LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 97 – Taking over the Red Light District.
The Silver Silk Lounge-
It was the most luxurious building in the Red Light District, a special place catering to the wealthy. It was clean and had high-quality service, a bar serving high-quality food and liquor, a gambling area, music, massage salons, and top-quality gorgeous or handsome women and men trained to be top prostitutes and gigolos, fit to serve high nobility. They even allow bathing options due to their hygienic practices, having a dedicated team of spell-casting cleaners who clean the tubs and replace the water after each use. It also served as a place for socio-elites to gather and socialize.
Entrance to the establishment requires a strict dress code(To not wear cheap or worn clothes and not bring weapons inside) and a powerful identity(C-rank and above guild membership for any reputable profession or noble status of Baron and above), and a person who stays there must prepare to spend at least 100 Silver Coins, with some spending over a thousand per visit. No one dared to cause trouble there due to the strong security and reputation of Ianuarius. Even after Ianuarius died, no one dared to touch it, fearing the one who killed Ianuarius would settle the score with them.
At least, that was what Gerhart learned from the Madam in the Pink Delights.
After arriving, Gerhart stared at the place, as big and fancy as a noble's mansion. The area around this place was clean, and it was situated near the merchant district, making it accessible without meeting the dregs of the Red Light District on the way.
"This place existed before Ianuarius came, which means the one who built it was the place's boss. Impressive. It has similarities to the high-class brothels in the other continent." Gerhart thought as he entered the joy house, who was allowed to pass after showing his guild card, leaving two frightened bouncers.
When he entered, unlike the sleazy atmosphere in the Pink Delight, the bar on the ground floor retained an air of elegance, as if they were in a reputable and high-class noble banquet. Three bards played soft instruments and sang in the background. The place looked in good condition, clean, and with expensive furniture, even having chandeliers affixed with glow stones. Despite the place being a brothel, everyone was well-behaved, as if pretending to be nobles.
"Very high class." Gerhart thought.
"Hello, dear sir. Have you made a reservation?" A refined middle-aged man wearing professional butler clothes greeted Gerhart.
When Gerhart looked at him, he was surprised to find that he had several Intermediate and advanced service talents, including the Butler talent.
"Not bad at all," Gerhart noted.
"I am Gerhart, the new owner." Gerhart pulled out his guild card and showed it before smiling. "Do I need a reservation?"
The receptionist widened, his hands shaking as he looked at a black Guild Card with golden engravings.
Name: Gerhart
Title: The Deadmeat
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Occupation: Heavy Warrior
Rank: S
Gerhart already visited the Adventurer's Guild, who readily gave him the S-rank card.
With a cold sweat on his forehead, the receptionist respectfully returned the card with both hands. "Dear sir- No, boss. Of course, you don't need an invitation."
"Are the other leaders here?" Gerhart took back his card, not caring.
"Of course, boss. They are on the highest floor. Please wait for a moment." The receptionist said and fetched a waiter to temporarily replace him before leading Gerhart upstairs.
Shortly after, Gerhart arrived in a room where he saw several dozen men and women gathered, sitting by a long table with the head position vacant. The stronger one's position, the closer they were to the head of the table.
The moment Gerhart entered, everyone turned their heads to look at him, having fearful and respectful looks. No one dared to be absent today, knowing the new boss, who was scarier than the last, was taking over.
Looking at the lowlives, Gerhart noticed that the strongest were two A-ranks and the weakest were E-ranks, like the Madam from Pink Delights. The A-rank powerhouses were surprisingly a beautiful and mature woman wearing a revealing dress and silver accessories and a middle-aged man dressed like a merchant, and they sat near the head seat.
"Boss." The Madam spoke first.
Like a domino effect, everyone else spoke, "Boss!"
Gerhart nonchalantly nodded and walked to his seat, which two servant girls pulled back, allowing him to sit. He had to admit, acting like a crime boss was darn good.
"As you probably learned, I am Gerhart, the one who killed Ianuarius. I received all the Red Light District from the royal family as a reward. In short, I am your new boss." Gerhart said.
No one refuted him. After decades of being pressed under Ianuarius's boot, any rebellious thoughts were gone. They quietly waited for Gerhart's following words.
"After some thought, I decided to take all of you under my wings." Gerhart smiled.
Everyone had relieved looks.
"Boss, may we continue to operate as before?" The owner of the Silver Silk Lounge asked.
"Of course! But first- Qold." Gerhart called as a summoning circle suddenly appeared next to him.
Under everyone's wide-open eyes, a beautiful seductress appeared out of a fiery smoke.
"You called, master?" Qold smiled and asked.
"Yes... Make everyone here more- pliable." Gerhart said.
Everyone's expressions changed. The middle-aged man and the mature beauty drew daggers as they instinctively attacked the woman. But it was too late.
"Behave~," Qold's eyes glowed.
The next moment, everyone stopped moving, having blissful, blank expressions.
Having partially evolved into a Succubus Queen of the Dream Tribe, Qold had potent mind-controlling powers. To her, an A-rank powerhouse was like a defenseless puppy, especially after she received many blessings.
"Now... Time to convert some followers." Gerhart muttered as he casually converted everyone in the room.
Minutes later-
"Master." The leaders of the Red Light District lowered their heads.
"Good. Now we can talk." Gerhart said as he looked at the leaders.
Most of them were, as expected of the dregs of society, not up to standard. At most, they were shop owners. However, there were several who had some room for growth. In particular, the two A-rank bosses had very high potential.
"You two, introduce yourselves. Also, tell me about your relationship with Ianuarius." Gerhart said to the two A-rank leaders.
