Trafford’s Trading Club

Chapter 1260: Chapter 101: Nameless Ones

The place where Master No.9 was found is inside a wooden cabin in a forest. Master No.9 could no longer maintain a human form, but had become a gray, foggy mass that looked as if it could dissipate at any moment.

The soil in the forest was soaked, seemingly after heavy rain. If one stepped on it easily, one’s foot would likely be caked in mud.

Many trees had fallen, some uprooted.

Rain was still falling, neither too heavy nor too light.

This place felt like a dilapidated tomb.

You Ye opened a black umbrella, shielding Luo Qiu from the moderate rain.

He and she then entered the wooden cabin. He looked at the foggy mass in front of him, which seemed to be trying hard to gather together, but just like mud dispersing in water, it had lost its adhesion.

“His power and even his physical strength are almost completely depleted. What is he doing?”

She understood this state of the Black soul envoy, akin to a lamp that had run out of oil—of course, even if a Black soul envoy dies, they can return through the Life Lamp.

Luo Qiu picked up a map from the floor. It was beneath the foggy mass. The opened map had a red marker on it.

This marker would move, and every movement was directed by Luo Qiu.

In a moment of thought, the difficult-to-consolidate fog began to reconstitute… The boss’s will, unintentionally, gave the Black soul envoy, who was meant to disperse leaving only the Life Lamp sealed in the Covenant Chest, a chance to reunite.

Rainwater poured through the already broken roof, a chill pervasive enough that a glance made one yearn for a fireplace or a pile of firewood.

It didn’t take much time; Master No.9 returned to his original state.

He slowly opened his eyes… almost no different from Luo Qiu’s memory; Master No.9 seemed quite calm. Each Black soul envoy has a different personality.

Tai Yinzi excels in flattery, while No.18 is the observant type. Da Zhe is the type who can plow through recklessly yet with subtlety; Nero’s conduct is somewhat of a big devil but treasures his survivability more than anyone else.

Master No.9 was one of the Black souls Luo Qiu contacted earliest, and like You Ye, can be considered a legacy left by the previous owner.

A bit wooden, but clearly pragmatic… Luo Qiu hadn’t interacted with Master No.9 for long, initially thinking he would silently complete his duties.

By meticulously going through past ledgers, one discovers Master No.9 hasn’t been an envoy for long, compared to the existing Black souls that often span centuries, over a thousand years even, but who remain on vacation or in slumber, or on long-term missions, clearly too “young.”

But his achievements are not few… As a Black soul envoy, he seems not strong, but weak, because since becoming a Black soul envoy, every achievement has been used elsewhere—according to a specific wish he had before becoming an envoy.

…

“Start a fire.”

Inside the broken wooden cabin, after reuniting and waking, Master No.9 maintained a silent stance… In his eyes, Luo Qiu could barely see fear or panic.

Outside, it was still raining, the rain like a water curtain falling into the center from the hole in the rooftop. The fireplace was in a relatively intact corner of the house.

By the firelight, Luo Qiu looked at the red marker on the map—clearly, checking the position of the red marker on the map would reveal the place they were currently at was still some distance away.

Apparently, Master No.9 stopped here without fully completing the ‘task’ Luo Qiu had previously instructed—letting him follow the red marker across these areas on the map.

Indeed, he appeared to be quite young, probably around thirty years old… as if this were his appearance before becoming a Black soul envoy.

He wore a black, old Zhongshan suit, the kind that looks washed-out and faded.

“Master No.9, why have you consumed so much power?” The Maid, being in charge of Black soul envoys, finally spoke out.

Master No.9 looked at the firewood, then raised his head and murmured, “The river in front swelled, and there’s been continuous heavy rain recently. Some dikes above burst. I blocked the flood.”

The Maid spoke indifferently, “But I haven’t received any report of a similar trade… Is this a private act of yours?”

“Yes.” Master No.9 calmly nodded.

The Maid instinctively glanced at her master, then slightly frowned and said, “Master No.9, you should know, the master does not interfere with the envoys’ actions, and grants you a lot of freedom… but you also have an obligation to maintain your own safety. Your power is nearly exhausted; if something goes wrong, you might return to the Covenant Chest and reshape your body, which will require consuming the master’s energy… As a Black soul envoy, you haven’t created value for the master and have even burdened him. Do you know what you are doing?”

The tone was a bit stern; this was the first time Luo Qiu saw You Ye appear a bit angry… it seemed Master No.9’s behavior truly touched a bottom line she managed—a line of almost exhausting one’s power for private purposes under non-trade circumstances, then needing to consume the master’s energy for replenishment.

Luo Qiu, however, gestured for the Maid to stop her following words… He knew very well that most of the time, You Ye valued more the consumption and increase of his own life span than he did.

