Vivian looked at him with a flat expression, lazily raising the wine glass to her blue lips and taking a rather noisy sip. Without answering, she closed her eyes and visibly tasted the brew.
After a few seconds, a rather loud swallow echoed around the room. Vivian opened her eyes in annoyance and looked at him with disdain.
"Are you going to sit down or what? I haven't got all day, pretty boy."
"Hehe~ Sorry for the inconvenience." Laughing softly, Adryan obeyed the woman's request and sat across from the annoyed Vivian.
"..."
"..."
Both adults looked at each other in awkward silence, one smiling and the other frowning.
Pum!
Vivian slammed her half full glass of wine down on the table, sending a few drops flying, and grunted as she shamelessly reached into her not-so-small cleavage and pulled out a metal box.
Opening it, she pulled out a cigarette and put it to her lips. Her hand again shamelessly reaching into her bosom, she fumbled around for a few moments, moving a little aggressively before grunting in incredible frustration.
Pulling her hand from its pillowy prison, she clutched her cigarette with disdain. Her eyes darted from the nicotine cylinder to him.
"I doubt you have a light?" Vivian asked, waving the cigarette disinterestedly.
'Don't tempt me with a good time.' He answered in his heart, a smile escaping his lips.
"My dear, you're talking to the real human torch." Joking a little, Adryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.
Immediately, the woman's eyes lit up. "Sweet!"
Vivian reached out to grab the lighter, but contrary to her expectations, the man in front of her threw the object at her.
Undeterred, she easily caught the silver lighter and brought the cigarette back to her lips.
With a deft flick of her wrist, a small yellow flame emerged from the wick of the lighter, and the barbarian quickly lit her cigarette. Without missing a beat, she took a deep drag, consuming half the cigarette and filling her lungs.
As she exhaled the smoke, the woman's bitter expression relaxed visibly, and a small smile graced her lips.
"You're a savior, pretty boy. Tell me about your business, and Mother Vivian will have you walk out with deep pockets."
"I'm planning to buy an investment company, and I'd like someone like you to ensure the deal goes through," Adryan said as Vivian looked at him while taking a puff or two.
Blowing out another light puff of smoke, the barbarian asked, her tone flat. "And what would that company be?"
"The Apex Financial Solution."
"Shit."
As soon as he answered, Vivian's expression turned sour, and she grunted frustratedly as she stubbed out her cigarette.
"Had to be that one... Tell me, pretty boy. You're not from around here, are you?"
"It seems our business plan has some technical difficulties," Flora said, a little surprised at what she saw.
Adryan was the same and raised a curious eyebrow. "I've spent the last few years studying abroad, so I may be a little behind on the rumors and news of Azshara."
"Urghh, of course." Lighting another cigarette, Vivian took a deep breath before continuing. "As a thank you for the fire, I'll give you a personal tip: look for another company to buy."
His eyebrow rose further. "This one seems to have a bit of a reputation."
Vivian snorted and rolled her eyes as if what he had said had been a joke repeated a thousand times. "What reputation? The company has gone downhill since that brat Dieter Schmidt took over from his already stiff grandfather. Every deal they do or every business they get involved in ends in ridiculous losses or straight into bankruptcy!"
Spreading her hands in the air, the Barbarian could only laugh in disbelief. "In just 4 years, the brat has ruined a company with a history of over 5 generations! 150 years! One can't help but think that he played with the heart of a witch's daughter and she cursed him for it. That alone would explain his shame on the family business!"
She snorted and added, "He has a reputation for being a player; I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case."
Vivian blew out another cloud of carcinogenic smoke and looked at him boredly. "That's why I'm telling you to find somewhere else to spend your money. A seedy casino is better than this dying business."
He watched the woman silently with a flat stare. Adryan took his time before replying, "Sooo are you going to help me or not?"
"..." With an expressionless face, Vivian stared at him in silence for a long fifteen seconds.
"Didn't you hear anything I said?"
