Chương 248: Troubles from the Outset

While Fenrir playfully splashed water, Vahn and Ryuu were helping to clean her body while Vahn kept his domain extended to the limits. Even though they were in the pantry and it wasn't the most ideal place for a bath, Vahn knew that Fenrir had become fond of them and they were a good way to help her calm down. She liked being personally attended to, especially if he was the one doing the pampering. However, he never dropped his guard for a moment and even used [Heart of the Eternal] flame to turn a few approaching monsters to ashes without even looking in their direction. He could even loot their drops without stopping his hands at all.

After she was properly clean, Vahn helped Fenrir wear her adorable maid outfit as he and Ryuu protected her on their way to the surface. The entire trip up, Fenrir dangled her arms and patted her sides as she tilted her head from side-to-side. Both Vahn and Ryuu knew this was what she did when she was especially happy, so they both pet her hair a bit before they got to the surface proper. They drew the attention of a few people when they exited, but the trio completely ignored them, at least on the surface. Vahn tagged anyone that seemed dangerous and sent his intent toward them which caused shivers to run up their spines before they turned away.

Vahn ate lunch at the Hostess of Fertility and discussed the matters regarding Haruhime with Ryuu and Chloe. Hearing that he would be going to the red light district, both girls outright refused to let Fenrir accompany him. Since he knew what kind of place it was, Vahn shouldn't have even considered taking her along, to begin with, and blamed himself for his oversight as he thanked the two girls. With how impressionable Fenrir was, it would quickly turn into a big problem if she saw anything strange. Since Vahn would proactively be tracking down people that engaged in slave trafficking, there was no way to take her into that kind of situation. Though he would try and prevent it from happening, there was a very real chance some deviant might mistake her exotic appearance and make a pass at her like that idiot in the pub previously.

Since both Ryuu and Chloe had experience tracking and dealing with the darker side of society, they offered to help Vahn gather information and complete his mission. Though Vahn considered their offers, he told them that he would only rely on them if things got dangerous. Since they were both aware of his domain, perception, and stealth abilities, they knew he would be able to detect a threat long before it became aware of his presence. Having Vahn promise to be careful, Milan and Tina escorted Fenrir back while being accompanied by Ryuu and Fafnir who was constantly within Tina's shadow.

After parting ways, Vahn now sat on the roof of a tall building as he released a slight sigh. He chalked this current situation up to the influence of karma since he had lost his best asset to track down Haruhime before he even set out. Though Ryuu and Chloe were great choices to receive assistance from, Vahn didn't want to expose Chloe to more danger right now since people might connect her to Laverna's death if they work together often. As for Ryuu, Vahn simply didn't want to expose her to the darkness at all. Ever since she wiped out several gangs and some of the members of an evil Familia in the past, Ryuu had been 'retired' and working as a waitress. If he could prevent her from being exposed to that kind of life, Vahn wanted to do so.

Since his senses were also quite strong, Vahn would have to track down Haruhime on his own and decide how he would proceed from there. If she wasn't in any immediate danger, Vahn could always retreat and gather reinforcements and pressure her captors through legal channels. Though he couldn't act openly with the Alliance, Vahn could still spread information through the network which would stir Loki and Hephaestus to action. Though he was concerned about Hephaestus getting wrapped up in things, considering her condition, Vahn knew just mobilizing her Familia didn't take any effort on her part.

After a few minutes of organizing his thoughts, Vahn changed into casual wear that would prevent him from standing out, at least in a way that might blow his cover. If he walked into the red light district fully geared, he would draw the attention of several of the gangs and potentially cause more problems than he wanted to deal with. If he wore casual wear, he might draw the attention of people, but it would be as a potential client. Vahn had already steeled himself to resist any advances and would be using [Will of the Emperor] to maintain his focus. He knew how much of an interest he had in women, and Vahn was also aware that he might get caught up in their momentum if he let them get carried away.

Since there were many girls in the area that knew how to appeal to men, even to the point where they took advantage of the kindness of some, Vahn had already made several preparations to prevent himself from being a victim. Fortunately, he was immune to any chemical based aphrodisiacs and could resist charm magic using his [Will of the Emperor]. Unless something unexpected happened, like him coming across a girl in distress, Vahn would keep his attention focused on his current quest.

Of course, that was the plan until Vahn actually stepped into the red light district and immediately become the focus of attention for several women, Even with his stealth domain active, he was easily detected by the perceptive women that saw his handsome appearance, well-maintained clothes, and confident gait and identified him as an optimal target. Since many of them had been in the business for a while, they easily recognized the young boy as a first time visitor of the district.

