Fate Contract

In the dark void, Tang Qi had transformed into a golden sun, releasing seemingly endless light and heat, burning away every monstrosity that surged in through the cracks.

In the past, what he burned had indeed been monstrosities.

But after entering meditation before the Misfortune Witch, what he burned were gray-black whips.

More precisely, the tips of those whips.

Because their supernatural ranks seemed to be the same.

However, Tang Qi did not care. He continued using his thoughts to outline the Golden Sun, stroke by stroke.

He was certain that once those three minutes passed, the so-called Witch Sub-Personality would have no choice but to submit.

Tang Qi's instincts had always been correct.

Only this time, they had deviated slightly.

"Whoosh~"

In the dark space, the gray-black whips suddenly vanished without a trace. In their place, at the crack that looked close yet was in fact incomparably distant, a familiar figure appeared.

Sally?

No, it should have been the Misfortune Witch.

Compared to Sally's body outside, this figure was probably closer to the Misfortune Witch.

A black dress with something of a Gothic style set off skin that was excessively pale, making her both mysterious and alluring. The black flower atop her head continuously bloomed, withered, and bloomed again. It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet brimmed with an ominous aura.

She stood at the crack as gray-black magic representing misfortune spread into a sea of mist, wrapping around her.

Their positions eliminated any possibility of Tang Qi launching a surprise attack.

Having used some method to enter Tang Qi's mind, the Witch Sub-Personality no longer resembled the mad girl from before, as though that had merely been an illusion. The Witch now looked like a mysterious, classical lady, directly extending a contract invitation to Tang Qi.

"Young Child of the Furnace, I will not apologize for my previous offense. But as compensation, I am willing to sign a fair contract with you, allowing you to grow ahead of time. When the Spirit Tide reaches its peak, it will give you enough strength to keep you from becoming a lowly Chess Piece, easily used, discarded, or killed by those people."

After saying that, the Witch seemed to recall something. Clearly unwilling to give Tang Qi even the slightest chance to stall, she immediately added, "This is your only opportunity. If you refuse me, I will expend most of my Misfortune Magic to extinguish you, this furnace that has only just been lit, in these Ruins of Darkness."

"Perhaps I will be sealed once more, but you will die completely."

"You have three seconds to consider. That should be enough."

"Three!"

"Two!"

Before "one" could sound, Tang Qi's voice came from within that seemingly eternal sun.

"The contract terms!"

"The price I have to pay and the benefits I can receive. I want fairness."

When she heard his voice, that soul-stirring smile finally appeared on the Witch's face again. At the same time, in the dark void between them, a ball of ghostly light appeared with a hum, and something resembling a Parchment Scroll emerged.

Under the Witch's gaze, a Quill Pen seemed to appear from nowhere above the blank page, and lines of tiny words continuously emerged.

Under the gaze of Supreme Fate, I shall enter into a contract with the human before me.

The terms of the contract are as follows:

When I fall into sealing, the human must provide shelter for my body, even at the cost of his life should danger arise!

He must help me alter this body, brew Misfortune Potions for me, and assist her in cultivating Misfortune Magic, making her more suitable for the complete descent of Misfortune Magic!

While I sleep, he shall temporarily become my eyes and ears, gathering information about the Supernatural Realm of the Star of Origin for me!

He shall establish a Church of Misfortune for me and find three suitable believers for me!

Within ten years, the human must recover the Misfortune Curios scattered throughout the Star of Origin for me!

Before I completely take control of this body, the human must periodically remove that pair of glasses and allow me to enter the world!

The human may not take this body's virginity, nor may he desecrate or toy with her body.

Watching requirement after requirement appear, Tang Qi believed that if he had a human face right now, it would be covered in black lines.

Was this Witch treating him like a nanny?

Only after the final condition vanished did the benefits Tang Qi could receive appear.

Simple and brutal, there were only two lines of tiny words:

I guarantee that I will not kill this human in the future.

I shall grant the human a Misfortune Mark.

That was all!

Tang Qi deliberately waited another second, only to find that the Parchment Scroll showed no sign of changing further.

This was the final content.

Though he could not express his emotions through his expression, Tang Qi, transformed into a sun, found it even easier to express them. The previously steady Golden Flame suddenly surged, churning with fury.

Clearly, the Misfortune Witch also knew that such a contract had nothing to do with fairness.

