The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

"Your brother?" The young woman blinked her eyes, astonished by what she had just heard.

She looked at her for a long moment, deliberating whether there was some lie in her words.

Yet, the pair of misty gray eyes looked back into hers with conviction.

"That’s surprising..." She spoke. Then she shook her head before continuing, "Miss, I can’t help you with that. Family matters are meant to be kept between yourselves. Him going to a place like Sweet Bliss? That seems like a matter you best leave alone."

It was fine if it was someone looking for their lover. But a sister? The young woman was more afraid of letting her discover what sort of place Sweet Bliss turned out to be than her finding her brother.

"It’s alright. You don’t need to help me find him. I just need someone who can point me directions." Aisha, however, did not give up. "I’ll pay you."

The location that Theon had given her was only the accurate name of the place, but the directions weren’t stated clearly. Besides, Aisha needed someone who could guide her to Sector Nine and tell her what she needed to know about that place before she arrived there.

The young woman beside her sighed. "Alright. How much are you willing to pay?"

"Fifty star credits," Aisha offered.

"Tsk tsk... that’s too little."

Aisha frowned. "How much do you want?"

The young woman held up five fingers. "Five hundred."

***

Sector Nine was not an affluent place, but slightly better than the lower sectors. It housed several working-class families and mercenaries who were employed by businesses and stellar merchants. But what made their sector more populated than Sector Eight or Ten was that it was a frequented place for many people for its alcohol and, especially, its pleasure establishments.

And most people who had stayed outside Gaia tend to find themselves drawn to a bustling place like this. Whether they wanted to drink or stave off some tension on their bodies by mixing with other people’s flesh, that didn’t matter. They were all welcome to stay for as long as they had the money.

So, most people who wanted to do business here thought of opening a brothel or a bar.

Aisha and the young woman stepped off the platform and walked downward a tunnel. It led them to a wider and brighter space. Hundreds of two-storey or five-storey buildings were brightly lit. Some even hung lanterns in various shapes and colors to attract their guests into their establishments.

On the streets, a crowd was moving in harmony. But anyone could see that this was peak hours because of how many people there were.

"I’m not really proud of my sector... But every night, this place becomes the central attraction for everyone outside Sector Nine. It gives enough money for us to live like a normal person."

Aisha glanced at the young woman. "How old are you?"

"Tut! In this place, questions like that can get you killed. Especially women who work in that place." She pointed at one of the buildings with a blue lantern hanging on the canopy. "But since I don’t work there, I can tell you. I’m twenty-one years old."

Nodding her head in understanding, Aisha gazed at the building she was pointing. A couple of women who were scantily dressed were leaning against the balcony and looked extremely bored. A few of them waved at the people on the street.

"Hey, handsome, want to come upstairs with me?"

"Baldy, I can give you a good night."

"Pick me, okay?"

They were even called by one of the women there.

"Hey, you two girls down there. Do you want this big sister to take you to heaven?"

"Come, I’ll put a discount on both of you!"

The young woman beside Aisha laughed and replied to the woman. "Sorry, sisters. We’re not here for that."

She winked at Aisha, who stiffly nodded.

When they passed that building, the young woman sighed. "Don’t be offended when they call you. There will be more later. Besides, it’s just part of their job."

"Are they being forced to work?" Aisha suddenly asked.

Her abrupt question almost choked the young woman. She quickly answered, "No! Hell... Sector Nine is nothing like that! It’s illegal here to force anyone to tell their bodies."

Aisha frowned upon hearing this. "They’re not?"

The young woman was weirded out by her question and nodded seriously. "Yes. All of these people who work in our pleasure district are doing it for money. Maybe some are here for the fun of it. But there has never been a case where someone was forced to do their job."

Aisha turned her gaze away and nodded.

At least, this place wasn’t so bad compared to her world. But she didn’t continue with that thought because ahead of their path, a brawl was going on.

The young woman beside her suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. Aisha frowned, but didn’t immediately pull away. They quickly reached the sound of voices still engaged in a heated argument.

"You bastard! I told you already that you’re no longer allowed to enter here!"

A stout-looking man dressed in a guard’s uniform looked disdainfully at a man who was groaning on the ground.

"Fuck, I have the money I told you!" The man held his cheek where a bruise was already forming after being punched there. He thrust his hand out where a small pouch was lying on top. "Are you blind? Can’t you see I can afford to enter your place?!"

The guard frowned, regarded the pouch for a brief moment, then scoffed. "Go away."

"What—?"

The man staggered being turned away by the guard.

Voices from the crowd had also started to join in.

"Damn. Here I thought he brought a whole bag of money. Turns out it’s just a tiny bag."

"Hahaha! Stupid, if you want to come inside, you have to carry a lot of money first!"

"That’s right... I heard you have to pay a lot just to enter."

"A friend brought me in last time. Guess how much a glass of alcohol inside costs?"

"How much?"

"3,000!"

"!!!"

Aisha whispered, "Are there any differences between brothels?"

They rounded the corner and went past the crowd first before the young woman nodded. "That’s right. There are three tiers of bars and brothels here. The one we passed by just now is a B-tier. You would need to pay an entrance fee. Usually around a hundred or a thousand."

They moved further into the streets, and the crowd was slightly sparser here. They didn’t need to bump into someone when they walked.

The young woman let go of her arm and added, "By the way, Sweet Bliss is also B-tier. And their entrance fee is a thousand. Do you still want to enter?"

That wasn’t part of the information Theon had given her. But then again, he wouldn’t have expected her to come here anyway.

A thousand... that wasn’t a low price to pay to just enter a brothel. If Aisha was right, then there would be more fees to pay inside. Alcohol varies in price and... paying for the services of a courtesan would be more expensive than any of that.

Yet Zenick’s third mate and bosun could afford to come here?

Aisha did not know how much Zenick paid his men for their job, but he must have been paying them well. Still, it didn’t make sense that they would spend their hard-earned money on a brothel when they knew their captain went missing.

Sure, they might not have had any idea if they were telling the truth.

But Theon had come looking for them. Shouldn’t they have an idea of what was happening by now?

Instead of looking for Zenick, they were engaging in satisfying their carnal desires in a brothel.

"Don’t worry, I have money."

Aisha suspected that they knew more than they let on.

And they had specifically hidden whatever they knew from Theon.

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