All that was concealed beneath the black robe was a mass of black mist, yet it could make sounds.
Floating in midair, the robe swayed slightly beneath it. Its general appearance was very similar to the ghosts in Western legends.
Black Soul Envoy—that was what the other party called itself.
Luo Qiu looked it over from head to toe. The altar that had imprisoned his soul was now dutifully revealing the Black Soul Envoy's information to him.
The club needed a steady stream of customers, or its owner would soon die. So how could it get more customers?
Like the Black Card, which attracted customers to come and trade through discounts, there was also something akin to PR, like handing out flyers.
The Black Soul Envoys were the club's equivalent of PR workers.
They wandered through society, constantly spreading word of the club's existence in secret... Legends, after all, were created by people with ulterior motives.
These Black Soul Envoys had also evolved from individual souls—and all of those souls had ultimately belonged to the club as payment for transactions.
If a soul seemed useful or possessed decent abilities, it could be stored away after being obtained through a transaction. It would then be turned into a Black Soul Envoy and sent outside to work for the club without compensation.
The club's new boss thought that such free labor was actually wonderful—there was nothing for him to dislike. These loyal, unbetraying workers did not even require wages, and silently brought in customers from outside. Couldn't they practically be praised as "moving"?
"I've met Miss You Ye as well." The Black Soul's voice was just as respectful as it had been when facing Luo Qiu.
This made it clear that You Ye's position in the club was indeed second only to the owner, the privileged one.
"Master, would you like to hear No. 9's report?" You Ye asked Luo Qiu.
Having learned that Black Souls had no names and were identified only by numbers, Luo Qiu no longer found it strange. He looked at You Ye curiously and said, "I suppose I should hear it?"
You Ye explained, "The previous owners only left me in charge."
That must have been because the previous owner had reached a whole new level of staying indoors, right? Luo Qiu smiled and said, "I'll hear it."
"No. 9, begin your report." You Ye nodded and gave the order.
Black Soul No. 9 spoke in a sinister voice. "Master, No. 9 successfully implanted information about the club's existence into seven different potential patrons this time."
Black Soul No. 9's black robe suddenly opened, and seven white cards flew from its black-mist-like body to Luo Qiu.
Only then did Black Soul No. 9 continue, "These are the profiles of the seven new potential patrons. Please take a look, Master."
All he had to do was place a finger on a white card to learn the information sealed within it. He did not need to read lengthy documents or listen to tedious introductions. Feeling that this was wonderful, Luo Qiu immediately selected one of the white cards.
Perhaps worried that Luo Qiu did not know the usual procedure, You Ye said softly, "Master can choose suitable candidates from these seven new potential patrons and grant them the right to receive a Black Card discount. Of course, you can also choose not to make a Black Card. Black Souls have handled this work for many years, and more than seventy percent of the potential patrons they select will eventually come to the club."
A Black Card discount was merely one way to attract customers to make a transaction. If they truly needed something, they would come even without a discount.
Butterfly Demon Pianxian was one such example.
Of course, the reason the potential patrons selected by Black Souls were called potential patrons... was that these people naturally had more opportunities to offer things of greater value than customers who had no Black Card, knew nothing of the legends, and merely stumbled into the club on their own.
Black Souls called it their work. The more potential patrons they found, and the more of them who ultimately completed transactions, the higher the Black Souls' performance would be. High performance could also bring the Black Souls certain benefits.
For example, they could obtain physical bodies, recover some memories, or be freed from the club's labor.
Well, the last reward could actually be crossed out.
Because in the entire history of the club, not a single Black Soul had ever successfully received the reward of freedom.
As Luo Qiu read the information in the seven white cards, he asked You Ye, "How many Black Soul Envoys do we have in total again?"
"At present, there are twenty-one left." You Ye quickly gave him the number.
Luo Qiu said in surprise, "That few?"
You Ye explained, "Master, you already know that Daoist Cultivators and monsters exist in this world. Therefore, you should also know that there are extraordinary people who act under the banner of exorcising demons and subduing monsters. The existence of Black Soul Envoys is very similar to that of evil spirits, so there have always been troublesome exorcists and demon-slayers in the world who specifically target and eliminate them."
You Ye gave a more detailed explanation. "In the eyes of these people, the club is an evil existence..."
It really was an evil existence...
Luo Qiu made a comment in his heart, but continued listening in silence.
"...So they have raised the banner of justice and spent all these years trying to wipe out the club." You Ye let out a cold laugh. "But those fools are overestimating themselves. They have no idea that the only reason the club has never taken action against them is that they themselves are potential patrons capable of providing exceptionally valuable transactions."
Seeing another side of the puppet Maid, Luo Qiu continued listening in silence. "We won't directly retaliate against these busybodies. Instead, we'll send even more Black Soul Envoys to tempt them. As long as they desire something, they have a weakness. The soul of a Demon Slayer filled with a sense of justice and nobility is worth dozens, even hundreds or thousands, of ordinary souls."
Luo Qiu had no intention of voicing an opinion on this for now. He frowned and said, "If that's the case, there should need to be many Black Soul Envoys. Why are there only twenty-one left?"
You Ye said, "On the one hand, it's to show weakness. If there are too many Black Soul Envoys and these self-proclaimed forces of justice feel despair, they will eventually be wiped out as well. Once they're wiped out, they won't be able to raise more descendants, and one of the club's truly important sources of transaction payments will disappear. On the other hand, the previous owner has been unwilling to work for the past few decades. After the accumulated Black Soul Envoys were eliminated one by one, no replacements were made."
Luo Qiu nodded, collected the white cards before him, and looked at Black Soul No. 9. "I'll read through this information slowly. You can get back to work."
Black Soul No. 9 said nothing and silently left the club.
Luo Qiu then looked at You Ye. "I want to take a look at Boss Aisath's room."
Boss Aisath was the previous owner of the club—the one who had made a transaction with Luo Qiu and sold the club to him.
The previous owner's room had always been locked.
Of course, it could be opened.
And now, Luo Qiu felt that he was finally ready to go inside and take a look.
Before you continue