Chapter 6

1. Ash Ronmore (5)

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Ash Ronmore's "Ronmore Detective Agency."

Despite Ash Ronmore's notorious reputation, the daily life at the Ronmore Detective Agency is quite peaceful.

"Good morning, boss!"

"Yawn... Yeah."

It was 9:00 AM. Ash had just woken up as the agency opened. Shin greeted him energetically, and Ash responded with a lazy yawn.

Shin was already dressed neatly, having finished his preparations for work.

"You woke up early today. Would you like me to prepare breakfast for you?"

"...Sure, thanks."

"Yes, just a moment."

Shin headed to the kitchen. Ash sat at the table, trying to shake off the drowsiness.

The shabby building where the Ronmore Detective Agency was located had a total of three floors.

The first and second floors were offices, and the third floor was shared by Shin and Ash.

Living alone in the slums without a guardian was extremely dangerous, so Shin lived with Ash at his suggestion.

"Enjoy your meal. I'll go down first."

"Okay, good work."

Shin, who had prepared breakfast for the lazy Ash, went down to open the office door.

Ash ate while looking at his phone.

The Dark Web, 'Gate,' operated anonymously.

It was a community popular in the underworld of the five-city federation, including Wayne City. Ash entered the 'Wayne' category, which was for those active in Wayne City.

Numerous subcategories appeared.

On 'Gate,' anyone could create a discussion board on any topic, so it wasn't enough to just enter the category for the city where they were active; they had to find the specific topic they were interested in.

Ash searched for 'slums' in the keyword search bar and entered the relevant board.

Given the size of the underworld community, which had at least hundreds of thousands of users, the number of posts on a single subcategory board was substantial.

The types of posts were diverse, especially in the slums.

From idle chatter to illegal weapon trading and human trafficking, Ash's eyes were drawn to one particular post.

"What's this?"

*

Title: Is the Crazy Knife Guy all hype? - Anonymous

Views: 208

Where are all the people who saw him fight a few years ago? He's losing his territory now, but he hasn't shown his face once.

Likes: 11

Dislikes: 1

Comments (4):

Anonymous: How many people are rushing there now? They might be scared. Haha.

Anonymous: I heard there were no tribute payments from that area for a few years. Maybe he never cared from the start?

- Anonymous: I think that's right.

Anonymous: The Crazy Knife Guy is quiet now, but when he was active, just making eye contact was terrifying. Really.

- Anonymous (Author): Come on, Crazy Knife Guy.

Anonymous: Honestly, it seems like hype. Omar's gang must have had thousands of members. How could he take them all on alone? He must have had help from his underlings or the underworld.

*

"Hah. What a joke."

Ash chuckled at the post and comments but soon focused on the atmosphere of the comments rather than the content.

It seemed that the gangs in the 63rd and 71st districts, which he had cleaned up, were entangled in the underworld of the slums.

Ash left the post and searched for articles related to the 63rd district, which had been a hot topic recently.

* * *

Searching for "63" brought up a series of posts that had been up for only a few days. Ash swallowed hard at the unexpectedly large number of search results.

"Hmm."

He had noticed that things had been getting noisy there recently, but he didn't realize that dozens of related posts had been made in just a few days. Ash selected one to read.

*

Title: 63rd District is in chaos! - Anonymous

Views: 373

There's a gunfight between external gangs and the local alliance. I saw a post here before telling people not to go out at night. Seriously, you could get shot by a stray bullet. Be careful.

Likes: 18

Dislikes: 0

Comments (11):

Anonymous: What's the Crazy Knife Guy doing? Not dealing with those guys?

- Anonymous: He's playing with his toys in his office. Haha.

Anonymous: I thought it was livable for a few years, but now it's a mess again.

Anonymous: I just started a business. If I mess up, my life is over.

- Anonymous: Get out of here. I heard the vampires are also involved. If you get tangled up with them, you're done.

Anonymous (Author): Damn, I can hear gunshots again. I can't sleep, you bastards! Can I just go out and take care of them?

- Anonymous: Good luck. I'll pray for you.

Anonymous: I can hear gunshots through the wall. Should I stay low?

- Anonymous: Don't be a hero. You'll just waste money on stitches. Stay inside.

*

The post and comments were chaotic, reflecting the current situation in the 63rd district.

After reading a few more posts, Ash realized that the situation had progressed more than he had expected.

He thought it was just a matter of testing the waters, but it seemed that the outskirts had already turned into a war zone, and now they were fighting over the center of the entertainment district.

"Should I get involved, or let it be?"

He had thought about this before, but now it was time to make a proper decision.

He could either let the slum trash run wild or intervene and put an end to it.

He didn't care about the interests of the slums or the entertainment district, but if the fighting in the 63rd district continued, it could affect the businesses there.

Ash didn't receive tribute from the entertainment district, but the 'Flower of the Moon,' a place he frequently visited, was among the businesses that could be affected.

The 'Flower of the Moon' might even have to close temporarily. That was unacceptable.

Movies were Ash's main hobby, but he had grown tired of them recently. If he lost the fun of drinking and women, life would be dull.

After some thought, Ash decided to postpone his decision again.

"I need to go and see for myself."

