Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1389: Chapter 116: Between Roughness and Refinement

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

The sound of passing time.

Ann only heard such a sound—the sound coming from an inconspicuous pocket watch placed on the table… Other than that, everything around was quiet.

David was also quiet.

Ann even felt as if she could hear her own heartbeat at that moment… because she did hear her own heartbeat.

The mysterious young man in front of her, or rather the self-proclaimed traveling merchant—his appearance gave Ann a ridiculous feeling.

It was as if she was in a fairy tale she had read before, those stories where a mysterious person suddenly appears to help the protagonist… like the fairy godmother who bestows one night of magic to Cinderella.

It was that kind of feeling.

But clearly, this wasn’t the world of fairy tales. It was a world harsher than reality—no one would lend a helping hand for no reason.

So, was that why he said he was a merchant…

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock… the sound of the pocket watch continued, and Ann began to silently count the sound that seemed to echo in her heart, counting the time.

David suddenly reacted, no longer silent, as he looked at the merchant in front of a pile of goods on the table, slowly lowering the Tang Sword in his hand.

Luo Qiu curiously asked at this moment, “Have you decided not to take it?”

David’s hand finally let go of the hilt of the Tang Sword. Perhaps he truly liked this sharp weapon, “If I sell those memories to you, how would I manage myself… I wouldn’t even know what I’ve been fighting for, so even if I got this treasured sword, how would I know what I need to do.”

Luo Qiu did not force him either, glanced over the table and picked out another weapon, a dagger much shorter than the Tang Sword.

“What do you think of this dagger?”

Boss Luo looked at David and told him: This dagger, like the Tang Sword, is equally sharp, though it cannot cut through a vampire’s skin. If you can target a vampire’s heart, it can easily pierce through the vampire’s body… Moreover, it only requires a small portion of David’s pre-adult memories.

“Just a small portion?”

David was momentarily stunned, his gaze falling on the dagger, losing its original resolve and becoming hesitant.

Luo Qiu nodded, “That’s right, just a small portion, and you can decide which part… childhood, before ten, or the years leading up to adulthood, it’s up to you.”

David’s gaze became unfocused.

Luo Qiu’s voice lowered a bit… it was the most pleasant voice Ann had ever heard, even the voices of the girls on the Farm trained specifically for singing couldn’t compare… A voice that seemed to seep into the Soul.

He said, “If it’s just a small portion, it won’t affect what you want to do now, because even if the transaction is completed, you will still know clearly… why you forgot those memories. Of course, this is just my suggestion. Whether or not to buy it is ultimately up to your choice.”

“Just now… what did you say?” David asked unexpectedly, “You said, I wouldn’t forget why I made such a choice… right?”

Luo Qiu whispered, “It seems you prefer the Tang Sword… That’s indeed the case. However, there’s one thing I need to clarify. As you said, losing all your pre-adult memories might cause you to be unable to cope, unable to find the root of what you wanted to do, even if you still know what you need to do, but maybe you are already not that determined. So, if you simply want Power, I would suggest you choose the dagger. Moreover, after you think more carefully, you might find that this kind of transaction might be unnecessary.”

“Unnecessary?” David shook his head and directly gripped the Tang Sword he had put down before, “Only Power is necessary… since I won’t forget what I need to do, then undoubtedly, I need stronger Power.”

Boss Luo merely smiled, and this time said nothing further, just made a gesture of invitation.

David expressionlessly placed his palm on the Crystal Ball and then closed his eyes, slowly saying, “I don’t know why you want those memories of mine, but I can tell you for sure, if it’s possible to forget those nightmare-like things, I truly would be eager for it…”

The Crystal Ball emitted a faint glow… Not long after, David stood utterly still, as if he had turned into a statue.

For a while, it remained the same.

Ann couldn’t help but ask nervously, “You… what’s wrong with him?”

Boss Luo said, “Extracting memories puts a significant burden on the human brain, so to avoid excessive pain for this gentleman’s brain, it’s just letting him rest a bit. Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon… So, miss, is there anything you like here?”

Ann couldn’t help but be tempted as she looked at the items on the table—her intuition told her the items on this table could wield unimaginable effects.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them treasures.

Just selling some pre-adult memories could get treasures that could help her… something that might save her life in a critical moment.

Luo Qiu reached out and picked up that old pocket watch from the table, opening it in his palm, “Do you like this, miss?”

Hour, minute, and second hands on a transparent dial… It was the most intricate thing Ann had ever seen.

She subconsciously nodded but soon shook her head… She glanced at David, who hadn’t come back to his senses yet, seemingly waiting for some result.

She wanted to see what David would be like when he woke up after selling part of his memories—as a reference, before deciding whether to buy something from the hand of this mysterious young traveling merchant (self-proclaimed).

“What’s the use of this pocket watch?” Ann asked curiously.

“It can stop time.” Luo Qiu smiled slightly and said, “Of course, the time stopped is relative… to be precise, what it can do is temporarily stop the opponent’s time.”

Ann opened her wide eyes, with a look that said ‘I believe you… not really.’

Luo Qiu said casually, “Of course, even if it can stop the opponent’s time, the scope of its effect is very limited. If you, as a lady, were to use it, you could probably only stop an ordinary person’s time, and only for one or two seconds. For ordinary bloodsuckers, it might not even achieve half a second. As a human body, it’s hard for you to provide enough force for this pocket watch.”