Though Vahn had some experience with being approached by women and politely declining their invitations, there was nothing that had prepared him for the forward, and somewhat dismissive, actions of the girls trying to solicit him. Even though he politely refused, there were several women that would try to hug his arm between their breasts and give him amorous expressions as they tried to guide him toward their brothel.

There was even one incredibly bold Amazon that tried to corner Vahn in an alley and immediately removed the small clasp from her revealing bottoms before giving Vahn what he could only explain as a 'challenging' look. Though he was temporarily drawn to the exposed genitalia of the rather beautiful girl, Vahn closed his eyes and bowed politely before he disappeared with the use of Shundo. The Amazon woman had a listful expression on her face as she looked toward the sky for several seconds before sighing, "Why are the good ones so hard to get..."

After his retreat, Vahn stood atop a large brothel that had a flat roof. Because of his enhanced senses and domain, Vahn was able to detect the various antics of the people within and was somewhat disoriented by the sensory overload. There were too many sights, smells, and sounds within the busy red light district for him to easily pick up any singular scent. The only way he could go about things was to walk around in the hopes of finding the trail using purely his luck. Even if he wanted to try and obtain information, Vahn was painfully aware that it would be incredibly difficult to pry anything out of the people within this district. All of the girls seemed intent on soliciting him for sex while all of the men were naturally cautious against him and proactively avoided any 'competition'.

Vahn was in awe of everything that was going on around him and began to understand why everyone had been cautioning him about ever visiting this place. He had heard from Hephaestus previously that more than 40% of the revenue that ran through the City was done so through the red light district. Vahn hadn't understood it at first, but now that he saw it personally he quickly began to understand how so much money cycled through this district. Though he also enjoyed sex, Vahn had never considered paying for it and was shocked to see several tens of thousands of people acting outside his expectations.

The most problematic thing was that there were various beauties that Vahn was actually interested in. If he didn't have a host of women had cared about at his back, Vahn felt like he would likely have spent a lot of his own money here at some point. There were various women, and even girls, that had various shapes, sizes, and races that drew his eye. Since many women exposed themselves openly and encouraged people to look, Vahn was hard pressed to avert his eyes even with the influence of [Will of the Emperor]. It wasn't that he had lost himself to lust, Vahn was just genuinely curious and wondered what their bodies would look like beneath the revealing clothing.

As he was looking down from above, Vahn saw something he had been wanting to see for a while but wasn't remotely prepared to see given the circumstance. He saw a relatively fat man through a window and he was being 'tended' to by what looked like a child with a big belly. Of course, Vahn instantly understood that it was a Pallum woman since she had a relatively mature body even though she was petite. The thing that shook him to the core was the fact that she looked to be well into a pregnancy and was being 'mistreated' by the man that was likely her customer. Vahn was tempted to charge in and save the girl, but he was able to detect her shouts of pleasure and had to escape from the roof before he heard anything else. Though it was possible she was just faking to earn more money, Vahn could see the burning aura coming from her body and knew she was enjoying herself.

After retreating outside of the red light district, Vahn sat with his back to a pillar and used [Will of the Emperor] to calm his mind. Since he wasn't angry or losing control, the cold sensation in his mind didn't have much influence on his thoughts presently. Vahn even noticed that he was shaking a bit and realized that he hadn't actually prepared himself well enough for this mission at all. However, it was the thought of the girl named Haruhime being exposed to that kind of life that made Vahn willing to press on.

He knew that, even if she wasn't already being exploited, there would be no end to the people lining up for someone so 'exotic'. Since Renards weren't native to Eden, she would be highly sought after by some of the more deviant men regardless of her age. That thought alone made the cold sensation in Vahn's mind increase in intensity. Even though he understood the draw of sex, Vahn couldn't understand how there were so many people that propagated such acts as if they were a business to generate money at the expense of others. There was obviously something very wrong with the way the red light district was run as Vahn could sense a veritable ocean of negative emotions alongside the shouts of pleasure and vile laughter.

Pushing himself onwards, Vahn continued to investigate around the district for the rest of the day until the sun started going down. Ironically, the darker the night got, the more active the streets became as they were lit up with vibrant lights. Vahn even saw several adventurers, both young and old, walking through the streets with pleased expressions as if they were celebrating some grand triumph before walking into a brothel. Though he didn't often judge people based on appearance, there were even some rather disgusting men that had foul smells coming from their bodies that were easily accepted into some of the less vibrant facilities.

