Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1701: Chapter 51: NPC Traveling Merchant

There wasn’t much conversation along the way.

After Little Siren Helen briefly explained her background, Lei Yaz found himself without more topics to bring up.

Helen came from the sea, from a place close to the human world. Since their escape, she and her two sisters were captured by the nearby Sea Demon Clan.

Through the Sea Demon Clan, they learned some of the common language of the Sea Demon Clan and the Undersea City—in fact, both the Sea Demon Clan and the Undersea City actually use the same language, because the ancestors of both were originally from Limoria.

As for the huge monster, according to Helen’s description, it seemed like a super-sized giant squid and then… there was no then.

“Lei Yaz, what’s wrong, are you hot?” At this moment, Ke Duojin approached, handing over a personal handkerchief…

“I… I’m not hot!” Lei Yaz managed to squeeze out the words.

Ke Duojin looked puzzled for a moment, then asked, “Are you too tired? How about I take over for you? You’ve been carrying this sea monster all the way, you’re using up too much energy.”

“No need.” Lei Yaz shook his head, “Besides, I said she’s not from the Sea Demon Clan.”

Lei Yaz walked away quickly… He felt that his steps were getting bigger, and the crotch area of his pants was getting tighter—he wasn’t sure why, but he felt as if he was filled with heat.

Yet, he had never experienced such a thing before… He just felt that he was constantly aware of Helen, who was closely pressed against his back.

Ke Duojin, feeling helpless, could only use the flashlight to randomly inspect the surroundings of the cave… The light formed a large circle, now randomly sweeping through the complex formations of stalactites, stalagmites, and rock passages.

Suddenly, the circle of light returned to a previous spot, then paused—Ke Duojin seemed to have discovered something!

“Lei, Lei Yaz… I, I think I’ve found a person!” Ke Duojin immediately called out softly.

Lei Yaz was startled and looked over.

Indeed, there was someone.

A person dressed in a white robe, face wrapped in long white cloth, wearing a grayish-white hat, only showing a pair of eyes, was sitting cross-legged on the ground—which made Lei Yaz and others feel even more peculiar, because on the ground where the mysterious white-robed masked person was sitting, there was a large white cloth spread out.

On the white cloth, many items were laid out.

This inevitably reminded Lei Yaz of the flea market in the Undersea City… the appearance of those selling old items.

Lei Yaz and Ke Duojin exchanged a glance and quickly understood the meaning in each other’s eyes.

Ke Duojin: This is too strange, it could be dangerous, don’t get close!

Lei Yaz: Go take a look, maybe we can learn something.

Ke Duojin: Don’t go…

Lei Yaz: Shall we go or not?!

Ke Duojin: Fine then…

“Be, be careful.”

It was suddenly Helen who was holding on tightly to Lei Yaz, softly whispering something in his ear… the sensation like a tickle filled his ears, reaching deep into his heart, he suddenly felt Helen’s voice was even more pleasant than when she sang.

The young man and women soon came to the peculiar person dressed so oddly.

“Who… are you? Why are you here?” Ke Duojin had already picked up a suitable spindle-shaped stone, raising it while glaring.

“Me…” The white-clothed masked person slightly lifted their head at this moment, their voice seeming to carry a hint of laughter, making one feel inexplicably comfortable, “I’m a Traveling Merchant walking at the bottom of the sea, dedicated to providing help to those in trouble.”

Traveling Merchant?

Lei Yaz and the others were all stunned… Ke Duojin quickly reacted, returning to Lei Yaz’s side and whispered, “This guy’s Undersea City language has no accent… could they be one of those Scavengers who sneak out from time to time?”

Lei Yaz shook his head confusedly, unable to confirm… He was even more puzzled as he looked at this self-proclaimed Traveling Merchant, always feeling as if he’d seen them somewhere. For this reason, Lei Yaz even activated his especially keen sense of smell, yet he couldn’t discern anything from the other’s scent.

“Look at my goods, perhaps you’ll find something you like.” The masked Traveling Merchant spread out their hands slightly, with the enthusiasm of a salesperson, “You’re just the first customers of today, you can get a twenty percent discount.”

“Oh? A twenty percent discount?” Ke Duojin’s eyebrows raised; as the son of a wealthy merchant in the Undersea City, he always bought the best and most expensive items. A discount was like an insult to his status!

