Trafford Buyers Club

Chapter 4066 A Real Freebie

The bed-warming skills that Bai Zhi learned came from a TV series called "003: A Small World".

In the drama, a corrupt official would have two maids warm his bed every night before he went to sleep... which meant they would hold his feet in their arms!
It's too easy; Bai Zhi felt she could do it with ease.

If the owner "cherishes" you enough, they won't "sell" you so easily, right?
After all, the principle of the shop is that anything can be sold.

Previously, Bai Zhi had no such concerns, since those who actually found the "shop" were all people who wanted something... Who would have thought that one of those who wanted something was Princess Lucia herself?

She had relayed Princess Lucia's words verbatim without embellishment, and now she waited anxiously.

"So that's what the Princess says..." Boss Luo nodded and smiled slightly, "No wonder you're acting so strangely. Don't worry, I won't sell you off easily."

Bai Zhi felt a slight joy in her heart, and her expression visibly relaxed: Master is so kind!
Boss Luo narrowed his eyes. "After all, if the Princess really values ​​you, she'll have to offer a very high price."

Bai Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she froze, her eyes filled with tears that seemed to swirl like pendulums.

"...Yes, that's right. Bai Zhi is Master's private property. Even if it's to be sold, it should be to earn more for Master. I...I'll go out now."

As if her soul had been ripped away, Bai Zhi floated out of the study like a pale shell, head tilted back, looking dazed.

Boss Luo couldn't help but smile, as if he had gone a little too far in teasing him.
The maid pushed open the door and entered with a cup of tea. She had just bumped into Bai Zhi, but Bai Zhi hadn't noticed her at all, looking dejected and crestfallen.

"What happened to that child?"

Boss Luo smiled and said, "I'm worried that I'll sell her."

The maid instantly understood, but didn't care. It was expected that Bai Zhi wouldn't leave. It was precisely because she trusted Bai Zhi that Bai Zhi was able to sneak in without her noticing, wasn't that right?

"Did Miss Long go out today as well?" Boss Luo asked casually.

"They should be back around now," the maid said calmly. "They came back around the same time yesterday too, which is quite mysterious."

Boss Luo nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

For the past two days since she checked into the hotel, Ah Xi Ruo has gone out alone early every morning and returned in the evening... Boss Luo didn't ask her what she did and gave her a lot of freedom.

As for the maid, since the master has given Miss Dragon some freedom, she will not take the initiative to investigate - because she knows that the master hopes that Miss Dragon can bring him some extra "surprises".

Surprises... are always better when they're unknown.

……

In the villa courtyard, in front of the fishpond that Brother Shak had cleaned up so thoroughly, Bai Zhi was squatting by the water, hugging her knees, silently staring at her reflection.

A gentle breeze blew, leaves fell, the pond rippled, and another figure appeared in the ripples.

【Xia Ji】.

Bai Zhi raised her head slightly and saw that Xia Ji did not speak, but simply sat down quietly beside Bai Zhi, keeping her company.

Bai Zhi pursed her lips. "Sister Xia Ji, if Master really sells us, will you be unhappy?"

Xia Ji shook her head expressionlessly, then thought for a moment and said, "I don't have the ability to express these emotions yet. Besides, as an [object], my master can do with me as he pleases."

Bai Zhi couldn't help but sigh, "I wish I could be like you."

Xia Ji reached out and rubbed Bai Zhi's little head.

Bai Zhi knew this was meant to comfort her, but given Xia Ji's expressionless face, it didn't seem convincing at all. She couldn't help but angrily push Xia Ji's hand away.

Xia Ji suddenly said, "The shop emphasizes equal transactions. The higher the value of the item, the more the buyer needs to pay."

Bai Zhi was taken aback upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes. She murmured to herself, "If I can become good enough, so good that Princess Lucia can't offer a price..."

Looking at Xiao Baizhi, who was lost in thought, a faint smile flashed across Xia Ji's cool and dreamlike face, but it was gone in an instant.

"Sister Xia Ji!!"

Suddenly, Bai Zhi struggled to her feet.

Xia Ji looked up at her.

Bai Zhi clenched her little fists and said, "Let's have special training... No, Sister Xia Ji, you train me! I want to become super, super, super awesome!!"

"Ok."

Xia Ji readily agreed.

……

……

……

……

Even though Marindo is the ancestral planet of Abriel, there are still areas that resemble slums.

However, the so-called poor people here are only in comparison to the people of status who are everywhere on the ancestral planet—they were sent down to the secondary star system within the territory of [Abriel], and they are actually considered to be people of some status.

The seventeenth region.

This is basically on the other side of [Marindo], opposite the first district, separated by an entire Earth's core... It's mostly home to people from the same planet working in various entry-level positions.

Occasionally, some sons of powerful and wealthy families would also come here to hunt.

An old, small, single-person spaceship was landing in Sector Seventeen. It entered through the area's dock, navigated through winding underground passages, and finally came to rest in a giant space.

