10 Because Mana Don't Grow On Tree's

"I mean, this was a pretty short life you did just live, but you will get a break! First, we just have to get you set up with your next client. You see," Jim said and then motioned, and a screen appeared with the face of the woman on it I had just seen. "This is Ellisia. She is the client that was in the middle of feeding the target, Brice, chaos. That is why it was so easy for you to kill him. Ellisia owed me a favor, and she was already in the world, so you couldn't meet with her. That type of thing normally won't happen," Jim explained.

"So this Ellisia is a goddess, then?" I asked, but Jim wiggled his hand.

"We are all known as Divine Beings. Yourself included. The biggest difference is that you did not earn this the same way everyone else did."

"Oh? And what does that mean?"

"It means that all of us have died several times and been guided by other Divine Beings until we earn our places here. That typically takes at least three lifetimes to be gilded. Then, they have to guild others in order to pay their bills here in the Heavenly Realm," Jim said and waved for the screen to disappear. "You, on the other hand, have not died, nor have you saved any worlds. Well, except for Brice's world, but you can't take full credit for that one since Ellisia did most of the job for you. My point is you gotta work if you want to get paid, but on that note, here is the card I promised you!"

Jim pulled a solid black card from his pocket and then slid it across the table to me.

"You use this for all payments, you will be able to live here in comfort, but you need to remember one thing," Jim said, looking at me seriously. "You are working for a higher cause, and you must always keep that in mind. You have been given a chance to do something very important, and if you don't take advantage of it, then you will never get anywhere."

"How do I know how much is on the card? Or how much I got from my last job?" I asked, and Jim pointed to the card I had yet to touch.

"When you pick it up, it will display the total Mana you have. As for what you made, now how is it divided up? Zeus will talk to you about that, or his assistant will, but first, I want to introduce you to your next client," Jim said, about to stand, but I put my hand up.

"One more thing," I said, and Jim nodded.

"Yes?"

"When I woke up on that train, there was a girl with me. Chloe was her name, I think. What was her problem?" I asked, and Jim rolled his eyes.

"See? This is why I made sure that I had an easy job! Damn useless goddesses!" Jim growled, suddenly becoming angry. It was strange because he had been calm and happy in almost every exchange.

"Goddesses?" I asked, and Jim sighed and nodded.

"Yes, female Divine Beings. Chloe was supposed to be on duty as your guide, but from your questions, I can only assume that she ditched you, yes?" Jim asked, and I nodded, making him grit his teeth, but then let out another sigh. "I will talk to her, but watch out. You are a good-looking man, and now you have Mana. We have an influx of Divine Beings in poverty right now, so you will have to watch out for women trying to use you for your money. Even ones without sex will try to lure you in," Jim explained, and I frowned.

"Poverty in the Heavenly Realm?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "That sentence doesn't make sense in my head."

"Poverty here is not what you think, but how the Divine Beings treat each other is based on Mana. The more Mana you have, the more respect you get," Jim explained.

I rolled my eyes and then picked up my black card, but then dropped it as numbers appeared on it.

"Is that my bank account number?!" I asked as I picked the card up again, and Jim laughed.

"No, that is the total mana in your account," he chuckled as my eyes widened enough for my eyes to almost fall out.

[3,500,000 Mana]

"3.5 million Mana?! Is that a lot?!" I asked without peeling my eyes from the numbers.

"Not compared to what you normally will make, but it is a good amount of Mana. With this much, you are just above poverty," Jim said, standing up, and then he scratched his head. "It takes about 2 million a week to rent a basic apartment. You could get away with one for half a million a week, but then people will look down on you for being cheap."

I looked up at Jim with a hint of desperation in my eyes. "So, I will be paying rent?"

"Yes, it is part of life here. Things are similar to the world you came from, but with some major differences," Jim said and then clapped his hands together., "But now, let us meet our next client, shall we?"

I stood up and just shook my head. This was all crazy, but I was still thinking about how easy it had been for me to push Brice. I had been so worried about it, but when it came time, I didn't even hesitate. Did that mean that I was actually a killer this entire time, just waiting for my moment to shine?

I followed Jim out of the white room, but my thoughts were still on what had happened today. It seemed that I was taking more and more steps toward becoming a full-time killer, but at the same time, I was helping people too. Where was this all leading me? What would be my ultimate goal?

For now, I just needed to focus on getting used to the way things worked in the Heavenly Realm, and for the moment, it seemed like I had found a place where I belonged.