The competition's location is widely known throughout Talineah as one of the most sought-after hunting grounds for mana fodders.

Mana, or life energy, is a precious fish that any Specialist will definitely catch due to their Mana Covetor instincts.

Any creature or place or item that is considered a carrier of mana will be hunted and monopolized over.

Covetors will flock the places of mana vessels, especially the Abalone Floating Port or the Abalone Atoll itself.

It was one of the vessel grounds that was not monopolized directly by the kingdom of Amory and was treated as a public landmark so as to grow the tourism industry.

In the center of the atoll is a seamount that houses all kinds of seaweed that any aquatic species would eat.

The reason why the lagoon was empty of pests was because the seamount is the designated farming ground for attracting the Crystal Abalone species.

With sizes estimated from 2 cm and wider, these vital vessels flocked the lagoon because they were swept by the whirlpool that annually drilled into their deep sea habitat.

The yearly-occurring vortex was formed in the very center of the Advan Sea where many aquatic mana vessels thrive.

From the sea haven, the Crystal Abalones always found themselves stranded on the fertile seamount of the atoll.

Crystal Abalone are mana species that voraciously feed on those kelps without care and complaint.

They may be small but when threatened, the abalone will speedily disappear from the predators' sight with the accumulated mana stored within their crystalized bodies which was why it was challenging to capture one.

As a prized mana fodder, the most valuable part of the creature is its shell.

Eating the abalone meat may guarantee absolute mana regeneration and energy boost but maintaining this specific meal lifestyle is almost impossible to follow so Covetors could only hope to capture one.

The crystal shell is a material that can be used to make a mana item but these are also rare in the Covetor market.

What makes the abalone's shell so special as a Specialist's treasure is the fact that it serves as a mana storage in case one's body cannot handle the excess energy or used as a mana augmenter.

Another special feature about the crystal when worn as jewelry is its ability to calm its wearer in battle or in any dangerous situation with its passive mana circulation.

This passive feature does not deduct whatever mana was stored in the crystal so it is not an active item in fights.

Appraising a Crystal Abalone depends on its color.

In Alist's previous life, drift crystals found in beaches are characterized by how rare its color was so the same is true for the drift or sea glasses in Deo and its Crystal Abalones.

Seeing as Alist held a black glass meant that her VIP rank in the Abalone Floating Port is equivalent to four stars because black sea glass is one of the extremely rare ones.

The same is true for the classification of Crystal Abalones.

As a few Red Crystal Abalone or known as the 'red ones' were spotted on the seamount, the news of their appearance immediately attracted the attention of many Covetors because those are the ultra rare species compared to the black or pink colored abalone.

Orange, yellow, turquoise, teal, and red are colors belonging to the ultra rare classes of abalones as these have a larger mana plates and have better calming properties.

The mana accumulated by these five-star crystals was due the fact that abalones travelled deep into the trenches and coral kingdoms inhaling scattered magical energy particles.

These ultra rare ones are also the oldest of their category.

As Crystal Abalones are located beneath the deep waters of the Advan Sea, these species are B-rank in terms of its acquisition difficulty in the market and at sea.

Alist has been a Crystal Abalone Covetor for three years with the purpose of dedicating her catch to her own family.

Her parents and siblings were not even aware that she was participating in the dangerous B-rank sea game that was situated just within the Darya Town.

Her siblings have not seen her unusual hair bleaching as the Glassheart couple painted her hair at the age of one year old so they only knew that her eyes can change color.

Andrina and Kyan, on the other hand, are simply peace-loving locals who avoided the rowdy fights and Covetor missions so it was obvious that they would avoid the Abalone Floating Port.

The only family member who knows is her GodMa, Xenia.

Alist and Xenia are as close as best friends are despite their age differences.

When the nine-year-old Alist mentioned that she was going to participate at the port's sea game, Xenia was shocked but later on became supportive of her and even made her signature Victory Covetor attire as her permanent uniform.

Her godmother also knows about her unusual hair condition and the cluelessness of the Glassheart parents towards their eldest daughter's mischief.

As her godmother, Alist's safety must come first but the choices made by her goddaughter were also important seeing as that was proven in the Mana Initiation Rite day.

Being all-in for the child's challenge, Xenia even shushed the Crimson Mangles from hinting Kyan about Alist's participation in the atoll as he also uses them to monitor the safety of the Glassheart family.

Since then, Alist exercised her water manipulation abilities freely in the annual competition.

Most of what she caught at first were two or five green and white Crystal Abalones which were ranked the lowest but even these were essential for her mana-regenerative diet.

All the catch she got from the game will automatically go to Xenia's house via the Crimson Mangles so that her godmother can start cooking some abalone cuisine to be savored by the whole Glassheart family.

Whenever Alist takes home the mana-restoring seafood, she would usually say that the food came from Xenia who was either generously given or simply bought the freshly-caught Crystal Abalones from the annual game.

Her parents accepted the offering without any qualms when they heard that Xenia still had leftovers in her house as they did not want to intrude on the old lady's health.

As a result, Alist fed her family well without them knowing that those were the results of her own hard work.

Also, her godmother can even live on the abalone nourishing soup and restore her deteriorating mana.

And as for the crystal shells, Alist gave them all to Xenia as part of her caring filial piety and preparation of Coru's appearance so as to prevent him from becoming a future Shadow Recruit in this lifetime.

