Can you do me a favour?

What is it?

If you do find Stella... Ask her why she wants to stay here. Listen to what she has to say. I know that from the outside, it may seem like a crazy decision.

The terms of a contract always have some downsides. She won't be able to return to your world anymore. And there will be other terms she'll have to obey. But there are benefits as well.

(Uh... what? This place isn't real, the professor said so. Things don't make sense here.)

(Nothing is worth never going back to reality for the rest of your life!)

Until I came here, I was a singer. From sixteen, I did nothing but sing. It was my childhood dream come true.

But a dream is just a jumble of wishes. Makes no sense. It shouldn't become real. I was successful, but my manager was the one who benefited. He wouldn't let me leave; he wouldn't let me rest. I was such a useful resource for him.

...

When we toured in England I took a chance and ran for it.

And you escaped? That's great.

It didn't make a difference.

I was still just a clueless little girl - even more than before. I didn't have a place to stay or a dime to my name.

That's when I found this place.

You can't bring your money or your connections with you here. No one owns this city - no one even built it. It's an even playing field, a limitless city bigger than any capital in the world. And once you make a contract, you become a player.

Tools and machines are what separate humans from animals. I'm one of the few with easy access to them. Whoever I side with can react faster, hit back harder and control more turf. Here's an example - I'm the reason the Society could get to you first. And hey, that worked out for both of us.

In the real world, I didn't matter. Here, I do.

I see...

I'm just giving one reason why a person might want to stay here. But you can imagine how it would have appealed to Stella, can't you?