Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 858: The World of Lies (6)

"Gabriel" slowly walked into the bell tower's control room, circling around the quietly standing maid.

It sighed, "No matter how many times, I am always amazed by human creativity. Alchemy truly is a discipline that almost approaches truth; this very body is a rare treasure."

Yōu Yè clasped her hands together, gazing forward, unmoving, like a maiden practicing her etiquette.

"For centuries, for many centuries, I have pondered the same question," "Gabriel" paused in front of Yōu Yè, looking into her deep blue eyes, and slowly said, "Who are you? Where do you come from? What do you wish to do?"

"Our establishment is merely for business," Yōu Yè smiled.

"Gabriel" shook its head, sighed, "I have spoken with the Buddhas of the Western Paradise, and have seen the incredible rulers of Heaven. I have been to the end of the Ganges and asked the ruler of the sky... We have no unified conclusion. I don't know your origin."

"Does the guest wish to know this information?" Yōu Yè smiled again.

"Gabriel" shook its head again, "I do not wish to incur additional expenses... After all, the time until the next payment is quite short. Each devotee is invaluable to me, making it difficult for me to part with them."

"Gabriel" sighed again, a look of compassion on its face, "In fact, each time I send them away with my own hands, I endure a pain akin to having my heart torn out, because they are all my children. Is... he doing well?"

"That gentleman has relinquished his position as shopkeeper," Yōu Yè replied calmly. "Now I have a new master.""Gabriel" fell silent for a moment... It suddenly adjusted its sleeves, "Is that so? Another change? No wonder you seem more lively than when we last met; it must be due to your new master."

"It is quite impolite to speak of my master behind their back," Yōu Yè said lightly.

"Gabriel" smiled slightly and suddenly said, "There is something that should have happened a few months ago. A new devotee was supposed to ascend to heaven, but for some reason, they disappeared without a trace. I once sent an angel to investigate this matter. But in the end, that angel also went missing... Ultimately, we discovered that an ancient monastery in the human realm had been utterly destroyed. All we found in the ruins was an inverted cross."

"The inverted cross is the mark of the Black Church; the guest should know, why still ask?"

"Gabriel" nodded, "Some things were stolen from the monastery; I have a rough idea of what it was for. But I do not understand why that devotee's soul vanished."

"Can one who has not ascended to heaven be considered a devotee?" the maid suddenly countered.

"Gabriel" paced for a moment, then seemed to notice something outside the bell tower, "Thank you for showing mercy to Lucifer. She doesn't know much and is bound to have some biases... You were once siblings; if possible, I hope you can recall some old feelings."

"That depends on the extent of her offense towards my master," the maid's voice became increasingly calm.

"Gabriel" shook its head, waved its hand, "Let’s not talk about this... The time of my descent isn't suitable for too long. You should have matters to attend to; I seem to sense an individual nearby tainted with your aura."

"Nothing much, just a customer who has made a transaction," Yōu Yè replied calmly. "My new master prefers to follow up with customers."

"Gabriel" said no more, nodded, "When the time comes, I will personally visit your new master. Thank you for your assistance this time; it allowed me to successfully retrieve Noah... Then, please extend my regards to the new shopkeeper."

"Gabriel" slowly closed its eyes, as if something had been stripped from its body... It suddenly knelt on the ground, displaying a weary posture while regaining its original beautiful appearance.

Gabriel slowly propped itself up, looking up and down, furrowing its brow, "Father told me to stay away from you, even to avoid conflict with you... Why? Who are you?"

The maid gently lifted her skirt, paused in front of Gabriel, and smiled as she turned to leave, leaving behind this remark: "Then do as your father says."

Until the maid slowly walked down the stairs, Gabriel did not move; it completely obeyed 'father's' guidance, never doing anything that went against 'father's' will.

Gabriel retreated to the corridor outside the bell tower's control room, opened its arms, and let its body fall naturally from the highest point of the tower. Just as its body was about to fall halfway, six pairs of glossy wings suddenly spread out, guiding Gabriel toward a certain direction in the city's outskirts.

