Chapter 31: The Contract
On the stage of the Grand Theater, Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona faced off against each other. Interestingly enough, their clothing styles were exactly opposite to their origins. Abyss Delona, who hailed from the Abyss, wore a light white dress, while Black Dress Delona, who was originally human, wore a Gothic-style black dress.
"Bai Ye, do you have a way?"
Lusiva's head was spinning. Both were his sisters—one by blood, the other he had watched grow up. This heavy warrior, who could withstand even the Sun's Flame without flinching, was now completely at a loss.
"I can set up a type of spell formation."
Upon hearing Su Xiao's words, Lusiva, Abyss Delona, and Black Dress Delona all looked toward him.
"I knew you'd have a way."
Lusiva smiled, his expression visibly relaxing. But since it concerned his sister, he asked, "What does this spell formation do?"
"After the two of them stand on it, it randomly eliminates one."
"?"
"(o_O)"
"(RA°)"
For a moment, among the three, Lusiva was dumbfounded, Abyss Delona was speechless and indifferent, and Black Dress Delona was shocked.
"Bai Ye, is there another way?"
Lusiva still thought Su Xiao was joking, but Su Xiao's next words made him turn serious.
Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona were two souls sharing one body. Their meeting had caused their karmic ties to nearly merge completely. Now, the body they shared was accelerating toward Dark Awakening.
In a few hours, this body would undergo Dark Awakening. At that point, the two would be forcibly absorbed into it to duel. This would be a mutually destructive confrontation. Even if one ultimately won, their soul would be incomplete.
There was a 90% chance of Dark Rampage, a 60% chance of severe aftereffects, and a 30% chance of falling into a long slumber from which awakening would be very unlikely.
Su Xiao was not exaggerating. As a master of high-level Abyssology, he had derived this conclusion based on known Abyssology knowledge. While not 100% accurate, it was at least over 85% accurate.
Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona exchanged glances. Although both wanted to be the sole owner of this body, they had never truly considered eliminating the other.
"Bai Ye, from what I know of you, if you absolutely couldn't solve something, you'd turn and leave. So it seems you have a way?"
Lusiva spoke. After all, as the commander of a hunting group, he was a warrior, but that didn't mean he was careless.
"This matter is very troublesome."
When Su Xiao said this, Lusiva's ears automatically translated it into three words: "Need more payment."
Lusiva lowered his voice and said to Su Xiao, "On top of the original reward, I'll add 5 more Primordial Fragments."
"Done within 24 hours."
"This... the delay is a bit long. Once Delona starts her Dark Awakening, there's no turning back. How about this—I'll add another 20, 20 Primordial Fragments."
Hearing this, Su Xiao was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Done within 10 hours."
"I'll add one more 'Primordial Core.'"
"10 minutes."
The sharp increase in Su Xiao's efficiency nearly made Lusiva pull a muscle in his back. Before Lusiva could say anything, Su Xiao had already taken out a Soul Coin and flicked it into the air.
Ding~!
The Soul Coin spun in midair. As it fell, a hand caught it, thumb pressing it down and rubbing it as if every Soul Coin was a priceless treasure to him.
Kaisa's sudden appearance startled Lusiva greatly, but Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha were long accustomed to it.
"My dear friend, what good news brings you to Kaisa? If it involves Soul Coins, even better."
"I need sufficiently pure Abyss power. Preferably the most original Abyss power directly from the Abyss."
"Concentration?"
"10 or above."
"Tsk~, that's not easy."
"At least 30 ounces worth."
"This, this, this is even harder."
"Half a Primordial Fragment."
Su Xiao made his offer.
"50 pieces."
"1.5 pieces."
"At least 49.999 pieces."
Under the bewildered gazes of Lusiva, Abyss Delona, and Black Dress Delona, Su Xiao and Kaisa haggled at a pace completely incomprehensible to others, finally settling on 8 Primordial Fragments.
Kaisa rubbed his hands together, implying he wanted his 8 Primordial Fragments now. Su Xiao looked at Lusiva, which left Lusiva completely thrown off. His expression clearly said, 'I'm paying?'
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He currently only had 2 Primordial Fragments on hand. He had used quite a few earlier to stabilize his physique while absorbing two portions of "Power Source Matter."
After Lusiva paid the 8 Primordial Fragments, Kaisa took out the Abyssal Jar: "You all, step back a bit..."
Before Kaisa could finish, he noticed that Lusiva, Abyss Delona, and Black Dress Delona had already retreated almost to the entrance of the Grand Theater. Just then, the Nature Maiden, Ailukulu, who had rushed over after finding this place, immediately turned around and left as soon as she entered, looking like she was intruding and bidding farewell.
