Chapter 16: Beneath the Surface

A while later...

Although the Nexus district was quite large, it was still close to the residential areas, so it didn't take long for Adryan to get where he wanted to go.

The buildings had changed from departmental to more office/business-centric. The streets were well-paved, and the smell reminded him of a map shop.

This time, he was dressed more elegantly than before. He wore a purple waistcoat with the symbol of the Church sewn on the chest above the heart, a black shirt embroidered with bronze details, a thin dark blue cloth tied around his waist like a belt, and an ornament resembling a thin bronze laurel wreath in his black hair.

A long black globe completely covered his right arm, perfectly hiding his scars but being tight enough to show the muscle of the arm.

"The enthusiasm is admirable, but we both know how stupid it will be to go into this deal alone. And I'm not talking about a fight, you know that." Flora remarked as she considered how the streets had changed since she had last been here.

The corners of the man's lips lifted slightly, but his calm expression remained. Adryan did not answer his companion's question; he just kept walking.

In the distance, he could already see his destination, a building that stood out from the rest.

On the outside, large columns with intricate Corinthian capitals supported a pediment adorned with decorative motifs. The facade was a mixture of rich, dark orange brick and ornate stonework, with large arched windows and wrought iron detailing. A stately marble staircase leads to a set of double doors with intricate carvings.

Large words in black are written above this outstanding building in elegant lemburg.

[Briarwood Chambers]

Smiling, Adryan clenched the briefcase in his hand as he tapped his palm twice and climbed the marble stairs. Grasping the cold iron knob, he turned it and opened the door.

Ting Ting.

The lobby had high coffered ceilings, dark wood paneling, somewhat luxurious carpets, and period furniture. Elaborate moldings, antique chandeliers, and classical sculptures completed the ambiance.

'It's like being in a living museum.'

The receptionist, seated at a classic dark mahogany desk, wearing a white robe with yellow fabric and bronze lace trim, looked up from the grey hardback book she was reading and looked at him with warm eyes.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I welcome you to Briarwood Chambers, where we will always be there for you. I am the receptionist on duty, Alexxia Truncan. How can I help you this afternoon?"

Observing the woman's aura and seeing that it was transparent and turbulent, Adryan gave only a slight nod with a flirtatious smile and immediately slipped into his role as Wayne.

His eyes discreetly caught the woman's outstretched hand; she couldn't have been older than 35, and he could only sigh inwardly at the lack of a ring.

He could be many things, but never a homewrecker... At least for those who didn't deserve it.

So, he closed one eye in a mischievous wink and spoke in a sweet, gravelly voice. "Good afternoon, Bella Madam, I'm looking for a lawyer for some business of mine tomorrow at 8 a.m. Could you help me, Miss Alexxia~"

Not expecting the praise from someone clearly much younger than her, the woman froze for a moment before returning to her professional demeanor, save for the edges of her reddened ears.

"O-Oh my... I-I'm sure we have someone who can help you." Swallowing her words a little, Alexxia could only bite her lips slightly at her slip of the tongue.

"I would appreciate it very much." Smiling sweetly, Adryan closed one of his eyes seductively.

With her fists shaking slightly and a layer of sweat already forming on her forehead, the woman could only press her lips together a little tighter. Trying to save face, she grabbed a book from her side, the cover of which was dark green with A.B. written on it.

Opening it halfway, she flipped through a few more pages before stopping and holding it out to him. "These are what we have available; due to how suddenly your request is, this is what we can offer."

Smiling sideways like a cat with its prey, Adryan took the book, but not before 'accidentally' rubbing the receptionist's hand. "Thank you for your help, my dear~"

Winking at the red-faced woman, Adryan turned and, with a really hidden shake of his hips, walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

"Is this how I look when you do that?" Flora said flatly as she saw the older woman cover her face with her hands.

If that's what she looked like, she might as well be eaten by an eagle.

'At least no one can see me when the princess gets the urge to tease...'

She could see how red her ears were.

"Why else do you think it's so much fun to tease you? Be thankful you don't have a physical body; believe me, it would have been worse. Or better, your tastes are strange, Miss Worm." Adryan moved his lips wordlessly as he read the names in the green book.

"Harloct."

Holding back a snort, the red-haired man ignored his wife and continued checking his future assistants' names.

--

*Vivian Langley - 38 years old - Brandenburg Institute of Legal Studies - 15 years in corporate law and commercial litigation - 5 Sassem.

*Julian Montgomery - 45 years old - Altenweiss School of Law - 20 years in international law and treaties - 3 sassem.

* Isabella Hale - 42 years old - University of Cambridge - 18 years in financial and regulatory law - 6 sassem

*Elena Bradford - 34 years - Yale University - 12 years in intellectual property and copyright - 6 sassem

*Sebastian Sinclair - 29 years old - Rhein Law University - 4 years in family and probate law - 2 sassem

*Gideon Blackwell - 50 years old - Rhein Law University - 22 years in criminal law and defense - 3 sassem

--

'Mmm, a consultation with a reputable detective in Backlund costs 1 pound per half hour. If I convert from pounds to sassem, it's about 3.' Judging the prices with a rather simple mental calculation, Adryan could only nod slightly.