A few days ago, he had helped a business by driving away some vampire gang members. Now, he decided to visit the entertainment district again. He planned to talk to the madam and the women at 'Flower of the Moon' before making a decision.

After finishing his meal, Ash went down to the office and spent the day half-heartedly. Around 6:00 PM, he headed to the entertainment district.

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Ash arrived at the center of the 63rd district's entertainment area just after 7:00 PM. As he walked towards 'Flower of the Moon,' he noticed something unusual.

"Sir, you can't sleep here. Please wake up."

"Ugh, what...?"

"You seem to have had a drink. You need to go home. It's dangerous at night."

"Ah, yes, yes... I'll go."

The police were actually doing their job! Ash saw the police waking up a drunk who had fallen asleep on the street and realized that something was definitely going on.

The police in the slums and the entertainment district were notoriously lazy, as lazy as Ash himself, who had stayed up late watching movies and woken up late.

They did nothing, but today, the police in the entertainment district were actively helping the drunks go home.

Another strange thing was that the drunks were obediently following the police's instructions.

Usually, drunk people would argue, but today, most of them were going home without a fuss.

This meant that even in their drunken state, they were instinctively aware of the danger.

"...There seem to be fewer outsiders too."

Ash mumbled as he walked slowly. The slums were openly treated as the city's garbage dump, but the entertainment district of Wayne City was different.

It was a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from other districts, cities, and even foreign countries. Today, the number of visitors, both locals and outsiders, seemed to have decreased.

As he observed these changes, Ash soon arrived at his destination, 'Flower of the Moon.'

It looked like it was in a different world, with a modest brick wall. However, the building, with its ornate eaves and tiled roof, stood tall and impressive, an 8-story structure.

This was one of the most successful businesses in the 63rd district's entertainment area, 'Flower of the Moon.'

The atmosphere of the entertainment district had been poor, but this place remained unchanged.

Well-dressed, wealthy-looking people were coming and going, and giant guards controlled the entrance.

As Ash approached the entrance of 'Flower of the Moon,' the guards recognized him and greeted him.

"Good evening!"

"Welcome back!"

The guards recognized Ash not only because of his distinctive appearance but also because he was a frequent visitor. It would be strange if they didn't recognize him. He had once stayed here for over a week, enjoying himself.

Ash nodded at the guards and explained his purpose.

"Hey, I need to talk to the madam."

"Sure, please wait a moment."

The two guards at the entrance didn't question him and relayed the message to the inside via radio.

After receiving a response, they informed Ash.

"The madam has been informed. We'll take you directly to the 8th floor."

"Thanks, I'll go up on my own. Good work."

"Ah, yes! Thank you."

Thump, thump. Ash patted the shoulders of the guards, who were at least 20 cm taller than him, and entered the building.

Click. The door opened with a soft sound, and a woman at the counter greeted him.

"Welcome back, Ash."

"Hey, Diana. You're in charge today?"

"Yes, actually, it's my day off, but the atmosphere has been a bit tense lately, so I'm here to help."

Ash recognized the woman and greeted her. She had light blonde hair, fair skin, and was dressed in a modified traditional Eastern outfit, a perfect blend of Western and Eastern beauty. Diana was a woman he had shared a bed with here before.

"Right? How are the other girls doing lately?"

"Lately? Well... The atmosphere isn't great for us either."

Diana was cautious with her words, as more than half of the visitors were wealthy tourists who might be aware of the situation but weren't in a position to discuss it openly.

Ash understood and said,

"Right, I need to talk to the madam."

"Oh, right. You said you wanted to talk to the madam. I didn't keep you too long, did I? Should I assign a guide to you?"

"No, it's fine. Thanks."

"Have a good time, Ash."

After finishing his conversation with Diana, Ash headed to the VVIP elevator and slowly ascended, enjoying the view of the interior of 'Flower of the Moon' through the glass windows.

'Flower of the Moon' perfectly matched its Eastern-themed exterior with its interior design and staff attire.

The soft glow of paper lanterns, the rustling of silk and satin skirts, and the graceful movements of the women made it feel like stepping into an ancient Eastern world.

Of course, more of the staff had Western features, but Ash enjoyed the harmonious blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Here, women in modified traditional outfits, resembling hanboks, kimonos, and cheongsams, served drinks and food, and sold laughter and companionship.

The first three floors were for laughter and entertainment, but the fourth floor and above were a different world.

The lighting took on a slightly reddish hue, and on the fourth floor, the women sold more than just laughter and companionship.

Naturally, there were restrictions on entering these floors. The first three floors were open to anyone with money, but the fourth floor and above required specific conditions to be met.

Ash had spent a significant amount of time and credits to gain access to the fourth floor and above.

The reward was incredibly sweet.

'Flower of the Moon' was one of the top places in the 63rd district for a reason.

Ash wanted to enjoy the things that made 'Flower of the Moon' special, but now was not the time.

He could indulge after meeting the madam and making a decision.

Ding. You have arrived.

While Ash was thinking, the elevator reached the 8th floor, and the doors opened.

The hallway on the 8th floor, accessible to only a select few, was so quiet that the sound of footsteps echoed.

Ash, who had visited this place frequently, walked familiarly towards the room at the far end, where the madam usually stayed.

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