??The pale-skinned youth took a step back, but it wasn''t out of fear.


    When he nced at Adam''s chubby and pockmarked face from up close, he was utterly revulsed by the sheer ugliness.


    "Bastard, who do you think you are speaking to me like that?" The young man''s tone was oozing with killing intent.


    "It doesn''t matter who I am," said Adam with a faint smile. He then nced at Atkin and Nara Rollins, the owners of this pleasure house. "What matters is what I''m here for."


    Nara Rollins, after being ignored by Adam, already had a very bad impression of him. Hence, she didn''t bother responding. She just continued to stare daggers at the youth.


    Atkin, on the other hand, had already decided to overlook that matter for the moment. Being the shrewd businessman that he was, he wanted to see if there was any benefit that he could get out of Adam.


    If not, he could just outright kill the youth.


    Hence, he stepped forward and asked with a friendly smile, "My fellow Magus, before talking business, don''t you think you should at least introduce yourself first? This is basic courtesy, after all."


    Adam looked at the man with raised eyebrows. Then, after a moment of pondering, he nodded. "You may call me... Merlin."


    Of course, there was no way he was going to give his real name.


    Although he was certain that he was going to take out everyone present in the room, because of his cautious personality he refrained from revealing his identity.


    That was also the reason why he was under disguise at the moment.


    "Ah, so it was Magus Merlin," Atkin smiled. The next moment, his expression turned solemn. "Might I ask, how did youe to the conclusion that we deal in ve trade? You do know that such illegal activities are banned in the Empire, don''t you?"


    "Are you still going to feign ignorance?" Adam asked, his toneced with tant mockery.


    However, Atkin, Nara, and the pale-skinned youth didn''t reply. They simply stared at Adam, waiting for him to answer.


    Adam nced at the couple for a long time. In the end, he sighed, "Is it not true that in thest decade, your establishment has procured at least ten thousand young women in the ck market?"


    The couple''s eyes narrowed and they couldn''t help but involuntarily nce at each other.


    Nara''s voice turned cold and she asked, "Where did you receive such false information?"


    "False?" Adam nced at the middle-aged woman and sneered. "A little bird revealed to me this false information."


    "You—" Nara had had enough with the youth, but she was interrupted by him before she could speak a word.


    "You kidnap women from the viges, towns, and cities from all over the Empire and force them into a life of prostitution," Adam began, his eyes zing with anger.


    "Since the establishment of this filthy whorehouse, how many women''s lives have you ruined? How many families have you destroyed?"


    With each word that Adam spoke, the pent-up emotions that he had been bottling inside him slowly started to erupt.


    The things that he had read in the Brotherhood''s intel about how this couple carried out their operations, thoroughly disgusted him. He had never felt such revulsion toward another person before.


    By the way Adam was speaking, it had now be clear to the couple and the pale-skinned youth that this young man wasn''t here to conduct business.


    If anything, it seemed that Adam had most likelye here to retaliate.


    They couldn''t help but wonder the same thing.


    Was someone rted to him forced into prostitution at The Velvet Dreams?


    The atmosphere was tense and the trio couldn''t help but nce at each other in slight apprehension.


    In each others'' eyes, they saw the intention ofpletely eradicating this threat standing in front of them.


    There was no way that they would allow Adam to step foot outside this ce. For if word got out that The Velvet Dreams was dealing in the ve trade, they would face severe ramifications.


    "Well, it looks like you aren''t here to trade in ves," said Atkin with a cold smile. "Isn''t that right, Magus Merlin?"


    Atkin, Nara, and the pale-skinned young man slowly surrounded Adam. While the entrance to the private suite had already been blocked by the dozens of Rank 1 Magi that worked here.


    However, Adam didn''t stop them.


    He nced at the couple and asked, "Why? Why did you do it?" "Why?" Nara sneered. "Because we can!"


    Hearing her response, Adam couldn''t help but tightly clench his fists.


    "Just because you can, you ruined the lives of countless young women.


    "Just because you can, you forced them into selling their bodies so you could profit out of it.


    "Just because you can… you killed them!"


    Adam spoke thest sentence while gritting his teeth. There was a specific intel about this establishment that he had learned earlier today from Hudson.


    There were several other pleasure houses in the red-light district, but all of them paled inparison to The Velvet Dream.


    What was the reason?


    Surely, there couldn''t be many differences between women who voluntarily chose to engage in this line of workpared to women who were forced into it.


    But then why was it that The Velvet Dreams still came out on top?


    The reason was that the Rollins couple allowed their patrons to do whatever they wished with their courtesans.


    Whatever they wished.


    As in, if the clients wanted, they could even butcher the women!


    Adam''s eyes zed with killing intent as he venomously red at the Rollins couple. "How depraved do you have to be to allow people to kill those innocent women?


    "Was forcing them into prostitution not enough?


    "Answer me, you sick bastards!!"


    The trio were visibly shocked when they heard Adam say such things. It was one thing for the youth to know about their dealing in the ve trade.


    However, except for them, no one knew that women were being ughtered here.


    Of course, the clients who partook in this activity were the only other exceptions. But they were made to sign a mana contract, ensuring that such things were never disclosed to others.


    They would die before they could even reveal a hint.


    But for some reason, Adam was privy to everything going around inside The Velvet Dreams. This caused the Rollins couple''s scalps to tingle.


    Now, they no longer thought of straight-up killing Adam. No, they first had to find out how this youth knew so much about them.


    However, the pale-skinned youth standing beside them was of a different mind.


    His eyes narrowed and he muttered coldly, "You know too much."


    Adam nced at him and spat through gritted teeth, "Rest assured, when I''m done with you, the whole Empire will know of your—"


    SPLURT!


    The youth couldn''t finish what he was about to say when all of a sudden he felt a cold de pierce his heart from behind.


    Adam was thunderstruck!


    He slowly lowered his head and saw a pitch-ck dagger stained with his own blood jutting out from his chest.


    Blood spurted out of his mouth as he felt another presence slowly materialize behind him, one which he hadn''t noticed sinceing here.


    His lips parted and he muttered with immense struggle, "I-


    Impossible!


    "Another… Rank 2 Magus?!"