Chapter 365 Fairytale World <TOC> Chapter 367 The Door Reopens
Next page password is bold portion: $UK3wltrObr
Translator: SumTLMan
After careful consideration, Angel decided to sign a contract with Shadow.
Compared to swearing by the World Will, a contract is more suitable for restraining actions. Swearing by the World Will is grand and respectable, but it is limited to formal wizards who pledge with their will and spirit. Therefore, attempting to deceive the World Will through linguistic loopholes is generally ineffective when swearing.
However, it doesn’t work for wizard apprentices, as their will and spirit are not strong enough to remotely probe the World Will. Forcing it could result in a mental collapse. As a result, wizard apprentices swear by the World Will through language, which is the most susceptible to deception. Ambiguity, vagueness… all could potentially circumvent the World Will’s surveillance.
Angel was well aware of the World Will’s vulnerabilities, and he didn’t want to challenge his language skills against Shadow. He opted for a straightforward contract as the safest choice.
Written contracts can also be tricky, but the contract Angel was going to use was from a wizard’s magazine. It had been passed down through generations, drafted and revised countless times, and had almost no loopholes.
“Culna’s Draft Contract Before the Tomb of the Despairing Tyrant.”
This was an equitable contract drafted by a wizard apprentice named Culna and another apprentice before exploring the ancient wizard “Despairing Tyrant” tomb, hoping to mutually restrain each other during the exploration.
The content of the contract had been perfected long ago, and after nearly ten thousand years of inheritance, it had been further revised by later generations to fix minor loopholes. Now, it was nearly flawless and highly suitable for this situation.
Drafting a binding contract requires using paper capable of carrying magical power.
Angel searched in his bracelet for a long time but couldn’t find suitable paper. In the end, he had to painfully take out a sheet of Chaotic Drum Beast Leather Paper, which he had purchased at the Twilight Auction. 700 magic crystals for just 50 sheets, this parchment could carry magical formations and was extremely precious.
Because it was so valuable, he had never used it before. He never expected that the first time he would use it, it would be for drafting a contract instead of carrying a magical formation!
This was undoubtedly a waste of valuable resources. However, Angel had no choice, as he had no other parchment capable of carrying magical power.
With a heavy heart and a feeling of pain, Angel quickly drafted the contract and threw it into the mist.
When the drafted text contract was placed in front of Shadow, it hesitated for a moment.
“Culna’s draft contract… indeed, you are not some unorthodox wizard.” Instead of swearing by the World Will, Angel chose an ancient contract, which clearly showed that his background was from a legitimate wizard organization.
After Shadow examined the contract, it felt slightly more at ease. Since the other party was willing to sign a contract, there was no need for it to reveal its trump card. After all, this opportunity was crucial for its promotion, and it would rather not use it if possible.
This was an equal contract, with the basic content being that both parties were not allowed to harm, deceive, or entrap each other, and they would engage in equal exchanges. The duration of the contract was one year.
After completing the contract, Shadow, despite its weak state, made sure it was correct.
Angel glanced up at the menacing tuxedo-clad seabird in the sky, as well as the eerie, glowing, Colorful Dragonflies nearby. Shadow sighed, “I give in.”
Shadow then used his own magic as a guide, dripping his essence blood onto the contract. The essence blood slowly rolled on the parchment with the magic, eventually melding into the parchment at the bottom right corner and forming a circular symbol.
“So round? No smudging? The essence blood’s power is locked tightly with the magic, and not a bit of magic is leaking out… this parchment is quite high-quality, isn’t it?” Shadow flipped over the parchment.
Upon seeing the swirling, chaotic cloud-like runes, he was instantly dumbfounded.
“Are you joking with me? This is Chaos Drum Beast parchment?!”
Angel did not respond, as he too was in pain at the moment. He gestured for Toby to return the contract, and after confirming its validity, dripped his own essence blood onto it.
In an instant, an immense and majestic aura enveloped the two. The witness of this contract was the will of the world, so there was no doubt that the aura came from the World Will.
As the contract slowly rose into the sky, Angel dispelled the illusory misty landscape and released Shadow.
This was the final step – the signatories witnessing the establishment of the contract.
Shadow, clutching his wound, hobbled over to Angel’s side and watched the contract floating and burning in mid-air, his face filled with heartache.
“Is this really Chaos Drum Beast parchment?” “Is it?” “Look at those runes, it’s clearly finely crafted Chaos Drum Beast hide!”
Shadow kept asking, and the more Angel listened, the more it felt like a knife cutting into his heart. That was an expensive piece of parchment, worth at least 10 magic crystals! Even though he was wealthy now, and had once burned money with an energy stabilizer, that was for a crucial purpose… but today, he was truly “burning” money!
The contract signed on the Chaos Drum Beast parchment burned slowly in the air before turning to ashes.
Following that, two streaks of light penetrated Shadow and Angel’s bodies… the contract was complete!
