Chapter 96 Spring

The first thing that jumped at Xzavier's eyes was the fact that, for an old man who was a beggar, he didn't seem to have the starving look that was typical of beggars.

Also, Xzavier didn't know if his eyes were playing games with him, but in the spot where the beggar claimed to be missing an arm, he could almost swear that he could make out the faint outline of an arm that had been suppressed by bandage and cleverly concealed behind a baggy top. Xzavier didn't exactly know where his mind was going with this, but it seemed to him that this particular beggar was an old crone who had spent many years perfecting a fraud.

Before Xzavier could make his suspicions known to Adalia, the kind girl was already reaching towards the beggar with a penny in her hand. Xzavier swallowed hard and sighed. It was now confirmed. He noted to himself.

"No matter the time or era, it seems like the scourge of beggars will be ever present."

Xzavier usually found it hard to let go of things that demanded immediate addressing, but he was surrounded by a hub of catchy things that were engineered to capture and hold the attention of people. So, as soon as Xzavier and Adalia moved on from the beggar, Xzavier found himself captivated by the building in front of them. This particular structure was of the elegant type. Judging by the small crowd gathered around and in its lobby, Xzavier knew that it really must be a busy establishment.

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Unlike the other stores, this building was three stories high. The decoration of the building stood out of the throng like a peacock amongst a company of guinea fowls and ostriches. The walls were artfully designed, and it's windows were smooth and shiny, almost as if inviting potential customers to feast their eyes on the wonders that awaited them inside. To crown it all, there were some beautiful women stationed outside with friendly smiles welcoming auras. And like bees to nectar, they drew in a small crowd of potential customers.

Xzavier couldn't help but praise the ingenuity of the management.

For a time like this, their marketing strategy was revolutionary, bold, and intentional. The name of the establishment was called 'Spring.'

"What a way to advertise a spa…" he mumbled to himself.

Adalia caught the movements of his lips, but because of the noise all around, she hadn't been able catch what he had said.

"What?!"

She gestured with her hands to her ears, letting him know that she hadn't heard him.

Xzavier reiterated again.

"I was asking, why does a spa store need so much flair and decorations?"

Maybe it was the pinkish vibe, maybe it was the name, but Xzavier had been wrong in his presumptuous assumption that the store was a spa.

Adalia's face immediately turned bright pink as she tried to explain to Xzavier that this was in fact not a spa.

"It's not a spa store!" she said to Xzavier in a bid to stay above the noise.

Xzavier was amused. If it wasn't a store, then what was it? Maybe a beauty store then? He didn't know it, but he was well afar off from the truth. Adalia made the truth known to him with her very next statement.

"Oh Xzavier! That's a place where men go to relax."

The first thing that came to his mind when she mentioned the words 'men' and 'relax' was a bar, or maybe a lounge. But with the suddenness of a lightning strike, the truth hit him like a surge of electricity.

Xzavier didn't know if this was all in his head, he didn't it likely that a place like this would be so easily accessible, and in such a public place! He looked at Adalia, and much to his dismay, he discovered that he hadn't being attention to her mannerisms and body language as she spoke about the 'store.'

Adalia was practically spewing all the signs of a nervous wreck trying her best to keep her tongue free from anything profane as she tried to explain the inexplicable. Her shyness on this topic made all the difference. Xzavier watched her keenly, and immediately deduced that his suspicions were right.

"Adalia, tell me the truth, this place is a high-class brothel isn't it?" he inquired in a somber tone.

Adalia avoided his eyes for a moment, deliberating on the best way to reply to an inquiry such as this. Finally, she ended up mumbling an inaudible 'yes.'

Again and again, Xzavier kept finding himself cornered down surprise alley. Anytime he thought he couldn't possibly be more stunned by the bizarre ways and culture of this time, fate churned out something even more astounding than the previous bombshell.

For starters, Xzavier was taken aback by the apparent absence of any kind of a moral compass in this time. Of course, Xzavier hadn't being naïve to expect everyone here to be on the same page with regards to moral standards. He anticipated that there would be some left winged liberal activities here, but he hadn't expected it to be to such a glaring degree! In fact, it seemed that there were no conservatives here at all! This was absurd, because in almost every civilization, the liberal to conservative ratio was almost equal. This balance always preserved the dynamic of things, and kept either side in check.

But alas, this particular utopia seemed to be the exception. Xzavier was truly amazed, the legislative wing of this government seemed to be pretty lax in its tolerance of some of its laws. It was no wonder why the level of moral decadence was on the rise.

Of course, Xzavier didn't consider himself a saint. He wasn't diametrically opposed to this particular industry. In fact, more often than he cared to admit, in his past life, once in a blue moon, he was known to visit a few private nightclubs to blow off some steam and release the pent up hormones that had been building up for weeks on end. Some of those times were when he had just completed some dangerous missions. So, as soon as he was given a temporary break, still high on the adrenaline, he would visit some these irrefutable places.

Xzavier smiled, but inwardly, as he recalled some of his fondest memories. He was no stranger to this life.

"Maybe sometime in the near future, I wonder if it would be possible to introduce some disco songs to spice up things in this world."

Temporarily trapped in his mind, and still reeling in his fantasy of becoming a music mogul as a night king in this era, Xzavier briefly lost touch with reality, and consequently with his environment. So, when Adalia's scream suddenly assaulted his right ears, Xzavier was forced to rise from the depth of his fantasy, and face his immediate surrounding.

With the stunning quickness of a jungle cat, Xzavier instinctively spun one hundred and eighty degrees in the direction of the cry. Completely unaware of when the distance between him and Xzavier had grown up to ten feet, Xzavier saw her a short distance away and his blood boiled at the sight that met his gaze.

If it had been a thief, or a street runt trying to pick Adalia's pockets, Xzavier probably wouldn't have been as mad as he was. But instead, it was a drunk, sorry-excuse-of a guy that was boldly feeling up Adalia's full bottom. With his free hand, and with a horrid look in his intoxicated eyes, he was groping and hungrily squeezing the blond beauty's ass, utterly savoring it and enjoying every moment. Even when Adalia tried to let, go, he locked her in a kind of embrace, and with his hand behind, he caressed her ample backside like it was a Ballon filled with water.

Xzavier was enraged. His face darkened as a heavy cloud of anger hovered over his head, encompassing him in a thick fog of rage, making his vision to turn blood red. In Xzavier's mind, this was an unforgivable offense. He could probably spare a thief who was stealing to survive. He might even extend this grace to a liar trying to defraud him. But no matter the location, Xzavier absolutely detested any kind of sexual predator. They disgusted him. To Xzavier, the sight of one was like a cancerous tumor that needed to be cut off immediately.

So, blinded by his intense dislike for this caliber of nonentities, Xzavier charged towards the drunk and violently shoved him away from Adalia.

The drunk, who was deeply intoxicated, was completely shaken when a strong hand ripped him away from his prize. Even while sober, it was very unlikely that he would have stood strong on his feet. But, he was already at a disadvantage because he was drunk. So, his stamina couldn't sustain the shove. Wobbling on his feet like an old rickety furniture, the drunk man swayed for a moment before hitting the ground with a painful thud as he landed on his butt.