Ke Duojin glanced at Lei Yaz, thinking it was time to let Lei Yaz feel the power of wealth, it was time to wake Lei Yaz from his infatuation with beauty.

He squatted in front of the masked Traveling Merchant, casually picking up a small object from the ground, lightly chuckling, “Never mind a twenty percent discount. If this item is truly useful to us now, paying you double wouldn’t be an issue! I, Ke Duojin, have plenty of Contribution Points!”

“You can’t use Contribution Points for transactions here.” The masked Traveling Merchant casually said, “In my place, it’s all about bartering. You can only exchange your items for mine.”

“Even Contribution Points aren’t accepted?” Ke Duojin couldn’t believe his ears, feeling like he’d encountered a prehistoric creature.

“Contribution Points mean nothing to me,” the masked Traveling Merchant chuckled lightly, “Don’t worry, even without Contribution Points, you have things that can be exchanged.”

Ke Duojin was taken aback, instinctively looking at himself… He immediately put down the item in his hand, then retreated, grabbing his collar tightly, “Then I won’t need anything!”

The masked Traveling Merchant was silent for a moment, then looked at Lei Yaz, as if Ke Duojin no longer existed, smiling, “Young sir, have you found anything of interest?”

Lei Yaz thought for a moment, then picked up a small Crystal Stone, “What is this?”

The merchant replied calmly, “This is a Listening Stone. As long as you hold it, you can hear the voices of most creatures in the deep sea.”

“Really?” Lei Yaz was taken aback, feeling the small Crystal Stone cool in his hand, he said instinctively, “I remember the First Institute developed a brainwave communicator that doesn’t dare to claim covering most creatures. Is this Listening Stone of yours more exceptional than the research in the First Institute?”

“You can try it out.” The merchant said generously.

Half doubtful, Lei Yaz held the Listening Stone and began to communicate with Helen—only this time he asked Helen to use her original language.

A magical scene unfolded, he was able to communicate seamlessly with Helen without any barriers using this Listening Stone.

He could fully understand the meaning of Helen’s words in her different language, and even Helen, could clearly understand his words.

It wasn’t just about listening; he could even provide feedback to the other party.

Reya couldn’t help but sincerely like the Listening Stone… he hesitated for a moment, then asked the stall owner who was setting up his stall in the deep sea, “I really like this Listening Stone. It’s just that I don’t have many things with me, and I’m afraid I don’t have anything that matches its value…”

“Aren’t you going to check out the other items?” the masked Traveling Merchant suddenly asked, “Maybe there’s something even better… such as something that could help you escape.”

Reya’s heart was moved; he indeed felt tempted… but he soon shook his head. Escaping was indeed what they needed now, but it wasn’t desperately needed. When they were in trouble, Reya had already sent out a signal, and he believed someone would soon come to the rescue. Escaping was just a matter of time—yet this magical Crystal Stone, he’d never heard of it before. Missing it this time, who knows if he’d ever find it again?

It can listen to the Voice of All Things… he wondered, could it also listen to the voice of Asla? Reya couldn’t help but start imagining.

“If you don’t have enough, I can chip in this side too!” Ke Duojin walked over at this moment, unzipping—not to remove clothes, just to conveniently take out the necklace worn around his neck.

“This is…” Reya opened his mouth in surprise, “This is the birthday gift your mother gave you when you turned ten!”

“It’s fine.” Ke Duojin said nonchalantly, “It’s not really precious… if this stone is truly that magical, it’s worth it! But, agreed Reya, you’ll lend me the stone to play with in the future!”

Reya opened his mouth… this time, let’s accept it, he thought in his heart.

“Oh, this necklace is indeed a nice thing.” The masked Traveling Merchant laughed but shook his head, “However, it’s still not enough to trade for this Listening Stone, far from enough.”

Reya agreed and thought for a moment, “Sir, the Listening Stone is magical, surely an incredible treasure. But aside from this necklace, we really can’t offer anything else… there are some emergency medicines here, and…”

He thought for a moment, then revealed the Fire Kirin.

But the Traveling Merchant shook his head, straightforwardly saying, “I’m sorry, these things have no value to me.”

“U-Use this.” Helen timidly spit out a small pearl from her mouth, “Adding this… would it be enough?”

“A Siren’s tear, it’s indeed a valuable thing.” The Traveling Merchant still shook his head, “Sorry, it’s still not enough.”

