Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 913: The Supreme Honored Guest

The night rain poured down relentlessly.

Mr. Alfie, holding a black umbrella, glanced at the lights in front of the large courtyard gate and then silently walked inside—this was a secret office under the management of Mr. Alfie's department.

From the outside, it looked like an upscale apartment building, but inside, it was anything but ordinary.

The corridor lights, dim from not being replaced for a long time, flickered faintly. Droplets of water dripped from the tip of the umbrella, forming a sporadic trail of water droplets.

There were also wet footprints.

He opened a door, walked in, then unlocked a wall cabinet, entering a hidden elevator that finally led him to the secret office located underground.

The bright light instantly lifted Mr. Alfie's previously heavy mood, and the sight of security personnel bustling around reenergized him.

"Sir!" His secretary was already waiting at the entrance.

Mr. Alfie nodded, removed his coat, and walked straight into his office. He was working late tonight, so after finishing a press conference, he had rushed home for a quick dinner and spent some time with his son before heading here.

On his desk was an urgent document—Mr. Alfie already had a rough idea of its contents from his journey here, but he carefully reviewed it again from the start.After reading, Mr. Alfie frowned deeply, and the secretary could only stand silently, awaiting instructions. Mr. Alfie clasped his hands together, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling lights.

The document was from the President, regarding a neighboring country’s government's formal protest—this was a diplomatic issue.

"Zombie Bath Salts," a new type of drug originating from Mr. Alfie's country, had recently caused a huge uproar in that neighboring nation.

Hospitals had reported numerous cases of people overdosing on the drug, resulting in a high number of fatalities and severe societal harm.

"In order to absolve themselves of guilt, they hope we’ll cooperate in cracking down on the source of 'Zombie Bath Salts'... pushing the blame onto us," Mr. Alfie sighed. "Are the leaders of this country all idiots? How could they propose something so absurd?"

"Sir, they've already stirred up public opinion in their country," the secretary said helplessly. "The reasoning is simple: if they don’t shift the blame, the local government’s credibility will be severely damaged. Besides, this substance did originate from our side."

Mr. Alfie sneered coldly. "They themselves are one of the world's largest drug producers, and they dare talk like this... What have our intelligence officers found?"

The secretary replied, "They investigated the hospital, but it’s been sealed off by the local government and military. Entry and exit are strictly controlled, so our personnel haven’t made any significant discoveries... But we did find that many corpses were transported out of the hospital that day. Also... a large tree appeared suddenly."

"A large tree?"

"It disappeared shortly after," the secretary shrugged. "I don’t think this incident is just about drugs; there must be more to it."

Rubbing his shoulders, Mr. Alfie said, "The fact that they’re so quick to shift responsibility tells us something. But just seeing this presidential order gives me a headache."

"What’s the President's stance?" the secretary asked gravely.

"He’s up for re-election soon..." Mr. Alfie sighed.

Understanding dawned on the secretary’s face, "So... what actions should we take?"

After a moment of thought, Mr. Alfie said, "Leak some information to the drug enforcement division. For now, follow the President's lead... If he’s made this decision, he must have discussed it with certain people."

The secretary nodded. "Our intelligence suggests that the 'Zombie Bath Salts' originated from a woman, but we still don’t know who controls the supply. The woman providing the goods remains very mysterious."

"Release whatever information we have on her," Mr. Alfie instructed, waving his hand.

"Understood," the secretary replied promptly.

"Anything else?" Mr. Alfie asked, looking up. "I need to make a few calls."

"One more thing," the secretary began. "A new religious group has emerged recently, worshipping someone called 'Bucky.' A surprisingly large number of wealthy individuals have joined. Sir, I’m concerned that if this group continues to grow, it could become a serious problem."

Expressionless, Mr. Alfie replied indifferently, "Noted. We’ve dealt with similar religious groups before. These kinds of people never cause much trouble. Set it aside for now; our priority is dealing with the President's directive."

The secretary agreed and quietly left the office.

Rubbing his temples, Mr. Alfie’s face grew darker. "Bucky? Didn’t I tell him not to be so flamboyant? If this continues, even I won’t be able to..."

His thoughts shifted to Dr. Franky's survival, causing another wave of frustration.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Mr. Alfie focused back on his work.

But he couldn’t shake the thought of Bucky's messenger—his power to resurrect, to grant blessings. The sudden appearance of the mysterious tree, the attackers behaving like zombies from a movie... Could there really be zombies?

It seemed like he needed to meet Bucky’s messenger in person, though he was reluctant to do so.

...

Meanwhile, Bucky, the troublesome messenger Mr. Alfie was dreading, was enjoying a playful game at a villa.

Four scantily clad women were frolicking in the room, while the divine messenger himself, blindfolded, was playing a game of tag. The punishment for being caught? A playful strike—the divine messenger had been feeling exceptionally energetic lately.

It was paradise, Bucky thought.

Suddenly, Bucky lunged and actually managed to catch one of the women, knocking them both onto the bed. He gleefully began groping, but something felt off.

The woman beneath him remained motionless, like an empty shell. Confused, Bucky quickly removed his blindfold—worn over his mask.

He had purchased a secure mask from a mysterious maid to avoid it falling off easily during his daily disguises, at the painful cost of a considerable amount of faith units.

"Oh... It’s the beautiful and noble Miss Yōu Yè!"

Bucky observed the situation in the room. The bodies of the four women were completely stiff, as if time had been stolen from them, frozen in place. Meanwhile, the maid, dressed in a black fitted dress, smiled faintly.

Bucky quickly climbed down from the bed.

On the floor, covered with soft white carpet, Bucky crawled swiftly to Yōu Yè, his eyes filled with intense greed.

