Chapter 22: All-Encompassing Primordial Contract
Hao would let Mo Xixi use his bedroom while he took the sofa in the living room. It was just one night.
It wasn't a big deal.
Hao smirked. "You keep calling me Boss, so why not make it official? Work here."
"Official? Me? Work?"
Mo Xixi was utterly lost. What was he even talking about? She didn't quite understand what "official" meant, but she could tell he was asking her to work for him.
"Yes. Six-hour shift, two crystals per day, and three free meals."
Mo Xixi instinctively opened her mouth to refuse, but then froze.
"...Wait. T-Two crystals?"
"And... per day?"
Hao nodded. "Yeah."
Mo Xixi's lips parted slightly. Two crystals a day... a day! That was ten gold!
She could live like an empress with that! No more struggling to find food, no more worrying about where to sleep -
Wait. No. No, no, no.
This was too good to be true!
She shook her head furiously, snapping herself out of it. "Hmph. I'm not so easily bought, boss."
Hao leaned on the counter.
Then, as if a switch flipped in her mind, Mo Xixi stiffened. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a cautious step away from Hao.
She shot Hao a wary look. "Wait... you're not after my body, are you, boss?"
"What the - ?!" Hao muttered.
Mo Xixi looking even more convinced, nodded to herself.
"Hmph. I have heard stories about this. Men luring naive girls with riches, only to - "
"Stop right there." Hao held up a hand, looking utterly exhausted.
'What stories? You grew up in a demonic cult!'
Hao pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm hiring you for actual work, not... whatever nonsense you're imagining."
"You'll sign a contract if you accept. It's proper work, not some shady deal."
"Boss... it's not a Soul Slave Contract, right?"
'Soul Slave Contract? I don't even know what that is.'
[Host, a Soul Slave Contract is a binding agreement that forcibly ties a person's soul to the contract holder. The contracted individual loses all autonomy and must obey any order given to them.]
[If they resist, their soul will suffer excruciating pain, and disobedience can even result in death. It is commonly used by demonic cultivators.]
'The hell? That has to be illegal.'
[It is illegal, host. Only the most ruthless sects and forbidden cults still dare to use it.]
[However, the Dimensional Convenience Store does not use such crude methods. Instead, we use the All-Encompassing Primordial Contract.]
[This contract is a fair and balanced agreement between employer and employee, recognized by the fundamental laws of the multiverse. It ensures both parties uphold their terms without exploitation.]
[The employer cannot mistreat or harm the employee, and the employee must fulfill their duties as agreed. Breaching the contract results in appropriate consequences, but no harm to the soul.]
"No, it's not. What we'll use is called All-Encompassing Primordial Contract."
Mo Xixi tilted her head, completely clueless. But with a name like that, it had to be something big.
'System, where do I get the contract?'
The moment Hao asked, the space itself seemed to distort. A ripple formed before him, resembling a small black hole bending the fabric of space around it.
Mo Xixi immediately tensed, shifting into a defensive stance as the pressure sent a chill down her spine. But instead of danger, something else emerged.
A scroll slowly materialized from the swirling void, floating in front of Hao. It was pristine white, glowing with a soft golden radiance. A red silk knot secured it shut.
Hao reached out and grasped the scroll. As his fingers touched it, the swirling void vanished, as if someone had pulled the plug on a grand cosmic spectacle.
The glowing effect on the scroll also disappeared instantly, leaving it as an ordinary yet slightly fancy piece of paper.
'Huh. That was dramatic for no reason.'
Shrugging, he pulled off the red silk knot and unrolled the scroll. His eyes scanned the contents, nodding along. Everything seemed fair - generous, even.
But after reading about three lines, he started skimming. After ten lines, his brain turned off entirely.
A few seconds later, he rolled it back up with confidence. "Looks good."
Hao gestured at Mo Xixi. "Alright, your turn. Come check it yourself."
Mo Xixi hesitated. Her gaze flickered between Hao and the scroll, her small hands slightly clenching. But then she remembered - two crystal payments per day.
That was four crystals in two days. Eight in four days. Sixty in a month?!
Her caution weakened. This was wealth.
She took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward.
When she reached Hao, he casually handed it over. "Go ahead. Read all the fine print or whatever."
Mo Xixi unrolled the scroll and started reading. She was thorough, her sharp eyes moving line by line.
Minutes passed. She kept reading.
More minutes passed. Hao yawned.
Finally, she blinked. There was nothing wrong with it. In fact... it was way better than she expected.
The contract stated that she would even be provided a room to stay if she wanted? It wasn't forced, just an option.
Didn't this solve her problem completely?
Another line caught Mo Xixi's attention - she could quit anytime she wanted.
There was a penalty, but it was just that she'd never be able to work at the store again.
She snorted. Who cares about that?
If you were going to quit a job, why would you want to come back? That's like saying, "I hate this place!" only to show up the next day asking for work again.
That's not how quitting works.
There was also a clause stating that she couldn't reveal any sensitive information about the store to outsiders. But that was just common sense. Any work had confidentiality rules.
There were plenty of other clauses, but Mo Xixi didn't really care much about them.
What really caught her attention was the working hours - only six hours a day. On top of that, she even got a 30-minute break, and it was counted as part of her work.
She would receive her payment at the end of each day, no delays.
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Mo Xixi examined Hao. He looked... normal. If he stood in a crowd of thousands, he wouldn't stand out at all.
Aside from his slightly above-average handsome face, there was nothing particularly striking about him.
She hadn't detected his cultivation level either, which meant he was either a mortal or much stronger than her.
"Boss. How do I sign it?"