“Master…”

Luo Qiu lightly shook his head, then broke off a wood branch and tossed it into the firewood. The branch was wet, but the fire was strong; steam quickly escaped and emitted a sizzling sound from the cut end.

“Actually, I’ve never had a good talk with you all along.” Luo Qiu smiled and said, “I wonder, someone managing like me probably wouldn’t pass.”

Master No.9 stared blankly, somewhat surprised… he shook his head, “No, in my opinion, you’re better than your predecessor… but I don’t know how long you can last.”

“Master No.9, watch your tone.” The maid’s gaze turned slightly cold, but Luo Qiu gave her a reassuring look.

Boss Luo said, “No matter how long it can be maintained, I will strive to keep it going… Can you tell me why it’s worth stopping the flood at all costs?”

Master No.9 calmly replied, “If the flood isn’t stopped, the fields downstream will be submerged, and there are more than a dozen villages nearby. Their livelihoods depend on this place.”

Luo Qiu nodded, then asked, “If that’s the case, I suppose this is a large-scale deal… Judging from your past performance, you should act on it, right?”

“I… I don’t know.” Master No.9 was silent for a moment, looking somewhat confused.

Luo Qiu noticed several old stainless steel cups inside the cabin and some pine trees outside, so he fetched some pine needles, put them in the cups, and started boiling some water with them.

As the water was boiling, Master No.9 suddenly said, “I used to brew pine needle tea like this.”

Luo Qiu smiled lightly and said softly, “On this journey, what have you seen and heard?”

Master No.9 pondered, his thoughts were still somewhat chaotic, but he began to recollect bit by bit… reflecting on the experiences of this journey.

He slowly said, “I kept walking, passing through many places. They seemed familiar to me… I gradually realized that this journey might be related to my former memories. I clearly know the route you gave me, boss… Yes, I know it.”

Master No.9 spoke in a tone that seemed like freedom was not his own, “He should know, but he hasn’t felt much about all this for a long time, not even a bit. Until this time, at the master’s behest, he came to the starting point of this path, he seemed to start to feel something different.”

“Did he remember anything?” Luo Qiu personally peeled some pine needles and threw them into the cup.

Master No.9 shook his head, “He didn’t remember anything, only felt an unfamiliar unease. He just kept walking, later arriving at a museum. He stayed in this museum for three days.”

Luo Qiu asked, “What did he see?”

Master No.9 said, “Unyielding strength, passionate fervor… whether it was a painting, a kettle, or even just a cracked belt, he could look at them for a long time, but at the same time, he also saw a sense of desolation.”

“Desolation?”

“Yes, desolation.” Master No.9 slowly closed his eyes, as if it was all right in front of him, “He didn’t know what kind of emotion it was, there were too many things recorded there, but apart from himself, he could hardly see anyone else. He went to the director’s office, but saw the director was a young man in his thirties, writing a plan in hopes of rebuilding the museum to attract more tourists… He suddenly felt a surge of anger.”

“Why anger?”

Master No.9 said, “At that time, a bank outside was issuing commemorative coins, he saw lines of people at the bank… He saw their enthusiasm, but he didn’t hear anyone discussing the stories behind the commemorative coins.”

“What kinds of stories?”

Master No.9 said, “Stories of war.”

“A commemorative coin that might appreciate in value draws people to line up for it, yet a museum carrying these histories remains unvisited… So you were angry, right?”

Master No.9 didn’t answer, staring blankly out the window as his memories became clearer, “He left that place, still following the designated route, he saw many similar things… such unvisited places. Later, he met someone.”

“Who?”

“An old man,” Master No.9 said softly, “a retired veteran, many people came to find this old man.”

“Finally, someone is paying attention to him, isn’t that good?”

Master No.9 shook his head, “He can’t explain it… He personally saw this old man sitting in front of his house, bewildered by journalists, government officials, and other people coming to his door. The old man’s daughter-in-law propped him up, put on clothes with many medals, and posed for photos with those people, one after another. He saw the old man smile, but he didn’t see the old man smile happily. He just watched this old man, repeatedly recounting those past years when asked, over and over again.”

“You think it’s not good?”

“At first, the old man was happy to talk about these stories, but gradually he found it pointless, because the old man realized that a few days later, people had forgotten again. They started talking about other things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Scandals, especially celebrity scandals, which everyone never tires of.”

“You think they stopped caring about this veteran, right?”

“He saw that the veteran’s home quickly became desolate again. Later, other people became popular online, a girl with a rather nice appearance, just said a sentence, and then became famous across the land. But she quickly disappeared again, and people’s enthusiasm shifted to others.”

“And then?”

