Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1193: Witch of the Gyrfalcon

St. Andrews, located in northern Scotland, was named after Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, whose remains were said to rest there.

Not far from the town, an old Ford came to a stop before a manor. After the car door opened, a group of young men and women stepped out. The car had been rented, and once they got off, the driver slowly drove away.

The pair at the front looked especially young. The man wore a gray scarf around his neck, while the woman had short hair dyed white.

They stood at the manor’s gate, taking in the view.

The manor looked as though it hadn’t been lived in for a long time. Moss had covered the stone walls, and the wrought iron gate was rusted and worn. There were no other buildings nearby—just a forest ahead. The road wound through the trees, and not far beyond, the North Sea could be seen glimmering faintly.

Spring had already arrived, and a thick carpet of fallen leaves covered the ground. The scent of damp earth mixed with the salty tang of the sea, permeating the air.

The short-haired girl, Nero, yawned and shaded her eyes with a hand, pretending to look off into the distance. This place had been chosen by Miss Maid, but upon arrival, Nero realized it was far larger than she expected. “This is huge…”

“I heard it’s one of Miss You Ye’s properties,” said the young man with the scarf, tilting his head back to look at a tall tower within the manor. After a long moment, he sighed. “Damn, she’s rich.”

“One of…” Nero muttered, lips twitching slightly.

How should she put it?Though she had once been one of the Twelve Divine Generals of Michael’s Society, with access to a generous annual activity fund, most Divine Generals spent their money on improving their power rather than enjoying wealth. Money had never meant much to her. Still, hearing the phrase ‘one of her properties’, Nero couldn’t help but feel that familiar sting of poverty.

Da Zhe, on the other hand, perked up. “Come on. Boss will probably arrive a few days before the school term starts. Miss You Ye said we should have this place cleaned up by then.”

Nero pouted and yawned again. “What’s the rush? We’ve got a whole month! I saw a nice little pub in town—how about we grab a few drinks first?”

Da Zhe didn’t mind drinking. “I don’t care either way. There’s no rush with the cleanup… but are you sure you have time? Have you finished copying your books?”

“That’s such a sad story, can we not talk about it?”

“Let’s just start cleaning.”

Da Zhe chuckled, then grabbed Nero by the back of her collar and dragged her into the manor.

---

The alarm rang at eight.

Chen Mingming opened his eyes. The curtains were still drawn tight, the desk lamp still on. He sat up, pinching his brow—he’d fallen asleep right at his desk again.

He glanced at his sketchbook, closed it, and put it back into the drawer.

After showering, he opened his wardrobe. The clothes inside were all in two plain colors—black and white—neatly arranged with no patterns.

As usual, after washing up, Chen Mingming prepared his breakfast.

The slippers by the living room entrance hadn’t been moved. Without even knocking on his mother’s door, he already knew she hadn’t come home last night. Not because she was irresponsible, but because she was completely consumed by work.

Then his phone rang—it was Zhou Yusheng.

He could hear the fatigue in Zhou Yusheng’s voice.

“About you… I took some time yesterday to talk to your mother.”

Chen Mingming sat quietly, his eyes on the clock on the wall.

“…Listen, you’re an adult now. You have the right to choose for yourself. Even your mother can’t force you to do something you don’t want. Mingming, are you listening to me?”

“You worked through the night again, didn’t you?”

There was a pause on the other end. Zhou Yusheng frowned. “There’s been a big case recently. It’s urgent. I’m not the only one pulling overtime.”

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Not yet… but don’t change the subject. I’m telling you, you can’t just do whatever your mother says—”

“Eat something warm. You’ve been up all night; soup or porridge would be good for your stomach.”

“I said don’t interrupt me, I’m trying to tell you—hello? Hello?”

Chen Mingming tapped his phone and switched it to airplane mode. Then he quietly finished his breakfast, cleaned up, washed the dishes, dried them, and put them back in the cupboard.

And just like every other day, he headed out.

---

“Morning! Hey hey!”

As he stepped out of the apartment complex, a lively voice called out to him. A bright figure leapt into his field of view—it was Tara.

Chen Mingming blinked, surprised.

Spring had warmed the weather, and today, Tara wore a skirt that showed her long, straight legs wrapped in thick tights, a white jacket over her shoulders, and a cup of coffee in her hand.

“How did you know I live here?” Chen Mingming asked, puzzled.

Tara brushed her bangs aside with a proud smile. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m a demon girl! Demons can do anything, didn’t you know? I said yesterday I’d come find you today. See? I keep my promises!”

“Did you?” he replied flatly.

Tara stepped closer and naturally hooked her arm through his. “I don’t have classes today, so I’ll keep you company. You can hang out with me tomorrow. Then I work this weekend, and next week I’ve got classes and exam prep.”

Chen Mingming opened his mouth, frowning slightly.

Tara lowered her voice. “I’ll help you find that person. In return, you’ll go on a date with me.”

Chen Mingming thought for a moment. “Where do we even look? We’ve already checked the school, and I don’t know where else to start.”

“When you’re looking for someone, you go where there are lots of people!” Tara said with a wink. “There’s a food festival at Dongle Square today—crowded as hell. We might get lucky! I’ll go with you!”

“No, I’ve got class.”

Tara tugged his arm firmly, her tone brooking no refusal. “You’re leaving the country soon. What’s one missed class? Come on, I promise you’ll get a good meal… maybe even find your person!”

And just like that, his routine was disrupted again.

---

In front of the school building—

“Here’s what you wanted.”

Zhao Le turned his head away as he handed over the bag. Sweat beaded his forehead; he’d gotten up early, run half the way here, and barely made it on time.

