Not long afterward, You Ye brought over the masks Luo Qiu needed.
These three masks were naturally items left behind by the previous owner after entering the vault. Now came the difficult choice.
At first, they had only been intended to conceal his face and identity during future transactions. But after the three masks were brought out, each one was remarkably exquisite.
Luo Qiu picked up one of them and carefully felt its decorations. It was undoubtedly a Venetian mask, specifically the half-face "Bauta," and its design was exceptionally ornate. Almost unconsciously, Luo Qiu put it on.
A close-fitting sensation spread across his face, but it soon vanished. By the end, it felt as though the mask had completely fused with his skin. Not only was there no stuffiness at all, he could not even feel the weight of the mask on his face.
—Mask of Falsehood: Grants invisibility when worn.
This information suddenly flowed into Luo Qiu's mind. He looked at You Ye with considerable curiosity and asked, "Can you see me right now?"
"Not visually," You Ye said calmly. "But You Ye can sense the Master's presence."
Luo Qiu froze for a moment, then took a mirror and examined himself. He found that his reflection had vanished from the mirror. After fiddling with it for a while, he removed the "Bauta."
Being able to turn invisible was pretty damn cool... but it seemed rather useless. He only wanted guests not to know his identity, not to be unable to see him altogether.
Still, as a little novelty, it seemed pretty good.
Luo Qiu picked up the second mask. It was made of papier-mâché. Although it was made from paper pulp, its hardening technique was decent. It had a white base and golden eyes, while the cracked lips were painted red... In fact, it was a Japanese fox mask.
Luo Qiu tried putting it on as well.
—Mask of Inari: Can pray for abundant harvests.
Hmm... It might be quite useful in ancient times, or in places with poor modern farming technology. But this Japanese fox mask did not match You Ye's outfit for Luo Qiu in the slightest, so it was still pretty useless.
He had no choice but to pick up the third mask—a Clown Mask.
After putting it on, he felt no discomfort. Just like with the previous two masks, information about the Clown Mask flowed into his mind.
—True Clown: The ability to see through all magic tricks.
The magic referred to here meant performances that deceived the eyes through special techniques and props, not supernatural magic or spells.
"Luckily, it's a white-faced clown. If it were a painted-face clown, I'd be screwed." Luo Qiu entertained himself. "Would any guest really want to come in and find that the owner is a Colonel Sanders?"
You Ye clearly did not understand, so she offered no opinion.
"This one, then. Its ability is still pretty useless, but with this outfit, it's barely better than the other two." Luo Qiu stood up.
Wearing the Clown Mask, he did not look comical at all. On the contrary, thanks to the clothes chosen by the Maid doll, Luo Qiu had a carefree and mysterious air while wearing the mask... But it still seemed to be missing something.
Luo Qiu looked himself over in front of the full-length mirror, trying to figure out exactly what was missing. At that moment, You Ye brought a top hat, a black cane, and a pair of white gloves from the wardrobe.
Luo Qiu put on the top hat and gloves, then took the cane and casually swung it once. It felt pretty good.
"Hmm. From now on, call me Mr. Clown." Luo Qiu smiled playfully. "In this place of trading desires, having a clown around seems like a pretty good feeling."
"Master, as long as you're happy."
Luo Qiu was about to make a couple of sarcastic remarks, but just then, the wind chime in the club's lobby rang.
He had only just gotten a new look, and a guest had already arrived. Talk about the right thing at the right time... Luo Qiu muttered to himself before heading downstairs.
What he saw was a young man standing somewhat nervously at the entrance. He had not chosen to walk straight in, instead observing his surroundings.
Calling him young was accurate, but Luo Qiu estimated that he was probably several years older than himself.
A person's nature and bearing were easy to discern from their mannerisms... This was a well-bred rich young master, or perhaps a successful member of the social elite.
"Welcome. This is the Trafford Buyer's Club. How may I assist you... esteemed guest?"
With both hands gripping the cane behind his back, Luo Qiu walked down the stairs step by step, further observing the young man's reaction.