'Father' said there was a small monastery over there.

---

There’s a saying, isn’t there?

A villain can never defeat students in the school map—because the students, with their strong combat abilities, can crush any villain with absolute map advantage.

But Caroline felt that she wasn't a villain, right?

In the complex terrain of the school building, Caroline was hiding in a classroom, curling up in fear. At that moment, the corridor lights suddenly lit up.

"Caroline!! Come out!!"

The outside echoed with Hailey's beast-like roar—and the loud sound of him kicking every door as he approached, "I know you're here! Come out!"

Caroline had to cover her ears.

Bang—!

Another door was crazily kicked open by Hailey, bursting into the classroom. He frantically disrupted everything inside—the tables, chairs, and podium visible to the eye.

The sounds of destruction were so close... Caroline shrank her neck in fear, for at that moment, Hailey was in the classroom directly across from her... Was he about to burst in the next moment?

Caroline quickly took out the stun baton wedged in her underwear, trembling as she held it in her hand—but at that moment, the outside suddenly fell silent.

No, it should be said that it became quiet after a certain remark.

"Are you done making noise!"

---

"Are you done making noise—!!"

Hearing this, Hailey slowly turned around and saw Arnold and Boston standing outside the door. The moment Hailey saw Arnold, his face turned pale, and he tightly gripped the handle of the small knife in his hand.

Arnold quickly stepped inside, took off his glasses with one hand, and directly kicked Hailey in the abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground.

Boston rolled his eyes at once—he never understood why Arnold made Hailey appear as if he was a nightmare, that even in a frenzy, he would become fearful at a cold glance from Arnold... But Hailey suddenly sprang up!

This time!

Hailey swiftly slashed the small knife towards Arnold's arm, drawing blood—a surprise for Boston, as this time Hailey actually dared to attack Arnold.

"You stab me?" Arnold looked at the wound on his arm, blood dripping, but suddenly raised his head and looked at Hailey, "You want to kill me?"

"I..."

The knife fell from Hailey's hand, trembling as he took two steps back, "I didn't... I’m not... I just accidentally..."

Arnold stepped in front of Hailey, slapping his palm directly against Hailey's face, "You want to kill me?"

"I'm not..."

Arnold slapped him again, "You want to kill me?"

"I'm not... I'm really not... I'm not... I'm not... I'm not..."

Arnold did not stop, advancing step by step, hitting Hailey again and again, eventually cornering him against the wall, with nowhere to retreat, before grabbing Hailey by the collar, "Did you forget who let you out of the cage? Did you forget who fed you? Did you forget who gave you a second chance at life? You freak!"

"I’m not! I'm not a freak! I'm not!" Hailey clutched Arnold's hand tightly, "Don't call me a freak!"

"You've been a freak since you were little!" Arnold pressed Hailey's head down firmly, "You were born this way! Since you were little!! Did you forget how you tortured and killed the neighbor's cat when you were a child? Do you remember what happened when you were ten? Let me remind you: you sneaked into the neighbor’s house at night, waited for Mrs. Am to fall asleep, and slit her throat with a kitchen knife!"

"I didn’t... I’m not! I didn’t!"

"You did!!" Arnold grabbed Hailey's head and slammed it against the wall, "Not only did you kill her, but you also chopped her flesh piece by piece with a knife! You were laughing, you were laughing! You were happy and laughing! You freak!"

"I'm not..."

"You killed your father! You killed your mother!! You freak! You killed everyone!" Arnold pressed down on Hailey's head, smashing his forehead against Hailey's forehead, "Now, you want to kill me too! You freak!!"

"I'm not... I really am not..." Hailey lowered his head, "I... I can't control myself... I don’t know why... I can’t control myself... Caroline is mine... mine, mine... She treats me well, she is mine..."

"No one will treat you well!" Arnold once again grabbed Hailey's head and slammed it against the wall.

