Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1644: Chapter 371: Sparring with the Air

He gazed into his eyes, and after a long, long time, a hint of appreciation flashed across the [Club Owner]’s eyes.

[Club Owner] looked at Boss Luo and said, “I cannot ask for your name.”

Boss Luo smiled slightly at this time and said, “I also cannot inquire about your past.”

[Club Owner] waved his hand, and Miss Eleanor, who was standing still, was sent out of the study room, making the conversation more comfortable.

[Club Owner] then smiled and said, “That Black soul envoy named Nero—previously you must have planted a Spirit Seed in her. Using this connection, you sent an ordinary person related to this era back, reactivated the seed within Nero, and then descended your will… a clever tactic. I had never considered this before.”

Boss Luo shook his head, “It was a relatively successful attempt.”

[Club Owner] nodded, “I have done similar things, but unfortunately, my predecessor didn’t seem to cooperate with my intentions.”

In simple words, Boss Luo learned a lot… he realized the shop was handed over by the current [Club Owner], who had also taken it from a prior owner.

“Currently, we cannot trace the origin of its legacy,” [Club Owner] said clasping his hands, “Its existence is far more ancient than you imagine.”

Boss Luo had many questions and confusions he hoped to resolve from [Club Owner], debates that wouldn’t be settled in a short time, “Why did you choose me?”

“It seems I will indeed select you later,” [Club Owner] thought and said, “But I cannot answer you now—because I haven’t formally met you yet, and I don’t know what I will think tomorrow or on what basis I handed the shop to you… In fact, this is even a necessary result.”

Boss Luo contemplated silently.

This was indeed a necessary result.

If because he arrived in this era, [Club Owner] anticipated future events, if [Club Owner] didn’t choose to hand over the shop, then he might disappear now… Without becoming the shop owner, he wouldn’t have the power to come to this lost control.

“Since the future operates under the control of the origin like this, the segment about our encounter will be erased once you leave,” [Club Owner] explained, “I will completely forget this event, but you who return will not… do you know why?”

Luo Qiu thought for a while and said, “Any question I ask you can eventually be purchased from the Altar, so I will only know past events in the future… In fact, knowing the past cannot influence it in any way.”

Speaking, Boss Luo waved his hand, yet his palm passed through the table—he couldn’t touch anything in this era, perhaps [Club Owner] was the only person who could know his arrival.

“No, it still generates some impact,” [Club Owner] shook his head and said, “After all, a slight chaos has emerged in this timeframe, but it wasn’t caused by you… or rather, the you before me didn’t cause it, yet it was also brought by you—the you much more distant than the present you. Without a doubt, that version of you would be more powerful, richer, and able to accomplish this. Do you know why I requested Athena to hold a war of swan constellation’s cloak?”

Luo Qiu thought a while and said, “To cooperate with me?”

“There is a critical point in this war,” [Club Owner] nodded, “It is also the nearest coordinate in this era that allows your successful arrival… after all, what you are doing now, not even the so-called gods can do it, yet you succeeded. Even if I didn’t have another cooperation, I couldn’t make it myself.”

Luo Qiu shook his head, “You are richer than me, I am constantly evaporating my time, and soon it will reach the limit.”

[Club Owner] said, “In theory, I am not much more powerful than you, the basis is merely this much. Look, the capacity of this cup is fixed, I have two liters of water and can fill it, while you have only one liter yet can similarly fill it, the effect of our actions is the same, this is its basis, its limit; beyond this limit, it’s all the same. We have no so-called enemy, even if you have more water, you can just fill up this cup.”

“So it doesn’t matter whether I do business or not?” Boss Luo asked curiously.

In his own era, he could achieve almost omniscience… but the one before him had been the [Club Owner] longer than him—in his era, he had an equal level of omniscience.

In the shop’s system, a lineage passed down, and there was no enemy for the shop, most it would just be a relationship of exchanges between predecessors and successors.

“Being richer is always better than being poorer,” [Club Owner] chuckled casually, “For example, when I want to enjoy myself but lack enough time in hand, it becomes very awkward… Of course, my development direction is somewhat different from yours, it might be simpler for you to obtain material needs.”

Boss Luo shook his head… he didn’t have high material needs.

[Club Owner] continued, “What I mean is, I am like a warrior, and you are like a mage, our power is equivalent, but a mage can achieve many things a warrior cannot, albeit at a lower security. Warriors are stronger physically, safety is higher, but the shop has absolute defenses for the [Club Owner]… You see, my Eternal Undying Body seems quite awkward… Moreover, once I transfer the shop, all this will quickly be peeled away from me.”

“You still have time, you can completely change this direction,” Luo Qiu directly said.

“I like your suggestion,” [Club Owner] smiled, a comforting smile, “Because it shows you have the unique trait of considering others, you didn’t even fear changing the direction might make the current you disappear, your era vanish, everything you will experience in the future disappear… After becoming [Club Owner], you are nearly omnipotent, yet you don’t mind this fading away, you tell me how I should evaluate you?”

“There are many things I cannot accomplish either,” Boss Luo said quietly.

