Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 839: A Good Match

During lunchtime, Song Tianyou had Uncle Wu come over to summon Luo Qiu to the hall.

Not long after, Song Ying also arrived, but she had already changed clothes, and her hair was still damp, suggesting she had just taken a shower.

“Grandpa,” Song Ying greeted warmly, then sat down. However, she ignored Luo Qiu completely, treating him as if he were air.

According to the Song family’s customs, when the host is eating, the servants can only wait nearby. Even elders like Uncle Wu simply stood quietly behind Song Tianyou.

They usually finished eating earlier or arranged to eat elsewhere—like Gan Hong, who was currently in the adjoining side hall with the security personnel from the Cold Residence. The atmosphere there was certainly different, but it seemed that the atmosphere here was not very pleasant either. Grandpa Song was astute and certainly noticed Song Ying's disregard for Luo Qiu, but he didn’t intend to point it out.

Having searched for his brother's whereabouts for decades, Song Tianyou's patience was extraordinary. He merely smiled and said, “Now that everyone is here, let’s eat.”

It was only after Song Tianyou spoke that Song Ying picked up her chopsticks, serving a dish into Song Tianyou’s bowl before finally taking some for herself. However, noticing that Luo Qiu hadn’t moved, she shot him a glance.

It was a special gaze, tinged with reproach.

Only then did Luo Qiu take a dish and serve it into Song Tianyou’s bowl... It had been many years since he had served someone else food. Back then, his father was still around.

“Luo Qiu didn’t grow up in the Song family, so he isn’t familiar with these customs,” Song Tianyou said with a slight smile. “Just do as you wish.”Luo Qiu nodded, took a bite of the pine nut fish, found it quite delicious, and asked curiously, “The chef here is called Uncle Si, right?”

Song Tianyou nodded, saying, “He’s Uncle Wu’s brother. How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“The acidity is just right,” Luo Qiu replied, nodding.

Song Tianyou laughed, “Old Si's ancestors were imperial chefs and even hosted the Manchu-Han banquet for Emperor Qianlong. He certainly has some family recipes.”

After taking a bite of the pine nut fish, Song Tianyou commented, “Hmm, not bad…”

He put down his chopsticks and looked at Luo Qiu. “Old Si has many secret family recipes. You’ll get to try them all in the future.”

“I’d like the chance to learn a bit,” Luo Qiu said with a smile.

While they were happily chatting, Song Ying felt a bit forgotten and seemed somewhat displeased. She couldn’t understand why this guy could effortlessly lighten the mood—wasn’t he just making the most ordinary polite remarks?

At this moment, Song Ying served another dish to Song Tianyou and said, “Grandpa, guess who I found?”

Song Tianyou, curious, asked, “Who did you find?”

With a serious expression, Song Ying replied, “The God of Gamblers, Tu Shenyì.”

Song Tianyou raised an eyebrow, his chopsticks which he had just picked up now resting on the table again. “You really found him?” he asked in surprise.

Song Ying nodded, saying, “What’s unexpected is that Tu Shenyì has been living right here. I’ve heard he’s been residing in a manor for several years, growing grapes and making wine.”

Song Tianyou pondered, “Tu Shenyì has been in hiding for ten years. Many gamblers in the world have been searching for him. I didn’t expect him to be right under our noses; we truly didn’t recognize the mountain... Xiaoying, have you had any contact with Tu Shenyì?”

Song Ying shook her head. “No direct contact. I’m afraid a sudden visit might offend him. Additionally, our people have discovered some others who are also interested in Tu Shenyì, but we don’t know their backgrounds yet.”

After thinking for a moment, Song Tianyou said, “The biannual gambling competition will start again after the New Year.”

“It’s already scheduled for three months from now, but the location hasn’t been set yet,” Song Ying replied solemnly. “Last year, our team lost to the Zhong family’s Four Seasons Casino by a margin of thirty million... Grandpa, this time, I don’t want to lose.”

“Zhong family… Old Zhong,” Song Tianyou mumbled. “I heard last year that this old man was on his last legs, but suddenly he seems revitalized. I thought the Zhong family would be in turmoil, but it transitioned smoothly... This old fellow has good fortune; although his son is useless, his grandchildren are worthy of being the best among people.”

As Song Tianyou spoke, he suddenly glanced at Luo Qiu, only to see him calmly eating. He then asked, “Luo Qiu, would you be interested in experiencing the legend of the martial world?”