Because he had an extensive understanding of the bodies of others, Vahn could tell the man was unhealthy and likely had some kind of disease yet he was accepted just the same as any other customer. Just imagining sharing the same woman with such a person sent a chill down Vahn's spine and he actually grimaced at his own reaction. It wasn't his place to judge others, and it was the right of the women at the brothel to accept whoever they wanted, but Vahn still felt like it was wrong to see a girl that looked to be in her late teens escort a fat middle-aged man into their brothel with a smile on her face.

By the time he left the red light district, Vahn had a bad taste in his mouth and couldn't get the negative emotions he had experienced out of his body. There were simply too many instances of Vahn seeing something that shouldn't exist in civil society. During his investigation, he had even saved three separate girls that were being ganged up on by several men in an alley. The worst part of it all was, in one of the instances, the girl he had saved actually tried to solicit him for sex with the excuse of chasing away the bad memories. If he couldn't see her poisonous pink aura, Vahn might have fallen for her pitiful expression and become a victim to a person he had just saved. After leaving her a small pouch of Valis, Vahn disappeared from the area while leaving the parting words, "I don't know what led you to this kind of life, but I hope you'll find happiness in the future...Avoid dark alleyways from now on."

When Vahn returned to the Heath Manor and saw Hestia, Fenrir, Milan, and Tina, he suddenly felt both guilty and happy. He felt guilty because he was able to live such a happy life surrounded by amazing people while there were others who could only move forward by exposing themselves to such a tragic lifestyle. Imagining any one of the girls around him in that situation made Vahn shake in anxiety. Vahn couldn't believe that any person would be happy to have strangers as their partner every day just to make a living...it seemed like an incomprehensibly unfortunate way to get by.

All four girls had noticed the unstable state of Vahn and immediately turned more gentle as even Fenrir pulled out her brush yet again and walked forward saying, "Vahn, no be sad, be happy. Come, Fenrir brush Vahn's hair." For the rest of the evening, Vahn was tended to by Hestia and Milan while he sat together with Fenrir and Tina as he read them happy stories about heroes overcoming various trials. Feeling their warmth and reading such inspiring tales slowly pushed away the negative feelings he was bottling up inside. Though he had often thought this in the past, Vahn was truly happy to be living his current lifestyle where he was always surrounded by people that cared about him whenever he had trouble. He wanted to share this feeling with more people and swore to find the girl named Haruhime so she could be reunited with people that cared about her. Though he had never met the girl, imagining her scared and alone while being exploited by others broke Vahn's heart...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Into the Red Light District','Society Isn't Always Pretty','Vahn was not prepared for today')

I am currently at $749/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images <3

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Einlion

Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT

Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania

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Chương 249: Problems : Approach

The next morning, Vahn awoke cradled between Hestia and Fenrir. Tina lay next to Fenrir while Milan was on the opposite side as the five had slept in a bundled line of bodies. Vahn felt very comfortable and lazed about for a few minutes as he absentmindedly hugged Hestia's waist. Because of the issues of the previous day, Vahn didn't get to spoil her as he had wanted. Instead, it was Hestia leading the charge to help tend to Vahn for the majority of the evening. Remembering her promise to always be here when he was down, Vahn felt a comforting feeling coming from her gentle warmth.

Since it was a weekend, there were no plans to go into the dungeon today and Vahn had also cleared his schedule for the time being. Everyone enjoyed breakfast together before Vahn set out on his own into the early morning mist. Because it was cold this time of year there was a mist that covered much of the City early in the mornings and made stealth easier. Vahn had left a note for Hestia to pass off some information through the network before giving each of the girls a variation of a hug and a kiss right before he set out.

While he was relaxing the previous night, Vahn had thought about several forms of approach he could take that might prove useful to his cause. Since he had the [Eyes of Truth], Vahn could just sneak around from building to building inspecting the inside and looking for any girl that matched Haruhime's description. Though he would be invading the privacy of others, Vahn thought it could be a viable approach to take if he wanted to avoid walking the streets and trying to pick up a scent trail.

Another option he had was to try and get information through brokers while changing his appearance a bit as he checked the information through other networks. Since he had [Thria*Mimos], Vahn could change his ears to match almost any of the common races while also growing a tail to match. Since it also affected his hair color, Vahn could use the magic to disguise himself to an extent. The major downside to this, as Chloe had explained, as that any information that was requested through a broker was usually spread around to others in the trade. They liked to keep track of who was asking questions and why in order to increase their profit margins. Even if Vahn took on multiple identities, it would raise a lot of red flags if there were people asking for the same information all of a sudden. In the worst case scenario, he might even draw more attention to Haruhime and she would either be moved or concealed further from sight.