The impact made Hailey see stars, his head ringing, and a young man slumped down along the wall... Only then did Arnold let go of Hailey. He glanced at the wound on his arm, tore open his T-shirt, and wrapped it around the injury.

He crouched down gently, cradling Hailey’s head, and whispered, “Listen, I’m the only one who will treat you well. I’m the only one who won’t lock you in a cage. I’m the only one who will erase your sins. Only I... No matter how many people you’ve killed, only I will forgive you. One Caroline, ten Carolines can’t compare to me... Listen, you are me; you are my other half. Remember that.”

Hailey stared blankly, allowing Arnold to hold him, seeming to calm down.

Seeing this, Boston couldn’t help but frown... This was not what he had in mind. He suddenly squinted, glanced around the empty corridor, and quickly pulled out a gun hidden in his belt.

Seeing this, Caroline in the classroom immediately covered her mouth, afraid of making any noise... What did she see? Boston wanted to kill Arnold and Hailey... from behind? Would they hear a gunshot the next second? Caroline shrank back in terror... One second passed, two seconds passed, three seconds passed.

Bang—!

Suddenly!

But it wasn’t a gunshot; it was the sound of a door crashing open... Caroline felt a hard object pressing against her head, her body stiffening, and she slowly raised her head to see a dark gun barrel pointed directly at her... It was Boston!

“Hey, little girl, I knew you were hiding here watching the show.”

Caroline quickly activated her stun baton, trying to shock Boston, but he kicked it away first. Boston then grabbed Caroline by the neck, and the gun barrel pressed into her mouth, the hard tip stirring her oral cavity.

“Be quiet. You don’t want me to put a hole in you right now, do you?” Boston sneered.

Caroline dared not move, her breathing quickened, and her heart raced... Death was so close; fear rendered her mind almost blank.

“Hey BOSS, I found this woman,” Boston called out.

Arnold let go of Hailey, who leaned against the wall, head down, like an empty shell... Arnold walked over, glancing at Caroline, who was held at gunpoint by Boston.

“When did you find out?” Arnold looked around, noticing the bag next to Caroline.

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me...” Caroline cried out in terror, “I can give you everything, everything... Please don’t kill me... I’ll give you all the money... That bank card too... Don’t kill me!”

Arnold picked up the bag from the ground, brushed off the dust, and placed it on the table. “Honestly, I really don’t like using such a crude method... You see, I’m bleeding. I’m starting to dislike you.”

Arnold opened the bag, revealing not only some packaged food but also several small sealed bags.

Light blue powder.

“What a greedy woman.” Arnold walked toward Caroline, waving his hand.

Boston understood and immediately pinned Caroline against the table. Under the light, Arnold approached Caroline, gripping her chin and leaning down to say, “I’m bleeding, you almost got him to kill me... It would be too easy to just kill you. I suddenly have a great idea... a temporary one.”

Caroline struggled desperately, but Arnold took the powder and began to shove it into her mouth.

“BOSS, isn’t this too wasteful?” Boston couldn’t help but speak up.

“What do you want?” Arnold replied coldly, “With bullets or rope? Then dispose of the body by the river? Using this to kill her and leaving the body here for the police to find tomorrow! Such things can’t be covered up; society will pay attention, especially since it happened on campus. Those politicians won’t be able to protect themselves! The big shots holding bath salts will all be targeted! Once they’re wiped out by the police, there will be plenty of space for us to develop!”

“But... but if we do that, we can’t sell it. Without money, how can we develop?” Boston frowned.

Arnold, however, looked at the struggling Caroline and sneered, “Funding? There’s plenty here... and it’s beyond your imagination... Oh, it’s already working.”

After continuously feeding her bath salts, Caroline’s complexion suddenly turned ugly. Her eyes began rolling back, her body convulsed wildly, and she collapsed to the ground, blood starting to ooze from her nostrils.

“Start packing things up,” Arnold ordered.