Master No.9 said, “He planned to leave this place, for the road ahead was still long. Before leaving, he quietly went to the veteran’s house once more. The veteran’s daughter-in-law and son were gone again, only the old man sat in front of the house with an old dog accompanying him. He just quietly smoked, looking at the front of the house, dozing off.”

“He felt that the old man had been forgotten, right?”

“Perhaps.” Master No.9 shook his head again, “But he actually knew that soon another similar old man would come into the public gaze… It’s like a cycle. Because people like to occasionally bring these things out.”

“Does he know why?”

“He knows why.” Master No.9 nodded, “But he finds it meaningless, so he continued on his journey.”

“He is the Black soul envoy, he has actually witnessed many of these things.” The tea was ready, Luo Qiu divided the tea.

Master No.9 naturally took it, holding it as if trying to warm himself, “Yes, he has seen many things, but he has always been a cold observer.”

Luo Qiu smiled and said, “Where did he go next?”

“He went to a forest and met a mountain warden.” Master No.9 looked at the floating pine needles in the stainless steel cup, “He suddenly wanted to make contact with this mountain warden. So he turned into a backpacker and entered the warden’s house. This mountain warden was named Zhang Jinquan.”

“He must be very hospitable, having visitors in the wilderness.” Luo Qiu thought of that scene.

Master No.9 smiled, even a wooden person could look good when smiling like this, “Zhang Jinquan raised chickens outside the Forest Ranger Station. That night, Zhang Jinquan killed a chicken to serve, very hospitable.”

“I also want to eat.” Luo Qiu said with some longing.

Master No.9 chuckled, “I imagine you wouldn’t like that kind of environment very much, too simple. There’s not even enough electricity there, no signal at all. The only way to understand the outside world is by watching TV and listening to the radio, and even then, only during certain times… When watching the news broadcast, Zhang Jinquan doesn’t use electricity at other times.”

Luo Qiu smiled and said nothing.

Master No.9 took a small sip of the now suitable temperature pine needle tea, “The taste is still lacking a bit; if it’s boiled with snow water, it would taste better.”

Luo Qiu took a sip, then turned to fetch some snow from a snow peak miles away, put several snowballs back into the cup, added some pine needles, making it look quite ugly and not very clean.

“How long did he stay at the Forest Ranger Station?” Luo Qiu asked.

Master No.9 said, “About ten days. During those ten days, he and Zhang Jinquan toured the mountain once, which took four or five days.”

“He seemed to really like that period.” Luo Qiu smiled.

Master No.9 nodded, “A very quiet place, during those ten days, it’s as if all his previous discomfort disappeared. Just treat it as a vacation, he thought… However, he still had to leave, because he had to carry out his master’s orders.”

Luo Qiu thought about it and said, “His master sometimes doesn’t do well enough.”

Master No.9 shook his head, only murmuring, “When leaving, Zhang Jinquan killed another chicken as a farewell. That night, he saw the old mountain warden cry after getting drunk, only then did he feel this old mountain warden’s reluctance… This old man stayed in the mountains for forty years.”

“What will happen to the Forest Ranger Station afterwards?” Luo Qiu asked.

Master No.9 thought for a moment, “He doesn’t know either. Zhang Jinquan said no one was willing to replace him, so he originally retired but had to stay temporarily… This old mountain warden is hoping someone can take over, with a strong desire for it. So before leaving, he made Zhang Jinquan’s documents into a white card, intending to hand it over to his master after this journey is over.”

Luo Qiu nodded, “I’ll go see when I get the chance.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

…

The rain outside gradually stopped, it was night when Luo Qiu went out, and after staying here for a while, it was almost dawn.

After finishing the story of Zhang Jinquan, Master No.9 suddenly started singing, saying Zhang Jinquan had taught him, an old tune from Huayin.

——The bell of battle rang on the high mountain.

——The bell rings, people rejoice, mountains and rivers are mobilized.

——Open a happy canal, bringing water to the mountain, showing a beautiful future.

——Thousands of colorful flowers…

He truly liked those ten days at the Forest Ranger Station.

…

“Did you remember?”

Listening to Master No.9’s old tune, Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

Master No.9 shook his head, “No impression at all, just vaguely guessing… Perhaps I was from that era.”

“You don’t seem as eager to recover your memory as the last time you came to me.”

Master No.9 thought for a moment, murmuring, “Perhaps because I’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

Master No.9 looked at Luo Qiu and said, “Can I know where my achievements have been spent?”

Luo Qiu shook his head, “According to the agreement you signed initially, you cannot have the direction of your achievements’ usage after each transaction.”

Master No.9 nodded; the boss cannot violate the content of the agreement… whether it’s the previous boss or the current one: unless the boss is willing to pay the price to tear the content of the agreement.

