Chapter 318: The Service Contract
Ashe's bold laughter rang out. "My dear mistress, you're just as easy to read as you were in the cabin. You always become talkative when you lie. You use a flood of words to divert attention, hiding your true feelings behind a wall of excuses. You say you want to kill us? If that's a lie, then it means you absolutely won't.
"As for the why? The answer is obvious. The Incarnation of Secrets matters too much to you. You can't afford the risk of losing it, so you try to force us into submission with hollow threats."
Denzel leaned back. "Quite a bold guess. But aren't you afraid I'll lose my temper and simply toss you out?"
Ashe glanced at Sonya. She looked away, avoiding his gaze, but her fingers dug into his hand, clinging to him as if he were her only anchor.
Ashe challenged. "Go ahead, then. I've heard spiders wrap their prey up and turn them into something like yogurt before feeding. I'm curious about that way of dying. Want to let me try?"
The wind stilled, yet the rain persisted. For a moment, the world fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint rasp of Dia pulling her threads and the low hum of the Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider's mandibles slicing the air.
"Heh."
Bang!
Ashe and Sonya were slammed onto the ground. Dia hurried over, helping them to their feet as the three of them stared warily at Denzel. She remained leaning against the fencing, where the massive spider loomed behind her like a living throne, amplifying her sovereign, overwhelming presence.
Crossing her arms, Denzel spoke, "I didn't expect such greed from you. To think that for the sake of the Incarnation, you'd gamble not only your own life, but the life of your lov—"
"Teammate," Ashe corrected sharply.
Denzel glanced at Sonya. "Aren't you afraid of losing that bet?"
Ashe responded calmly, "I know I might lose if I gamble, but if I don't, I'll definitely die. If I hand over the Incarnation of Secrets now, that's when you'll truly feed us to the spiders."
Denzel narrowed her eyes. "Am I really that cruel?"
It sounded almost like a coquettish remark, but her flat delivery suggested the opposite, that she simply hadn't reached her limit yet.
"You're a soul driven mad by love," Ashe said, speaking each word with deliberate weight. "Even when you were alive, you twisted love into slaughter and built cages out of corpses. So long as it fulfills your obsession, no moral law can stop you. And your current master... It's the Omniscient Weaver you once treated as your forbidden possession, isn't it?"
Days earlier, Sonya had voiced her suspicions that Demilo hailed from the Starry Kingdom. Linking that to titles like the Star Hall, she was convinced that its master was none other than the Starry Lord, the kingdom's protector.
Ashe hadn't doubted her, but he wasn't fully convinced either. From his perspective, Sonya had her own character lore as the Death Maniac Swordswoman to follow, and it was only natural for the backstories she knew to occasionally align with reality.
Denzel's presence, however, had served as the ultimate proof. These wandering Legions of Heroes across the Continent of Time were clearly the handiwork of Divine Lords. The Gospel Incarnation of the Omniscient Weaver she mentioned confirmed that she had been an ancient sorcerer from the Gospel Kingdom a thousand years ago, perhaps even a figure of legend. It was even possible that Ashe had encountered her descendants without realizing it.
Denzel did not deny it. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the wooden fencing, and the troops beyond the ship stirred restlessly.
Ashe pressed further. "You're the type to pull a problem out by its roots. We know too much, and for the sake of the Weaver, you wouldn't let us go easily. The Incarnation of Secrets is our only safeguard. Once you take it, you'll have nothing holding you back, and you'll turn us into sorcerer projections without hesitation."
Denzel remained silent, but the giant spider behind her grew eerily still.
By now, the White Ox's hoof had vanished. A cold, dim light bled across the horizon, slowly pushing back the Ascending Golden Rain.
Ashe glanced at the sky. "The Static Zone is almost here. You said you like smart people. At a moment like this, a smart person would only make one decision."
Denzel asked, "And what is that? Don't tell me it's to let you go."
