrance, occupying about 10% of the lower half of the floor."

Sarah "Is there like a Northern Haven for Northern dudes?"

Sai "Yes, there is, but most Southern residents tend to avoid venturing into the Northern Territory—

Diana "God! Enough with the geography lesson! Where are we even heading?!"

Sai "... Jeez. No need to shout. We're making our way to one of the exits at the edge of the Southern Haven, which leads to a vast maze covering the entire floor, except for the two open spots of the territories of course."

Diana "How long does it take to get there?"

Sai "Normally, around eight to ten hours to get back home—

Diana "Yeah, fuck that! Let's do this my way! Get on my shoulders!"

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

With a mighty lift, Diana hoists them onto her shoulders, and they speed across the wooden floor, leaving onlookers in shock from the sheer speed.

Sai "By the All-Mother! You're going too fast!"

Sarah "Oh, you'll be more surprised by the other shit she can do."

Diana "Hey, I think I can see the border already. My god those bookshelves are enormous! How far does it go?!"

Sai "All the way to the ceiling to prevent cheating, as the All-Mother intended."

Sarah "By the way, we never got your name."

Sai "Oh, my name is Sai Korman."

Diana "Yo, Sai! What the fuck are these?"

Sai "Hold on, you can get those too! I'll explain once we reach home. My shelf is on the western edge of the southern half, bordering the northern half. Just keep moving forward, then turn left, then right, and finally keep going left."

Diana "Got it!"

Diana picks up the speed, causing Sai to grip onto her shoulders tighter with all her suckers as the surroundings blur from the acceleration.

In just a few minutes, they arrive at Sai's home. Sarah spots a towering shelf, but instead of books, each layer holds a large open space, roughly the size of a studio apartment. Diana notices the diverse variety among the shelves, some appearing wealthier than others. Sai gestures toward the bottom, and both Sarah and Diana gasp at the sight of Sai's shelf room. The wood is scratched and worn down, with parts even rotten have holes. Inside, there's nothing but an old mattress and a few bags filled with something that resembles potatoes in one corner. Sai rushes to retrieve a picture frame beside the mattress, embracing it tightly before showing it to her guests.

Sai "Look, it's my mom and dad."

Sarah "Um... Sai, how do I say this nicely... These are just doodles."

Diana "Yeah, what's the deal, little dude?"

Sai "I know they're just doodles. But... sometimes it helps to imagine having parents. Someone who cared for me, even if it's just in my mind."

Diana "Y'all live on these shelves?"

Sai "Yep, they circle around the entire floor, hugging the wall from ceiling to floor. I've heard rumors that the second and third floors have the same format."

Sarah "Your crip seems like the odd one out of the block."

Sai "Yeah, I know, but I won't give up! I'll keep trying until one day, I can climb the tower like everyone else!"

Diana "Wow. I never thought you had such a spirit! I honestly thought you were going to break down and cry again."

Sarah "How long have you been... living like this?"

Sai "It's been 5 years... I'm 10 solar years old, a grown adult for us Mindens. It used to be much cleaner."

Diana "Then why not fix it, Sai? Put some elbow grease into it."

Sai "I can't! The condition of these rooms is based on the merits I was talking about!"

Sarah "Woah, woah. Slow down. Let's start from the beginning. Tell us more about how things are done around here."

Sai "We have something called a Power Catalyst. All Walteran nations have one. Ours is located on the roof of the tower. They grant us powers based on our beliefs. In Mindan, we worship the acquisition and sharing of knowledge. The Power Catalyst created a system based on two things— Cientia Coins and Cientia Merits. You see the books around us?"

Diana "Yeah, what about them?"

Sarah "Hold on, does your power let you gain skills from reading books?"

Sai "Not exactly. There are three types of books— Stories, Encyclopedias, and Instruction books. I can use Cientia coins to instantly learn the contents of an Instruction or Encyclopedia book. However, with Stories, you can immerse yourself in the world of the narrative, exploring the plot and its intricacies to gain knowledge. But there are obvious risks involved. People used the knowledge from these books to educate others. Teaching something new generates Cientia coins."

Diana "So that's what these coins are for. So you teach nerd stuff to learn more about nerd stuff. Doesn't seem great to me."

Sai "The coins can also be used to purchase items from those books. The better the quality, the higher the cost. We can either use them personally, sell them for profit, or take everything we know and innovate, creating new products to sell and teach, resulting in better profit. However, having high coins won't matter if your merits are low. It dictates your position on the floor, what you're allowed to have, and the quality of your living spaces. Most importantly, with enough merits, you can ascend to a higher floor."

Sarah "I don't understand, shouldn't it be easy for you to learn new things?"

Sai "Yes, the first five years of my life were wonderful. I had a great home, friends, and learned new things every day. However, I learned more than I taught, which caused others to shun me. They refused to teach me. It's also challenging to teach those who already know so much. I'm too fragile to survive in storybooks and too poor to learn from other books. I was a bug in a well. So desperate that I've resorted to scavenging the outskirts of the tower for anything new."

Diana gives her a tight hug, a single tear dripping from each eye.

Diana "Oh you poor girl. I'm so sorry about earlier."

Sai "It's okay. I'm used to harsh words."

Sarah "Were you bullied?"

Sai "Shunning wasn't enough for some people, especially those from the northern territory. It's even worse because my house is right next to the border."

Diana "You did mention two groups. Is it like a red versus blue team situation?"

Sai "No, not at all. Despite their differences, a civil war hasn't occurred for decades. Our southern territory is known as The Production Faction, where people focus on creating various goods to teach, sell, or innovate, as I mentioned earlier. The northern faction is called The Combat Faction, which focuses on combat styles to teach others. It's believed that each faction contributes to the nation's defense in case of war with another country. This has happened multiple times."