Kaisa put the Abyssal Jar over his head. Even Lusiva, who often dealt with Abyss energy, twitched at the sight. He knew something about Original Sin Objects, which was precisely why Kaisa's act of putting the Abyssal Jar over his head was enough to break Lusiva's composure and deliver a critical hit.
Kaisa danced around wildly, sweating profusely, then bent down and slammed both hands on the ground. A phantom Abyss Portal appeared, emanating pure black Abyss energy.
Su Xiao, who had already drawn the formation with crystals, pressed one hand on the formation's core node, and the Abyss energy surged toward it.
Seeing this, Lusiva's eye twitched. Precisely because he understood, he knew how great the risk was. He warned, "Brother Bai Ye, be cautious. Act within your means."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't respond. Under his control, the spreading Abyss energy was absorbed by the formation he had drawn using crystallized Azure Steel Shadow energy. This three-meter-diameter formation gradually turned pitch black, branding itself into the ground. Instantly, the entire floor of the Grand Theater became pitch black, and the tables, chairs, and other objects were evaporated by the darkness.
After stabilizing the formation, Su Xiao stood up. Kaisa beside him asked, "My dear friend, is there anything else Kaisa can assist with? I'm at a critical point over there. I can leave for a while, but too long..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He tossed a bottle of Elemental Brew to Kaisa. Delighted at getting a bargain, Kaisa left with the words "See you in Twilight City" before vanishing with a turn.
Su Xiao pointed to the formation emitting a dark golden glow: "You two, step onto it."
Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona, who had previously been hostile to each other, now held hands. It turned out that their conflict paled in comparison to the terror of facing this formation directly, and they instantly reconciled.
Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona shook their heads in perfect unison. Seeing this, Su Xiao looked to the other side. Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona instinctively followed his gaze. That moment of distraction was all Amu needed. He grabbed both of them by the nape of their necks. In Amu's understanding, the concept of "cherishing the fairer sex" was an utterly incomprehensible puzzle. With one in each hand, he tossed Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona onto the formation.
Abyss Delona, with her indifferent personality, chose to remain silent. Black Dress Delona, on the other hand, glared angrily at Amu. But after meeting Amu's gaze—cold and brutal from countless kills—she muttered, "Just you wait until I have my own body."
"Moo?"
"N... nothing."
Hearing this reply, Amu ignored Black Dress Delona. He grabbed a half-dead Dream Devourer Beast, snapped its neck with a crunch, tore off a piece of purplish-red flesh, and stuffed it into his mouth to chew. He was indeed hungry.
Seeing this, Black Dress Delona decisively stopped staring at Amu and chose to back down. She had already realized that although Su Xiao, Amu, and Baha seemed relatively friendly as allies, they were probably all notorious villains.
"Stand still. Don't move, and don't look around."
As Su Xiao spoke, he took out the "Book of Original Sin" from his chest, causing Lusiva, who was watching from the side, to break out in a cold sweat.
Lusiva had lost count of how many times he had faced life and death, but at this moment, seeing the black "Book of Original Sin" in Su Xiao's hand, he still felt his hair stand on end.
Ignoring Lusiva's nearly shattered state of mind, Su Xiao opened the "Book of Original Sin" and unsealed the fifth page, the "Soul Crown." Recently, after the "Soul Crown" devoured the [Twisted Entwined Core], it had successfully advanced to the Big Daddy rank.
The so-called [Twisted Entwined Core] was an Original Sin Object that appeared after two Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Objects had entangled and coiled around each other, ultimately killing each other. The "Soul Crown" devoured this thing and naturally advanced to the Big Daddy rank.
To put it simply, if the danger level of the five Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Objects—Collector, Abyssal Jar, Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, and Nether Bone Ring—was 100, then the "Soul Crown" had previously been at 99.5, just one step away from the highest tier of Original Sin Objects.
Now that the "Soul Crown" had advanced to the Big Daddy rank, its aura was different. On the pitch-black crown, the ruby was exceptionally vivid, as if invisible faint black smoke was rising from it. After the "Soul Crown" appeared, Lusiva, Abyss Delona, Black Dress Delona, and Ailukulu all had their gazes drawn to this crown.
Desire sprouted in everyone's hearts, as if possessing this crown would give them everything. Just then, Su Xiao's right index finger struck the side of the crown with a *clang*. This crisp sound snapped the few who had nearly fallen into the crown's spell back to their senses.