One of the last options Vahn could think of, other than the method he would have to employ if things went south, was to actually gather information slowly through 'normal' means. He could visit high-class brothels as a customer and potentially get information from the various gods and goddesses that ran them. If he passed off his desire to meet a Renard girl as a natural curiosity, Vahn might be able to gather information about Haruhime without drawing attention to himself at all. The caveat is that he would actually have to act as an active clientele for whichever establishment he decided to visit. For various reasons, though this could potentially be the fastest method, Vahn was the most apprehensive about it.

The final method included visiting various pubs, bars, or gambling dens and trying to pick up information from drunkards, but Vahn knew it would cause problems if someone as young as him was asking questions and seemingly not getting drunk. There was also the chance that Vahn could get wrapped up in a larger scheme due to the fact that most gambling dens and casinos were run by gangs and mobs behind the scenes. If he had no interest in gambling or business, Vahn would attract a lot of attention from the various criminal organizations that ran the facilities.

After arriving in the red light district, Vahn sat atop a six-story house and surveyed the surroundings as he contemplated the best course of action. As he expected, the business was almost non-existent in the early mornings except for some customers lazily leaving the various brothels with tired expressions on their faces. Vahn learned that the majority of the establishments weren't too active until the afternoon and late evenings. If he wanted to employ the method of searching buildings, the best time to do so would be in the early mornings where it wasn't easy for 'workers' to solicit customers while the night chill remained in the air.

For the next few hours, Vahn inspected several buildings after using his domain to detect presences and then check the interiors with his [Eyes of Truth]. It was a mentally taxing job to penetrate so far through some of the deeper buildings, but Vahn still felt like this was the safest approach. Fortunately, even the buildings that had barriers for surveillance, counter-surveillance, soundproofing, detection, and security, Vahn could see through them all the same. It was difficult, if not impossible, for normal methods to counteract his use of his Innate abilities.

Each time he cleared a building, Vahn would update it with a tag on his map before moving on to the next one and repeating the process. Unfortunately, by the time business started picking up in the afternoon, Vahn had failed to find any traces of Haruhime and he didn't have the mental energy to peer through buildings and inspect so many people. [Eyes of Truth] required a great deal of focus and it was admittedly difficult to focus on things if Vahn peeked into a room where there was some 'intense' action going on. In one instance, Vahn had looked into the basement levels of a building where the aura of a god was located. When he inspected the scene, Vahn saw the god tied up to a cross-shaped platform while he was being teased by a somewhat motherly looking woman wearing a black, leather, outfit.

After that, Vahn decided it might be better to try a different approach and headed through the backstreets toward one of the information brokers he had marked on his map. Vahn noticed there was a decent amount of traffic going in and out of the building in the last two days, so he assumed it was either reliable or part of a larger network. Removing his Báihǔ transformation, Vahn used [Thria*Mimos] to change into a Raccoon person which also caused his dark-brown hair to take on a hazelnut brown color as he grew small circular ears and a short bushy tail. After changing his outfit and wearing a flat cap on his head, Vahn walked into the information brokerage with what he assumed was a stoic expression on his face. He knew from several sources that his face could be read easily, so Vahn was localizing his aura while using [Will of the Emperor] to forcibly calm his mind.

Stepping into the unmarked building, Vahn was immediately noticed by a young receptionist woman that was wearing a blue maid outfit and had a collar around her neck. She had purple hair and lavender eyes and Vahn could tell that, though her expression was calm and professional, her aura was dreary and stagnant. Walking forward, the receptionist asked, "Welcome Sir, do you have a referral, or would you like to be interviewed by one of our esteemed brokers?"

Vahn noticed the girl's aura fluctuate when she mentioned the brokers and couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly. He very quickly realized what kind of institution this was and wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad at the influence of karma. Though this was definitely an information brokerage, it also seemed to actively be involved in slave trafficking. Even though they had just met, Vahn could identify the girl in front of him, who only appeared to be around 17-18, as a slave that was forced to work against her will.

Even though his expression didn't change much at all, since she was trained to read people's expressions and body language, the girl quickly realized that Vahn wasn't part of their intended clientele. He seemed to have accidentally wandered in before realizing what kind of place this was and even acted as if he took pity on her. A bit of melancholy colored her eyes for a brief moment before the girl whispered, "You shouldn't be here, this isn't a place for kind people..."

As if machinated by fate, the moment the girl spoke a tall, somewhat sharp looking, man with blonde hair and golden eyes walked out of the door in the back accompanied by a regal-looking old man and a blue-haired girl with tired eyes and a forced smile on her face. Though it was almost unnoticeable, Vahn could see a small tattoo on her wrist that matched the emblem on the old man's suit. No matter how he looked at it, the girl had likely just become a slave for the gentlemanly looking man.