Laughing softly, the black-haired man nodded as he winked. "Oh yes, I heard you, and it just made me want to buy this company even more."
"You have a problem in your head, don't you?"
With a sideways smile, Adryan explained, "Think about it. With such a bad reputation, it's obvious that the asking price will be as low as possible. This is the best opportunity to acquire it."
Vivian snorted and gave him an annoyed look. "And that will mean nothing when, because of the reputation it has left, you too go out of business and have to sell it for a much lower price than you originally paid."
He held up a finger and twisted it from side to side in reproach. "If you know how to use it, there is no bad publicity. Thanks to the previous owner's failures, handing it over to someone new will attract attention, and no doubt, there will be curious people who want to test whether the new boss knows what he's doing or if it is just another failure.
"Not to mention that with the remaining connections this company must have, I'm sure I can get the money back by the end of October."
At his words, Vivian looked at him incredulously. "You plan to get all that money back in just 71 days? The last time I checked, they were asking for 15,000 sassem. That's not a small amount!"
Widening his eyes a little exaggeratedly, Adryan put his hand to his chest and went into drama queen mode.
"Sorry, did I say recover?" he said in a regretful tone, his face sad, a sad expression that turned into a complete sideways smile the next second.
"I meant duplicate."
Vivian's face hardened, her eyebrows furrowed, and pressure began to emanate from her body that would make any normal person break into a cold sweat.
This was a barbarian's unbridled aura, revealing the astonishing strength hidden within her small body. She could easily throw a grown man against a wall with one arm if she wanted to.
But for someone who had been through as many horrible and terrifying things as Adryan had... Vivian looked as frightened as a baby kitten; all he felt was the need to rub her head.
Smiling at such a feeble attempt at pressure and intimidation, he just looked at the barbarian woman in amusement.
Not believing he could stand such tenderness, Adryan decided to put an end to the woman's eternal humiliation. "Well, Miss Vivian? Will you be my sword and shield in this exchange?"
The woman's eyes widened momentarily before she sighed and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray. "What's your name, pretty boy?"
Adryan replied with a small smile. "Harvey Wayne, future greatest entrepreneur in all of Lenburg. I'll be in your custody."
...
Walking through the streets, having already left the law firm and with an appointment for tomorrow, Adryan smiled in satisfaction.
"That was quite a statement, if I may say so. You dream big, don't you, Princess? Isn't it a bit arrogant to say you're going to do that?" Flora admitted, not expecting such words from the mouth of her coachman.
"I never do small or half-hearted things. It always has to be big." He responded with an imperceptible twitch of his lips, his smile widening as he quickened his pace a little more.
"I want to see how you're going to achieve that. You're not much of a business or investment man. You've made most of your money from bounties and gang robberies. Maybe the Conspirator enhancement will help you with the technical stuff, but I seriously doubt you'll be able to double the money."
Noticing a small detail in what Flora said, Adryan smiled flatteringly.
"Oh? Then you don't doubt I'll get it back."
"Of course not; I know what you're capable of. But doubling the money is something I find very difficult to achieve, at least in such a short time."
"Don't shake your little worm brain, Flora. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'll always have you to give me financial advice."
"It's your money, do what you like with it. Just ensure you have a mattress left over when you get thrown out on the street for not paying for your room." Flora said sarcastically, mockery clear in her voice.
From the way she said it, Adryan couldn't help but imagine a worm raising its tail in the air, like a person raising their arms when they heard an 'uh?' after repeating something one too many times.
Such a mental image brought a smile to his face.
"Princess... Do you have something on your mind about me? I can feel it." Flora asked with enormous suspicion. Her sixth sense, created solely for the redhead's provocations, was itching.
"Maybe~" Adryan said sweetly, his eyes shining innocently.
"Maybe a good punch in the face will bring you to your senses." Flora huffed. After a few seconds, she added, "What do you think of what that barbarian said?"
As soon as she saw the woman, she knew it was her order and her way.
