Rhythmic moans interrupted the awkward silence that had fallen in the room. The brothel's walls were too thin to block the sounds coming from the other rooms, so Khan, Grant, and Madame heard everything happening on the other side of the second floor.
Ethan had been forced to accept the bargain, so one of Madame's women had picked him up and had led him in a different room. Madame didn't punish Ethan with one of her worst prostitutes, so everything had gone relatively smoothly. Yet, the awkwardness that had fallen among the trio due to the moans wasn't easy to disperse.
Madame limited herself to smile and inspect the two men. She liked seeing Grant's stiff expression, but she felt a bit disappointed in Khan's lack of reaction. He appeared used to that environment, but the reason behind his aloofness was far different.
'Synthetic mana can reach the Slums,' Khan thought as he reviewed everything he had learnt and Madame's faint hints.
Khan had been too young, ignorant, and busy during his time in the Slums. Surviving had always been his priority, so he had never explored the depths of his environment since it could be too dangerous for a kid.
However, reviewing everything with his new knowledge and experience revealed astonishing and worrisome truths. The mana wasn't a privilege of those who joined the Global Army. Even the poor and ignorant citizens of the Slums could get their hands on that powerful energy.
'How?' Khan wondered. 'The soldiers in the barracks don't have the authority to move synthetic mana, let alone inject it. Meditation techniques and training programs are also heavily controlled by the network, so how did Madame get her hands on mana?'
Madame's level wasn't high. She was actually pretty weak for a woman in her fifties. She might never become a first-level warrior in her life, but that wasn't the issue there.
The brothels were a popular activity in the Slums, but they also used food as a currency. Madame couldn't possibly have the wealth needed to purchase synthetic mana or the tools required for the injections. She had to have a helper with connections in the Global Army.
Still, a random helper would have no interest in the Slums. A wealthy figure would be in the same position. The cities didn't advertise prostitution, but Khan believed that those activities existed there, so a rich soldier could gain access to those services without having to travel to that dirty environment.
The presence of a secret organization with hidden goals felt almost necessary now. Khan couldn't explain everything he had seen otherwise. There had to be a family or multiple forces using the Slums for something, and he wondered how many higher-ups knew or were involved in those matters.
Grant appeared slightly slow on that topic. He was doing his best to ignore the moans coming from the other side of the floor, but Khan knew that he would eventually reach the same conclusions.
After all, the heightened senses weren't Khan's exclusive. Every soldier had similar abilities. They often didn't match Khan's level because he had worked hard to develop his perception, but he was sure that Grant had understood that Madame had mana.
The urge to leave and have a private conversation with Grant filled Khan's mind. He wanted to see if the specialist from the city knew something, but Madame understood that desire from his firm glances.
"How long did you spend in Ylaco's Slums?" Madame asked.
"Eleven years," Khan honestly replied.
"And you are?" Madame continued.
"I'm turning eighteen this month," Khan gave another honest answer.
"Young but talented," Madame commented. "You can't figure it out, can you? Why don't you just ask? Are you afraid that I might go back on our deal?"
Grant frowned, but understanding suddenly appeared on his face as he inspected the situation thoroughly. Then, disbelief arrived, and a drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead as wild thoughts began to run through his mind.
"Will you?" Khan asked while retaining a perfect poker face.
"No, but I won't reveal too much," Madame sighed before breathing deeply from her pipe. "I am part of all of this in the end."
"How can the Slums have mana?" Khan went straight to the point. "Bribing the barracks wouldn't be enough, especially if you aren't too important in all of this."
"Did you really think that the Global Army could seal the mana behind the training camps?" Madame sneered. "It can limit our access to that energy, but stopping it completely is impossible."
"What did you manage to build here?" Khan pressed. "Do you have secret academies, labs, training-?"
"Calm down, young man," Madame interrupted. "Don't let your mind run wild. The Global Army can't hide the mana from us, but we remain the Slums. There's a limit to how much we can obtain."
"Still, you got it," Khan contradicted.
"I had an illness that only mana could heal," Madame explained. "I didn't search for mana. I only happened to stumble upon it to stay alive."
Madame was doing her best to make the event sound like nothing important, but Khan and Grant could guess how hard it must have been for her. She had probably used the entirety of her authority to gain access to the cure.
"Do you smuggle mana from the city?" Khan questioned.
"That would be truly impossible," Madame giggled. "However, Earth is far larger than some big cities. Let me ask you one question. The Slums expand around the training camps, but what's after them?"
"Farming areas, industries, and structures belonging to various families," Grant responded now that he had managed to calm down.
"Correct, but also wrong," Madame exclaimed. "The families tried to take control of the entire planet, but some lands were beyond salvation."
Khan wasn't hopelessly ignorant anymore. He knew that the First Impact had turned Earth into a hell filled with dangerous mana. The ten noble families had brought stability and had slowly expanded their influence to fix the entire planet, but they had left many blank spots.
Still, the knowledge available in the camps or cities stated that those blank spots were too hard to fix. The Global Army had left those lands to die, but Madame's words hinted at a different truth.
"Do the Slums use those routes to smuggle mana?" Khan asked.
"How would I know?" Madame chuckled. "I'm only a proud owner of a few brothels. Mana is stuff for fairytales in my mind."
Madame clearly knew more than that, but Grant and Khan couldn't probe further. The time for answers was over, at least on that topic.