The more he talked, the more mysterious it seemed… Ann suspiciously examined the other things on the table and suddenly asked, “If I sell memories to you, can I buy them back?”

“Of course.” Luo Qiu smiled and said, “However, since you’ve decided to sell memories, why think about redeeming them?”

Ann shrugged and said, “Isn’t there such a thing as pawn shops? No matter who it is, everyone faces difficult times at some point, right? It’s not about willingly pawning it, but about reaching the point where you have no choice but to pawn it.”

Luo Qiu smiled and said, “If you want to redeem the memories you’ve sold, you’ll have to use something slightly more valuable to exchange.”

“A merchant, huh.” Ann’s face showed a trace of a smile.

Luo Qiu didn’t read any sarcastic meaning from her smile… instead, he read a form of agreement—undoubtedly, this woman greatly agreed with this approach.

Egoist.

“Can I hire you?” Ann suddenly asked.

Boss Luo asked curiously, “Why would you have such an idea?”

Ann casually picked up a black handgun from the table and posed as if aiming, saying, “I’ve read about similar weapons in books, but none as delicate as this… undoubtedly, even if I buy them, I’d only know what they are.”

Saying this, she casually tossed the handgun back onto the table, then pointed at the rest of the pile of items, “These too… some, I can’t even name… What I mean to say is, even if given to me for free, I wouldn’t use them. Even handling these weapons might inexplicably give me some foolish bravery, potentially leading to my death. So why would I bring trouble to myself?”

Boss Luo’s expression slightly brightened as he said softly, “It seems you’ve thought it through very well.”

Ann casually said, “Since becoming an adult, I’ve stopped being a darling to those Vampire Nobility. The aristocrats who loved the taste of my blood probably don’t even remember who I am… No matter how outstanding a person it is, there comes a point where one is forgotten. Isn’t there a saying… the higher one stands, the more it hurts when they fall, and only those who never plan to climb high will never face such a fall. Naturally… there’s no such thing as a disparity. So since becoming a candidate Supervisor, I’ve always made myself look humble, even to an extent of seeming dispensable… and I’ve succeeded. If it weren’t for today’s unfortunate event, where the Supervisor of Dorm Seven suddenly fell and committed suicide, my life now might already be in the best state.”

Luo Qiu said, “But, have you never thought of changing your destiny?”

“Yes, I have.” Ann chuckled and said, “Aren’t I now standing at the crossroads where I can change my destiny? I just don’t yet know which path leads to the side where destiny can be changed.”

“You plan to hire me as if setting a branch at the crossroads, right?”

“You haven’t answered my question… will you accept the hire?” Ann retorted instead of replying.

She looked so confident, her eyes filled with craftiness… though she seemed to have surpassed the tender age of her youth, she still had that hint of girlish mischief that hadn’t vanished even after adulthood.

“Well, what do you want to hire me for?”

Ann straightforwardly said, “Of course, I’d hope for you to protect me and safely leave this place, to go to the outside world. Speaking of which, I do yearn for the outside world… especially after knowing the truth about the Farm.”

Luo Qiu then asked, “But madam, didn’t you just say that if it wasn’t for today’s incident, you could continue working in the dormitory, which would be the best state?”

Ann just shrugged, “Humans are like this, only in a comfortable environment do they consider exciting or unfamiliar unknowns. I’m indeed satisfied with the time as a candidate Supervisor, but never said I wouldn’t be curious about the outside world. Moreover, as I’ve said ‘if’, but the fact is, all this has already happened. The ideal state was broken, so shouldn’t one look for another stable state?”

She still looked so confident, her eyes still filled with craftiness… only that the legs hidden under her skirt were now trembling lightly.

Luo Qiu thought for a moment and said, “Madam, you think, if relying solely on yourself, could you leave casually?”

Ann said irritably, “If I had the ability to leave casually, why would I be here wasting words with you? The answer is obvious, isn’t it.”

Boss Luo nodded and said, “Indeed, the answer is obvious.”

“What do you mean?” Ann couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

Immediately after, she seemed to think of something, her expression suddenly became rather unpleasant, “Indeed, it should have been considered from the beginning… relying on myself, it’s hard to leave the Farm, even if I’m lucky enough to leave the Farm, I might not successfully get out of the Clan’s territory. So, from the start, I already had no way out…”

In the end, it’s all about the difficulty level… Clearly, I don’t have anything worthy of challenging such a level of difficulty.

Ann finally gave a bitter laugh, pointing at the items on the table, “Since that’s the case, you pick something suitable for me to use… at least, I wouldn’t have zero ability to resist. However, I’d only offer up half of my memories before adulthood.”

“Why not take out all your memories?” Luo Qiu pointed at David beside, “Like this gentleman.”

Ann quickly stepped back two steps, her eyes full of vigilance, “You… plan to force a sale?”

“I don’t have that habit.” Boss Luo just shook his head, “However, I am curious, why would you, madam, think of it this way.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Ann said angrily, “Like this guy, selling all memories before adulthood! Doesn’t that mean everything he learned, everything he did becomes a blank? Things he learned, things he did, all forgotten… He becomes just a layman who knows nothing, maybe even dead already!”

At this moment, David, who was motionless, suddenly opened his eyes… Ann couldn’t help but be startled.

Evidently, this was not the so-called Non-Human gaze Ann talked about, but rather a more… resolute gaze.