Throughout her life, she has interacted with various Lawyers, and it has become one of her many talents to recognize the bonds of this path.
"That our dear heir was cursed? Oh, no doubt." The black-haired man replied with obviousness.
It was so obvious that it hurt. Even if the brat was someone without a brain, the speed with which he brought down his family's business was already very strange.
Of course, Adryan knew it could just be exaggerated bad luck and terrible decisions. It wouldn't be strange to think that the heir had simply drawn the short straw.
That it was just a cruel twist of fate.
But that was not a possibility to which Adryan paid much attention. He was a really negative person. He always thought the truth was worse than it really was.
For him, the possibility that someone with unknown intentions had cursed the heir to the company was far greater than the possibility that he had simply been unlucky.
But that didn't mean he would accept it as the truth.
A Conspirator could not be satisfied with so little information!
He must always search for other hidden truths and be on the lookout for new information about his prey.
"We'll take a short walk around the area. I want to see what people have to say about this guy."
With that, Adryan glanced around momentarily, keeping his step towards his future business.
'I have the church behind me. So if there's someone behind this guy's supposed bad luck, then all they'll accomplish is to increase my relationship with them~' He smiled sharply, his eyes cooled with mischief.
...
Sigh
Watching the smoke from her cigarette linger in the air for a few seconds before disappearing, Vivian could only grunt as she stubbed it out in the ashtray and got up from her seat.
She walked over to her window and opened it so that her office would be cleared of the smell of cigarettes. The woman leaned her elbow against the frame and watched as the sun began to set in the distance, painting the entire sky a beautiful orange that soothed her.
The look in Vivian's eyes was deep and confused. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Harvey Wayne..." She muttered under her breath, pursing her lips, her eyes never leaving the sunset.
"Double the money... he... What an arrogant fellow." Shaking her head, Vivian rose from her support and turned away from the window.
"Let's see if you can really keep your word, Mr Wayne." The woman laughed softly, mockingly smiling.
"Here's your drink, sir. Enjoy," a young man said as he placed the drink in front of a black-haired man, who took it contentedly.
"Thank you. Have a nice day." Adryan smiled a little as he watched the waiter leave to serve someone else. He looked down at the concoction before him.
It was served in a soft brown glass that resembled a lectern. The liquid in the 'podium' was a soft dark orange and bubbled gently, the ice swirling slightly.
This was a drink of apple cider mixed with a little cinnamon and various other mild spices. The aroma was a little spicy with a hint of sweetness.
While the aroma was quite pleasant, the odd glass shape caught the red-haired man's attention. He picked it up and admired it for a few moments.
'It wouldn't be bad to have one of these at home... How much would one cost?' Letting his mind wander a little, a feeling of nostalgia struck him, and for a moment, his heart ached.
'Mum would love this. I wonder if she still collects rare glasses?' Sighing inwardly, Adryan lifted the beautiful glass and took a good sip.
The sweet, fruity taste of apple was accentuated by a spark of cinnamon that his sensitive tongue caught. The spices added a warm, complex note, enveloping the palate with a subtle hint of autumn.
"Not bad." Smiling to himself, the dark-haired man looked up and glanced around.
He was in a bar now, and compared to the last one he had been in, where the smell of cheap beer and sweaty drunks had been a bit overwhelming, this one smelled classier. There was no strong smell of filth; on the contrary, the smell of flowers and cinnamon prevailed.
The tables were well-kept, and the drinkers were all good-looking and even elegant. The noise level was quite low, considering the number of people in the bar.
One thing Adryan had noticed since his arrival in Azshara was that he had yet to meet a person who was overweight or did not take care of their appearance.
This was because the people of Lemburg believed that knowledge and a sharp mind are power and that these two things can only work if one has an equally healthy body.
As a consequence of such an upbringing, you would have to go to a very ugly part of the country to find 'ugly' people.
But he hadn't come here to look at people. He had come to get information.