Yes, this was a Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Object. Even with the binding of the "Book of Original Sin" and Su Xiao's karmic suppression, it could still cause onlookers to become obsessed, fall, and ultimately meet a tragic end, becoming one of the bones in the mountain of skeletons beneath the "Soul Crown."
Su Xiao placed the "Soul Crown" at the main position of the formation. Having recently helped the "Soul Crown" advance to the Big Daddy rank, the "Soul Crown" would owe him a favor for this help. However, the "Soul Crown" would at most occasionally help out for a short time. In the long run, it would still think about how to kill Su Xiao, because Su Xiao had been sealing and suppressing it all along.
Helping the "Soul Crown" advance to the Big Daddy rank wasn't to ease relations or to make it show mercy. Su Xiao had long known that was impossible. He did it to balance the five sealed Original Sin Objects.
Previously, with four Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Objects sealed, plus one close to Big Daddy rank, the "Book of Original Sin" always felt somewhat unbalanced. Now that all five Original Sin Objects were at the Big Daddy rank, the seal of the "Book of Original Sin" became more balanced and stable.
Su Xiao successively took out the Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, and Nether Bone Ring, placing them at several positions on the outer ring of the formation. Finally, he placed the "Book of Original Sin," which contained the Collector inside, at the central node of the formation.
This formation was three meters in diameter, not very large. As a result, Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona, surrounded by a circle of Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Objects, were absolutely terrified. They even set aside their past grievances and hugged each other. It seemed the "Book of Original Sin" had such a hidden effect of fostering friendship.
Seeing so many Big Daddy-rank Original Sin Objects on the pitch-black formation, Lusiva suddenly felt that the promised reward of two "Primordial Cores" was really not given in vain. With this lineup of Original Sin Objects, two "Primordial Cores" were well worth it.
The problem with Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona was the difficulty of getting through Dark Awakening. Su Xiao's countermeasure was, instead of avoiding it, to supercharge it. Rather than evading Dark Awakening, he would amplify it to the extreme.
Therefore, a large amount of initial-state Abyss energy was needed. But that alone wasn't enough. The Dark Awakening also needed to be enhanced slowly and steadily, extending the original one-to-two-hour process to several months or even years. This would spare Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona from being forced into a soul-level confrontation.
The final outcome would be that Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona coexisted within the same body. As for control, they would be evenly matched. Whichever one came out, the other would have to return to the consciousness space first.
If the one in the consciousness space wanted to, they could still see the outside world, but they would temporarily have no control over the body and couldn't perceive the outside through touch, smell, or hearing.
Su Xiao certainly didn't have months or even years to help Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona undergo a slow Dark Awakening. Therefore, he used the Original Sin Objects as nodes of this formation to complete the ultimate enhanced version of Dark Awakening—which would normally take years—within one hour.
Darkness surged from the formation, enveloping Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona. Moments later, a three-meter-tall black light cocoon formed and slowly began to contract. When this black light cocoon broke apart, the Dark Awakening would be complete.
Lusiva stepped out of the Grand Theater. With Su Xiao here, he felt reassured. So he went to the roof of the Grand Theater, expanded his perception to its maximum range, and guarded against any Nightmare Creatures that might attack and disrupt the Dark Awakening.
Crack, crack, crack~
A crystal chair formed, and Su Xiao sat down. Ailukulu, who had been watching from the side, walked over.
Before Ailukulu could speak, the "Dark Moon Ring" appeared in Su Xiao's hand. Holding it with one hand, he said:
"Thank you for your assistance this time. This is your reward."
Hearing Su Xiao say this, Ailukulu's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. She took a deep breath. Although she wanted to reach out and take the "Dark Moon Ring," her pride as a Spellcaster absolutely forbade her from doing so. They had agreed beforehand: she would help Su Xiao deal with the False King, and Su Xiao would reward her with the "Dark Moon Ring." However, Ailukulu had not been present during the battle with the False King.
"I propose we continue our cooperation. Same terms: I help you deal with a powerful enemy, and you use the 'Dark Moon Ring' as the reward."
After saying this, Ailukulu immediately felt better. This feeling of not betraying her principles made her feel relaxed and happy (shen xin shu chang).
"Contract, complete."
Su Xiao materialized a contract. Since this contract was already fulfilled, the Contract Parchment spontaneously ignited.
"This is?!"
Ailukulu immediately became alert. She finally realized why this Law Destroyer, even though she hadn't helped him deal with the False King, had still said, 'Thank you for your assistance this time. This is your reward.'
"Nothing. Don't worry about these trivial details."
Su Xiao put away the "Dark Moon Ring." The "Bait Contract" had worked even better than expected. In his view, as a Spellcaster, Ailukulu would never have the intention to sign a contract with him. The problem was that, in the future, if he wanted this super fighter to help deal with powerful enemies, and also had to guard against her backstabbing him after victory, it was indeed somewhat risky.