Since Xenia was not fond of wearing jewelry except for her marriage ring and a laurel diadem, they both decided to have the shells crushed into tiny pieces so these can be laced or embroidered into Xenia's everyday tunics.

Even the bedsheets and blankets were laced with tiny abalone shell pieces for continuous mana augmentation.

If there were no garments to lace the crystal pieces with, most of the abalone shells were given to the young Widow Mangles of the white mangrove forest.

Although most of the precious crystal shells ended up at Xenia's side, Alist patiently waited for the moment the ultra rare abalones will appear so she can catch them for her parents and siblings.

And it seemed as if luck smiled upon her when the red ones were appeared in the atoll.

As a four star Crystal Abalone Covetor, her contribution to the Floating Port's market was great due to the agreed catch that she made a deal with them.

She gave them most of the rare and scarce types of abalone and saved the extremely rare ones for herself.

With that, the company  of the Floating Port designated a permanent coach that will pick her up covertly.

This service was done secretly so as to protect their frequenter's identity and safety from being compromised.

Alist was indeed more than satisfied to have made such a transaction as the port had an honest disposition and stood for equal opportunities of participating in the games.

Frane, the gray haired coach who is a Metal Specialist, was vigilant on the sandy road.

After passing the quay, they crossed the wide jetty bridge which was about 6000 feet extending directly to the  circular Abalone Floating Port.

The bridge is also the docking site of participating Crystal Abalone Covetors and game spectators.

Newly arrived wooden ships parked at the designated docks with their passengers athletically jumping out and rushing to the circle port.

Red mangled roots clung to the feet of the jetty, indicating the presence of the Red Widows that were on standby.

Upon covering half of the long jetty, Frane took out a faded wooden jewelry box and gave it to his only passenger.

"Here are the ten white gilded pendant necklaces as requested. Anything else, Miss?" the coach asked.

Alist replied, "No need. I'm glad that these were easily finished in one day. Those red ones will become my jewelry, you see. I did say that I'll pay you handsomely for helping me terminate my trade with your guild as quietly as possible. Today's the day."

"Yes indeed, Miss Victory." Frane smiled in anticipation.

Alist fished out her black crystal card again from her belt bag which acted as a spatial item to disguise the existence of the Sea Bear's Glass placed in it.

From that gesture, the old man gave his ultraviolet colored-card to Alist and she stacked her card over his.

Mana Cards.

Similar to the virtual transfer of money from the ATM to the transactor's card, tapping each others Mana Cards signifies the transmission of mana from the payor to the payee.

Also known as Ascent Cards, each were made out of specific mana crystal material from the commonest (e.g.clear quartz) or rarest (e.g. drift/sea glass).

Only Covetors and wealthy Specialists can afford a Mana Card as it functions like a Crystal Abalone's shell except it does not have a passive calming properties.

Alist spent her accumulated mana on Frane's services because of their three years of pleasant cooperation.

The old man Frane had the dignity and bearing of a loyal butler towards his superiors but he was also one who easily accedes to selfish offers that benefits him.

He may be capable in his job at an old age but he valued the state of his mana plate because if his mana ran out, he won't remain as a Covetor and to perform Specialism.

This was desperation on his part and he was willing to confide his troubles with persons he trusts.

Though a commoner, Frane was prepared to exhaust all his ascents just to fill up his Mana Card.

Alist accepted his plea with the condition that he teaches her the ways of a Mana Covetor based on his experiences.

She even made him eavesdrop on his superior's conversations that involve her because she feared of catching the interest of some two-faced Covetor dealers who may want to exploit her as she was still very young.

Alist once asked why he confided with her his weakness and he said, "You reminded me of that funny bastard. You know the name Kyan Glassheart? I had the chance of chatting with him years ago. He had this gait of a nobleman who honors the deals he makes with people but he was cunning, too. Maybe, its because you had the same impression as him that I accepted your negotiation, Miss."

Alist simply smiled upon hearing his close comparison.

The wagon stopped by another half of the jetty road, parking near the game entrance's checkpoint.

Having finished charging up his Mana Card, she tossed him a Black Crystal Abalone with a quarter-filled mana plate.

Never minding his reaction from receiving a well-cherished gift and knowing that their three years of cooperation have ended, Alist strode towards the entrance.

She produced the usual black identification card from her baldric's belt bag to show to the watch guard.

Recognizing the four star permit that Alist raised up high, the burly guard ignored the long line of visitors and instantly let the sky-blue haired girl in.

"That girl's an Covetor? She looks too young to be one." One of the people in the queue said.

"I know, right? It looks like she's twelve. The guard must be tricked to let in a child." Another chimed in.

Hearing the loud hubbub, the guard snorted.

'Fools.' He thought, 'Age doesn't define a strong Covetor. You've just seen one of them who surpassed that bias.'

Ignorant of the noise coming from the line, Alist briskly walked towards the resto bar situated at the leftern side.

The place was filled with Covetors that wanted to cool off in the shade and listen to the music.

It was approximately thirty minutes before three in the afternoon so it was understandably hot.

Alist stood outside and turned her attention to the reason why the resto bar was crowded.

It was a girl with the same age as her who served as singer.

The young singer had twinkling purplish eyes and sleek long golden-blonde hair that brushed against her natural pale skin.

She wore a dark pink kirtle with the flared hem that was an asymmetrically frayed trim and ruffled white tunic that contrasted her dirty brown knee high boots.

Her name is Shandley.

~o~