And there are few better places to do that than a bar.
Raising his now empty glass in the air, Adryan looked at a free bartender who was finishing cleaning a recently empty table and called to him with a quiet smile.
"Gentlemen, a moment, please."
Another waiter, an older man in a brown waistcoat and white shirt, the first three buttons undone, revealing a bit of chest hair, the sleeves rolled up.
"I see you ordered an Autumn Apple; I hope you enjoyed it. Would you like a refill? Or would you like to try something else?" The man asked, smiling as he took Adryan's glass.
"If you would be so kind, although I actually called you for another reason, I have a question, and I need a little help answering it." Resting his chin on the palm of his hand, Adryan consulted with doubt in his voice.
"And what exactly would that be?"
"Apex Financial Solution."
When the name was mentioned, the man's expression turned sad and melancholy. He lowered his glass and said deeply.
"Ah, yes. The Smicht deal, a tragedy."
"You seem familiar with it," Adryan said, noticing that the man suddenly looked a little depressed.
"Most of us in this bar are. Some of us lost a lot of our savings, and others used to work there. I lost about 5000 sassem on a bad deal there, half my savings... But many others have managed to dig themselves out of the hole. Of course, that was when Mr Smicht still ran the company.
"Mr Smich... That would be the grandfather, wouldn't it? The previous owner."
"Yes, that would be him. An exemplary man." A small smile appeared on his face. "He inherited the business at the same age as Dieter, but unlike his grandson, he ran it as if he had always done so. Since young Dieter had been raised by him from an early age, we thought he could do the same.
"Sigh... It's clear we were wrong."
The waiter looked at him more closely and said, "If you have a business to invest in, I suggest you look elsewhere."
Smiling, Adryan gave a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind."
Then he lifted his empty glass and held it out to the waiter. "A refill, please."
...
Repeating the same action as before and going to other bars and the occasional diner, the black-haired man spent most of the afternoon gathering information. The picture that he had of his future company and what he could expect tomorrow became clearer and clearer.
The sun was almost gone, and the crimson moon would soon reign over the dark night ahead.
Gently stirring the latte he had ordered to go at his last dinner, Adryan took a quiet sip, his gaze a little deep.
"This Dieter is quite interesting. It's rather odd that after being raised by his grandfather, he failed so badly at running the company after inheriting it, and we can't use the lack of schooling either; he has 2 university degrees...
"Mind control?" Adryan asked calmly as he walked through the streets of Nexus, his stride relaxed and his back steady. His gaze passed by the visible policemen on horseback or walking along the pavement, their dark blue uniforms standing out from the bright colors of the citizens.
"That may be. But considering that it's a well-known company and the fall was quite thunderous, I'm sure the Wise Owls have already investigated and found nothing unusual."
"If that's really the case. Then Dieter is more useless than they say, to fail so badly that they even think there was an outside force... That's quite a talent."
And Adryan thought that he had understated that a little.
It was virtually impossible that what had happened to the Apex Financial Firm had not reached the ears of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Unlike any other country, Lemburg had no royal family. The country was ruled exclusively by the Church, with no attempt to have a royal figure who held all the power.
In short, Lemburg was a theocracy.
Their police forces answered only to the Church, so it was obvious that they would contact the Church to investigate if they found anything unusual.
Flora huffed, "But that works in our favor. Although it is a company that could be considered popular, the expected ridiculous price one would have to pay to acquire it is very low due to its ruined reputation."
Adryan nodded discreetly, "But we will keep our guard up, not because the Church has failed to find something doesn't that means there is no danger. We must be careful."
Flora snorted, "Thank you, Princess of the Obvious. When was the last time we took the Church's judgment as fact and didn't question it?"
A small smile formed on his face, "Never."
"Fufu~ Exactly. Why should we start now if we never have?" Flora said mischievously, a worthy Marauder.
His smile grew and sharpened to show a bit of his teeth. "That's why I love you, Miss Worm."