There are spaceships of all sizes parked here, and under almost every spaceship, someone has set up a stall and is selling their wares.

Where there are people, there is a black market. This is a mobile spaceship market, and its location changes frequently in order to avoid the star patrols of [Marindo].

The spaceship came to a stop, and a slender, handsome young man with short black hair jumped directly out of the hatch.

Many people frequent this mobile black market, but the appearance of the black-haired boy did not attract much attention—a dilapidated single-person spaceship generally signifies the black-haired boy's purchasing power.

However, there are also cases where sellers deliberately keep a low profile. In short, it is necessary to observe more closely, as sellers from all walks of life are very experienced.

The black-haired boy wandered casually through the crowd, seemingly without finding anything he liked—until he came to a certain stall and squatted down.

The stall owner's left arm and right eye are prosthetics, and he is currently hand-crafting an exquisite part. Most of the parts on the stall seem to be hand-crafted, with no uniformity whatsoever.

But here, only the black-haired boy knew that each of these randomly placed parts actually had a special function.

"Two customers have placed additional orders," the stall owner said abruptly.

The black-haired boy picked up a gear-shaped part with his fingers and squinted as he examined it.

The stall owner didn't even look up, continuing to rub the metal in his hands. "The Empire's eldest princess, and one of the prime ministers, [Prime Minister Babylon], both orders are quite difficult. I've been trying my best to coordinate. It's just that the information the eldest princess requested needs to be coordinated with our colleagues on the [magic side], which is a bit troublesome."

The black-haired youth smiled slightly and said, "So, this [Levi Titus] really is problematic?"

The stall owner nodded: "There are indications that [Levi Titus] may have been switched. However, it was done very well, with almost no flaws, so it must have been prepared for a long time."

After saying that, the stall owner took out a stack of photos from the bag on his work apron.

Actually, we didn't have to use this original photo—it's just the black-haired boy's habit; he's used to using everything primitive and ancient.

"Who is this?"

The photo shows a young man who always seems to have a smile on his face. He looks very ordinary and is the kind of person who would easily be lost in a crowd.

“Momojiro,” the stall owner said casually, “is a somewhat well-known materials merchant who secretly sells stolen goods to many Void Pirates, mercenaries, and hunters. He has connections with the Void Hunter Association, the mercenary world, and many pirates. During his time in Marindo, he befriended and ingratiated himself with many noble families and is very good at socializing.”

The black-haired boy stroked his chin. "Sounds like something someone would do as a spy."

The stall owner then took out another photograph and said, "It was him who received [Levi Titus], on the grounds that the two had business dealings."

"What's the actual situation?"

The stall owner said casually, "Momojiro's merchant guild does indeed have business dealings with the Titus gods. Currently, Momojiro's shop is promoting a Transformation Potion, which is a specialty of the Titus gods."

"Why is it only a back view?" the black-haired boy asked curiously.

All the photos I have are of Levi Titus's back; I haven't even gotten a single side view... When did the scribe of Marindo become so incompetent?

A strange look flashed across the stall owner's face, and he took out a few more photos. "It's not that there aren't other angles, but the actual situation is rather bizarre."

The black-haired boy immediately frowned... because these photos were blurry—the people were blurry, but the surrounding background was clear.

He certainly didn't think it was a problem with the filming equipment itself.

The black-haired boy stared at the blurred photo for a while before putting it away. "What about the other order?"

"Lord Babylon wants to know the inside story of the assassination on Ether Star." The stall owner stopped what he was doing. "But we haven't found any records similar to the assassin. If they weren't some newcomer who just entered the void, they'd be a killer secretly trained by some force, who has never actually acted before. Their methods seem to be those of the Eastern Immortal Clan, because a large number of spiritual energy particles were found at the scene. Also, the mecha piloted by Princess Raphael is somewhat special; it's suspected to be a mysterious model that the grandson of Asprinde was developing back then, but which hadn't yet been released."

"Heh, suddenly there are two orders that even the Secret Society's capabilities can't immediately obtain information from?" The black-haired boy clicked his tongue twice. "When did the waters of Abriel become so murky?"

The stall owner didn't say anything, since this black-haired boy was the one who paid him, so he might as well listen to his complaints.

"Street vendor, how much is this?"

Just then, a clear female voice suddenly rang out.

The stall owner and the black-haired boy looked up without making a sound... and what they saw was a woman wearing ordinary washed jeans, a white shirt, and long black hair simply tied in a high ponytail.

The moment the black-haired boy saw this woman, he had only one almost instinctive feeling: danger!
He glanced at the stall owner discreetly.

The stall owner said calmly, "One small world origin of seven thousand points, or imperial currency of equivalent value."

The woman squatted down, picked up a part, examined it for a moment, and then said generously, "I'll take all of these things. Wrap them up for me."

The stall owner was taken aback for a moment, but upon hearing this, he quickly tallied up all the prices. "Madam, are you sure you want all of this? The total value of these items is quite high."