Ke Duojin suddenly said, “What’s the point of selling things here? When you return to the Undersea City, I can buy you anything you want! Do you know the Ke Gold Merchant Guild? My family’s!”

“Actually, it’s more interesting to sell things here.” The Traveling Merchant laughed, “If things were readily available, they wouldn’t be that precious… since you can’t offer equal value, there’s no way, I’ll have to withdraw the Listening Stone… maybe you can look at other items.”

Reya gritted his teeth and said, “Uh… can I buy it on credit? You see, we’re stuck here, and we can’t find anything right now. But rest assured, once we return to the Undersea City, I’ll find a way to gather the items. I’ll bring some truly precious things to you.”

The imperial palace should have quite a few treasures…

The Traveling Merchant said, “Buying at today’s price might be low, but in the future, it might be high. Once you’ve made a promise, you must keep it… you must be responsible for your words. Guest, have you considered clearly?”

This made Reya instantly recall his older brother’s words, he couldn’t help but open his mouth… but looking at the Listening Stone in his hand, he instinctively looked into Helen’s eyes, seeing that after spitting out the pearl, Helen’s complexion seemed much paler…

Reya bit down and placed the Listening Stone down.

He took a long sigh, like he was lifting a burden and putting it down, “I don’t want the Listening Stone anymore… I’m sorry, I can’t let Ke Duojin hand over his necklace just because I want it. It’s his mother’s birthday gift and also a keepsake… even though his family has a lot of wealth, once such things are lost, they can’t be regained. Helen’s pearl, I can’t give it up either. It might be important to her.”

“Don’t you feel regrettable?” The merchant said indifferently.

“It’s quite regrettable.” Reya nodded, “If I miss it, I might never encounter it again. Listening to the Voice of All Things is indeed a remarkable ability, but I believe that the First Institute of the Undersea City would eventually study the same principle in the future… I, I can also teach Helen to speak the Undersea City’s language, over time, she’ll slowly learn… more importantly, I won’t regret my past impulses in the future.”

“Seems business isn’t good today.” The merchant said with a hint of regret, “This place isn’t a good place for business; maybe I should move the stall.”

The merchant retrieved the Listening Stone and slowly started wrapping up things.

Ke Duojin found it quite a pity—casually picked up stones had the ability to listen to the Voice of All Things, were there others in this package?

It’s so frustrating! There are people who don’t like Contribution Points! How can anyone not like Contribution Points!

“Wait a moment, do you know how to leave this place?” Reya quickly asked, “Are you familiar with this place? Can you lead us out… Ke Duojin said he’ll repay you well once he returns! His family is really wealthy!”

Ke Duojin almost jumped up to give this guy a beating upon hearing.

Yet the masked Traveling Merchant seemed not to hear the question, after packing the bundle, took something out, “Today’s business seems down; recently been collecting some loss-making items… how about giving them up?”

Then, the merchant tossed the item in his hand casually on the ground.

“Wait, Sir? Sir?” Reya called out to retain.

But the merchant had already walked away… step by step, seemingly slow, yet in a blink, he’d walked far and disappeared from sight.

Ke Duojin picked up the item on the ground, surprisingly it had an Undersea City text description, “What’s this… Magical Beans? Eating one keeps your energy up for three days? Bah, can this break thing fill your stomach?”

Ke Duojin didn’t believe, grabbed a handful, and while Reya wasn’t paying attention, directly stuffed into Little Siren Helen’s mouth.

Instantly, Helen’s body swelled up… painfully bloated.

“Ke Duojin!!!”

Playing and fighting along the way, the youths seemed carefree.

…

…

The merchant slowly pulled off the white cloth covering his face, chuckling, “Not wanting to regret current impulses… you’ve grown up a bit.”

At this time, in the dim cave, footsteps slowly approached.

The merchant turned around, the figure gradually became clear to his eyes… the merchant randomly smiled, stepping forward with a greeting, “Tutor Luo Qiu, so you’re here also.”

“Yes, don’t know how it happened, walking and walking, ended up here.” Boss Luo No.2 slightly smiled, “Didn’t expect to meet you here… Emperor.”

“We are indeed fortunate.” The white robbed merchant… Louis XXXIX smiled slightly, “Nearby there’s a nice spot to visit, would you like to see, Sir? In the Undersea City, such scenery can’t be seen.”

“Then I’m relying on Your Majesty to lead the way.” Boss Luo No.2 said, full of anticipation.

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PS: (39/82)