Chapter 1: Buying and Selling

rq was gazing at the strange decorations in the shop window, a voice suddenly appeared beside him.She was an unusually pale girl, looking about his age.Black and white, the Gothic maid outfit's eterna...To be strict, Luo Qiu wasn't an orphan because he had legal guardians and relatives.

That's my father's second wife, simply put, stepmother.

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Of course she's the stepmother...

However, similar topics did not appear in Lohr's speech or life.

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Because seeing that woman who toiled day and night for herself, no matter what, seemed to want to give her own motherly love to the woman, Locqui still agreed more.

Of course, if it weren't for the fact that this added name on the household registration book didn't belong to her, this woman who legally possesses the status of 'mother', during the most beautiful years of a woman's life, Luo Qiu felt he might be more willing to call her "Mom."

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Humans are creatures of habit, accustomed to both experiencing and avoiding sadness. They also grow accustomed to the people around them.

Theoretically, no one should crave solitude.

But why would I yearn

Lo Qiu wrote "Out" on a sticky note and stuck it to the refrigerator door. He went out before the weather got too hot.

On the weekends, with no classes at university, he just wanted to be alone and quiet, that was all.

The streets in the morning were beginning to bustle with activity.

It was probably because it was the weekend and I went out early.

A father was taking his daughter out to play, an elderly woman walked hand-in-hand with her husband along the riverbank, some people took advantage of the weekend to exercise and feel the vitality of life, and some people started their day's livelihood.

Figures, shaped and styled, appeared in Luo Qiu's vision then vanished, like actors on a stage in an opera house, as if they were born to be the top performers, playing their roles flawlessly.

Luo Qiu was accustomed to observation but not to speaking. He wanted to probe people's thoughts but was unwilling to engage with them too much.

What is it

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Late coming-of-age confusion

I just want to be alone... The area around me started getting lively, so Rocq shook his head and walked towards the shopping street which should still be closed.

It should be more peaceful here now, maybe we'll find a couple of pedestrians, then we can observe them properly.

With earphones in, listening to a song that wasn't very popular, Luo Qiu unknowingly walked into the pedestrian street.

As he had expected, there were no open shops or those with their doors half-open. Occasionally, one or two shops were already in business, but they only sold breakfast pastries and the like.

This is a test.

Luo Qiu bought two buns and sat down on a bench at the edge of the street... It seemed like no one was paying attention to him, even though he looked so peculiar by himself.

—— 'Trafford Buyer Club' ——

There was such a name, suddenly it entered Luo Qiu's line of sight.

Although it's not like remembering everything around you, you should at least have some impression of a shop with such a strange name, right

>

The sign is made up of individual characters pieced together, and the storefront is overall a wooden structure. On one side is an oil lamp that looks very European in style, while on the other is a clearer display window.

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He could just make out some small displays in the shop window, which drew Luo Qiu inside.

A beautifully dressed doll, a small clock that seemed to have stopped moving, and an art piece resembling a grizzly bear's paw, a tattered but peculiarly appealing fisherman's hat.

"Guest, would you like to come in and have a look"

Just as Lorq was gazing at the strange decorations in the shop window, a voice suddenly appeared beside him.

She was an unusually pale girl, looking about his age.

Black and white, the Gothic maid outfit's eternal hues, gave an overall impression of a woman with morbid beauty. But Luo Qiu had no more time to pay attention to these things.

Looking into those sapphire blue eyes, they were truly captivating. They resembled gemstones, mystical and alluring gems.

It was like a whirlpool.

When Luo Qiu came to his senses, he had already walked into this strange club. He couldn't even remember how he got in.

Just like in a movie, when the scene suddenly switches.

"Guest, please have some tea."

A girl with sapphire eyes, a slender figure, and dressed in a Gothic maid outfit, which wasn't uncommon for this era, offered Lochlan a cup of flower tea.

“The lotus flower can make guests feel at ease. People can only think about what they really need when they are at ease.”

"Oh... is there only you here"

I really can't think of what to say, but since I've inexplicably walked in, Loch just goes with the flow. Just looking around and not spending is nothing particularly unusual.

Yet this strange shop sparked a curiosity in Loqi unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Although he walked in, he still didn't know what this place was all about.

"No, master, my mistress will be out shortly to discuss matters with you." The girl smiled faintly and walked into the inner hall.

Master The boss's hobby

Koko...

Shaking his head, Luo Qiu began to survey everything around him.

It seems to continue the style of the storefront window, with a collection of strange and mismatched items. Yet, they are arranged without any awkwardness, instead exuding an air of mystery.