Master No.9 sighed, “I don’t know what exactly I’m afraid of, I just feel uncomfortable… Sometimes, I even regret suddenly the requests I made to you before… Maybe if I hadn’t mentioned them, I wouldn’t feel scared. On this journey, I don’t feel like myself, but more like him.”

“Then why did you still stop this mountain flood?”

Master No.9 remained silent for a while, “Have you ever seen disaster relief?”

Luo Qiu shook his head, “I haven’t seen it with my own eyes.”

Master No.9 said, “He saw it… saw those faces, teeth clenched, red. He saw them build a human wall, standing where the dam was going to burst. Many people couldn’t hold on, collapsing from exhaustion and immediately being replaced. Some jumped into the water to save others, some entirely soaked, continuously passing sandbags from day to night. When truly exhausted, you would see them asleep right on the street, just like bodies fallen on a battlefield, covered in mud, with faces unrecognizable, yet he knew when the whistle blew, they would all rise. He suddenly realized that nothing else seemed important.”

Master No.9 solemnly said, “He suddenly felt an overwhelmingly strong heartache… And when this pain came, he not only didn’t feel scared, but rather felt something was calling to him. His actions preceded his thoughts, so he didn’t think further. He knew the flood defense was destined to fail, he knew these young soldiers would drown in the endless flood waters… But he didn’t want, he didn’t want these young soldiers to silently sink to the bottom like this… Along this journey, he saw too many ‘forgotten’ people, and he felt unqualified to blame them, because they never lived through that era, never experienced it, naturally they couldn’t feel it. All feelings without experiential basis wouldn’t last. So even when he saw those disdainful, those thinking times had changed and it was no longer necessary, even those young joking with no limits for fame, he only coldly observed… But at least, at least, he wanted to save these young soldiers’ lives. They are like this bundle of firewood.”

“He suddenly didn’t feel so afraid anymore… Although he hadn’t recalled everything, he knew some things were always being passed down, like a flame, always someone to pick it up, someone to pass it on, and then someone to pick it up again… He couldn’t let it break. So he forgot his identity, stood in the way of nature’s great power. He thought, even if crushed to pieces, it would be worthwhile… He suddenly felt happier than every day of these past decades.”

“So, whether he remembers or not, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

…

…

The sky brightened a bit, but it was still overcast, the next day it would continue raining here.

The fire had not had new wood added for a long time, leaving layers of white ash, but there was still warmth, and the embers beneath the ash had not completely died out.

Luo Qiu stood up; an all-nighter was harmless to him.

He looked at Master No.9, raising the map in his hand, “Do you still plan to continue this journey? There are two or three places left to its end.”

Master No.9 shook his head, also stood up, looked at Luo Qiu, and said, “No… I’ve been off my post for too long, it’s time to return to work.”

Luo Qiu nodded, “The cost for your reformation this time will be deducted from your future performance records in installments… Is that okay?”

Master No.9 was silent for a while, finally bowed, and said softly, “I hope you… will treat this country well, my lord.”

After speaking, Master No.9 left, turning into a mist, blending into the forest that hadn’t fully lightened yet, disappearing without a trace.

“After all, some memories have returned…”

…

When returning to the club, the maid hurried to prepare breakfast.

When she brought breakfast to the study, Luo Qiu was contemplating while looking at the account book.

“Master is reviewing Master No.9’s performance record?” The maid walked to Luo Qiu’s side and began setting up breakfast.

“I’m thinking about whether his commission points can be increased a bit,” Luo Qiu casually said, “Otherwise, just with the performance he can retain as per the agreement, even with ideas, he might not be able to withstand a flood next time… The Black soul envoys are too weak, barely survive holding back a mountain flood, it’s not a good look for the store, is it? Yet, I really can’t find anywhere to adjust this… This agreement from the previous one was too rigid… Hmm, seems I’ve been reckless again.”

The maid didn’t speak, carefully set up the breakfast, then took the performance record from Luo Qiu’s hand, softly saying, “Master, let me adjust it.”

Luo Qiu self-mockingly said, “Then I’ll continue being my useless self.”

Of course, it was just a joke.

The maid smiled sweetly, casually brushed her hair behind her ear, then opened the performance record, looking for feasible adjustment schemes.

——2015, consumed ten thousand performance to enhance the energy of ten academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

…

——2008, consumed two hundred thousand performance to increase earthquake survival rate by 1.5%.

…

——1969, consumed three thousand performance to extend the life of a scientist with the surname Qian by forty years.

…

——1962, consumed all remaining performance to restore large-scale rainfall in the New Kingdom.

…

Many, many years ago, a man named Zhang Ziru walked into the club and made a wish like this.

The mountains and rivers remain, and the nation is peaceful and prosperous.