“God of Gamblers?” Luo Qiu paused his chopsticks.

Song Tianyou smiled slightly. “It’s a rare opportunity. How about this: you and Xiao Ying go and invite this God of Gamblers out of retirement? Our group places great importance on next year’s competition and has a need to win. If you can invite Tu Shenyì out, that would be a great help to me.”

Before Luo Qiu could respond, Song Ying frowned and said, “I oppose it!”

Song Tianyou asked curiously, “What’s the reason?”

“He...” Song Ying said solemnly, “Grandpa... Although he’s not an outsider, he’s only just come to the Song family and knows nothing. I’m afraid he won’t be of any help and might instead cause trouble.”

Song Ying keenly grasped Song Tianyou’s intentions... He was planning to let Luo Qiu take charge of the Song family, and this opportunity was a way to give him credit.

However, Song Tianyou said, “Think of it as training. Besides, I believe with you around, nothing will go wrong... It’s settled then. Luo Qiu will be staying here for a while; we can’t let him do nothing.”

Song Ying was still planning to argue, but Song Tianyou waved his hand and said, “Let’s eat; the food will get cold.”

With no choice, Song Ying took a deep breath and glared at Luo Qiu, who blinked back... Didn’t I not agree yet?

---

While some enjoyed exquisite meals, others hurriedly ate boxed lunches on the road, and some even missed lunch due to busy work.

There were also those consuming particularly special food. How special, you ask? For example, human organs.

A strange creature was dining, one that had three menacing heads. Two of the heads were devouring fresh hearts, while the third head was tearing into a bright red liver, held down by its claws.

Charlotte, dressed in a black dress, walked past this three-headed monster. The creature growled softly at her, but once it met Charlotte's gaze, it instantly lowered its head.

Those were cold and dissatisfied gazes... The three-headed beast didn’t want to be trained like a dog, so it chose to silently drag the female corpse beneath it to a corner and continued tearing into it.

Charlotte snorted coldly, taking a seat. Several bats flying in the air joined forces to bring her a cup of crimson drink.

Charlotte looked around at the shadows... These were all 'employees' under Lucifer. However, with Lucifer now missing, the original bar had been destroyed after his powers erupted.

Although they had found a replacement venue, it had yet to open. She used the excuse that Lucifer was dealing with an indigenous deity to temporarily cover it up, but it was not a long-term solution.

Charlotte intended to use her crystal ball for divination.

At that moment, a big man wearing a wrestling mask approached her. “Miss Charlotte, Halffu has gone missing.”

Charlotte immediately stopped her hands, which were touching the crystal ball, and asked in confusion, “Missing? What happened? Didn’t I tell it to track down Bucky’s whereabouts?”

The masked man replied, “Well, Halffu came back the other day, but you were resting, so I didn’t dare to disturb you. It said it had caught the scent of Bucky and was preparing to track him down. But it’s been two days, and it hasn’t returned.”

Charlotte furrowed her brow and picked up the crystal ball, slowly saying, “Link... Secret Vault of Pride!”

This was a door that the masked man could not see through... The so-called Secret Vault of Pride was actually a place where Lucifer kept many of her servants' soul stones and some treasures.

Each 'employee' had their soul stone stored there.

Charlotte frowned and said, “Halffu's soul stone is shattered... It’s dead.”

“What?” The masked man was shocked. “Halffu is a three-star demon; who could easily kill it...? Could it be the indigenous deity that Her Majesty is dealing with is behind this?”

“Go look for it. Even if it’s dead, it must have left some trace,” Charlotte said calmly. “In any case, find out where Halffu disappeared last... Take Qiqi with you.”

Qiqi was the name of the three-headed dog that was crouching in the corner, tearing at the female corpse.

Just as Charlotte felt another troublesome matter had arisen, another unexpected guest appeared outside the door of the new bar.

It was Mozart... Wolfgang, wearing ten rings that gleamed like pearls, and sporting flowing golden curls.

“Oh, beautiful Miss Charlotte, I’m delighted to see you again.”

Charlotte looked at this man, who seemed to be saying “I’m wealthy” from every angle, with a hint of impatience. “I’m busy right now and don’t have time to entertain you.”

