Newbie (Seeking Collection and Recommendations) (Revised)

PS1: Thanks to the book friend "Book friend 160602191852717" for the reward, which is also the first reward this book has received =.=

PS2: I'm also looking for collections, even though it's only the second chapter... but please support this little seedling and me, the newcomer who's watering it, haha~

￥￥￥￥The Main Text￥￥￥￥￥￥

"Trafford Buyers Club transaction process, part three: buyers can only be guided, and forced sales are not allowed..."

Reading this, Luo Qiu put down the 'Club' Owner's Handbook in his hand and thought with amusement: If this were really the case, then was he, who was reading this handbook, a victim of a procedural violation?

"Master, your lunch."

The borscht, exuding an enticing aroma, was brought before him. You Ye even meticulously arranged the cutlery for Luo Qiu before standing by, awaiting his instructions.

You Ye was the maid of this club.

There was one thing Luo Qiu had miscalculated: her age was not as he had assumed, but rather incredibly ancient.

Furthermore, You Ye was not human, but an automaton crafted from special materials through Alchemy.

The reason she looked almost indistinguishable from a normal person, besides the superb Alchemy, was the crucial fact that a living Soul was sealed within You Ye's body.

This was no joke, as Luo Qiu had personally witnessed You Ye detach her own head and left arm, and then reattach them naturally before his eyes.

According to You Ye, she was created by an Alchemist to pay for a certain commodity, after which she became a maid and had served the club for over three hundred years.

When he regained consciousness, the previous owner had vanished, but had also very thoughtfully left a letter explaining some things Luo Qiu should know.

As the recipient of the completed transaction, Luo Qiu would henceforth possess the authority to be the Sovereign of the 'Trafford Buyers Club'. However, at the same time, he would be eternally confined here.

There was only one way to escape this place: someone willing to trade their eternal freedom for it.

Then, he was instructed that if there was anything he didn't understand, he could refer to the handbook.

Luo Qiu, being relatively calm, after reading the letter, immediately tried to open the club's door and walk outside. Without any obstruction, he rushed out of the club...

The so-called confinement was not a physical imprisonment, but a spiritual shackle.

"So, to prevent me from dying, I have to offer sacrifices to the 'Club' at regular intervals?"

Luo Qiu began to humbly inquire about some of the issues in the handbook.

Although You Ye was also considered property of the club and now belonged to Luo Qiu, for some reason, he felt an unnatural sensation when facing this automaton.

"Yes," You Ye nodded, perfectly fulfilling her duty as a maid. "The quality of the sacrifice you offer will determine how long you can enjoy your time, Master."

"It seems I'm healthy and have no ailments, so this life of mine is truly long," Luo Qiu quipped.

Upon hearing this, You Ye suddenly left and soon returned holding an hourglass.

She placed the hourglass before Luo Qiu. "This is the remaining time you have, Master. When the sand in the hourglass completely falls, your life will end."

No matter how cold-blooded one might be, seeing such a situation would cause some panic—but panic was useless, and Luo Qiu quickly calmed down. "How much time is left before all this sand falls?"

"Thirty days."

"..."

Feeling that things were not as good as he had imagined, Luo Qiu took a deep breath and steadied himself. "In other words, if I can't attract any customers, I'll die?"

"Those who need it will come in; you don't need to solicit them. Your arrival here is the best proof," You Ye said softly. "Also, the previous owner of the club used some methods to distribute some Vouchers externally. Those holding a Voucher will naturally be able to come here."

"So, as long as I patiently wait for someone to find me, that should be enough?"

"Yes, you generally won't die."

Generally won't die...

Alright...

As the former owner's letter stated, he would be eternally "imprisoned" here, but in exchange, he had gained everything the club had to offer.

'Go on a spontaneous trip with your classmates, no need to worry.'

"Okay, the message is sent... thankfully my phone still works," Luo Qiu muttered to himself. "While I can't say I'm not worried, at least I'm not so scared that I'd call the police... For reasons like this, it's probably better to turn off my phone? For now, let's leave it at that..."

Luo Qiu resolved that he wouldn't go home for the next couple of days and would first figure out his true situation.

As for university... missing a day or two of classes didn't seem like a big deal.

With a plan in place, Luo Qiu began to perk up.

Since the previous owner could have him replace him, in simple terms, it seemed he could use the same method to have someone else replace him... or, was there a way to escape the club's constraints without trading ownership that hadn't been discovered yet?

Thinking this, Luo Qiu felt he was probably a greedy person.

But on second thought, after experiencing such a bizarre event, it would be unreasonable not to have some ulterior motives.

So, he would patiently await the arrival of the first transaction.

Regarding patience, Luo Qiu had some confidence in himself.

Perhaps due to his natural inclination for solitude, he could even sit in a park and daydream for an entire afternoon, unlike ordinary people who would be playing on their phones or holding a translated book.

"Since you're here, make yourself at home."

The number of pages in the handbook requiring reading wasn't much, and Luo Qiu quickly finished it.

He then began to carefully observe the club.

In fact, the club's interior was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, with a structure of three floors above and three below. However, from the outside, one could only see the club's storefront.

And in reality, according to You Ye, only certain people could see it. Those who couldn't would simply see the place as it originally was, the original store.

This could be considered one of the club's peculiar aspects, couldn't it? Luo Qiu didn't find anything particularly wrong with it... after all, he had personally witnessed the horrifying scene of You Ye dismembering heads and hands, then reassembling them.

... The three floors above the club were: the first floor for the storefront, the second and third floors for living rooms and bedrooms, and of course, facilities like kitchens and bathrooms.

As for the three floors below: the basement level was a storage room for general trade goods. The second basement level was also a storage room, for valuable trade goods. And the third basement level was where sacrifices were conducted... a bizarre altar.

Luo Qiu circled the altar on the third basement level and felt a chill crawl up his spine. Without overthinking it, he returned to the first-floor storefront.

The altar on the third basement level was too strange; just approaching it gave him an uncomfortable feeling of being watched from every angle.

After leaving the third basement level, Luo Qiu calmed himself and recalled the situation at the time.

Under normal circumstances, the possibility of him saying that phrase was almost zero.

"I really got conned."

He didn't sigh, nor did he feel angry. Habits were a terrifying thing.

"Master, did you say something?" You Ye, who was cleaning the storefront, suddenly turned around and asked with confusion.

"Nothing," Luo Qiu smiled, letting the maid continue her work.

He then began to re-examine You Ye.

He wondered who the alchemist who created her used as a reference. You Ye felt like a mix of Eastern and Western features, tall and graceful.

Of course, Luo Qiu wouldn't deny that she had a good figure... but she was an automaton, an automaton, an automaton.

However, with a living soul sealed within her body... who was this soul? And why was it sealed inside You Ye's body?

The interesting questions seemed to be multiplying, and as he thought, Luo Qiu began to habitually drift off.

Ding-dong—!

It was the sound of the bell hanging by the door—when someone entered, the bell would ring.

Luo Qiu was startled awake by the sound of the bell and looked towards the entrance. He saw a middle-aged man with a haggard face.

"Excuse me... is this the Trafford Buyers Club? Can you really buy anything one desires here?" the middle-aged man asked, a mix of expectation and disbelief in his voice.

Luo Qiu also noticed a black card in the man's hand.

This was probably the so-called voucher that You Ye had mentioned was circulating outside.