For instance, he couldn’t have an era where he existed simultaneously with his father, nor could he restore emotions mostly stripped by the Altar.

Due to the incident with Priede, he was angry once, but possibly in encountering similar incidents next time, he would become unreactive… If his emotion is a loophole, then every occurrence would be patched by the Altar, the loophole would only become fewer.

“You must understand, the things you cannot achieve may very well be the price you pay for having all this,” said the Club Owner to Xu Kouxu. “I don’t know what price my future self will pay to hand the shop over to you, but I believe it’s a price you cannot afford.”

“What did you pay?” Boss Luo suddenly asked.

The Club Owner shook his head and said, “I don’t know what I paid either… After inheriting it, that part has been erased, and I’ve been searching, but what I need to pay hasn’t been enough yet… The altar is quite fair, you may have paid just a trivial memory, but then you’ll want to know more, you’ll grow a desire to understand, and then this desire will expand infinitely, turning this trivial memory into something you’ll desperately want… Because without this memory, you won’t know whether it’s truly insignificant or more important than life itself… The asymmetry of information applies to both the guests and the Club Owner. Indeed, the Club Owner is the shop’s largest and most stable customer… you should have felt that.”

“So, are you not considering a change of direction?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

The Club Owner replied blandly, “I’ve said that the encounter this time will be erased after you leave… Whatever I said or discussed with you would be ‘never happened,’ since nothing happened, how can you expect me to think I’m on the wrong path?”

“You’re too calm,” Boss Luo smiled bitterly.

“You are too,” the Club Owner chuckled, “Even if I can foresee my future situation, there isn’t a trace of anger. That’s the tragedy both of us share.”

“But the truth is, this tragedy doesn’t actually exist,” Luo Qiu suddenly said, “You can always remain in this state, and I can remain in mine, standing outside the river of time, watching its flow… you said, we don’t have any enemies.”

“That’s right,” the Club Owner smiled, “If I resolve to do nothing now, you wouldn’t appear here, and I could truly exist eternally, watching countless civilizations rise and fall, infinitely cycling… However, the fact you are here proves I’ve done something. Do you know why?”

Boss Luo fell into thought.

No enemy, eternal existence, standing above the beings and gods, truly beyond everything… higher than countless sub-world dimensions, and you can decide to exist forever, indeed there’s no reason to self-destruct.

“Because, like you, I’m also searching for the few bits of joy,” the Club Owner contemplated and said, “I think transferring the shop to you could be my quest for joy, perhaps my last bit of joy, missing it would make me entirely the altar’s Proxy Agent, I wouldn’t be myself anymore… I exist, yet at the same time I’ve been negated. Obviously, even at this stage, when I think over this issue, almost instinctively feel fear… look at me, my fingers trembling slightly, clearly my heart is scared, but my expression, my gaze show nothing.”

“But what if it’s not joy?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

“Then there’s only one possibility,” the Club Owner contemplated and remarked, “We, both you and I, could be set by the previous or the predecessor, an arranged future. Just like sub-worlds under the Araiye System’s control, each having its own script of civilization… we might have one too.”

“A feeling of being manipulated…” Luo Qiu bowed his head in thought.

“See, I just said a few words,” the Club Owner chuckled mischievously, “But you’ve already plunged into contemplation, starting to estimate the accuracy of this situation based on existing conditions.”

“Is it not necessary?” Boss Luo startled.

“Why do you think it’s necessary?” The Club Owner straightforwardly said, “Why not another possibility… perhaps as Club Owners, we never need to pay anything, perhaps the Club Owner is chosen by the original source, as the most fortunate one without needing to do anything, nothing you do will be punished, nor will karma touch you, everything should be under your control, you can destroy, you can rebuild, whatever you wish – you really don’t need to pay anything, you just unreasonably become the luckiest one?”

“This…” Luo Qiu gaped slightly… The Club Owner’s argument, even impacting some of his established concepts.

The Club Owner chuckled, “Anything is possible. What you think shouldn’t happen is indeed occurring somewhere each moment, the impossible, even miracles. Perhaps all along, you’ve felt something pulling strings, albeit only an illusion… You might have been fighting bravely with the air.”

All along, perhaps only engaging in a battle of wits with the air… is that possible?

Perhaps it is, since anything can happen.

Luo Qiu fell silent.

Clearly, the Club Owner possesses wisdom beyond his own, it’s an accumulation… The Club Owner has a profound foundation that Boss Luo lacks, yet this is simply an undeniable fact, only walking different paths.

“Then… why would my future self cause this disturbance in space-time?”

Finally, Boss Luo raised one of the most crucial questions of the journey.

The Club Owner contemplated and said, “Maybe, just to let you understand at my place, that you don’t need to do anything. Look, compared to any of the Black Soul envoys, or even the shop itself, hearing this from me, your predecessor as Club Owner, personally handing the shop over to you, is it not more convincing?”

On that point, Luo Qiu had to agree… it is indeed the case.

But is it really that simple?

Perhaps it truly is that simple… just that he’s used to assuming something—similar to paranoia of being conspired against?

Yes… or no.

########

PS: As usual.