Free Web NovelChapter 211: Chapter 204: Daily Life, Drafting the Contract (2)
The core trap lay hidden in the vague description of the "impartial party to the contract," which was, in truth, the Will of the Abyss.
And in the clever packaging of the "form of aid," which was actually Soul Projection Weaving.
The process was extremely complex and full of uncertainty.
He would often ponder a single clause for hours before abruptly crossing it out and rewriting it.
During countless Meditation sessions, he actively guided the panel to purify and sort through those dangerous Abyssal Knowledge Fragments.
From them, he extracted snippets about the nature of contracts, Soul deception, and loopholes in the Rules of Otherworlds.
It was like dancing on a knife’s edge; the slightest misstep could lead to contamination by the chaotic whispers of the Abyss, but he was completely engrossed in it.
Evenings were invariably reserved for Body Refinement.
He practiced his fist techniques, took medicinal baths, and would occasionally apply reinforcement Runes in the small training ground attached to his building to test the limits of his physical Power under the effects of the Furnace Body Tempering Skill.
He would also practice micromanaging the ice-to-fire ratio of his Frost Ash Beam and work on how to cast the Gravity Collapse Ball more efficiently to conserve Spiritual Power.
At night, he would read, meditate, absorb the Crystal Origin, or simply relax.
And the "War" between Gaga and the five Activation Fruits was the ever-entertaining spice in this structured life.
"GAHAHA, behold this Great Demon King’s Shadow Cage!"
Gaga shrank to the size of a fist, its speed as swift as a phantom.
Faint black trails appeared with each flap of its wings as it chased Lucy all over the floor.
"The Great Demon King is bullying a fruit! Mama, help!"
Lucy shrieked, her two little feet scrambling desperately. In her panic, she ran headlong into the leg of a coffee table and spun around twice, dazed.
Vivian tried to trip Gaga with her silver threads, but it dodged with an agile Shadow Shuttling, getting herself tangled up instead.
"Hey! Let me go!"
This earned it a scornful look from Gaga.
Amy and Rice Grain hid behind a bookshelf, with only two trembling leaves peeking out.
Meanwhile, Benny took advantage of the Chaos, furtively rolling over to the small cabinet where Ian kept his Potions. It extended a silver thread, trying to reach a low-concentration Energy Potion.
"Hey! You little fruit thief!"
Gaga, with its sharp eyes, immediately gave up on chasing Lucy and dived down.
"WAH! I’ve been spotted!" Benny was so scared its peel brightened a few shades. It balled up to roll away but was pinned by one of Gaga’s claws.
"Surrender, and I won’t kill you, gaga!"
"I... I surrender..."
Benny said weakly, ingratiatingly rubbing its silver threads against Gaga’s claw.
Ian usually just watched the little ones’ antics from the side.
He would only step in when Gaga took things too far, or when one of the fruits was truly on the verge of crying.
This lively roughhousing actually made the small building feel more like a "home."
The silver sapling never truly stopped them either, just gently swayed its branches and leaves, emitting a gentle intent as if smiling while watching the children play.
Two months flew by, woven from research, Cultivation, and a daily mix of noise and tranquility.
Ian’s muscles became more defined, and his gaze grew deeper and more serene.
He had a preliminary direction for improving the Tier One Bloodline Potion.
Although he was still far from success, he had accumulated valuable experience.
But his most important achievement now lay spread out on the stone table before him.
It was a contract written in special ink on a piece of extremely durable Magic Beast hide.
The script was neither the common tongue of this world nor the Abyssal language, but a runic language modified by Ian, imbued with specific Soul vibrations.
This ensured that only beings with a certain level of Spiritual Perception could "read" its meaning.
The beginning of the contract was solemn, majestic, and alluring.
[In the name of the endless Void and the river of fate, this contract shall guide the lost and build a bridge for the seeker.]
