The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Volteren City- Inner Region)

Volteren City or as some would call it… \'The City of Pleasure\'. 

This city was separated into two distinct areas named the outer district and the inner region.

The architecture of the city was based on civilisations found on Ancient Earth, so the buildings were made from concrete.

Colourful tiles were used to create the roofs on the houses and beautiful sculptures and paintings could be seen scattered across the city.

Gambling, pleasure houses, pod racing… these were only some of the many activities that one could enjoy in this heavenly place.

\'The City of Pleasure\' was an appropriate nickname for the entertainment capitol of planet Gaia. 

The outer region was easy to visit and only required an entry fee of around fifty credits to enjoy a full day of activities.

Of course, in this place… the visiting tourists would often leave with far less money than what they initially had.

The city was under the control of a council of nobles who had invested in the various entertainment facilities.

Now the inner region on the other hand was meant to be a safe place for the upper echelon of society to relax and unwind.

Money alone could not buy you entry to the inner region. 

No matter how much credits one possessed… it was not enough. 

Only members of the noble class were allowed in the inner region which made the hybrid girl walking down the street all the more noticeable amidst the crowd of regular humans.

She was over seven feet tall with long dark hair that swayed gently from side to side as she walked.

Her body was lean and muscular but there were curves in all the right places. Four bladed appendages jutted out from her back and her eyes were a golden colour.

Sophie ignored the curious stares directed at her as she took out her wrist communicator and began to take pictures.

This was going to be her first solo outing since returning home and she was honestly feeling a bit nervous and excited all at the same time.

Doctor Reynolds had recommended that she venture outside the Peterlor Estate to get a change of scenery.

Apparently staying in the same place all the time could have an adverse effect on her mental well-being.

Sophie was surprised when even her father said that she should go although she could hear the reluctance in his voice.

Katarina had suggested that she visit the famous entertainment capitol and Sophie agreed that it sounded fun.

"Wow!" Sophie whispered as she took a picture of a sculpture to her right. 

There was a plaque next to the sculpture that described the art piece.

It was allegedly two rabbits frolicking happily in a garden, but Sophie had never seen a rabbit in Sui Meng\'s memories that had multiple heads.

Plus, she was pretty certain that rabbits didn\'t have forked tails and jaws that were larger than their hindlegs.

Clearly the artist in charge of the work had taken some creative liberties when designing his sculpture.

"Hey beautiful are you here by yourself?" a seductive voice called out. 

Sophie glanced in the direction of the voice and saw a scantily glad woman with a curvaceous figure beckoning towards her.

The seductive beauty was standing in front of a building with red curtains that covered the windows, so it was impossible to see what was happening inside.

However, judging from the happy smiles on the faces of the nobles who exited the building, Sophie had an idea about the services provided inside.

"No thank you," Sophie replied politely. The woman shrugged in disappointment and then called out to another potential customer.

Sophie made a mental note to herself not to mention this encounter to Cleo during their call tonight.

No need to make her girlfriend feel jealous.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, but the inner region had temperature cooling units installed at fixed points across the city.

Sophie smiled as she enjoyed the fresh cool breeze that brushed against her face. She made her way towards a fountain in the center of the city.

There were quite couples standing next to the fountain, holding hands together or whispering sweeting nothings into each other\'s ears. 

Occasionally someone would reach into their pocket and toss a coin-shaped object into the water. 

Ohh… a wishing well!

A trace of nostalgia appeared in Sophie\'s eyes as she stared the fountain. She saw a machine just a few meters ahead where one could exchange credits for coins.

It was fairly cheap and only cost around five credits for one coin.

Sophie placed her card into the open slot and soon received a black coin with surprisingly heavy weight.

The hybrid girl walked towards the fountain while trying her best not to make eye contact with the loving couples.

It was honestly quite an awkward experience to be the only person by themself. 

Sophie reached the edge of the fountain and held the coin in her right palm.

"I wish… I wish that my family and friends will always be safe," Sophie whispered softly. 

She opened her palm and allowed the coin to hit the water with a dull plop. 

Despite everything that had happened to her over the last few months… Sophie was content about her life at the moment.

Her only wish was for the safety and happiness of her loved ones.  There was nothing else that she desired.

Wait actually…

It would be nice if her Aunt Rai\'lle visited her in the amulet space. 

Sophie did not know what had happened to her relative on her mother\'s side, but she had not seen the Arachnais princess in months.

Well technically she was also a princess… or at least the daughter of a princess? 

It was kind of confusing since Sophie was told that her mother had been banished from the royal family.

Sophie knew that wishing for two wishes was kind of cheating, but she still ran back to the machine and got a second coin.

After closing her eyes and wishing to meet her aunt again, Sophie left the fountain and continued on her journey of exploration.

It didn\'t take long for Sophie to see a magnificent golden palace appear in the distance. The road leading to this palace had rare and precious gems embedded along its sides.

Sophie took a few pictures of the amazing scenery and then walked towards the palace.

What was that place?

Sophie approached the doors of the palace and saw a long line of people waiting to enter. These people were finely dressed in elegant garments that radiated class and nobility.

If she had to guess… the people in the line seemed to only be in their early twenties but it was impossible to tell someone\'s true age based solely off their appearance.

This was because of the advancements made in anti-aging technology as well as cultivation techniques that restored youthful looks.

The hybrid girl looked down at her outfit that was basically a pair of black trackpants and a simple sweatshirt.

Clearly, she was not dressed for the occasion. 

With the mentality of why not give it a try, Sophie joined the back of the line despite getting some rude stares from the others waiting patiently.

The line was moving relatively slowly so Sophie used her wrist communicator to find out more information about the golden palace.

It was apparently an indoor fighting pit where guests were allowed to place bets on the winners of each duel.

These bets were extremely high stakes with the minimum amount required being at least two million credits.

Sophie\'s eyes widened as she saw the amount of money that could be won or lost in this honey trap.

A man could make a fortune or lose it all. 

Sophie let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly left the line to check out another place.

Although she was the daughter of a wealthy duke, Sophie was not comfortable with gambling away the money that her father had given her to spend.

Perhaps it was due to Sui Meng\'s influence but Sophie by nature was quite the frugal person and only spent money on nutrient solutions, weapons or new poisons.

Oh… and the occasional gift for her girlfriend.

Compared to the other rich second-generation nobles, Sophie could be said to be extremely stingy!

The hybrid girl left the line without a second glance and then consulted the map on her wrist communicator.

Apparently, there was a petting zoo located about a ten-minute walk away from her current location.

Sophie\'s lips gently curved upwards as she saw the cute furry animals available to be petted and played with.

Maybe it wasn\'t so bad to take a day away from the Peterlor Estate and go exploring on her own.