Dong Shaofeng smirked as he lifted the lid to peek inside. “Not bad. You even used a thermal box. Promising. I’ll call you if I need something again.”

He took the bag and started up the stairs toward the building.

Zhao Le exhaled deeply, ready to leave—

But the two guys behind Dong Shaofeng blocked his way. “Hey, Zhao Le, don’t be in such a rush. Help your bros out, yeah?”

Zhao Le glared. “Don’t push it, you—!”

One of them raised his phone. On the screen was a photo that made Zhao Le’s breath hitch sharply. He instinctively reached for it, but the other guy grabbed him by the waist and held him back.

“What… what do you want from me!?”

The one with the phone tilted his chin up, and the one restraining Zhao Le let go—only to pull a few stacks of homework books from his bag and slap them against Zhao Le’s chest. “Top student, we need these done by next period. Be a pal and handle it for us, yeah? What’s that look for? Take them!”

Zhao Le clenched his teeth, gripping the notebooks tightly.

“Oh right, we’ve got to submit reflection essays to the office too. Better write ours for us while you’re at it—and don’t forget Boss Feng’s.” The guy smirked, tapping Zhao Le’s face with his phone. “Hang in there, little puppy.”

The two of them laughed as they walked off.

---

The plaza was packed with people, the air filled with the mouthwatering scent of street food.

Tara held two skewers in her hands, eating happily. She seemed to forget that Chen Mingming was even beside her, eyes shining as she darted from one food stall to the next.

She only spoke to Chen Mingming when she exclaimed, “Wow, this is delicious!”, “That one looks good too!”, or “I can’t eat another bite!”

Chen Mingming shook his head. While Tara was still watching the stall owner cook, he quietly turned around and slipped away into the crowd.

Maybe if she hadn’t suddenly appeared in his plans, he wouldn’t feel this strange sense of dissonance… he thought to himself.

Looking for that person?

If Tara hadn’t brought it up, Chen Mingming probably wouldn’t have even considered the idea.

He knew very clearly that he did care about that person—it was something he longed for, deeply.

Loneliness. Solitude. As if that person existed apart from everything else, like a wandering spirit quietly observing the world.

That person seemed to have a world entirely their own, yet it wasn’t cut off from reality. The calmness on the surface was just an illusion; what lay beneath was what truly drew Chen Mingming in.

But since a certain holiday last year, he hadn’t seen that person in the library again—and the last book that person had been reading, he had already finished himself.

It was a book about antique porcelain.

Suddenly, Chen Mingming felt dizzy, an overwhelming drowsiness washing over him—but not from lack of sleep. His daily routine was strict, his rest and exercise balanced. There was no reason he should be lightheaded.

Yet he abruptly closed his eyes—and collapsed.

He should have hit the ground—but he didn’t. A pair of hands caught him. They belonged to a man in a black suit: Wei Zidào.

---

“He’s the forty-seventh one,” Wei Zidào said, glancing at his partner, Liu Minghao.

Liu Minghao nodded and pointed toward a corner of the plaza—a stairwell. They planned to question Chen Mingming there, somewhere away from the crowd.

They didn’t actually know who Chen Mingming was. He was simply one of over fifty auras detected by the Bronze Mirror of Divination.

Maybe these forty-seven would yield something useful. Maybe not. With every failed attempt, Liu Minghao’s confidence in the mirror’s results was waning.

Soon, the two men helped Chen Mingming into the mall, slipping quietly into the back stairwell.

“I’ll handle it,” Wei Zidào said, laying Chen Mingming down and pulling out a scanning device.

The scan finished quickly—but the device showed nothing. If it wasn’t malfunctioning, this person was completely ordinary.

“Interrogate him,” Liu Minghao said flatly. His tone carried no expectation anymore; this had become routine.

But then—the device suddenly beeped!

“It’s Demon energy!” Wei Zidào snapped his head up. “This kid’s got Demon aura on him—weak, but I almost missed it!”

“He’s not a Demon,” Liu Minghao frowned.

Wei Zidào was a new recruit, but Liu Minghao was already a mid-rank agent. He’d dealt with countless Demons before, and as a former temporary disciple of a Taoist sect, he could recognize most Demon types by sight alone.

“There’s something off,” Wei Zidào murmured. He took a deep breath and pressed his palm to Chen Mingming’s forehead.

At that instant, a violent surge of Demon energy exploded—but not from Chen Mingming. It came from behind them!

Their reflexes were sharp.

In a split second, Liu Minghao spun around and drew a black metal rod, while Wei Zidào pulled out a strange silver-black revolver.

“What are you trying to do to my boyfriend!?”

A furious voice echoed—and they saw her. A girl in a white jacket, looking young—Tara.

But what truly startled them were the marks spreading across her face—dark, tattoo-like sigils, growing in number by the second!

At the same time, a massive blue circle of light appeared beneath their feet, glowing on the floor, walls, and stairs around them.

Liu Minghao gasped, “A falcon totem!?”

The azure runic circle beneath them showed no sign of fading. Tara’s eyes flashed coldly—but before she acted, Liu Minghao quickly pulled a badge from his coat.

Tara hesitated, then waved her hand, making all the strange energy vanish. “You’re… from the Management Bureau?” she asked cautiously.

Liu Minghao nodded, producing a small, mirror-like device from his pocket. When opened, it scanned Tara automatically.

Beep-beep—search complete.

Lines of text appeared on the small screen:

Name: Tara

Race: Human–Demon hybrid

Occupation: Witch of the Gyrfalcon, High-level Demon Entity

(End of Chapter)