[Party A (Petitioner/Wisher): [To be filled]]
[Party B (Responder/Provider): [The Shadow of Secrets]]
[Notarized and Witnessed by: The ancient and neutral [Void Echo] (A vague, neutralized disguise for the Will of the Abyss)]
The clauses were roughly as follows:
Wish and Price: The Petitioner must clearly state their most urgent and truest wish and voluntarily pay a corresponding amount of "Soul Energy" as the basis for the communication bridge and remuneration.
The contract emphasized, "The wish must come from the heart, and the price must be paid voluntarily. This is the beginning of fairness."
Form of Aid: The Responder, "The Shadow of Secrets," will, based on the content of the wish, project a "Knowledge Projection" or a "Seed of Revelation" to the Petitioner through the channel established by the "Void Echo."
This projection will share Perception with the Petitioner, grow alongside them, and assist them in realizing their wish.
Growth and Feedback: All experience, insights, and Power gained through the Petitioner’s growth will be fully inherited under the moderation of the "Void Echo."
The clause described this as "a natural flow of wisdom and experience, a win-win journey of growth."
Restraints and Protections: Neither party may actively harm the other’s core Soul.
...
The entire contract looked like some kind of mysterious, neutral, and charitable aid agreement.
It was full of opportunity, while the risks seemed manageable.
It disguised the Soul binding as "shared growth," obscured the risk of Abyssal contamination as a "penalty of the Void," and deeply concealed Ian’s true objective.
’Once the contract is signed, the projection is created, which also means...’
Ian gently traced his finger over the contract, his eyes deep and profound as he looked at the blank space for the "Petitioner."
’The hardest part... is finding a ’suitable’ target.’
Beings who would pray and make wishes to the endless Void were likely already in desperate or difficult situations.
If a world’s Energy Level was too low, Ian wouldn’t respond; the projection’s potential for growth would be limited.
Those from worlds with Energy Levels that were too high, or those who were cunning and devious, could easily see through the trap or even retaliate.
The best targets would be from worlds with potential, with strong desires, who were stuck at a bottleneck or in a crisis for various reasons...
’Besides, once the projection is established, will this trace of my Crystallization Attribute and the panel follow it?’
This was the greatest unknown.
The panel was deeply bound to his Soul, but crossing a world barrier... Ian couldn’t be sure.
He could only prepare for the possibility that the panel would not follow, forcing him to struggle and survive in an Otherworld with only his trace attribute and his own wits.
’If the projection shatters, there’s a one-year cooldown...’
He looked at his palm and slowly clenched his fist.
This meant that every opportunity had to be cherished, and every projection had to succeed—or at the very least, establish a stable foothold.
’The cost of failure is too high.’
He put away the Contract Scroll and walked to the window.
Outside, the moonlight was perfect, its cool, silvery glow spilling over the forest of High Towers.
After two months of buried research, he finally had a preliminary framework.
But this was only the beginning.
Next, he needed to build an Abyssal Altar capable of actually communicating with Otherworlds and use those twenty-eight Void Anchor Stones to stabilize the channel.
He also needed to continue his Meditation, accumulating more Abyssal Knowledge Fragments for the panel to purify.
This was to deal with potential loopholes in the contract or conflicts with the Rules of other worlds.
He needed to keep increasing his strength to handle the indirect risks from other worlds that might arise from the contractual link...
The road ahead was still long.
But in Ian’s eyes, there was no trace of confusion or fear—only a quiet resolve.
He glanced back at the living room.
Gaga had tired itself out and was sprawled asleep on a soft sofa cushion, its belly rising and falling gently with its breath.
In the next room, the auras of the silver sapling and the Five Fruits were peaceful and serene.
What he wanted to protect and what he sought to explore were both here and ahead of him.
"Soon."
Ian murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the endless night sky outside the window.
It was as if he could see through the world’s barrier to the constantly twinkling stars of other worlds, full of the unknown and of possibility.
"Soon... I’ll be able to go see other worlds."