Diana "I see that they like to fight, huh? No wonder they would pick on you. Don't worry while I'm here, no one gonna touch tentacles."

Diana "So, they like to fight, huh? No wonder they picked on you. Don't worry, while I'm here, no one's going to lay a finger on your tentacles."

Sai "Thank you, big sis. C-Can I call you that?"

Diana "Of course you can, Sai."

Sarah "Something's been bothering me. Why do you want to keep going up? Staying here seems pretty chill."

Sai "Because there's a legend that anyone who can reach the Catalyst can become The Grand Inscripter. They would have the power to command all Mindens and become the one true ruler of all the factions in the tower. Yet no one in centuries has claimed that tile so many people aspire to achieve that. I... I also want to become The Grand Inscripter."

Sarah glances at Diana, who nods in agreement before they both turn back to Sai, causing her to step back in shyness.

Sarah "It's decided then..."

Diana "Yep... hey, Sai! We'll help you achieve your dream!"

Sai "Ar-Are you sure? It'll be dangerous, and we'll have a lot of enemies."

Diana "Heh, you're not just dealing with just a couple of normal humans."

Sarah "We're powerful, with abilities beyond imagina—

Sai "Oh my god! My room!"

They turn to see that Sai's entire room is filled to the brim with coins, crushing her fragile mattress under their weight which bursts out its fluff.

Sai "No... my bed. How am I going to store all these coins? If only I had a space pouch, but I'll have to go back to the market for that and I can't just leave them here!"

Diana "You know, we can store them for you."

Sarah "We're like walking space bags."

Sai "What do you mean by— HUH?!"

Sarah brandishes a pair of tungsten daggers, while Diana produces a mechanical soap seemingly out of thin air.

Sai "I'm about to faint. You guys are amazing, but are you sure you want to help someone like me?"

Sarah "Hey, a promise is a promise."

Diana "Plus, who doesn't love an underdog story? We'll teach you how to be strong."

Sarah "We could also make another contract to seal the deal."

Sai "Good thing, I have one ready for this occasion."

Diana "Aww, it says "friends forever"."

Sarah "Ha, imagine these contracts on Earth. Those guys on Reddit would go ballistic over these."

The three sign the parchment, and it emits a similar green light before disappearing.

Diana approaches the coins and begins to vacuum them into her inventory, while Sarah and Sai watch with satisfaction from the sidelines. Noticing Sai hugging her fake family portrait tightly, Sarah can't help but lean in for a hug.

Sai "Thank you, sister Sarah."

Sarah "I was hoping you would say that. Anyway, mind telling more about that portrait?"

Sai "Oh... that... telling you about this would feel like I'm trying to blame someone else other than myself for how I ended up like this. Every Minden couple has to make a tough decision whether to have a child because The Power Catalyst has imposed a harsh rule on us. Upon giving birth, the parents will die, and their minds are compressed into a form of energy called Knowledge Potential, which is transferred to the child. This energy determines the course of the child's life—the higher it is, the smarter the child is at birth. The strange thing is, when I was a baby, I didn't have any knowledge at all."

Sarah "Isn't that a normal thing?"

Sai "No, normal Minden babies have basic knowledge of language, culture, science, math, and more. I didn't have any of that. So either my parents' knowledge was abysmal, something happened during my birth, or... I was created in a different way. That would explain why my parents never left behind any photos, which many Mindens do for their child."

Diana "Hey, girls. I'm done with the cleanup. Yeah, your bed is gone."

Sai "It's okay."

Sai rushes to a nearby bookshelf and grabs a book marked with a smiley face.

Sarah "What is that?"

Sai "It's a furniture catalog. I marked it with a smiley face in case I decide to buy some of the items one day."

Sarah "You can mess with the books here? Also, can't you just take a book and keep it forever?"

Sai "Marking the books on the outside is fine, but writing on the inside is considered taboo. And no, you can only borrow a book for 7 days before it teleports back to its original spot. Okay, I should count up how many coins I got earlier... Wait! Where are the bags?!"

Diana "Oh yeah, I absorb those too! You got a total of 9056 bucks."

Sai "Wow, your space bags can even count the amount too!"

The room shifts, and the scratches, holes, and rotten wood disappear.

Sai "Wow, it looks like I have enough merits. It's just like 5 years ago. Let's see... we can get a large bunk bed for three people and a large double door big enough to cover the entrance. It'll cost us 1000 coins though."

Sarah "A bunk bed sounds sick!"

Diana "Go for it, dude!"

Diana generates the amount into a pouch and hands it to Sai. She smiles and presses her fingers against the images in the book, manifesting and installing them in the room.

Sai "They look amazing—

Diana "Aw shit! Sai, wake up!"

Sarah "I think she's out cold. Weird. She didn't seem tired. Hold on... there's a letter 'A' on her forehead. Maybe this is some kind of voodoo magic those jerks placed on her."

Diana "It might be possible with all the strange stuff they can get from these books. What now?"

Sarah "I don't know about you, but I could really use some sleep."

Diana "We were just sleeping like 20 minutes ago."

Sarah "Sleep is good, you know."

Diana "Fine, you can go, but I'll keep watch for intruders."

Sarah "Shit. Yeah, the other Mindens would find it weird that her house changed."

Diana carries Sai's body off the floor and climbs to the top bunk before tucking her in. Sarah takes the middle bunk, and Diana takes the bottom. Without a second thought, Sarah quickly drifts to sleep. Diana, however, remains awake, watching through the glass of the twin doors for any suspicious movement.

The night passes without trouble...