A soft, sweet laugh reached his ears, "I know. I love me too."
...
"Following you into this, I never thought I'd have to babysit." Fors complained to her friend who had just arrived from her new job.
The writer was wearing a simple white shirt with floral detailing, simple slippers on her feet, and a tired look on her face. She was lying on the bed in her room, leaning loosely on her arm.
A notebook and fountain pen lay abandoned on the floor next to the bed, along with the light blue sheet.
Xio sighed in exasperation as she placed her police cap on the wardrobe.
To ensure her friend got up on time and didn't sleep all day, she had started leaving her clothes here. That way, she could wake her up every time she got up for work.
"You make it sound like you're taking care of her all day, every day. Jerry stays most of the time with Miss Sasha and Miss Opera; you only had her for two hours while they finished their work".
Fors complained, "But Xiooo-"
"And most of the time, you were lounging around." Xio cut her off with a flat look as she took off her blue vest.
"I WASN'T JUST SLEEPING. I WAS SEARCHING FOR INSPIRATION IN MY DREAMS!!!" Fors blushed and stubbornly defended herself.
"What, don't you know that writers work better after a few good hours of sleep?!!!"
Xio kept a flat expression on her face the whole time Fors was talking, and without a word, she took off the belt that held the holster with her revolver.
The sight of such a weapon made the young writer tremble a little. Ignoring her friend's reaction, Xio drew the revolver and turned around, placing it on her shelf.
After a few long seconds of silence, Xio said, "I never said you were asleep."
"... Oh..." With a white face, Fors looked to the side.
"You need to get your sleep schedule straightened out, Fors. You can't sleep all day and stay awake all night. You're not a bat." Xio, now dressed only in a white T-shirt and dark blue pants, advised with some concern.
Sigh
Fors bent slightly, her now blonde hair covering her eyes. She gathered her legs and hugged them.
"I know... It's just..." Her voice was low, and she could not finish the sentence, but the message got through.
She was scared.
Tap tap tap
A sudden weight on the bed made it sag to one side, causing Fors to fall a little, but she didn't mind because the next second, small but strong arms were wrapped around her.
"..."
"..."
Neither said anything; they were enjoying the embrace and letting their actions express what they wanted to communicate.
"You haven't bathed yet, have you?" Xio asked, her cheek resting on her friend's blonde hair. The smell of cigarettes, coffee, and bed made her nose wrinkle slightly.
"No." Fors sank her face a little deeper into her friend's chest, her arms still wrapped around her legs, but the desire to return the embrace grew stronger.
At her words, the writer felt Xio nod slightly. A hand began to make small, soothing circles on her back. Fors couldn't help but sink deeper into the warmth of her body.
They remained silent for several minutes; the sky was already black, and the moon was almost at its highest point.
"In a few days, the moon will be full," Fors said suddenly, breaking the silence and temporarily making Xio tense.
"When is your interview?"
"Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m, according to what Mr Kenway told me."
"Mhm..." Xio murmured to herself, sighing and hugging her friend a little tighter. "It's going to be alright."
"I hope so..." Raising a hand, Fors grabbed the sheriff's forearm and squeezed it a little. "Because I don't know what else to do."
Xio said nothing more, just hugged her silently, and closed her eyes. She let go of one of her hands and grabbed the edge of the light blue sheet that still lay on the bed, covering herself and Fors.
They would sleep together again tonight.
Unknown to both women, someone witnessed their intimate moment.
"This is the last time I do this at this hour," Klein muttered, somewhat embarrassed, as he looked at the projection generated by the crimson star.
The clown decided to check on Mr Chariot's companion, fearing that the moon's ravages might attack her. He refused to let anyone die for his ineptitude in caring for her.
Although the moon was not yet full, the clown felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
So he had touched the crimson star and watched the whole interaction since the small woman had entered the room.
Feeling that he had seen too much and that he was already invading the privacy of two ladies, Klein broke off the connection with a flushed face.