Neon signs blinked everywhere along the sides of high rise buildings. There were no street vendors or poor people begging for money on this particular street. Instead, there were women who wore revealing clothes and thick layers of makeup on their faces. Drunk men with lustful expressions, rosy cheeks, and unfocused eyes had their arms wrapped around these women as they strolled into the various “love-making” inns. The three red suns were now replaced with three shining moons which beamed down on the crowd below.

It was the dead of night in the 7th District, but that wouldn’t stop those who sought the excitement and comfort of nightlife. A tall, handsome young man in a black tailcoat walked with a refined gait and with his hands behind his back down the main street of what was known to be a notorious red light district. His hair was white and his skin was abnormally pale. Brothels and “special” pubs were packed tightly next to each other. The man gazed upon these unfamiliar sights with a puzzled look. He observed the strange men and women. He didn’t know that they wanted to drown their sorrows in the satisfaction of copulation and the warmth of another human being. From where he came from, pleasures of the flesh were foreign concepts, after all.

Suddenly, a woman with at least a pound of makeup on her face approached the youth. She wore a red, silk dress which accentuated her womanly curves and cleavage. A slit on the side of her dress revealed a long, slender leg that would provoke the manhoods of any other man.

“Hey there, handsome. Want to have some fun?” she swooned and licked her lips seductively.

The young man just stared at her with a bewildered look. The woman thought he wasn’t interested in her invitation so she crossed her arms and pushed up her breasts. She bit her lips in a bid to make herself even more appealing. This instead made the man’s face scrunch up even more in confusion. After what seemed like a few more moments of deliberation, he decided to leave and walked past the weird woman. The woman gaped, shocked that her seduction had failed.

She pouted and angrily shouted after his receding back, “Fine, you bastard! I bet you wouldn’t even satisfy me, anyway!”

The woman grunted once more and stomped off.

I wonder what that female human wanted from me.

The man thought and continued on his way down the street. More women in spiffy and revealing outfits called out to the handsome young man but he just ignored them. The language in this world was was not something he was used to yet so he wasn’t sure what they were saying anyway.

He was only told three things about what to do and what not to do. One, he had to refrain from acting out and catching any unwanted attention...well, for now. Two, he had to collect as much information as possible about this world’s tenants, power structures, and other such trivialities. Three…

I recall that Master told me to restrict my strength extremely...Now I know why. Strangely, there are only humans here and I sense that they’re all so weak…

He shrugged and looked for a place that could potentially offer some useful knowledge. He didn’t know what such a place would be though. The man was specialized in stealth, not the collection of information. Plus, how could he do his job if he can’t even understand what the humans are saying?

More brothels and pubs appeared. The high rise buildings became increasingly eye-catching and bright down the main street of the 7th District. The man weaved through the drunk and lustful crowd, but listened attentively to their conversations and unfamiliar words.

“Sexy...little butterfly…I’ll pin you...the wall...”

“Oh, you…you have... protection…?”

“Call me...horseman…’cause...hung like one...”

“Let’s have...fun…in there...”

“I’ll pump...full tonight...baby…”

Horsemen? Are there Dwarves here?

The man’s brain was far more capable than any ordinary human one. At lightspeed, his mind worked to infer the meaning of the words based on the context they were spoken in and compared them with other conversations. Sometimes, he understood snippets of the conversations of the humans. But the things he could hear were somewhat disturbing. After a while, he decided he listened for long enough and shut out the conversations.

When he turned a corner, the man was surprised when he found a long line of people. Most were opulently dressed, which sharply contrasted the shady men and women who went into the brothels. The line was at least a few football fields long, and the man directed his gaze towards the cause. It was a large, squarish building with even brighter and more colorful lights than in the street he was in before. The golden sign read “Queen’s Casino” and a red carpet lead into the entrance. Two, bulky men in black suits and sunglasses guarded the marble double-doors. One of them held a clipboard and checked off a list as each person went in after the other guard checked their body for weapons.

I need to learn the language first. Listening to humans’ conversations in there may prove useful. I’d rather not go in those places that excreted that disgusting smell of bodily fluids… What are they doing in there...

The man wondered about the brothels as he joined the line. He listened calmly to the bickerings of the rich men and women around him and waited. After an hour of repeated stepping forwards and stopping as the line slowly inched forward, he suddenly came to an epiphany.

I don’t think I’m on that list…

He scrunched up his face after realizing that important fact.

Master wouldn’t mind if I use a bit of my power… It’s for the mission, anyway.

He broke off from the line with inquisitive eyes trailing after him. The other guests wondered why the man in a tailcoat had left after waiting for so long. They then quickly lost interest and continued talking in excitement about the casino.

The man strolled a few blocks away from the casino and found a nice, dark alleyway. He hid in the shadows, and the mirage of the man shuddered and faded to reveal a gaunt yet beautiful youth with ashy skin. The ears grew back to their original elongated point and the shadows squirmed happily as their master returned to his true form.

“It’s quite troublesome that I need to do this to travel,” the Dark Elf shrugged. “I’ll change form again when I enter that place.”

Dunmer Elvrios melted into the shadows, just as he had once done in Solvenheim. This time, however, he was in a different world; one where monsters and magic didn’t exist and where crime and mafias ran rampant instead.