He wasn’t greedy for Yōu Yè’s beauty, but for the item in Yōu Yè's hands—a tray.

The tray was covered, but Bucky could already smell the contents, something that aroused him more than any number of women could.

Meat.

Bucky didn’t consider himself a glutton; he thought the greatest pleasure was playing with women. But now, more than playing with women, a deadly craving had risen above everything else.

The craving for meat.

Meat, meat, meat, Yōu Yè’s meat… Meat that made him feel incredibly comfortable, filling his body with energy!

"Do you want to eat?" The maid smiled faintly.

Bucky, now on all fours like a dog, propped himself up with his hands, his head tilted upwards. He opened his mouth, licking his lips, and nodded frantically.

"Fifty units," the maid said softly.

Without a second thought, Bucky agreed, barely considering it. As his followers increased, his daily income of faith units had grown continuously. Not just fifty units, even five hundred units, he could easily afford.

"Deal," the maid smiled.

Under Yōu Yè’s smile, Bucky felt like a lost wanderer in a desert who had just found water.

His eyes were fixed as the maid slowly lifted the cover of the silver tray—inside was a piece of brown muscle tissue, oozing dark green blood.

The meat was raw, completely unprocessed!

Yōu Yè casually turned his hand, letting the meat slide off the plate. Bucky quickly caught it and immediately stuffed it into his mouth, devouring it ravenously.

Blood dripped from his fingers, but Bucky didn’t let it go to waste. He bent down and started licking up the ‘strays.’

As he watched the pitiful sight of Bucky, Yōu Yè chuckled softly, "What a greedy child."

"Tasty! Tasty! More, I need more!"

"Then earn more faith," the maid’s voice was filled with irresistible temptation.

"I will, I will... Tasty! Tasty! I’ll earn more..." Bucky had already descended into a frenzy, like those followers who offered themselves to him for his blessings.

"What an obedient child." The maid nodded in satisfaction.

Behind Bucky, a faint shadow slowly became more defined.

"No wonder Lucifer gave you the highest-level contract... Mammon, the legendary demon of greed."

At some point, the maid had left, taking with her the fifty units of faith she'd earned.

The four women in the room had not yet recovered, while Bucky continued to frantically chew the meat on the floor.

After leaving the villa, Yōu Yè glanced at the rainy night and murmured, "I wonder if Master has had a midnight snack… so boring."

When did this feeling of boredom start?

...

The door suddenly swung open. As it did, the servants in the Cold Residence’s hall stood in two lines, greeting in unison, "Welcome home, Miss Ying, welcome home, Young Master Qiu!"

Song Ying was in high spirits, immediately announcing that everyone would receive a red envelope, turning her into a generous benefactor.

It had been six days since that incident, and after various examinations and the Song family’s behind-the-scenes efforts, Luo Qiu and the others were finally discharged from the hospital.

"You’re back," Song Tianyou, leaning on a cane, came out, smiling.

Master Song dismissed the lined-up servants and said, "I’ve had the kitchen prepare some nourishing food. It should be ready soon."

"I’m going to take a bath, Grandpa. See you in the dining room later!" Song Ying waved as she headed straight to her room.

Master Song watched her lovingly before turning to Luo Qiu, "Kid, I didn’t expect you to experience such a thing right after coming to the Song family. Were you scared?"

"Let’s just call it an unforgettable experience," Luo Qiu smiled.

"You do look fine, that’s good." Master Song nodded approvingly, then added, "Before dinner, come with me to the ancestral hall to offer incense to our ancestors, to let them know you’ve returned safely."

He didn’t call for Song Ying… Though he adored his granddaughter, Song Tianyou’s traditional preference for males was still apparent.

The ancestral hall was rarely entered by women; it was mostly for the men of the family.

Luo Qiu didn’t mind and didn’t refuse, following Master Song to the Cold Residence’s ancestral hall for the second time.

To Luo Qiu’s surprise, there was someone else in the hall apart from the Song family men.

Mr. Blind.

As Mr. Blind turned toward him, Luo Qiu remarked thoughtfully, "Master Song, this doesn’t seem to be just about offering incense."

Song Tianyou was momentarily taken aback by Luo Qiu’s distant way of addressing him, but didn’t dwell on it. He slowly said, "That’s right. Besides offering incense, there’s another matter. Mr. Blind wanted to meet you."

After a pause, he added, "Originally, I wanted to arrange for you two to meet earlier, but it was inconvenient at the hospital. Moreover, Mr. Blind had other things to attend to, so it was delayed until today."

What Mr. Blind had been doing, of course, was exploring the underground cellar of the old castle.

Luo Qiu nodded and greeted Mr. Blind politely, not caring whether he could ‘see’ him or not. Courtesy was all that mattered.

As he walked past Mr. Blind and approached the altar, Uncle Wu handed him the prepared incense. Luo Qiu bowed three times before carefully placing the incense in the burner.

At that moment, Mr. Blind suddenly said, "Young Master Luo Qiu, do you know that with each bow, the Song family’s fortune has been increasing dramatically?"

Luo Qiu slowly turned around.

Mr. Blind faced Luo Qiu and solemnly continued, "With each bow to your ancestors, the Song family’s fortune thickened. After three bows, their fortune is now more than double what it was yesterday."

"Fortune? What’s that?" Luo Qiu blinked in curiosity. "Is it some kind of feng shui thing?"

Mr. Blind suddenly opened his usually closed eyes, and in the instant that his cloudy eyeballs were revealed, he immediately shut them again... He took a small step back.

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Blind cupped his hands in respect, "It seems the heavens are backing you… Please forgive my impertinence, noble one."

Master Song was utterly shocked by Mr. Blind’s attitude, his mouth agape...