Trafford’s Trading Club

Volume 10 – Chapter 17: Gluttony (Part 1)

A solid muscle was reflected in the mirror.

There was no trace of excess fat as if every muscle was measured by the most precise instrument and then put together. It was robust. Probably it wasn’t an exaggeration to use steel as a metaphor.
Wolf King Lobo just took a casual glance. He put on the gray vest and opened the curtains, looking at the city outside the tall building through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

It was midwinter. The city in view outside the window was Geneva, Switzerland’s second-largest city.

Indeed, a mysterious old man rescued Lobo. In a short span of time, the duo crossed several countries from the base built by the Immortals Trail Forest and suddenly came to this city.

In this city that retained the distinctive architectural style of the previous era, Lobo felt a lazy vibe to it. After all, this city and even this country itself had always been a pacifist.

Lobo squeezed his fist. Not long ago, he had suffered injuries from the Xuan Yuan Family’s royal princess. After applying the miraculous medicine Einstein found from his so-called friend for a few days, it was healed.
The remaining effort left was to recuperate his inner qi.

It was an injury belonging to the Eastern civilization’s ancient martial arts system. In Einstein’s words, the miraculous medicines couldn’t achieve their miraculous effect due to the interference of both systems on different rules. Lobo didn’t understand what the old man was talking about. He just knew that it didn’t work!

Also, Lobo finally knew who Einstein was. He was familiar with the name from the beginning, but after thinking about it carefully, he remembered: The most intelligent man in the world, the greatest scientist!

There were so many haloes shrouded in Einstein. However, at first, Lobo just felt that this Einstein wasn’t the Einstein people commonly knew. After all, the great Jew in history had already died in the 1950s and 1960s.
But…

—Huh? That’s right. I’m the Einstein who died in the last century in your mind.

“Are you kidding me?”

Lobo closed back the curtains in front of the window with both hands, making the room dark. Without looking back, he walked out of the room.
The apartment in this high-rise building was luxurious. When Lobo walked out of the room, Einstein was sitting leisurely in a chair reading a book next to the fireplace. Lobo glanced at the old man’s blanket on the leg and frowned subconsciously.

No matter how Lobo looked at it, this fellow seemed like the most ordinary old man afraid of the cold during winter. But, he had personally experienced the old man’s mysterious power.

Seeing Lobo coming out, Einstein took off his glasses. Then, he put them in the glasses case. He smiled and looked at Lobo. Who could have thought that such an ordinary old man had power which one of the twelve Divine Generals in the club, Wolf King Lobo, also feared?

“Judging by your appearance, you have recovered.” Einstein stood up while folding the blankets at this time, “My old friend is a great alchemist. I told her about your situation. She said that you should recover in a few days, so I never doubted it.”

“Those medicines you gave me are products of alchemy?” Lobo frowned at this moment.
“Is there a problem?” Einstein cast a curious look.

Lobo shook his head and said, “It’s fine. The club also has its own alchemist, but I have never liked the things those guys tinker with. But as long as it can make me stronger, I don’t mind trying it.”

“Yes, we should accept everything in the world with tolerance.” Einstein nodded and said gracefully, “Child, I like your honesty.”

Lobo didn’t care about the comment. He sat down and frowned, “I’m almost healed. You said that it would give me great strength. When will the effect kick in?”

Einstein waved his hand, “Don’t worry, I’m your agent, but everything comes after you pass the assessment. As for my assessment, you need to help me with my research. Isn’t it not started yet?”

“Then get started already.” Lobo was dissatisfied, “I don’t like wasting time.”

This old man was too leisurely. He was simply wasting Lobo’s life and time.
“It’s a pity that the research can’t start right away for the time being.” Einstein said with resignation, “Next, I plan to borrow the hadron collider [1] buried here. But, I have encountered some trouble during the process. The people working in the research institute are making some adjustments, so I can only wait for a few more days.”

What the hell is the Hadron Collider? Lobo couldn’t make sense of what Einstein was saying at all. But, he still understood that they were waiting for some adjustments. He looked at the old man in doubt and said in a puzzled manner, “You should have the ability to fix it up quickly, right? Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“Oh, Lobo, this won’t work.”

Einstein shook his head and said, “This collider was developed in modern times. The scientists in charge of the development are making progress step by step. By overcoming different difficulties, they will be closer to the scientific truth. How can I stifle their chances of progress? You know, science is a process of learning from failures to achieve success. It is pleasing to watch these descendants of the scientific world progress consistently.”

Lobo frowned, only to remember another word “borrowed” that the old man had just mentioned.

“Is that thing not yours?” Lobo looked at Einstein in surprise.
Einstein smiled and said, “Of course, it’s not mine. Didn’t I say it already? This is something developed by modern scientists. It’s buried under the mountains nearby. I came over, planning to borrow it and do some interesting research only.”

“Then, how long will it take to complete the adjustment?”

“Just wait patiently.” Einstein said soothingly, “Moreover, concerning your assessment, there is a small problem. I’m afraid that we need further revision.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lobo was agitated—if I can defeat this old man.

“No, no, this is indeed an accident.” Einstein sighed and said, “The old friend I visited, the alchemist who gave you the miraculous medicine, heard about your situation. She asked me for a favor. Um… I once owed her a few favors, so I couldn’t reject her. I could only agree to it. She also hopes that you can become her research object. Of course, I will never let her mess around. You can rest assured about this.”
“Do you treat me like a toy that can be fabricated at will?”

After all, he had pride in his blood. Even if his strength were insufficient, he wouldn’t give in at will.

“Calm down, boy.” Einstein said hastily, “Trust me. If you can survive, your strength will soar. After all, my old friend is a great alchemist. You know, her existence is longer than mine.”

But I would be tempted by powerful forces.
Lobo took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. When his body was in the club, it had been modified countless times. He was equivalent to the toys of the crazy scientists in the club. Thinking about it this way, it was just becoming the subject of different scientists.

“Your friend… When will she be here?” Lobo was silent for a moment before finally asking.

“Soon.” Einstein promised, “She said she would be here in three days. Please believe me. This old friend of mine is a punctual person.”

Lobo suddenly remembered another identity of the old man and subconsciously frowned, “Your old friend, would she also be a historical celebrity?”

“Celebrity? She should be quite famous.” Einstein smiled and said, “Her name is Catherine II.”