Fate Online: Shadow

The elevator from the tenth floor slowly came down to the first floor.

And when the doors opened, it revealed Michael who is now wearing a black trench coat that reaches all the way to his calf, along with a black fedora, and his hands covered in a pair of black leather gloves like he was Van Helsing or something.

Michael made his way out of the hotel, and while he was doing that, he could feel the stares directed at him.

He ignored the others but smiled at the people he had locked eyes with for a moment.

Of course, some of them also looked suspiciously at him, but most of them just thought that he's probably out to have some "fun" tonight.

Michael left the building, and when that happened, he slowly realized that the cold season is approaching as he could even see his breath turning into a mist.

Michael hailed a taxi when he got to the main road, and it drove him towards the red light district of the city.

The taxi drove through narrow roads before it arrived into a scene of pink and red neon lights with the streets teeming with people, some drunk, and some are vomiting on a street corner while there are others curiously looking around like it's their first time.

"Sir, we have arrived"

The taxi drove towards a parking lot where multiple taxis are parked, with their drivers waiting for customers who needed a ride.

From the rearview mirror, Michael could see the driver looking at him with a smile on his face that only men can understand when something is related to...women.

"Wait, wait, customer..uhmm..be careful..this place...has a lot of...pick...pickpockets. Yes, pickpockets! So, you need to be...careful, yes"

Michael just nodded his head and paid the fare and when he was about to go down from the taxi, the driver hurriedly called out to him and gave him some advice as he stuttered trying to think of the correct words to accurately communicate with him.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good evening and take care"

Michael smiled at the kind driver before getting down, and then he fixed his hat and coat before he scanned his surroundings and started walking away.

"Hoo, ang hirap talaga mag English!" said the driver in their common tongue before driving away.

The place he is at is like a hidden paradise for men, and the place is located at the lower rung part of the city, where someone can only access this place after driving through the shanty areas of the city, hiding it from many prying eyes.

Arriving here, the streets would become wider like a three-lane road, and on both sides of the streets are building covered in pink or red neon lights with women dressed in revealing clothes and lots of makeup on their faces as they stood on the side of the road as they tried to lure in customers who have needs that needed to be satisfied.

"Hello, sir! How about buying me a drink or two, and maybe…"

A woman in tight jeans and a strappy crop top that shows off her bountiful chest and that amazing white valley suddenly approached Michael when she spotted him walking in their direction.

Michael stopped in his tracks and then looked at her from head to toe, and while he was doing that, the woman started showing him seductive poses while blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to be alluring to seduce him.

Then after that, he looked directly at the woman and said, "Do you know where the Spring Dragons Building is at?"

After saying that, he stuffed a twenty-dollar bill on the woman's cleavage, and he even gave it a grope like he was already entitled to that privileged.

The woman's eyes quickly lit up when she saw the twenty-dollar bill on her cleavage. After all, that bill is considered a lot in Pearl Nation if it's exchanged to the local currency.

"Follow me, I know where is it, dear customer"

Michael followed behind the woman, and along the road, he learned that the woman's name is Maria.

And the woman seems to be popular here as a lot of people had greeted her along the way like she's just one of those ordinary neighborhood women, who live "normal" lives.

Maria glanced behind her and quickly slowed her pace and started walking beside Michael.

"You look quite young dear customer, where are you from?"

Michael eyed her and only said, "You don't need to know, just lead the way"

Looking at the cold eyes looking at her, Maria shivered as she quickly looked away, it was because she was reminded by those people she always sees around here, and some are even her customers.

'He's not a member of one of those syndicates, right? If he is, and he's actually here to cause trouble to Spring Dragons, then...'

She thought at that point before she gave a quick glance towards Michael.

"I'm not one of them, so don't worry"

Seemingly able to read her mind, Michael spouted those words which scared Maria more, but at the same time, a little bit relieved for reasons unknown.

Michael glanced at her and thought to himself of why such a beautiful woman is working here.

'I guess everyone has their own story, even beautiful ones aren't spared from the bitterness of life'

A few minutes later, both of them finally arrived in front of a huge building that's clearly out of place among the other buildings around.

It wasn't just an ordinary building, but a literal mansion with three floors!

The building is at least five hundred square meters in size, and surrounded by bright light neon lights with a lot of people coming to and fro, especially women who had brought customers...male customers inside.

"This is Spring Dragons, the largest entertainment building in the city and the only place that doesn't do those kinds of services if you know what I mean," said Maria while looking at the building.

"So...now that I've brought you here, I'll go ahead," Maria said, and the look on her face clearly tells that she can't wait to get out of there.

"Wait…"

Maria had just turned around and taken a few steps when Michael suddenly called out to her.

"Yes?"

Michael didn't say anything and took out a few bills from his wallet and rudely stuffed it deep inside her cleavage.

"Use it well"

Michael looked at her for a second before turning around and made his way inside Spring Dragons.

Maria didn't quickly leave this time, but she just dazedly looked at Michael as he walked away from her.

'How nice would it be if I wasn't living like this?'

And then she turned around and walked back towards the direction of where she came from, her cheerful attitude earlier seems to have disappeared.

"Oh my god, this is a lot"

But when she returned to her quarters and saw the money that Michael had given her earlier, she quickly became joyful that she really wanted to scream in happiness but held it in as she was afraid that someone might see the large bills that she's holding in her hands.

After all, Michael had stuffed a thousand dollars worth of money on her earlier.

"He didn't make a mistake, right? Hmm...but I don't think he made a mistake cause he was carefully counting it earlier, and he doesn't look like he was drunk"

When she thought about that cold-looking man earlier, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself and thank her lucky stars for meeting him.

'I can finally pay my last debts and leave this horrid place!'