Trafford’s Trading Club

Chapter 1347: Chapter 74: The Abuser and the Abused (Part 1)

He still fell silent on Boss Luo’s issue.

Luo Qiu was clearly in no hurry… Basically, for every entity given choices, he always offered the greatest patience.

The waiting process wasn’t long.

“You… you all, what help can you give me,” Cain asked slowly.

“What is it that you want?” Luo Qiu asked softly.

He once again fell into contemplation, as he sat there, seemingly like a statue that had existed since ancient times… motionless, without even the slightest change in facial expressions.

This presence from the past seemed to slow down… Everything in front of him seemed to devolve from high pixel to low pixel, becoming blurry and rough.

Only that Little Wraith didn’t change… Luo Qiu knew that outside the cave, the Corpse Pit was in the same situation—besides the resentful spirits formed from the dead mutated children, everything here was a calculated result within Cain’s consciousness.

When he focused most of his attention on a certain issue, he naturally couldn’t account for the natural changes of this past.

A long time passed.

Cain seemed to regain vitality all at once, raising his eyeless face to face Luo Qiu. The deep sunken eye sockets were like dark holes, but Luo Qiu could see something wanting to emit light deep within these black holes.

Like sparks deprived of oxygen.

“Actually, for years, I’ve been pondering why my original self prompted my creation,” Cain pressed both hands lightly on the table.

With such a touch, the surrounding blur gradually became clear again.

“I think it perhaps hoped I could inherit its legacy,” Cain paused, seemingly pondering more reasonable wording, “or perhaps some hidden directive within the memories I’ve inherited… It wants me to accomplish what it hasn’t completed.”

“Exploration?” Luo Qiu nodded.

Cain also nodded, then pointed at his own head and said, “Most of the knowledge stored here is about this… Besides that, there’s not much else. In fact, if it hadn’t left me the name Cain, perhaps even if I had been born, I wouldn’t know who I am… In fact, who am I now?”

“I’ve always been puzzled,” Cain shook his head, “This puzzle has constantly made me want to avoid the directives contained in the many knowledge in my mind… And so, new issues have started to linger in my mind, what… exactly am I.”

“So, you’ve never left here,” Luo Qiu smiled and said, “You’ve chosen to remain motionless… You’ve chosen to stop.”

“Stop…” Cain pondered for a moment before nodding, “Perhaps you should say I’ve been born with cowardice instead… But I like your wording, as if I should precisely say I’m hesitant to advance.”

Luo Qiu said calmly, “We stop, or even tread in place, often to wait for better timing… Although we might constantly miss out due to hesitation.”

Cain smiled, “You seem less like someone with mysterious powers and more human.”

Luo Qiu replied, “Didn’t the old man say, time accumulates knowledge, not wisdom… Even if one becomes wise due to knowledge, I suppose there’s not much difference in itself. Elders appear filled with wisdom, but aren’t there many elders who remain ignorant… No one dictates that those who live long must become smarter, able where others cannot. That’s often a projection of wishful thinking from the guesser… Whether one has power seems not to matter much. Of course, this is simply my current perspective.”

“You’ll face rebuttals,” Cain chuckled, “Whether it’s from those who already possess knowledge or those hoping to become like them… Shattering a beautiful conjecture equals stabbing the other in the back.”

“Then let’s not argue,” Luo Qiu laughed, “Besides, I might overturn this belief in the future… Just like how the young self feels the youthful self is naive, and the mature self finds the young self ignorant. Truly feeling ashamed, I think I’m no different from most people and would probably deny these things flatly.”

Cain didn’t speak, just lowered his head. Unnoticed, that Little Wraith had already clung to his legs, seemingly asleep.

He reached out gently, stroking the Little Wraith’s back softly.

Then he lifted his head again, saying, “If possible, I don’t wish to inherit these… nor do I want to simply disappear. In fact, I have no strong desire for the exploration of The Origin, even if I have it, it must be instilled by it. Actually, compared to such ethereal exploration, to vying for control over Lost Canine with another newborn Cain’s consciousness, I prefer my current life. I once fell into a long period of confusion, constant pondering and conflicting feelings starting to destabilize me, which allowed the space for another Cain’s new consciousness’s growth… Actually, at its initial birth, I had full capability to destroy it.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Self-abandonment?” Cain smiled wryly, “Perhaps, it felt more in line with the original me’s expectations… For example, if parents had two sons, one smart, and one foolish… I suppose I’d be the latter, the one not anticipated by parents and merely causing trouble. Naturally, there’d be this feeling that perhaps without the foolish one, the family would be more perfect.”

“Do you think this would be an illusion?” Luo Qiu asked curiously.

“Perhaps it will be in the future… if there is a future,” Cain replied using Boss Luo’s words.

Luo Qiu smiled wryly, then formally said, “Your wish.”

Cain rubbed the Little Wraith’s head, softly saying, “I wonder if they will grow up someday.”

“Only here?”

Cain opened his mouth, then smiled bitterly, mocking himself, “It seems I lack purchasing power… However, thank you for not turning a blind eye due to my poverty. Actually, I genuinely have nothing to trade with… I’m merely a Pseudo-Object, based on the knowledge I’ve inherited, seemingly not possessing any value.”

Boss Luo said nothing, just waved to make a roll of goatskin appear—a blank goatskin.