"If you let us go, we'll return to this area sooner or later," Ashe said, his expression unreadable. "When we do, you'll have another chance at the Incarnation. But if you kill us now... you'd only disappoint your beloved."
The tapping stopped. "You'll come back?"
"When have sorcerers ever stopped entering the Virtual World?"
"And if you don't?"
Ashe said, "The only choice you have is to trust us. We won't stop coming. And besides, I have no idea where you'll appear, or how I'd even begin to avoid you."
Sonya and Dia said nothing. They simply lowered their heads, hiding the trace of delight in their eyes from Denzel. Of course, they knew exactly where the commander would appear and how to avoid her pursuit.
Ashe's Virtual World Map had already revealed that the Celestial Chariot Ox moved in a circular route, returning to the same area every cycle. In other words, when the ox approached the Spider Tower region, they could simply take the night off, do their own thing, and skip entering the Virtual World entirely. By not "clocking in," they would naturally avoid Denzel's hunt.
Yet Denzel still shook her head. "I don't trust you."
A sharp glint flashed in Ashe's eyes.
Denzel snapped her fingers. "I only trust contracts."
Her appearance shifted instantly, transforming from a mysterious, seductive assassin into an intellectual, elegant office clerk. She wore a fitted vest and a short skirt, high heels, and a pair of plain glasses. The heels added even more height to her already unusual stature.
Ashe stared for a moment. "Is this also... one of your Spider Tower units?"
Denzel shook her head. "No."
She pinched her fingers and pulled a contract out of thin air. "This is a profession responsible for production."
She had no intention of explaining further. With a flick of her finger, three contracts drifted down before Ashe and the others.
The contents were simple.
[Service Contract]
Party A: Spider Tower Commander 001
Party B: (Pending arcane verification)
Clause 1:
When the Celestial Chariot Ox enters the Spider Tower region, Party B must remain in the Spider Tower region for more than three hours.
Clause 2:
If Party B possesses the Conjuring spirit, they are not allowed to discard it.
Clause 3:
When Party A encounters and captures Party B, Party B must voluntarily hand over the Conjuring spirit.
Penalty for breach:
First Breach: Party A shall confiscate one spirit held by Party B (Priority given to the Conjuring Spirit).
Second Breach: Forfeit of two spirits.
Sequential Increases: Penalties shall escalate with each further violation.
Tenth Breach: Party B shall suffer immediate death.
Term: From the moment of signing.
Denzel said coldly, "Sign it, or I'll throw you out. But think carefully. Once you sign this contract, simply handing over the Conjuring spirit won't be the end of it. Either I hunt you to death in the Virtual World, or the Virtual World itself will punish you after ten breaches."
Sonya shook her head. "If we ascend to a higher layer of the Virtual World, won't we inevitably breach the contract? I won't sign anything that guarantees our death."
Denzel's expression remained flat. "That's my oversight. I'll add a clause."
A new line appeared in the contract.
Clause 4: When Party B cannot enter the Continent of Time due to ascending to a higher layer of the Virtual World, this contract becomes void.
The three exchanged glances. Denzel raised an eyebrow. "Any other objections? I've already provided you with a permanent way to escape my pursuit. Don't tell me you expect more, or that you truly believed I would let you leave without restrictions."
Once they signed, Ashe and the others would be required to "report for duty" in the Spider Tower region on the designated day. Miss it once, and they would lose resources. Miss it ten times, and they would "retire" permanently.
Ashe scanned the text. "Understood. But there is no clause restricting you. That seems... inappropriate."
"And how do you propose to restrict me?" Denzel's voice held no anger. She sounded truly curious. "I won't let you go without conditions, and the next time we meet, I won't be holding back. Once I capture you, you will hand over the Conjuring spirit and become food for my subordinates."
"That's exactly the issue. If we don't sign, you won't let us leave. But even if we do sign, what’s to stop you from taking us down the moment we turn our backs?"
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