"The figure that you mentioned earlier, the one who knows almost everything here," Grant changed the topic, "Who is it? What exactly does it know? How do we contact it?"
"You are so much better than the other," Madame voiced in an amused tone. "Such a reliable character. Your world has probably fallen apart, but you are still trying to complete your job."
"Madame, please," Grant whispered.
"Don't worry, handsome," Madame reassured. "I told you. I don't like the idea of a secret lab either, but I can't give you names either. I'll be the one to suffer otherwise."
Khan and Grant remained silent while Madame smoked. They knew that pressing her might be rude, so they waited for her to speak.
"I'll tell you where to go," Madame eventually explained. "The Slums are livelier than you think. There are events every night if you know where to look. I know he always checks them, but he won't appear if he sees military uniforms."
"Going undercover isn't a problem," Grant announced.
"It will be for all of you, except him," Madame declared while pointing her pipe at Khan. "You are all too stiff, too disgusted. These events are for people who want to forget their condition and have fun. You don't know what that means."
"How would we find this man?" Khan asked.
"He will find you if he is interested," Madame revealed. "Your tech won't work on him either, and you shouldn't bring it at all if you want to blend in."
"Won't they call off the event because of our arrival?" Khan questioned. The Slums couldn't have missed the arrival of his group, so the interested parties might choose to hide.
"I told you," Madame sighed. "These events are for people who want to forget. You would have to bring one of your robots to make them stop."
The conversation ended there. Madame wasn't willing to reveal anything else, and the two didn't want to ruin the silent understanding created with Ethan's sacrifice.
The moans made the silence awkward, but Khan and Grant barely heard them. They had too much to consider. The true nature of the Slums and the imminent covert mission were enough to keep their minds busy.
Yet, Ethan managed to distract the two from time to time. The issue wasn't in the number or intensity of the moans. It was simply surprising that most of those sounds came from him.
Ethan eventually returned to Madame's room. His uniform was an untidy mess, and the same went for his hair. The latter tried to hide a few marks on his neck, and he also kept his gaze on the floor to avoid meeting Khan and Grant's eyes, but Madame smiled anyway.
The three left the brothel only to find their companions wearing blushes or awkward expressions. They had heard the moans, and they had even connected them to one of the three men. Also, Ethan's guilty behavior was a clue that no one missed.
Grant took the situation into his own hands. He explained part of what he had learnt during the meeting, but he didn't share the most troublesome details. He didn't hide them either, but he wanted his companions to develop ideas on their own.
Preparing for a covert mission in the Slums was relatively easy, and Cameron did his best to help. He knew about the events mentioned by Madame, and he could also draw a map that could lead to the appointed location. Still, a minor issue appeared anyway.
"Professor Khan, don't leave us behind," Elsie complained after learning that she and the other students wouldn't join the covert mission.
"It's not about strength or loyalty," Khan explained. "No one is going to believe that you are from the Slums. Bringing you will only endanger the mission."
"But you won't carry phones," Elsie continued. "What if you need reinforcements?"
"The Slums have turned out to be more dangerous than I recalled," Khan stated, "But they can't be worse than Ecoruta or Istrone."
Elsie couldn't argue with that, and some relief appeared on her face when Cameron entered the building with the clothes needed for the mission. The group had gone back to their habitation to prepare, so Cameron had the chance to gather the required tools.
The clothes stank heavily. They had different holes, and some of them were nothing more than rags with openings for heads, arms, and legs. The barracks didn't lack them, but they didn't bother to clean or patch them up either.
The composition of the team for the covert mission was already set. Khan was obvious, and Grant had to come due to his position as a specialist. Ethan had decided to remain behind, and no one objected.
With the students out of the picture, only Amber and Cora had remained as possible candidates for the mission. Khan wanted to reject both of them, but Amber could be useful due to her level, and Cora had more experience than the others.
Moreover, Cora was stunning, and Amber's beauty was only a few steps behind her. They could help attract the attention that the group sought.
The four team members changed into their new clothes and gathered on the first floor of the building. They itched, smelled, and their holes revealed their skin, but Cameron helped where he could.
It turned out that the soldiers in the barracks had nasal sprays and similar items that helped with the smell, and Amber and Grant didn't hesitate to use them. Instead, Khan refused them, and Cora imitated him since she wanted to experience the Slums to their fullest.
"I heard that everyone brings something to these events," Cameron said once everyone was almost ready to leave.
Cameron opened one of the boxes that the soldiers had brought with the clothes and revealed a series of provisions. Most of them were food cans and bottles, but Khan also saw ordinary knives, intact garments, pillows, and much more.
"What do you think?" Grant asked while glancing at Khan.
"These events are parties, right?" Khan asked, and Cameron promptly nodded.
"Well, you must bring booze to a party," Khan exclaimed as he picked up one of the bottles and opened it.
The group felt confused when they saw Khan taking a sip from the bottle and showing a disgusted expression. The booze was awful, but the surprises didn't end there.
Khan took another sip before pouring the bottle on his head. He made sure to make the booze fall on his ragged clothes and broken shoes too.
"Didn't we already stink?" Amber asked.
"We are still too clean," Khan declared. "Pour a few bottles on you, but roll yourselves on the streets before the booze dries out.. I can't turn you into Slums' citizens in an afternoon, but I can make you some of their dirtiest residents."