The shop was a place to entertain guests, much like the Western fortune-telling shops that Luo Qiu had seen. The overall color scheme was dim, and the lighting wasn't even incandescent bulbs, but rather white tapers carefully placed in candleholders.

It seems the boss has put a lot of thought into this place.

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The waiting time exceeded Luo Qiu's estimate, but his curiosity kept him there. His attention had already been drawn to the things on display in the cabinets beside him.

They were two beads, fixed one above the other on a stand, crimson red, like some kind of gemstone, and then covered in a delicate glass container.

For some reason, Luo Qiu imagined them as the moon in the night sky. But thinking about how there could be two moons in the sky, and they were crimson red, Luo Qiu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Like these 'Crimson Moon' ones"

Finally, I heard another voice besides that girl's. It seems like the so-called boss who has been hiding all this time has finally come out.

Luo Qiu turned around and saw a man in his middle age who was dressed very neatly and appropriately—to be precise, he should be a foreign man in his middle age.

Unlike the maid, his eyes were a murky gray...And when he spoke the local language, it seemed remarkably fluent. If you didn't look at him directly, you probably wouldn't think he was a foreigner at all

Moreover, the fact that he's a very handsome uncle is also quite eye-catching...

"I'm just taking a look," Luo Qiu replied subconsciously.

Both the boss and the maid server gave Locke a mysterious aura.

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At this moment, the boss smiled faintly and walked to the display cabinet. With gentle movements, he lifted out the glass container.

He looked at Luo Qiu and said: “This ‘Crimson Moon’ is something that only the people of a tribe living in ancient Latin America would possess. The people of this tribe, once they encountered unbearable grief or anger, or even joy, their eyes would change into this beautiful crimson. And under the moonlight, they would release a beautiful glow. Of course, this tribe has already been extinct... because of these beautiful eyes. This might be the only 'Crimson Moon' that has survived in the world.”

Is this an eyeball

Luo Qiu was stunned, feeling like he was hearing an utterly ridiculous story. What was even more ridiculous was that he actually listened to the whole thing.

But feeling that the boss's entrance was rather special, Locke instead asked, "Since this is such a precious item, how much are you planning to sell it for"

This is a test.

The boss chuckled lightly: "This needs you, the guest, to set the price yourself. Because this is a buyer's club... So, if you want this pair of 'Crimson Moon,' please offer what you think is appropriate. Also, let me add that we don't accept any form of currency."

So... this is a strange shop run by the boss of an ice-hole, isn't it

"Don't like it"

The boss didn't seem disappointed either. He put the things away and enthusiastically pulled Luo Qiu back down, saying, "Then let's talk, what do you want to buy"

"Want to buy something..." Luo Qiu chuckled. "I don't even know what they sell here."

Shaking his head, Luo Qiu stood up and said, "Sorry, I don't think there's anything I want to buy... Of course, this shop is very special, I should come back and have a look when I have time."

> “You can buy anything if you’re willing to pay the price. Of course, it takes a certain kind of guest...a guest who’s willing to pay the asking price. So… what is it that you truly desire, my guest”

The boss sat there in silence, radiating an extraordinary confidence and a smile. He simply watched Lorquas silently.

Today doesn't seem as boring as usual.

Luo Qiu looked into his boss's eyes, momentarily lost in thought.

What is it that you really want

Luo Qiu unconsciously pondered this question... The surroundings fell into a profound silence, so quiet that Luo Qiu felt a sense of peace.

It's like being in a completely different world here. You can see the pedestrians outside...but it seems like they'll never notice it exists.

And so, just watched, and watched, and watched...

“This place... I want it, this place.”

Luo Qiu slowly uttered his thoughts at this time.

Of course, it was just a moment, he seemed to have woken up as if suddenly, feeling that everything here had an inconceivable quality. He broke out in a cold sweat.

The boss's expression suddenly became strange, as if a mixture of joy and anticipation, but more importantly...a sense of urgency.

>

"Dear Guest, Rule number one of the Trafalmador Buyer's Club: once you state what you desire, the transaction begins. If you fail to specify what you are willing to pay, I shall set the price. So... as you wish. I shall sell to you 'the Trafalmador Buyer's Club', with your freedom as payment..."

The world seemed to have been completely turned upside down, engulfed by darkness all around.

Before Rhok's eyes, an ancient parchment unfurled slowly. He couldn't make out the script on it, but he saw his name begin to appear, point by point.

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Then, it was burning.

Burning rapidly.

Darkness consumed him.

Let me know if you'd like me to translate any other text!nt, he seemed to have woken up as if suddenly, feeling that everything here had an inconceivable quality. He broke out in a cold sweat.The boss's expression suddenly became strange, as if a mixture of...