After a while, they decided to regroup. Anna already realized that their situation was worse than they had predicted. So, it was better to retreat as soon as possible.
Even though the gain was small, it was better than alerting the enemy.
"So, what I found inside was that the brothel had four floors. The first floor was basically the reception and all the utility rooms, including the waiting room for the ladies. In other words, it would be pretty hard to enter through the front door.
"I am pretty sure that the ladies can utilize their Spiritual Energy as well. I have learned their system quite a bit.
"It seems that the stronger and more beautiful the lady, the higher the floor they will be. I am assuming there is a correlation between beauty, strength, and Spiritual Energy. Though, I'm not sure about this right now.
"As for the fourth floor, not many can go there. Only a super important person can reach that floor.
"There are rumors that the owner of that brothel is living on the top floor. Only those who he invited would be able to reach that floor. That's all. I don't know about their purpose, operation, and so on."
Noel looked down, contemplating. "That's enough for the time being. It seems that I have to find a way to reach the fourth floor…"
"Since you're going to talk with the owner, who is a former subordinate… Why don't you use the family's insignia? I mean, the other party is also a family, right?"
"That's true. But I don't know whether the other party is an enemy or not. You should know that I am supposed to die in Silica Valley. If he is an enemy, he will spread this information. In the worst-case scenario, the Royal Family will hunt me down with all they've got." Noel let out a long sigh.
"I see." Anna fell into deep thought.
"How about infiltrating the building from above? We can easily destroy a window or two. If needed, we can even jump over the building… So, it's possible to enter from above." Rose gave another suggestion.
"That's possible, but he is my father's former subordinate until proven otherwise. Doing something like this will just lower his trust and loyalty if he's proven to be our ally." Noel shook his head. "We really have to go through the front door…"
"Oh, I don't know if I sense this correctly or not, but it seems that there is a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy all over the building. Although it's faint, I'm sure the Spiritual Energy is covering the building. I'm assuming they have reinforced the building with Spirit Enchantment, so breaking them won't be easy." Anna explained.
"I guess we don't have a choice." Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. There was only one way to meet that person. It was to go through the front door.
However, he didn't know how to reach the second floor or even the third floor, let alone the fourth floor.
"How about asking for a service?" Rose asked. "You can try the service that will lead you to the second floor. This way, the girl who will accompany you won't be that strong, so you should have enough strength to defeat her.
"Take that opportunity to enter the third and fourth floors," Rose explained her plan, which made sense.
Noel worried about many things, but it appeared there was no other way to infiltrate the brothel.
"How is their level at one glance?" Noel asked.
"I am not sure. The ladies on the first floor are completely mixed, so I don't know who is strong and who is weak. You have to find out for yourself. But from what I can see, there are a lot of Spirit Apprentices and Spirit Practitioners. I'm assuming there are Spirit Wielders, which should be serving the third floor. So, when you reach the third floor, you have to be extra careful."
"I see. A Spirit Wielder shouldn't be a problem. As for a Spirit Master…" Noel bit his lips. He had the confidence to defeat a normal Spirit Master with his fire and ice. But he couldn't release his ice ability if he didn't want his cover to be blown away and his two elements to be witnessed by the crowd. So, he had to prepare an escape route.
"Alright then. I'm going to prepare first. You two should split up and find more information about them. If possible, don't stay too long in one place." Noel waved his hand, grabbing the clothes he had bought earlier.
Rose and Anna exchanged looks before leaving Noel alone in the room. They had to play their part after all.
…
A few hours later.
When the night came, Noel had changed his clothes. He was wearing a red shirt and long black pants, covered with a long gray coat. He appeared to be a young man who had just finished adventuring outside.
Considering this place was near the border, there were a lot of demons, so it wasn't that weird for someone like him to visit a brothel. After all, he could fight the demons during the day and enjoy the night accompanied by a whore. This was a usual occurrence in this brothel, according to the information they got.
However, Noel was still wearing his masquerade since he didn't plan to reveal his face before he could see the owner and confirm his stance with the Affection Medal.
Noel took another look at the sign first.
'Eternal Flower.'
After confirming that he didn't go to the wrong brothel, he entered the brothel with a calm expression as if he was a regular in this place. He even acted a little vulgar by glancing back and forth from one lady to another as if he was scanning them.
Of course, he was looking at them to see their affection to determine whether his cover was blown away or not.
"Welcome, Sir." A woman wrapped her hands around his arm and smiled sweetly. "Please come in."
Noel smiled at her as the lady gradually brought him to the receptionist so that he could pay for the service.
The receptionist politely bowed her head to Noel, welcoming him.
However, the moment he saw her affection, he realized that he had been found out.
Name: Helena
Affection: Hostile (35/100)
Description: Someone who has confirmed you are suspicious.
"!!!"