"Who are you?" The young man was still very cautious. He did not take another step inside, remaining by the entrance, and his guarded expression grew even heavier.
"Me?" Luo Qiu had intended to smile... Then he remembered that he was wearing a mask anyway, so he simply said indifferently, "I am the owner of the club. You may call me the boss, or you may call me... Mr. Clown."
Luo Qi walked up to the young man and then "smelled" a familiar scent... the scent of the Black Card.
Hmm, this was already the third transaction to come knocking. Aside from Pianxian, who had stumbled in on her own, this man made him another Black Card holder.
Just how many Black Cards had the club released before? Luo Qiu could not help muttering again, but he did not neglect to speak with the guest. "Aren't you coming in?"
"Can this place really grant people any wish?" the young man asked with a frown.
Luo Qiu suddenly snapped his fingers. He then opened his palm, and a black card floated above it. With a smile, he said, "Since you came here carrying a card, you should have some faith in this place."
The young man instinctively touched his chest and even opened his suit to look at the inner pocket. He found that the Black Card he had originally hidden there had vanished.
He took a deep breath and quickly calmed down. In a low voice, he said, "Hello, Mr. Clown. My name is Zhong Luochen. I did indeed come here to make a deal with you."
One could not neglect a guest when business came knocking. Luo Qiu politely stepped aside and made an inviting gesture, then said cheerfully, "You Ye, attend to the guest."
Sweating profusely in hot weather was only natural. But if someone was still drenched in sweat inside an air-conditioned room set to eighteen degrees, then... naturally, they had been engaged in some vigorous activity.
Cheng Yun lit a cigarette and gazed contentedly at the woman lying on the bed, her body radiating a seductive charm.
She was a hostess at Gu Yue Zhai.
She had no background, but she possessed some beauty and was clever. She also wanted to climb higher, so she had chosen the fastest and most effective method.
Cheng Yun knew what this woman wanted—because he understood exactly what women wanted. Thus, before his boss had gotten Zhang Qingrui settled, he had already gotten this hostess settled.
Of course, although a hostess like her was decent enough, she naturally could not compare with someone like Zhang Qingrui, who was outstanding in every respect, whether family background, knowledge, or ability.
But Cheng Yun knew his own limits. He knew which women he could casually sleep with and which women he currently had no way of touching.
"Why are you so free this time? You don't have to follow your young boss?" the hostess asked with a flirtatious smile as she looked at Cheng Yun.
Cheng Yun was also puzzled by this. After leaving Gu Yue Zhai in the morning, Zhong Luochen had hurried back there again that afternoon. Afterward, Zhong Luochen had sent him away and gone somewhere alone.
Since arriving in this city, Cheng Yun had been working hard, running around and handling matters for Zhong Luochen. Yet now, he had been sent away. He even wondered whether Zhong Luochen had suddenly grown cold toward him because of what that old woman had said during the day.
Damn it, this could not continue. Otherwise, everything he had worked so hard to obtain would be wasted.
Take this woman, for example. She was extremely calculating. If she found out he was no longer useful, she would probably turn against him immediately.
Although she was such a scheming woman, she was genuinely skilled in bed, and he wanted to keep playing with her for a few more days. More importantly, he wanted to remain by Zhong Luochen's side and gain more of his trust. Only then would his position in the capital become even higher.
"During the day, I saw your Zhang Family's Miss Zhang personally take two people to the collection room. I wonder what their background is?"
The woman knew that Cheng Yun had always been very concerned about Zhang Qingrui, and she knew even better that he was doing it to curry favor with his boss. But that did not matter. As long as this man could give her what she wanted, that was enough. Therefore, she did not mind telling Cheng Yun what she knew about Zhang Qingrui's preferences.
"That woman is the deputy editor-in-chief of a local newspaper. She's been here twice before," the woman recalled. "That was when I first met the Young Lady. As for the other man, I don't know. Ren Ziling brought him along, but they looked very close. They might be good friends, or perhaps relatives—maybe her younger brother."
Cheng Yun took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Just a little newspaper's deputy editor-in-chief? Hmm..."
Before you continue