The woman said calmly, "I see there are still some in your suitcase, so include them all. Hurry up, I'm in a rush."

The black-haired boy gave the stall owner a "selling" look.

The stall owner quickly began packing all the hand-crafted parts, saying, "A total of 350,000 points of Small World Origin."

The woman casually pulled out some teardrop-shaped crystals and said indifferently, "I don't have that stuff, but take a look at this and see how much it's worth... Let's all be honest, there's a treasure appraisal station over there, I'm just too lazy to exchange it."

The stall owner frowned, wanting to refuse, but met the black-haired boy's gaze, so he pretended to be reluctant, "Your stuff looks ordinary, but I haven't made a sale today... Is this all you have?"

The woman took out another one, making a total of five.

The black-haired boy's eyes flickered slightly.

Stall owner: "Alright, alright, I'll let you off the hook since you're a beautiful lady! But once the goods are sold, the money is exchanged, and no returns or exchanges are accepted!"

The woman didn't waste any words. She picked up the packed items, put down the teardrop crystals, and left.

"You've hit the jackpot." The black-haired boy chuckled, picking up a crystal and examining it. "Such a pure crystal of the essence of water is rare. You can make at least three times the profit by reselling it."

The stall owner spread his hands, looking rather helpless, and said, "Probably some bored young lady... Wait, isn't this...?"

The black-haired boy then narrowed his eyes.

The stall owner took a deep breath. Wasn't the big customer who had just bought all his parts one of the women who had accompanied [Levi Titus] in the information?
How did she end up here?

coincidence?

Or has the Secret Society's investigation been discovered, and they've even found their way here?
"Let's pack up and leave," the black-haired boy said calmly.

The stall owner nodded with a grim expression... This mobile black market used for rendezvous should be abandoned from this moment on.

The black-haired boy quickly disappeared into the crowd.

……

……

Leaving the winding inner passage of the mobile black market, a figure was traversing the passage with his physical body, moving at a slow pace, even giving the impression of leisurely movement—the true dragon of Shenzhou, Ah Xiruo!

She was carrying quite a few things at the moment.

"I said, why did you buy such a huge pile of junk?"

"I didn't expect to run into a craftsman from the Crimson Lotus Clan. Those parts can be used to make some decent little gadgets, which might be of help to you, young master."

Ah Xiruo couldn't help but roll her eyes; she couldn't see what could be made from such a pile of junk.

She didn't just appear here randomly; rather, she appeared in this seventeenth district because [Ice Wheel] said that the reaction of [Holy Mark] was detected.

[Beyond the Stigmata] Only the one on her body is the final product; the others are either defective or experimental. When Cicero created the [Stigmata], quite a few leaked out. Who knows where these defective products ended up after a long time?
She had been wandering around District 17 for two days without finding anything, but she stumbled upon this spaceship black market by chance and started browsing around.

She felt that the detection by [Ice Wheel] might be inaccurate, since the main body of [Ice Wheel] was still in the 003 small world, which was some distance away, so it was already good that the signal could be transmitted at all.

"Should we try looking in another district tomorrow?"

"It's a pity that the fluctuations of that [Sacred Mark] disappeared too quickly. If it were activated again, we could pinpoint the exact location." [Ice Wheel]'s voice slowly sounded. "You can also look in the two areas next to it."

Ah Xiruo nodded, then calmly raised her hand and waved it, unleashing a "dragon energy" sword light—moreover, it was unleashed while her [Holy Mark] was fully activated.

In an instant, the sword light easily sliced ​​through the metal wall of the inner passage, cutting horizontally all the way, and finally directly entered the void outside of [Marindo].

"Where did this rat come from? Is it trying to rob me because I'm so generous?" Ah Xiruo clicked her tongue twice in disgust. After all, she rarely encountered such a thing even in the 003 small world.

It felt like the "rat" had been cut, and its life force had been completely drained, making it as dead as could be... So Xi Ruo didn't bother with it anymore.

The commotion was quite loud, and it seemed to have attracted the attention of a patrolling star.

slip away.

If I don't go back soon, that heartless woman will probably start to torment me again.

……

Separated by at least ten layers of sturdy metal walls, a corpse lay on the ground, completely severed from its body... a true decapitation!

A black-haired boy!
A moment later, the black-haired boy suddenly sat up, then groped around and picked up the severed head from the side, putting it back on his neck... calibration.

"Did I... die once?"

With a pained expression, the black-haired boy took out a pendant from his pocket—a pendant with three small five-pointed stars embedded in it.

At this moment, two of the five-pointed stars had completely dimmed, leaving only the one in the middle, which faintly shimmered with starlight.

"What kind of monster is this, one hit and it..."

The black-haired boy let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Monsters are so annoying."

It wasn't that he couldn't accept his own death... he just felt that this death was so unreasonable and utterly worthless.

(End of this chapter)