After this, lines of text began to appear on it… Though the appearance wasn’t quick, slowing down and stopping intermittently.

You Ye knew that her master was drafting the contract content—usually, the contract content automatically generates based on both parties’ negotiation… The Altar provides the most accurate clauses.

The boss autonomously drafting contract content isn’t disallowed… Only when transaction volumes reach a certain extent, naturally automatic generation becomes more efficient, saving more time.

The Maid’s current master was fine, not diving into massive transactions… If it were the previous generation Club Owner’s scale, merely drafting contract content would be demanding enough to leave the former Club Owner no time for distraction.

“Old sir, here’s the contract content; if you think there’s no issue, or find any dissatisfaction.”

Finally, the writing on the goatskin completely stopped—Luo Qiu placed it in front of Cain.

Cain lost his eyes, but when his palm touched this goatskin, the contract content imprinted on his consciousness.

After a long time, Cain finally let out a breath, “I think, it’s already given me enough favor… If that day really comes, I suppose I wouldn’t mind.”

Saying this, he pressed his palm directly on the bottom of the parchment… Then, the parchment spontaneously ignited, and subsequently disappeared into thin air.

“Well then, please wait a moment.”

Luo Qiu stood up, smiled and nodded to Cain, then left this segment of the past with the maid.

…

When they returned to the present, they were still in the dwelling of the Red Dragon Skeleton, and Miss Maria was still lying on the ground… In fact, not much time had passed, likely just an instant.

The Little Wraith was nowhere to be seen… It had already returned to its past.

Boss Luo waved his hand, allowing Miss Witch not to remain lying on the ground, and then he and the maid walked out of the Red Dragon Skeleton dwelling.

Above, vines and fibrous roots had already covered over, like earth, completely burying the corpse pit, leaving only a small space at the dwelling.

Luo Qiu took a look around, finally locking his gaze in one direction—after this, the maid noticed.

Raising a hand, she cast out black flames… The fire crows were like two black phoenixes, instantly burning out two long passages amid the vines and fibrous root ocean—soon after, something rolled out from the passage.

They were the Golden Dragon, Bazby who claimed to be Norman, and the girl Mina.

On them, there were quite a few tiny wounds… Dimly visible were the blood oozing from these wounds. Of course, their physique differed respectively.

The Golden Dragon’s wounds almost instantly healed as before, but Norman was a bit slower… The girl’s wounds, however, showed no change.

But none of them were severely injured.

Yet at this moment, the surrounding vines… or perhaps the entire corpse pit began to tremble.

Above, those intertwined vines and fibrous roots started wriggling, twisting. They seemed like lines… Finally, an enormous face shifted from flat to three-dimensional, protruding upwards… with an angry expression.

Roaring.

Countless vines became sharp, thousands directly spear down from this enormous face.

Luo Qiu merely observed the other’s immense wrath, his expression calm.

The maid simply grabbed a bundle of black flames as the sharp stabs came, casually scattering them… The black flames capable of igniting everything adhered and burned upon contact with these stabs, quickly surging upwards… The enormous face above instantly made the black flames outline it more vividly.

Helplessly, the enormous face could only discard the burning parts.

An avalanche of ash fell from above, like black snow… Simultaneously, its rageful roar grew even more terrifying.

“It seems that even though this creature was also birthed from the Lost Fangs, it hasn’t inherited much of Cain’s knowledge… Or perhaps the one in the cave still retained some.”

Luo Qiu nodded, indifferent in demeanor.

He raised his head to look at the enormous face, calmly saying, “I’m sorry, we didn’t intend to disturb you while you’re consuming… But perhaps calling you out would be quicker this way… We’ve been entrusted to negotiate one thing with you. Essentially speaking, another ‘you’ hopes to detach from this body, while you ensure no intention to harm or devour it.”

No response, the gigantic face only roared once more, thereafter releasing more sharp, long stabs from its huge face, meanwhile, vine-like bloodsucking vines started emerging from the ground.

Like a wild dance of demons.

Luo Qiu shook his head, looked at the maid, “Seems it needs to be calmed down a bit for better negotiations… How long would that take?”

The maid smiled charmingly, “Being a bit violent should hasten things… Please give me ten seconds, my master.”

“If you go overtime…” Luo Qiu teased: “Shall I help you maintain your body once tonight? Of course, if not overtime… I’ll allow you to dress up once, how about that?”

“Ah.” The maid chuckled softly: “It truly is… a troubling choice.”

Upon saying this, You Ye flipped her hand to take out a pocket watch… opened its cover and placed it into her master’s hand, then softly said: “Then, starting from this second.”

The second hand began to move its first tick… The maid did not act, only watching the master’s gaze.

Until the second hand reached the third tick, the maid slowly retreated.

Fourth tick, one step.

Fifth tick, two steps.

Sixth tick, turn about.

Seventh tick, a black banner appeared in the maid’s hand.

Eighth tick, the maid raised the black banner, black fire lotuses blossomed around, burning all vines within the corpse pit into ashes instantly, like black snow falling.

Ninth tick, a figure fell from those ashes… still burning with black flames.

Tenth tick… The maid turned around, the black war banner was gripped reversely in both hands behind her, she slightly bowed forward, gently bared her teeth then said: “As for maintenance… Why not wait till tomorrow?”

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PS: This title will only be used for two chapters… Really!