"I thought you weren't interested in visiting this kind of place," Jax said, tagging along with Lucian to check out their competition later that night.

He didn't even mind that Lucian was using the brothel's money instead of his own, viewing it as a necessary expense.

What would others do to have their boss, himself, help them out with their business?

Roland had failed to open his store in the southern capital. The political climate there was not favorable for him and he had to scrap it all and wait for another opportunity to present itself.

It wasn't favorability towards his employees that made Lucian do this. It was an opportunity for him and luck for Jax to be in the right place and right time.

"Isn't it normal for a man of my age to be interested in women?" Lucian asked back, "I'm not made of stone, you know."

Jax gave him the 'prove it' face and Lucian gave him an 'I'm serious' smile in return.

They visited the most popular brothel in the city, and Lucian didn't need a guide to tell him which one it was.

The building was made of white marble, with a domed roof and a statue of a goddess at its front. It was a palace in its own right.

One needed to pay a hefty sum of three gold coins just to enter and look around for a courtesan of their choice.

Lucian used his third eye to observe the inside of the brothel. He was quite impressed by the number of high ranking knights that gathered here.

The courtesans were dancing on the stage, surrounded by men who cheered for them.

Lucian had nobody to spar with in terms of strength. The difference between regular people and him was so great that it would be considered unfair.

Until his people could reach the same rank as him and above, he could only continue picking fights with other knights.

He asked Jax what the knight that was in debt called, and Jax quickly answered, "Lando Turan. Silver knight level, has been stuck on it for years. He works for an upper noble house of the southern region, which is part of the Duremont fraction."

"Do you think I can defeat him with my bronze level?" Lucian asked.

"Boss, are you seriously asking me that? You might as well ask me if you can hurt a bear bare-handed."

"Bear..." Lucian muttered, thinking about the hunting competition that was coming soon, "If I defeat a bear, would that make me strong enough to fight a silver knight?"

"...I think so," Jax said, not sure himself. It was hard to witness a knight fight, not speaking about comparing the results of the said fight.

Lucian nodded, smiling at the guards protecting the brothel's entrance from unwanted guests, 'Celine would definitely rather have me hunt humans than bears.'

"Alright, we will come back later," he said and left, with Jax following after him, still wondering what Lucian was planning to do exactly.

"Wait, sir Arclight," one of the guards called out to him, "You are Lady Lily's guest, please come in!"

Jax's eyes almost popped out at the mention of Lady Lily's name, "You... How... What? When did you..."

Lucian signaled Jax to keep quiet and entered the brothel together.

They were led to their table by the waiter, "Lady Lily is currently entertaining a client, and she will be with you soon. In the meantime, enjoy our entertainment and wine."

Lucian made sure to sit with his back to the wall and observe the crowd and the stage.

There was no commotion, no fighting over a courtesan, everyone was drinking and watching the dancing performance.

Occasionally, a courtesan would approach a client and whisper something into their ears and lead them to a private room.

Lucian took a sip of his wine, trying to track down Lady Lily's room, but the walls of the private rooms were layered with lead, hurting his head and making it hard to concentrate on what was inside.

'Voice, why would someone cover the walls of a brothel with a layer of lead?' he asked, trying to ignore the headache after trying again.

'People believe that certain things are not to be seen by Gods' eyes. Unholy practices and other taboo things that would anger the Gods and bring bad luck upon their establishment are some examples,' Voice answered.

Lucian took another sip and leaned back, relaxing in his chair as he watched the stage.

'What do you think about Lady Lily?' he asked, interested in hearing Voice's opinion of her.

'A slut,' Voice answered bluntly.

'Really? You are not impressed by the amount of power she wields over the men?' Lucian glanced at Jax who was enjoying the view of the stage, 'I wonder what she sees in me when she can have any of these rich men here.'

'You seem to have the same effect on this courtesan that you have on the duke's daughter. You must look like a new challenge for a woman who can have any man she desires with a snap of her fingers,' Voice speculated, 'A man that wouldn't be swayed by her beauty and charm.'

'Huh,' Lucian said in his mind, 'Is it that common for women to have such fantasies? Are you speaking from personal experience?'

'Stop prying and focus on earning money.'

'What about training? Usually around this time, I would be swinging my fists for hours on end.'

Lucian was so disinterested in watching the stage dance that the time went by slowly for him. And what other ways were there to spend time than to question Voice?

'It's more efficient to focus on obtaining more resources and getting through the silver stage, so you can train all stages at once,' Voice said.

'How do I pass the silver stage?'

'It varies from person to person. Some get repeatedly drunk until they pass out. Some take poison in small quantities to build up resistance to it. The silver stage is about purifying your body.'

Lucian took another sip as he tried to prevent the alcohol from intoxicating his body, 'That sounds lethal.'

'It is.'

Voice was much calmer after Lucian reached the bronze rank.

Lucian remembered being a toddler when Voice started to rush him to get richer, then when he became richer, it rushed him to get stronger, and now that he was poor from getting stronger, it started to rush him to get richer again.

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╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Don't you sometimes wish to have something like Voice? Something that would force you to get things done?

I do. 🥲

Dang, doesn't it make this novel a wish fulfillment? 🤣🙏

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