MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

Adam still wasn't really able to wrap his head around everything that had just transpired.

His discussion with Bridget felt more like an interrogation session than anything else. It felt as if…she had been trying to get a measure of him through that little session. Whatever it was, whatever she may have wanted from him, it seemed that he had passed her little test.

'Well, it seems that I have been discussing with a witch…'

Adam really felt that he needed a drink right about now. Events came and went but he felt like he was simply being swung around by fate with no say in what transpired, almost like a puppet.

If he had to be honest about it, it really was a very disturbing feeling. He did not like being so passive. But this passiveness of his was born from his lack of knowledge of everything that was actually going around in this new world he found himself in.

'Shouldn't there be someone or something that would magically explain everything to me from A to Z in these kinds of settings?'

At least, that was how it usually went in the fantasy books he consumed in his younger years.

'I need to speak with Yui.'

He had already deduced that Mammoth and Yui were definitely more than what meets the eye. They should be related to the supernatural side of this world. If Bridget was indeed a more than 330-year-old witch then his guess about Yui and her entourage was now a certainty.

Now, the problem was… Just how much could he divulge to her?

Adam believed in Yui wholeheartedly. He saw her as a big sister figure in many ways. She had always taken care of him and never abused him even when she could have used his strength to earn even more money during the inception period of her gang.

The bets she let him participate in were always relatively safe, making sure that no extensive and lasting harm came to Adam during those fights. Even now, she was giving him a chance on such an important occasion. If he couldn't even believe in her then he would be one ungrateful bastard without a shroud of humanity in him.

But this wasn't just about trust. What if Yui was destined to be some kind of enemy to the Primogenitor race? He didn't know what place Primogenitors had in this world. Hell, he didn't even really understand what they were.

Was he able to create a new race? Did he need to bite someone or give his blood to someone to initiate the process? Just what was his race even?

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So many headache-inducing questions and no fucking answer for them.

'I need to get that appraisal skill.'

He didn't know how much that would help him down the line. But if the skill was anything remotely similar to what he had read in some stories, then it should at least allow him to see and understand the world of supernaturals more deeply. He would at least be able to distinguish between the two worlds and act accordingly.

For a newbie like him, that was practically a godsend.

'Whatever I am now, mother did not wish to see it happen. That woman's word made it clear.'

This, more than anything, was what scared him out of his wits. This was also why he had not yet run to his mom and inquired for answers.

His current state of mind was quite precarious. In such a state, if both Cecilia and Yui were to reject him and look at him like he was some kind of monster, he didn't know what he would do to himself. But, he was sure of the fact that it certainly wouldn't be anything pretty.

'Well, enough with the whining.'

Adam stood up and arranged his suit. Whining and crying about his situation wouldn't change shit. If he had the time to complain, that time would be better spent on doing his job.

What Adam did next was pretty simple, so to speak.

He began playing the second fiddle role.

Watch and learn. Adam knew this reality more than anyone else. So he did not rush in, trying to steal the place of people who were much more experienced and trained than him in this field.

He simply observed. Sometimes he would participate in a discussion, sometime he would simply nod and smile to the ones taking notice of his presence. But whatever he was doing, he would always do his best to play the wingman and support the host to the best of his abilities.

By doing so, he was able to slowly understand more and more about the way they held themselves around the clients. The way they spoke, the way they moved, the small smiles and gestures on the side, the little touch that promoted intimacy, and the reactions they elicited from their clients with their every move. He observed it all.

Each of the hosts had different styles and different ways of conducting themselves around their targets and he was greedily absorbing all of the information he needed from them.

When some hosts appreciated his intervention, he would stay a little longer by their side and try to become friendlier with them. If they showed discomfort, he would slowly distance himself without making a scene.

What he wanted to do now, was simply learn. But it didn't just stop there. Those clients would most likely come back at a later date and even if they didn't, each of them was a very influential or rich woman so there was no loss in making them remember his face.

Furthermore, he was also building connections with his coworkers. He knew that this job was more of a competition against everyone than anything. But this didn't mean that he had to make them his enemies.

Since Adam had left the gang when it was in its development phase, the only cadre he was truly familiar with was Mammoth.

From the way Nikola came at him, it was clear that the others weren't exactly happy about him coming back.

He may have brushed off that woman earlier, but he couldn't exactly rely on Yui every time something like that happened. It was necessary to befriend a few of them and make the others accept him even if begrudgingly so.

Dealing with society and the people in it was truly a pain in the arse.

———

The next few hours became blurry in his mind as he did his best to keep note of as many names as possible.

Wealthy heiresses, princesses, sad housewives, superstars and so so many more.

None of the women he met had the same atmosphere as Bridget. Moreover, he was very consciously trying his level best to avoid the center of the bar where he could feel stares of interest directed toward him every now and then.

Adam knew that the place those stares were coming from inhabited the most dangerous and influential women of this gathering. All the more reason he was avoiding that damned place.

This situation was crazy enough as it was. He didn't want to add more to his already overflowing plate.

Even then it was so hard and boring. Listening to the unorthodox problems of some of those women sometimes left him utterly speechless.

For instance, speaking about losing jewelry worth a few hundred thousand like it was nothing but a minor inconvenience to them, or complaining about some restaurants where foods cost around 5 or 10 grand for just a few plates. but the main complaint there was simply how it didn't feel private enough to them.

Some women talked about their yachts not being big enough or how they wanted to visit their private islands and relax.

It was in moments like this that Adam realized once again the disparity between the truly rich and the poor in this world.

Adam never really thought they were poor. His mother had always worked her ass off to put food on the table and Shuri had allowed them to have good lodgings in a relatively good and safe neighborhood.

But this…?

He had to fight extremely hard to keep his bewilderment from showing on his face and actually keep a polite smile all the time.

His problem of needing more than a million per year to keep his mother alive seemed so trivial in front of the numbers that were being thrown around in this place…so much so that he couldn't help but feel a little revulsed inwardly.

But all of this didn't really matter to him, in the end. He needed money, lots and lots of money. He might make enough money when he became a lawyer, but he did not have the time necessary to just wait for that possibility. He needed money now in a way that wouldn't create lasting problems for him.

This was the best job he could ask for and if for that he needed to stroke the pride of some upstart who wished to show off the wealth of her husband then he had no reason to hesitate or be overworked by their words.

So Adam worked. He played second fiddle but still helped in making the women drink more and more of the ridiculously priced drinks at the bar. He didn't know how this would reflect on his performance and how much money he would gain for his actions but it did not matter right now.

He simply worked. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he could feel the number of invitees slowly dwindling as well as those in the center leaving one after another.

When the last invitee left and Nikola spoke up,

"Well, boys…It's time to wrap up."

Adam almost slumped on the ground out of the sheer tiredness he felt from all over. But this tiredness was swept away when a prompt sounded in his head, coloring his face with delight.

[One of the ordeals has been cleared…]

[Calculating Results…]

[Yui has been impressed by your determination and your willingness to slowly learn rather than jump in the pit]

[Reward: 1 Free Pass to the bronze section of the library.]

His work had finally paid off…

(AN: You can take a look at auxiliary. I created a new chapter where I will slowly update character and illustrations.)