Therefore, a contract that only took effect within this world was undoubtedly the best choice. The brilliance of this contract lay in the fact that it not only prevented Ailukulu from having any thought of betrayal, but she would even sincerely hope that Su Xiao could leave this world alive. Because if Su Xiao died, Ailukulu would become the inheritor of the "Book of Original Sin."
The even more brilliant part of this contract was that it only took effect within this world. After this world progression ended, the contract would immediately become void. One must always leave some leeway. If he had created a permanent contract that took effect everywhere, it would only force Ailukulu to fight to the death.
Su Xiao took out the completed contract. As for how Ailukulu had signed this contract, that involved the "Bait Contract." What was a "Bait Contract"? Simply put, it was a method of getting the other party to sign a new contract by having them complete a previous contract.
A more intuitive understanding would be "eating" and "digesting." Completing the previous contract could be seen as the "eating" action, while signing the new contract could be seen as "digesting." As long as one ate, digestion was inevitable.
As for how the other party had signed the previous contract, that was another essence of the "Bait Contract." This so-called previous contract wasn't entirely a contract; it was more like a contract trigger corresponding to a specific behavior pattern.
For example, when Su Xiao took out the "Dark Moon Ring" and said, 'Thank you for your assistance this time. This is your reward,' that was the trigger for the contract. And Ailukulu, out of her pride as a Law Destroyer, refused the "Dark Moon Ring" and proposed continued cooperation, always coveting the "Dark Moon Ring"—that was falling into the trap.
"So, do you understand now?"
Su Xiao narrated all the details of the "Bait Contract" to Ailukulu across from him. This left Ailukulu, who was holding the Contract Parchment, stunned on the spot. After a long while, she came to her senses and asked through gritted teeth:
"Are you describing it to me in such detail just to humiliate me?"
"Of course not."
As Su Xiao finished speaking, a line of contract text on the Contract Parchment in Ailukulu's hand flickered with light. This line of contract text clearly stated that Su Xiao must inform Ailukulu of all the details of the "Bait Contract" and ensure that Ailukulu successfully understood it before the "Bait Contract" could be considered fully signed.
Under Ailukulu's gaze, with her pupils trembling in anger, she watched her name gradually appear at the contract's signature line. This actually calmed her down instead. She turned and left, feeling that if she stayed any longer, she might inexplicably sign other contracts.
After Ailukulu left, Su Xiao materialized several semi-finished contracts. Unfortunately, Ailukulu had left in a bit of a hurry; otherwise, these contracts could have also been successfully signed.
Su Xiao opened the notification list to check the prompts from killing the False King.
[You have killed the False King.]
[You have received 4000 Sun Gold Coins.]
[You have received 15.26% World Source.]
[You have received 1 Sun Source Stone.]
[You have received Eternal Rank Chest: Nightmare False Visage.]
[You have received Blazing Sun Greatsword (This is a world-exclusive weapon. It has been locked for notarization authority and cannot be notarized by any means. This weapon can only be used by the Sun King).]
[Tip: You can hand over the Blazing Sun Greatsword to the Monarch Faction of Twilight City or the Great Library.]
[Warning: This choice is crucial and will directly affect the final stage of the main mission.]
[Handing over the Blazing Sun Greatsword to the Great Library: The maximum reward for this main mission is 95.8%.]
[Handing over the Blazing Sun Greatsword to the Monarch Faction: The maximum reward for this main mission is 1068%.]
[You have completed Bounty 2: Depths of Nightmare. Successfully rescued the noble lady from the nightmare.]
[Due to the multiple bounty + bounty correction of the "Hunt List: Blood Pact," you will receive a bounty with a total value of 5500 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[You have applied for notarization in advance. This bounty will be more inclined toward "Space-Time Stone Fragments."]
[Tip: As it meets the revenue rules, this notarization application has been approved.]
[You have received Space-Time Stone Fragments x500 (This is an equivalent item. It can be sold to Reincarnation Paradise at any time for 5000 ounces of Space-Time Power).]
[You have received Secret Treasure Box x1 (This item is equivalent to 500 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).]
[You have completed Bounty 1: Collector. Successfully collected 2 Twisted Robust Hearts, 2 Bloodthirsty Hearts, and 2 Nightmare Hearts.]
[Due to the multiple bounty + bounty correction of the "Hunt List: Blood Pact," you will receive a bounty with a total value of 3000 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[You have applied for notarization in advance. This bounty will be more inclined toward "Space-Time Stone Fragments"...]
