Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 96 – I own the Red Light District?!

Sometime later-

Gerhart met Hope and the Royal Advisor near a lavish townhouse with a large garden.

The Wealthy District is where powerful adventurers, magicians, and plutocrats reside, IE, Grand Burghers, the top percentile of the non-noble population. Some residences rivaled or surpassed that of nobles, having ornate houses and gardens, but most were luxurious apartments and townhouses. The townhouse he stood before was not too big but not too small.

Initially, Gerhart considered renting such a house in the city, but he needed to house several dozen servants, and no such house was available. However, without trying, he got one as a complimentary gift. And yet, he would soon not need it anymore. It was almost funny.

"This is the townhouse of Grand Burgher Laonicus Acropolita, or at least his alleged name. He also has a country house outside the city." The Royal Advisor said.

"What did he do?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"He was one of the two most influential slave traders, with his only business rival being Prisca al Mutaism, and dabbled in other trade venues on the side. We always suspected he assassinated other merchants but never had conclusive evidence. He even passed the tests of the Truth Sayers and Evil Seekers. We couldn't condemn him of anything until now." The Royal Advisor explained.

"Prisca al Mutaism was mentioned again. Maybe I should visit her." Gerhart noted.

"Does he have any family?" Gerhart asked.

"No. Laonicus had never sought a family. He also rejected all marriage proposals, so he was always a bachelor. But it is rumored he had quite the love life. He was charismatic, handsome, wealthy, and strong, so he had many female admirers, married or not. I wouldn't be surprised if he fathered some bastards." The Royal Advisor sneered.

"Hm. What about the servants?" Gerhart asked.

"Most of them are oblivious. The head steward only knew his master headed out occasionally at night. Sometimes, it was for gatherings of socio-elites, but most times, he didn't comment on it. Your guess is as good as mine to what he was up to." The Royal Advisor said.

"Are there no diaries?" Hope asked.

"Only business ledgers. Laonicus also personally inspected slaves before selling them and frequently headed out to the countryside to try and buy new slaves. The slaves that he bought, however, were sold away almost immediately." The Royal Advisor shook his head.

"Personally inspect? And he searched the countryside for slaves? Selling away immediately? Did he have Analyze Status and screen for talented individuals and then sell them to other Echos?" Gerhart guessed.

Gerhart didn't receive the Analyze Status talent since he already had it, but for an Echo, having Analyze Status sounded almost standard.

"I see," Gerhart muttered as he stepped into the townhouse.

However, after a while, Gerhart and Hope left, finding nothing. Even with Hope, they didn't find anything else. It was just that, a luxurious house with expensive furniture. Gerhart decided to take the pricey furniture into his Space Storage later.

Hope and Gerhart soon arrived at a countryside mansion, taking an hour on leisurely horseback riding. The mansion was much bigger than his manor, enough to fit hundreds of servants. All of the servants, including the ones from the townhouse, were held captive here, guarded by knights and soldiers.

"Are these everyone?" Gerhart inquired after looking through the servants.

He found no talents among them after using Analyze status. And there were no Corrupted among them, either. It disappointed Gerhart, who expected more from an Echo.

"Did he send away all the talents he picked and give them to the senior Echos? And did he avoid making Corrupted to save up on energy? Did he foresee the arrival of the Otherworlders and make a gamble?" Gerhart wondered.

After listening to Max and Italica, Gerhart knew that making the Corrupted likely costs a hefty price for an Echo, especially a young one. He likely saved up for a long time to make Ma Yang an S-rank Corrupted Champion, intending to make him a supersoldier that kills everyone. Losing this investment drove him mad enough to charge Gerhart while disregarding his life. At least, he seemed like a desperate gambler who lost everything. Of course, Gerhart wouldn't know the truth from a dead man.

Gerhart and Hope made a tour around the mansion, but again, they found nothing. There were no trap doors, hidden treasuries, torture chambers, or escape tunnels. It was just that, a fancy mansion in the countryside worth millions of Silver Coins.

He was so impeccable that it was disturbing.

"Are you sure he has no other properties?" Gerhart asked the Royal Advisor.

"Yes, I am sure. Laonicus has holdings and contracts on half of the slave market, but he is clean, as far as a slave merchant can be, at least. The only thing that made others suspect him was the convenient deaths of competitors and the seizing of their assets at cheap prices." The Royal Advisor said.

"Hm. What about the other identity?" Gerhart asked.

The Echo had two identity cards. He was curious to learn about the other one.

"The other one belongs to Viatas, a fake identity likely belonging to Ianuarius, a veteran crime lord in the slums. He dabbled in prostitution, drugs, Magic Stone trafficking, loan sharking, contraband, taking protection money, crooks-for-hire, the Black Hand, and other illicit dealings. When he arrived, he killed or subdued all the rivals and took their crime rings, becoming the sole ruler of the slums within a month. We suspect he used the identity of Ianuarius to support his identity as Laonicus, giving him the initial funds. We initially wanted to arrest him, but he is a powerful S-rank Assassin. Even the king had to be wary of him, so we turned a blind eye, even exempting some taxes." The Royal Advisor shook his head.

"Yikes." Gerhart inwardly sweated.

"Do you know what is his property?" Hope asked.

"How big is the Red-Light district?" The Royal Advisor asked back.

"He... Owns all the Red-Light district? All of it?!" Gerhart widened his eyes.

The Red-Light district was not small, especially in a large city like Tabarga. Although it infamously included brothels, including gambling houses, taverns, pawn shops, and gray-to-black markets. Some even included high-class establishments tailored for wealthy merchants and nobility. Owning the Red Light district was not a smallish piece of the pie. It was like owning 5-6% of the city.