Shaking hands with the client and sending him off with his purchase, the blonde-haired man had a perfect business smile on his face as he approached Vahn and the receptionist. He asked in a calm tone, "Tiffany, have you properly attended this young man?" Hearing her name called, the girl named Tiffany bowed low and explained, "This esteemed guest did not have a referral and I was asking if he wanted to speak to your honored self. Please forgive my failure to inform you expediently Master Shauntac."

The man, apparently named Shauntac, had a cruel smile on his face as he waved the girl away while saying, "You'll be dealt with later. Return to your post from now and contemplate your mistake." After bowing, Tiffany walked over to the small desk she stood at and Vahn could see her aura turn chaotic with a deep purple color to it. Because she had tried to warn him, now Tiffany would be receiving some form of punishment later? The cold sensation in Vahn's mind began to spread slowly through the rest of his body as the business-like smile returned to Shauntac's face.

Reaching out his hand, Shauntac said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, my young friend. I trust you come here with the intent to purchase information...or perhaps you'd like to discuss more private matters? Regardless, my name is Shauntac, may I ask for this esteemed guest for his noble name?" Though he had already decided to crush this place in the future, Vahn kept his expression plain as he reached forward and shook the man's hand and said in a low tone, "Yashima."

Since Vahn had decided that he would have different names depending on his form, it actually wasn't a lie when he introduced himself. Even the system updated whenever he decided to change his name so Shauntac wasn't able to see through his words or expression. Instead, he had a business-like smile on his face as he firmly shook Vahn's hand and led the way to a private room for their 'interview'. Vahn scanned the walls and noticed there were several formations that were hidden within the hollow interiors as well as several presences located very near the room that were likely security personnel or slaves.

Soon after they sat down, three different girls entered the room with trays of tea and snacks which they neatly arranged on the small table separating Vahn and Shauntac. Each girl was both beautiful and youthful and they all had characteristics that drew the eye. There was a blonde half-elf with watery eyes, a short human girl with a very lively appearance and brown hair, and a cool looking beauty that appeared to be of a race Vahn had never seen before. She had azure blue hair that had been neatly arranged into a long ponytail with small horns on top of her head with droopy off-colored ears underneath. The most notable features were her incredibly large breasts and the bell around her neck even though she still had a young face.

Seeing Vahn's 'appraising' gaze, Shauntac smiled and said, "Is this your first time seeing a Cow Person? There are quite common in the west, but relatively rare here in Orario after all. If you'd like, I can arrange you get to know each other better?" Vahn felt a strong urge to clench his teeth and rebut the man but just shook his head with a small smile and said, "I do have an interest, but I'm looking for something different right now. Even though these three are beautiful girls, my preferences are of a different persuasion."

Sending a signal to the girls with his eyes, they left the room as Shauntac asked, "Oh? My brokerage prides itself on our ability to procure information and meet the needs of our customers. Of course, that is assuming they have the capability to pay for the information. As it is our first meeting, I'd like to get to know you better Mr. Yashima. I wonder, where did you come from? What interests brought you here to my place of business?" A cold light shone in Shantac's eyes even though his expression didn't change in the slightest.

Without feeling pressured, Vahn explained, "I migrated to Orario from a port City name Bri near the Serpent's pass. I haven't been in the City for but a few months and I've been trying to make a living as an Adventurer since then. I only discovered this place recently after visiting the red light district to look for a specific kind of girl that I had met a few times within my hometown. Without intending to brag, I've never had any significant trouble with women, but I'm looking for something specific."

Other than the fact that he originated from Bri, everything else about Vahn's story was true and Shauntac wasn't able to discern any lies from his words. From his perspective, he thought that Vahn had just intentionally concealed his own hometown, likely so his origins couldn't be easily traced back to his family if anything went awry. Since it was rare for anyone to divulge that kind of information, the fact that the rest of Vahn's story was true made him a viable client for the time being.

With a smile on his face, Shauntac said, "It seems our meeting was fated to be a cooperative one. You have a desire, and I have the ability to facilitate your needs. Shall we discuss the specifics of our cooperation Mr. Yashima?" Reaching for the cup on the table, Shauntac raised it slightly as if to toast their future business ventures. Vahn lifted his own cup and, even though he could detect some kind of chemical within, drank down the tea without hesitation.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Whims of Karma','Seething rage concealed behind a smile','Deception through small truths')