"Yes, master. I am Isidorus, the leader of this branch of the Black Hand. The Black Hand deals with Assassination, Theft, Intelligence Gathering, Subterfuge, and Mercenaries for hire. Twenty years ago, I was selected and groomed by Ianuarius, and I have led the Black Hand for the last dozen years." The middle-aged man said.
"I am Nereida, the Madam of the Silver Silk Lounge. I was previously the daughter of the previous Madam. After Ianuarius killed my mother in front of my eyes nineteen years ago due to insubordination, he raped me and then made me the leader due to my talent and beauty. I became Ianuarius's exclusive mistress and bore him twin daughters ten months later before I took sterility poison. I hated him all my life but never tried to kill him out of fear." The mature and beautiful lady with silver accessories said with undisguised disgust.
"Holy shit, that's horrible. And Nereida bore two daughters?! I wouldn't have guessed that from her appearance." Gerhart thought, clearly seeing she was 36 and indeed sterile.
But then another thought crossed his mind.
"Would an Echo's child be tainted? If so, can I absorb the taint without harming them?" Gerhart wondered. "I should test it."
"Later, introduce me to your daughters," Gerhart said.
"Yes, master. It would be their honor." Nereida smiled.
"Hm." Gerhart nodded and then looked at the others.
"Now that I think about it, none here is Corrupted. It seems like Ianuarius was truly saving up energy." Gerhart thought.
"Isidorus, how many men do you have, and what is their quality?" Gerhart asked.
"Master, we are fifty men, but this is merely a side profession. Most are butchers, apothecaries, tailors, butlers, adventurers, dungeon explorers, and other professions, but they take missions when called." Isidorus explained.
"Reasonable." Gerhart thought.
Fifty people might seem small, but the number of potential targets was even lower. The number of actual assassins might not number more than ten.
He then looked at the two's talents again.
Isidorus's talents: Elite Assassin(Evolvable), Elite Agent(Evolvable), Elite Lurker(Evolvable), Elite Hunter(Evolvable)
Nereida's talents: Elite Courtesan(Evolvable), Elite Agent(Evolvable), Elite Seductress(Evolvable), Elite Entertainer(Evolvable)
"Bloody hell, these are top talents. And I can see why Ianuarius kept Nereida as a mistress." Gerhart thought.
Shaking his head from those thoughts, he spoke, "Who among you knows about Ianuarius's private life?"
Everyone remained silent except Nereida. "Master, during... nightly visits from that man, he often compared me with another lover. Several times, he mentioned the slave trade and cooperation with that woman and even had a daughter with her. Connecting the dots, I believe Prisca al Mutaism has a high chance of being his lover." She said with a somewhat uncomfortable face, recalling bad memories.
"Now that you mention it, the Al Mutaism family is on our friendly list, and anyone who targeted them got eliminated. I always wondered why but never dared ask." Isidorus commented.
"Prisca al Mutaism again? It is getting more interesting." Gerhart thought.
"In any case, you are no longer under Ianuarius's control. We will soon shift our focus from making money- to eating the Nehan Kingdom from within." Gerhart turned serious.
"We will do our best, master." The people present respectfully bowed.
"Good. I shall now give you the tools to hasten our goals." Gerhart said and started a round of blessing.
He turned Isidorus and Nereida into Agents while the rest into Envoys. The Envoys reached the B-rank standard, while the two agents reached the S-rank standard, their talents all reaching tier 7. With these subordinates, converting the entire Red Light District and even the Slums was almost too simple.
He also sent Hope and the others to convert some other key figures, especially in the slave trade. And tomorrow, he would have a heart-to-heart conversation with Prisca al Mutaism.
But for now, he decided to spend the night in Silver Silk Lounge after Nereida insisted.
.
.
.
Sitting in a VIP room with an indoor bath, Gerhart enjoyed a luxurious dinner accompanied by music played by Nereida and two other courtesans and served on two sides by two young, charming, and naked identical twins. It was the peak of hedonism, reserved for those with power and wealth.
"Master, here." The first twin cut a small piece of meat, carefully guiding it to Gerhart's mouth.
"Ahm. Munch* Munch* Munch* Gulp*"
"Master, please drink." The other twin served wine to Gerhart's lips.
"Gulp* Gulp* Gulp* Hah."
Gerhart enjoyed the service as he recalled how it ended up like this. He didn't plan on enjoying this service. However, he had time to spare, and Nereida insisted on it. She willingly, almost eagerly, pushed both her daughters into his hands, giving the best service they had.
Gerhart converted everyone in the building, including her twin daughters, Nicasia and Zena. After all, he had plenty of time to waste. However, he made a surprising yet unsurprising discovery.
Both of the twins were virgins!
Okay, no, that was just a side note. The real discovery was that the twins were taint-free. In other words, Corruption doesn't pass on to progeny. Or perhaps it could have if Ianuarius decided to. Also, they seemed to have taken the talent of both parents.
Both twin's talents: Elite Courtesan(Evolvable), Elite Agent(Evolvable), Elite Entertainer(Evolvable), Elite Dark Temptress(Evolvable), Elite Assassin(Evolvable)
"Whatever. I will enjoy myself first." Gerhart mentally chuckled as he groped two soft bodies.
Bucket List:
Speak with Max in the Guild.Fetch some bloodlines for his core members.Receive the rest of the compensation from the dead Echo's two identities. (Mostly because he was interested in his identities)Receive S-rank Adventurer Cards. (For convenience)- Plant a wealthy and influential Agent in Tabarga and leave the servants with him.
Create several more Agents to lay a foundation in the Nehan Kingdom to Convert it.- Set off to the Youvamore Kingdom.