Wolfgang flashed a bright smile, showing his pearly white teeth. “No worries, I’m just here to perform for His Highness Lucifer... It’s already Tuesday, Miss Charlotte. Thanks to His Highness’s great display of power last week, I was inspired during the storm and have composed a new piece called the ‘Doomsday Song’ that I’d love for His Highness to listen to.”

Charlotte almost forgot about this... She rubbed her forehead and replied, “Well, you’ve come at an inopportune time; Lucifer isn’t here right now.”

Wolfgang paused, then closed his eyes, looking confused. “Hmm... As expected, the notes in the wind tell me that His Highness is indeed not here... nor in the vicinity.”

Charlotte was taken aback and quickly asked, “You can sense it?”

Wolfgang hurriedly replied, “Miss Charlotte, please don’t misunderstand. I would never dare disturb His Highness Lucifer. I only found my way here because of the demonic aura in this place.”

Charlotte’s heart stirred as she gave Wolfgang a special look. Soon after, the two of them went to a quiet location.

Only then did Charlotte say, “You’ve heard about Lucifer’s power explosion last week, right?”

Wolfgang nodded and said, “Only His Highness could dare to release such immense power in the present world on such a grand scale... It’s truly enviable for us. By the way, do you know why His Highness did that?”

The employees didn’t need to know what had happened that day, but Wolfgang was different... Perhaps she could use his abilities to find out where Lucifer was now. Charlotte believed he wouldn’t refuse, after all, Wolfgang needed to perform enough pieces for Lucifer to fulfill their previous agreement.

So, Charlotte explained some important details from that day.

After listening, Wolfgang furrowed his brow, his expression grave: “The silver chains from the void... even caused His Highness to be at a loss?”

Charlotte replied, “Hmph! If it weren’t for the constraints in this world, Lucifer wouldn’t have hesitated!”

Wolfgang nodded in agreement: “Indeed, if His Highness truly unleashed her power, it would have been the real arrival of the apocalypse, and not just that... However, it’s also an undeniable fact that the power behind those silver chains caused some trouble for His Highness. Hmm... silver chains.”

“Do you know something?” Charlotte asked hastily.

Wolfgang shook his head: “What I know is that those who commonly use chains as weapons do exist... but in reality, they probably don’t possess the strength to achieve this level. The key point is that after that battle, His Highness went completely silent, which makes things all the more intriguing.”

“Lucifer definitely isn’t in any life-threatening danger,” Charlotte asserted. “Otherwise, we would all know... It’s very likely she has entered some lost realm.”

“If that’s the case, it becomes quite troublesome,” Wolfgang said. “Crossing different boundaries to find someone in different subdimensions isn’t my strong suit.”

“Even you transcenders can’t do anything about it?” Charlotte frowned.

Wolfgang smiled slightly: “It’s just that our fields of expertise differ... How about this? I’ll take a trip back to the rift between dimensions and ask a friend for help. When it comes to spatial travel, no one is better at it than that person.”

“Then I’ll wait for your news,” Charlotte nodded.

Wolfgang then took out a strange token and stepped backward into a tearing rift in front of Charlotte...

---

Bucky stabbed a golden-brown fried piece of meat with a fork and popped it into his mouth, chewing it with relish.

“My underling is really quite capable; he has found three new recruits for me so quickly...” Bucky swallowed the meat that made his taste buds explode with flavor, licking his lips. “Miss You Ye, it seems that before long, my divine kingdom will truly come to fruition!”

This was Mr. Besong’s mansion. As a fervent believer, Mr. Besong even gave up his room for this ‘divine envoy’ to use, while he and his wife moved to a guest room.

Mrs. Besong had some complaints about this arrangement, but after receiving the ‘divine envoy’s’ blessing and feeling the miraculous disappearance of her eye wrinkles, she had no objections. That very night, while Mr. Besong was asleep, she secretly climbed into the ‘divine envoy’s’ bed.

Bucky welcomed this and spent several hours sowing glory on Mrs. Besong, then promised that this sacred act would continue in the future.

“This is a good thing,” You Ye said calmly, glancing at Bucky. “Once the number of followers reaches one hundred, I will help you create another miracle to solidify their trust in you. Once you have a hundred fervent believers, the foundation will be laid.”

What else could Bucky say?

Of course, he continued to lick the plate...

Speaking of which, the maid had been preparing this kind of meat for him these past few days, which was just fantastic!

He felt that his mental strength had been improving especially quickly these last few days!

Bucky burped, and suddenly, a faint green light appeared in his eyes.