He rested his cheek on his knuckles and looked at the various names for a long time. After a few moments, he closed the book and returned to Alexxia, who seemed to have regained her composure.

"I'd like to speak to Vivian Langley, please." He said while returning the book.

Nodding, Alexxia put the book back where it had been. Still a little embarrassed from earlier, she could not look at his eyes without her blush growing.

"Floor 3, Room 326. Knock on the door, and Mistress Vivian will be there..." The woman paused for a few seconds, facing an internal duel over whether or not to say anything.

After a few seconds of debate, she looked up. "Are you sure you want to hire her?"

"Oh? Is there something wrong with Miss Vivian?" Raising an eyebrow, Adryan watched this development with curiosity, letting that curiosity creep into his tone.

He seemed to have found something.

Alexxia frowned for a moment. "Not exactly. Mistress Vivian's cases usually end with satisfactory results for her clients. She only started working here about two weeks ago, and it's nice to talk to her outside of work; it's just..."

Taking a few seconds to find the words, Alexxia sighed tiredly, "Her attitude and working methods are not something you would expect from a lady."

"I don't know if a gentleman like you would be comfortable with someone like her. She's a good woman, just a bad lady."

Suddenly realizing that she still didn't know his name, the woman felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but lower her eyes, somewhat embarrassed by her lack of professionalism.

"Please forgive me, I never asked your name."

"Harvey Wayne, my dear. Don't forget that~" With the corners of his lips slightly raised, Adryan winked as he turned to head for the stairs.

"And don't worry about Mistress Vivian. I'm sure I'll be fine." Waving his hand back and forth without much concern, he started up the stairs on his way to the evil lady.

Watching the man's large back and him as he walked away, Alexxia could only sigh dreamily.

"I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to... Sigh," she murmured, accompanied by another sigh as she returned to her work.

...

Of course, the Conspirator's acute hearing easily caught the receptionist's last words. Words that made the corners of his lips quiver for a moment.

'The traces of the Witch of Pleasure on my body will be useful in the future. I didn't even try, and that woman couldn't even look me in the eye.'

One would be surprised how far one could go with the right shoulders and enough beauty. But, of course, Adryan wasn't interested in going down that 'dirty' road.

The first step would be to take over the company. He could easily buy it now if he wanted to, but he decided not to. First, he had to see if what the advert said was true.

You didn't sell an investment company in a good location just like that. There had to be a reason.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do as much 'research' as he'd like.

'It looks a bit shady, but that doesn't matter when you're selling to the market. I'm sure someone will have bought the company by the end of the week.'

Knowing that he couldn't let an opportunity like this pass him by, he decided to check it out this afternoon and buy it early the next morning.

Climbing to the top floor and walking along the green carpet, Adryan passed door after door until he reached number 326.

He could hear some papers being moved behind the door and someone working.

'Only one...' Judging the number of people inside, he raised his left hand.

'Let's see who this so-called evil woman is.'

Knock knock

"It's open!"

Permission granted, the red-haired man opened the door, and the first thing he saw was a woman. She wore a yellow silk robe with a blue cloth draped over her shoulder and tied around her waist, along with bronze bracelets and delicate gemstone earrings.

To add to her scholarly appearance, she also wore square cut-out glasses on her face, which brought out her blue eyes. Her black hair fell in a ponytail that hung over her right shoulder.

One of her hands held a glass goblet filled with a clear liquid, and his nose detected the scent of white wine.

'Oh?'

Through his mental vision, the woman's aura became present. It was bluish-black, twisting and folding in on itself as if trying to distort itself but could not and could only wriggle in discomfort.

Adryan recognized the aura immediately: Sequence 8 of Lawyer's Pathway, Barbarian!

'She's not just a bad lady. She's quite the barbarian~' he smiled sideways, chuckling inwardly.

'It makes sense; it's only logical that a law firm would have one or two other 'lawyers' trying to act. But she's already been through this sequence. Maybe she's to digest an extra... Or maybe... hiding.'

Ever since he had fixed his eyes on the woman, a feeling of familiarity had been nagging at the back of his neck. He had seen this woman somewhere before.

'The feeling is too strong to have been just a passing glance down the street, I have interacted with her before. But when?'

The voice and scent of her were unfamiliar. This was the first time he had spoken to her.

But that was impossible! If it were, he wouldn't have this annoying sense of familiarity.

'The only way this all makes sense is if she's using an artifact with Faceless' abilities to change her appearance and scent...'

The realization struck Adryan, who smiled a smile worthy of a gentleman.

'And I only know one person whose grandfather is a craftsman.'

Adryan placed his free hand on his chest and bowed gracefully. "It's a pleasure, Madam Vivian. I'm Harvey Wayne, and I need help with some business."