"Yes. Everything. Anyone who said otherwise soon ended up dead, including several B-rank and an A-rank adventurer. He was a tyrant who caused quite a lot of damage. Good riddance that he is gone." The Royal Advisor said with a displeased look.

"Wait... So I now own the whole Red Light District?!" Gerhart widened his eyes.

"Yes. And half of the Slave Trade and all his liquid funds in the Union Bank. That is part of your rightful bounty." The Royal Advisor without a change in expression.

"Seriously?" Gerhart had an odd expression.

"Yes, seriously. Temple law decrees that he who slays an Echo shall gain all his property and legal titles. If he is a nobody, you gain nothing, but if he is a king of a nation, you become king if you so wish. If the Echo controlled an entire city, that city belongs to you. Comparatively, owning the Red Light District, slave trade channels, and the potential damage he could have caused, this is a paltry sum, or so the Reverand said." The Royal Advisor said with a deep look.

"But... What am I supposed to do with a goddamn Red Light District? I'm not a pimp!" Gerhart had a strange look.

"We don't expect you to. You own the buildings themselves, the property inside, and any slaves he owned, so you can slowly sell them or sell them wholesale. Would you like me to introduce you to some of the wealthier people in the city? Although nobles won't touch the Red Light District due to reputation, a Grand Burgher would be willing to. Perhaps you should speak with Prisca al Mutaism, the most influential Grand Burgheress in the Nehan Kingdom. She would be delighted to occupy her rival's assets." The Royal Advisor proposed.

"Okay, since you suggested it, please arrange a meeting tomorrow. I want to visit the Red Light District and see if he had anything hidden there." Gerhart said.

"Of course. It would also save you time and legal documentation. The Royal Family will only act as the broker. Also, when you visit the Red Light District, you only need to say your name. Everyone now knows you are the new owner." The Royal Advisor said.

"You told them? Wouldn't that make things chaotic?" Gerhart squinted his eyes.

"Chaotic? On the contrary. They fear you even more than Ianuarius. And without his protection, they feel vulnerable. The first thing they would do when you arrive is to lick your boot so thoroughly it is shining." The Royal Advisor smirked.

"But what about any hidden forces?" Gerhart asked.

"If he had any, they would have escaped or caused chaos. What remains are just the lowlives." The Royal Advisor said with contempt.

"And you don't plan to clean the Red Light District?" Gerhart asked.

"If there are holes, there are mice. If there is demand, you will see those illegal activities anyway, so why not have it more under control?" The Royal Advisor asked back.

"Makes sense." Gerhart thought.

"Thank you. Are you coming with us?" Gerhart asked.

"I would prefer not to. The place is filthy." The Royal Advisor pursed his lips. He detested the idea.

"Okay then. Thank you for the help." Gerhart said.

With that, Gerhart dismissed Hope and went to the Red Light District. He didn't want her to go there. Only when he needed her expertise would he bring her there.

.

.

.

Arriving at the Red Light District, Gerhart first arrived at a specific building, the Pink Delights. It was your average brothel, a slightly worn three-story tall building with a dozen prostitutes and a sleazy tavern on the ground floor, allowing gambling on the side. It was a standard set-up for average brothels.

As he entered the brothel, an above-average young woman wearing thick make-up and a revealing dress hugged his muscular arm and flirted.

"Well, hello there, stud. Are you looking for a drink, entertainment, and company?" The prostitute asked in a soft and disarming voice while touching his chest.

Of course, Gerhart knew that her angle was to get him drunk, gamble his money away, have sex with her, give her a good tip, and, if possible, steal money from his pockets or coin purse while he was intoxicated and drained. She needed to make a living, after all.

If it was the inexperienced pre-reincarnation Gerhart, he might be stupid enough to fall for it.

"No, thank you. I am Gerhart, the new owner." Gehrart smiled and lightheartedly explained and showed her his card.

The prostitute's expression immediately changed to that of reverence and fear. She quickly let go.

"My apologies, sir. I didn't know it was you." The prostitute respectfully said.

The news has already spread in the Red Light District. The owner has changed. Ianuarius has been killed and replaced by an even more terrifying figure, Gerhart. No one had loyalty to Ianuarius, having ruled through fear, and many hated him but had no strength to resist. Hence, she revered Gerhart as much as she feared him.

"It is fine. Take me to your madam." Gerhart said.

The prostitute nodded and took him to a small office on the second floor.

Inside, Gerhart met the madam. She was an aged woman, around her late sixties, a retired prostitute. Gerhart could see vestiges of a beautiful woman in her, but her past glory was gone with age.

"Hello, sir. I didn't expect to meet you so soon." The madam respectfully asked.

"It is fine. I hear one of your prostitutes had her hand cut off in the Ma Yang incident?" Gerhart asked.

"Ah, yes. Aelia. She is fine now. The Otherworlder Saintess, Himeko, that sweet girl, healed our Aelia's amputated arm and mended all of us for free. Aelia already returned to work. Would you like me to call her?" The madam asked.

"Ah, right. Primo did hear she went to heal people as a charity, likely to trigger her Unique Talent. She probably healed the prostitute first due to the Ma Yang incident." Gerhart thought.

"No, it is fine. Instead, I am more interested in meeting all the other leaders of the Red Light District." Gerhart said.

"I can arrange it. There is a meeting room in the Silver Silk Lounge. After we spread the word, we would only need two hours." The madam said.

"Good. But before that, there is something I need to do first." Gerhart said, his eyes shining silver.