[You have received Space-Time Stone Fragments x250 (This is an equivalent item. It can be sold to Reincarnation Paradise at any time for 2500 ounces of Space-Time Power).]
[You have received Secret Treasure Box x1 (This item is equivalent to 500 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).]
...
Because he had applied in advance for the bounty to be more inclined toward "Space-Time Stone Fragments," he had received "Space-Time Stone Fragments" + "Secret Treasure Boxes" this time. Su Xiao was quite satisfied with this. Not to mention anything else, his high-level Abyssology required 49,500 ounces of Space-Time Power to be maxed out. Moreover, the Honor Store had many good things that required Space-Time Power to purchase.
[Main Mission: Third Ring: False Visage (Completed).]
[You have received "Altar Lock Plate." This is a key item for activating the Moon Altar.]
[Main Mission: Fourth Ring (Activated).]
[Main Mission: Fourth Ring: Moon Altar.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.90.
Mission Brief: Find the Moon Altar and activate it.
Mission Time Limit: 1 natural day.
Mission Reward: Altar Lock Plate.
Mission Penalty: Forced Execution.
...
The difficulty of this mission reached Lv.90, likely due to the danger level of the Dark Moon Nightmare and the relatively short time limit given. There was no hint in the mission information about where this "Moon Altar" was.
Su Xiao still remembered a mission he had triggered from Apocalypse Paradise before. That mission was so detailed that the target location even had coordinates, almost as if it had an auto-navigation function. Reading the mission information was as long as reading a short story. Reincarnation Paradise's missions were the complete opposite; the mission information rarely exceeded 15 words.
Or rather, if one saw Reincarnation Paradise's mission information with several dense lines of text, they should pray for themselves. This mission would be dangerous to a terrifying degree.
Just then, the black light cocoon in front fluctuated. The originally three-meter-tall black light cocoon had now contracted to less than one meter. As the cracks on the cocoon increased, it finally shattered with a *crack*. Delona, who had been sitting on the ground hugging her knees, slowly raised her head.
Delona's gaze was somewhat dazed. Black mist surged, forming a black dress on her body. Invisible white flames appeared on Delona's black hair. Her eyes turned pitch black, and within that blackness, white lines slowly rotated. If one lacked courage, just meeting her gaze would make one feel secretly alarmed.
But the next second, Delona's eyes returned to normal. Her hair turned warm white. Her gaze was lively yet carried a hint of confusion.
"So this is what it feels like to truly live."
Black Dress Delona took a deep breath, feeling the scent of the air, the slow flow of the breeze, the subtle sensation of touch on her skin, and the different colors of the world she saw. She closed her eyes, and tears moistened the corners of her eyes.
"Alright, your turn."
Black Dress Delona closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her hair turned black, her black dress changed into a light white dress, the depths of her eyes turned pitch black, and her pupils were composed of white lines, giving her a very Abyss-system style. It was Abyss Delona's consciousness that had taken control of the body.
Abyss Delona raised her arms and took a deep breath. For the first time, she could so clearly perceive the surrounding world. In the past, everything around her had felt blurry and distant. Now, her senses had finally returned to normal levels.
In summary, Abyss Delona and Black Dress Delona now shared this one body. They could communicate in the consciousness space and decide who would take control of the body. There was no issue of one consciousness suppressing the other. Therefore, regarding the daily body control time, they would have to discuss it themselves.
As for how to tell who was controlling the body: one with long warm white hair and wearing a Gothic black dress was Black Dress Delona. She had a lively personality, was curious about everything, and liked excitement.
The one with long black hair, wearing a light white dress, with pitch-black depths in her eyes and pupils composed of white lines, was Abyss Delona. She had an indifferent personality and preferred quiet solitude. Abyss Delona was easy to recognize; her eyes were too Abyss-system in style.
Su Xiao picked up the "Book of Original Sin" from the formation and resealed the Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, Nether Bone Ring, and Soul Crown back into it.
Su Xiao looked at Delona, signaling for her to demonstrate her unique Abyss ability and to show that she had sufficient rationality and self-control. Otherwise, the "Book of Original Sin" would have a page for Delona. However, once sealed inside the "Book of Original Sin," she wouldn't last long within it.
Realizing this, Abyss Delona began to demonstrate her rationality and self-control. Seeing this, Su Xiao clenched his right hand, and with a *slap*, he closed the "Book of Original Sin" and put it away.
Seeing this, Abyss Delona began to honestly explain their abilities. This ability was called "Fate Advance Withdrawal," an extremely powerful but also high-cost Abyss system ability.