“Is this Chaos Drum Beast parchment?” Shadow was still asking on the side.
Angel, expressionless, replied: “Didn’t you figure it out already?”
Shadow: “I still can’t believe it. You actually used Chaos Drum Beast parchment for a contract. Which organization did you come from to be so extravagant? If I had known earlier, you could have just given me the Chaos Drum Beast parchment, and I would have told you anything you wanted to know!”
Angel didn’t say anything, and gently lifted his hand to cancel the Opulent Nightmare Domain.
Since the contract had been signed, Shadow would not dare harm him within the rules. Otherwise, the consequences would be irreparable.
With the cancellation of the Opulent Nightmare Domain, they returned to the cramped and narrow small room.
Shadow’s ten fingers emitted puppet strings, controlling the previously unconscious puppets, slowly returning them to their seats.
Each to their own, a total of ten seats around the circular table, nine of which were occupied, and the one originally belonging to Shadow was now vacant.
Shadow glanced at the empty seat, a cold light flashing in his eyes, as he slowly turned away and began healing his wounds.
Angel asked, “Aren’t you going to sit?”
Shadow replied, “I’ll tend to my wounds first.”
Seeing that Shadow didn’t sit, Angel took a seat, looking at the group of apprentices with blank expressions and eerie smiles on their faces. Curiously, Angel asked, “Why did you control them?”
Shadow smirked secretly when he saw Angel sit down. Then, he stood up and manipulated one of the puppets to stand up, taking a seat opposite Angel.
“Although we signed an equal contract, I don’t need to explain my actions to you, right?”
“Suit yourself,” Angel said nonchalantly, not really caring about Shadow’s business and only asking casually.
Shadow: “We’ve signed a contract, so why don’t we get to know each other?”
“You can call me Mask,” Angel replied.
Shadow used a cleaning spell to remove the dust and blood from his skin, revealing a sharp and handsome face: “Mask? Alright, if you don’t want to reveal your name, we can address each other by code names.”
Angel nodded, and the room fell silent. Both he and Shadow were adjusting their emotions; it wasn’t easy to engage in calm conversation just moments after being fierce enemies. So, they both understood the need for this silence.
After regaining a limited amount of magical power and healing his exposed wounds, Shadow seemed to have mentally adjusted and finally spoke, “It’s really unfortunate. I never thought that after so many years of domination in this area, I’d almost capsize in the gutter at the crucial moment. Sigh, since we’ve signed the contract, I won’t renege on my word. I’ll fulfill my previous promise now; whatever you want to know, I can tell you.”
Angel, who had become the “gutter,” didn’t argue and said indifferently, “I have two objectives for coming to this gathering with the magician. First, I want to leave Fairytale World, so I need a map of this place.” He paused, “It would be best if there are maps of other planes in the vast mainland as well.”
“I can give you a map of Fairytale World, but the vast mainland is too large. Even if I had a map, it wouldn’t be possible for me to give it to you directly. However, where do you plan to go after leaving Fairytale World? If I know the way, I can tell you,” Shadow said candidly.
Angel thought for a moment. He wasn’t very familiar with the Southern Region, and although he had learned about many places from books since arriving in the vast mainland, he hadn’t actually visited any of them. He had spent most of the year in the Savage Grottoes and had not traveled far.
What place would be suitable? The Savage Grottoes? Or Sky Mechanical City?
If Angel were to return from Fairytale World to the Savage Grottoes and then go to Sky Mechanical City, would he make it in time for the opening of the Purification Garden? This question, Angel did not know the answer to. He was not even clear about the location of Fairytale World or the distance from Sky Mechanical City and the Savage Grottoes.
“Let’s put this question aside for now, and discuss it later,” Angel continued, “My second purpose for coming to this gathering is to exchange some materials.”
“Materials? What materials do you need? If I have them, I can exchange them with you,” Shadow asked.
Angel directly handed a list to Shadow.
“Mist Silk, 37 standard units, Feather Orchid Pebbles, 20 standard cups, Mist Soft Gel, 1 standard unit…” Shadow looked at the list, not showing any reaction to the items at the top, as they were all very common and frequently used materials. However, as he moved further down the list, his expression became more puzzled: “High-copper, 9 kilograms, Starfall Iron standard density 1 cubic meter, Gloomy Wood…”
“These are all non-tiered materials, and the prices are not expensive. However, the quantity you require is too much, and I don’t have them on hand for now,” Shadow paused and asked curiously, “What do you need so many non-tiered materials for? Are you also planning to become an alchemist?”
“Why use the word ‘also’?”
“Because I know many peers, each wanting to become an alchemist,” Shadow replied.
Angel: “Including you?”
Shadow shook his head: “Not including me. I don’t have the talent, and I have no interest in staying in the laboratory all day, contemplating this and that.”
Chapter 365 Fairytale World <TOC> Chapter 367 The Door Reopens