Boston hesitated for a moment but ultimately complied... He suddenly felt that being able to swallow those big shots' territories was a very promising thing... Arnold might still be useful.

He walked over to help Hailey up, while Arnold quickly wiped away the blood he had spilled and restored the classroom to its original state, closing the door. He then glanced at Caroline, swiftly searched her for the bank card, and said, “Let’s go; the patrollers should have heard the commotion...”

“Save... save me...”

Before leaving, Caroline desperately grabbed Hailey’s calf... Perhaps this was the last bit of strength she could muster to survive.

Hailey trembled, looking down at Caroline’s pleading expression, pale-faced, but ultimately was dragged away by Boston.

“Save... save me...”

She could only watch as they walked away, each step taking them further away... Caroline felt her brain was about to explode, her whole body burning like fire, her blood flowing beneath her skin, causing her veins to swell—when this extreme pain reached a certain limit, Caroline’s eyes suddenly flew open.

But her pupils were gone, completely replaced by white eyeballs, a strange force lifting her body, and a ribbon-like light suddenly spread from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose!

Ah—!!

She let out an extremely shrill scream... In the corridor, the glass in the classrooms began to shatter, and a massive shockwave erupted from her, centered around her, instantly releasing into the corridor.

“What is this!”

Initially, Arnold turned back to see this strange scene, his brain hadn’t even processed it before the massive shockwave knocked him over, slamming him against the end of the corridor... The immense pressure pinned him against the wall, distorting his face.

“What kind of monster is this!”

Next was Boston... At that moment, he was pressed against the wall, letting out terrified screams—while Caroline suddenly opened her mouth.

It was like a scream but also like a roar; the loud noise brought the entire floor crashing down, countless fragments shooting out from the windows on the other side.

Arnold and the others were instantly buried under the rubble, their lives uncertain.

In the rubble-strewn corridor, smoke billowed, but Caroline had collapsed on the ground, clutching her head.

Countless voices, countless images, and an overwhelming amount of information surged into her brain, and she felt like she was going to be annihilated in this influx of foreign information.

Amidst the chaotic sounds, Caroline heard a crisp knocking sound... She struggled to open her eyes and finally saw something.

A woman dressed in a black and white maid outfit... the same one she had seen in that mysterious shop.

“Save... save me...” Caroline weakly pleaded.

“Why should I save you? If you can endure the pain you’re experiencing now, you will gain extraordinary power. Dimensional Observer, the past or future will leave your mark.”

“Ah—I can’t take it... I can’t... I don’t want to... no!!” Caroline suddenly clutched the woman’s legs, “I don’t want to!”

“Think again, I’m not lying to you.” She slowly crouched down, reaching out to touch Caroline’s lips, calmly saying, “You are foolish, ignorant, and vulgar, yet this gives you a chance for transformation, and without a doubt, if you can endure this pain, you will become a life that transcends humanity.”

“Ah—!!!! I don’t want to!!”

Caroline painfully gripped her face, tearing it and leaving bloody marks, “I don’t want! I don’t want!! I don’t want!!!”

She stood up and calmly said, “Dimensional Observation, a punishment bloodline not allowed to exist in a world... Permanently depriving you of the ability to reproduce is the only way the main world can allow you the opportunity to awaken. Once you get through this pain, you’ll find that what you’re enduring now is trivial.”

“I don’t want... I can’t take it—!!!!”

“Then choose.” She said indifferently, “Do you want to deprive yourself of this power, or accept it and become extraordinary?”

“I don’t want... don’t... save me... please...”

She shook her head, seemingly sighing: “For countless years, for hundreds of centuries, do you know why so few have awakened the ability of the Dimensional Observation? That’s because... only in those who lack capacity can it emerge; the chance is so weak, even impossible. You’re not the first to give up, really won’t reconsider?”

“I... don’t want to...”

“I understand, guest.” She placed her hand on Caroline’s forehead, “Now, I’ll strip you of this miraculous power.”