For that reason, she paused. Her proud head dipped slightly as she rarely offered an explanation. "After offending me, you can still preserve your life. That alone would earn you tremendous fame in the Transcendental World."

"As for the Misfortune Mark, did you not instinctively—or perhaps deliberately—approach this body in order to use Misfortune Magic to attract those inferior monstrosities and add fuel to your furnace?"

"If I grant you a mark, it will save you the troublesome process entirely. You need only activate it, and those inferior monsters will automatically be drawn to you."

The moment the Witch finished speaking, Tang Qi's voice, still seemingly filled with anger, came from the sun.

"Compared to the price I must pay, these benefits are far from enough."

"I need more supernatural methods. You need to serve as my temporary Mentor. I want to know more about the Supernatural Realm, and I also need to complete the inheritance of the Child of the Furnace. Since your main body is the enemy of the Master of the Furnace, she must know a great deal about it..."

"I cannot give you any of that. It is not that I do not want to, but that I cannot. I am merely a Sub-Personality nurtured by a fragment of Misfortune Power within a human body. There may be tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of beings similar to me. To accommodate as much magic as possible, the main body granted only a small amount of information. I have none of what you need."

"As for the complete inheritance of the Master of the Furnace, even the main body does not possess it, let alone a Sub-Personality like me."

"Enough. These are the best terms I can offer. You must state your choice immediately."

After saying the last sentence, the Witch Sub-Personality gave Tang Qi no more time to consider and directly issued her final ultimatum.

The three-minute countdown was about to end.

Boom!

Tang Qi immediately sensed magic far more terrifying than before beginning to pulse. The moment he gave a refusal, the Witch Sub-Personality would expend most of her magic to kill Tang Qi on the spot.

The moment between life and death had arrived without warning.

Though he had transformed into a sun, Tang Qi felt bone-piercing cold. The ominous aura of magic was like venomous snakes, frantically gnawing at his mind.

Buzz!

In the final seconds of the countdown, Tang Qi automatically withdrew from meditation, and the surroundings slowly began to recover. This special Fitting Room seemed to be returning to the original world. Tang Qi could even see Mrs. Hudson's fingers twitch slightly.

Before him floated a Parchment Scroll, its contents exactly the same as those that had appeared in the dark void.

A blank line had been left at each end.

One of them now bore a mark.

It was not a name, but a mark. That was easy to understand. Before him was not the true Misfortune Witch, merely a Sub-Personality nurtured by a fragment of magic. Naturally, she was not qualified to sign a god's name upon the contract. A mark was enough.

Beneath that mark, a gray Silk Thread slowly began to extend.

There was also a Silk Thread beneath the blank space at the other end.

As long as Tang Qi signed his name, the two Silk Threads would join and together form the symbol of "Fate," and the contract would be established.

Any violator would suffer unimaginable punishment.

"Sign it!"

"Otherwise, you will die."

The calm words, laden with terrifying killing intent, came from Sally's mouth.

She seemed to have returned to normal. The magic had vanished, as had the black Misfortune Flower. If not for her still pitch-black eyes, one might have assumed the Misfortune Witch had already been dragged back into the seal.

Unfortunately, the current situation was that most of the Misfortune Witch Sub-Personality had returned to the "container," but she had left behind an opening.

So long as Tang Qi did not sign the contract immediately, the next moment would see overwhelming Misfortune Magic surge from that opening and tear Tang Qi apart, while the Witch Sub-Personality would be severely weakened and return to the seal.

At this final moment, Tang Qi swiftly raised his head and met the Witch's gaze. Then, his eyes focused entirely on the Parchment Scroll.

Whoosh!

As though humiliated, Tang Qi took a deep breath, quickly lowered his head, and said in a muffled voice, "I'll sign!"

The moment he spoke, one of Tang Qi's fingers suddenly extended. Furnace Power overflowed, and under the tracing of golden lines, the name Tang Qi gradually took shape.

"Buzz~"

The instant the name was completed and the two gray lines were about to meet, there was suddenly a crack, like shattering glass. The Fitting Room, which had fallen into that strange space, abruptly returned to normal. Every phenomenon vanished, the magic in Sally's eyes faded, and Mrs. Hudson still wore that smile.

At that very moment, Tang Qi suddenly raised his head once more, a dazzlingly brilliant smile appearing on his face.

Then, he moved.