"Lord Zhou Chen, you just said that if I stay at the bottom of the Lake of Life with your wife Yu Tianmeng for a day and a night, you will give me this Soul Beast Breeding Booster... Is that condition still valid?"
Gu Yuena's voice was no longer cold and aloof; instead, it became soft and pleasant, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Clearly, her attitude towards Zhou Chen had changed drastically, from being aloof at the beginning to being friendly, and even somewhat deliberately ingratiating.
She didn't even use "this seat" to refer to herself, but instead used "I".
There's no other way; the Soul Beast Breeding Booster is simply too important for the Soul Beast Clan.
With it, the inevitable peril of the Soul Beast Clan might still have a chance to be saved.
As the Soul Beast Co-Lord and a descendant of the Dragon God, Gu Yuena has the responsibility and obligation to obtain this divine artifact, no matter what means she uses.
She had actually considered using violence to subdue Zhou Chen and snatch the Proliferator from him; this method was actually more in line with her wishes.
After all, deep down, she also hated and rejected humanity. She would never forget that it was the human gods who destroyed the Dragon God and the Dragon Clan; this hatred would never be forgotten!
However, as the saying goes, "one should not throw a stone at a rat for fear of breaking the vase," she was afraid that in the process of seizing it, she might damage the Soul Beast Proliferator, which would be a loss that outweighed the gains.
Moreover, many divine artifacts have unique methods of activation and use, and some are even bound to bloodlines and incantations. Even if she successfully snatches this Soul Beast Proliferator from Zhou Chen, she will probably find it difficult to use.
Therefore, after much deliberation, Gu Yuena felt that negotiation was the most appropriate method.
Perhaps the wisest solution is to humble oneself slightly and show goodwill to the human in front of you.
At this moment, Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes, like amethyst gems, were fixed on Zhou Chen, waiting for his answer, as if afraid that Zhou Chen would change his mind.
"Of course it counts."
Seeing Gu Yuena's performance, Zhou Chen chuckled inwardly, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It seems that Your Excellency the Silver Dragon King is planning to agree to my conditions."
"Yes, I agree. It all depends on what Lord Zhou Chen thinks."
Gu Yuena nodded calmly, trying her best to appear nonchalant, but in her heart, she was already overjoyed, just like a little girl.
"Alright, as expected of the Silver Dragon King, you speak so succinctly. It's settled then."
Zhou Chen readily agreed and did not use the Soul Beast Proliferator to blackmail Gu Yuena in order to gain more benefits.
A person cannot stand without integrity. Since he had just said it, Zhou Chen had no intention of going back on his word.
Moreover, it's best to avoid pushing your luck, especially when the other party is much stronger!
To be honest, Zhou Chen was also very worried, afraid that Gu Yuena would suddenly turn on him and resort to force to seize the property, which would put him in a very difficult position.
After all, Gu Yuena is a genuine First-Level God, the true self, not a mere avatar.
Even though Gu Yuena's old injuries haven't healed, if she's determined to attack Zhou Chen 'll be absolutely powerless to resist.
There is a difference between humans and gods, let alone First-Level Main God who is close to the top of the pyramid of the Divine Realm!
Therefore, since Gu Yuena was willing to talk, Zhou Chen had no reason to refuse. For his own life, and the lives of his girlfriends Yu Tianmeng, Meng Yiran, and the others present, it was better to be a little cowardly.
However, to prevent Gu Yuena from going back on her word and turning her back on him after obtaining the Proliferator, the ever-cautious Zhou Chen felt that an extra layer of security was needed.
Thinking this, Zhou Chen's left hand flashed with light, and a golden sheepskin scroll bearing intricate runes appeared in his palm.
This is Equality Contract produced by the System, which can bind the behavior of both parties in the negotiation. Those who violate the contract will be directly annihilated by the will of the multiverse. Even First-Level God like Gu Yuena cannot resist it.
Unlike the two slave contracts he had previously obtained through a lottery, this Equality Contract was purchased by Zhou Chen from the System Shop.
Priced at five million Gold Yuan Points.
Of course, it wasn't bought today.
Instead, Zhou Chen had foreseen this situation when he was in Heaven Dou City and had prepared in advance by buying it from the System Shop.
In this Equality Contract, Zhou Chen had written more than fifty rules and regulations in advance, totaling more than a thousand words, completely avoiding any possibility that Gu Yuena might want to violate the contract from various angles.
With over a thousand words, even if Gu Yuena wanted to play word games, she couldn't find any loopholes.
There was no way around it; Zhou Chen was just that cautious. He wouldn't feel at ease if he wrote too few characters.
"Your Excellency Silver Dragon King, now that we've reached an agreement, let's finalize this contract."
Zhou Chen brandished the golden scroll in his hand, shifting the blame back to the Divine Realm, and said nonsensically, "This is Equality Contract created by the God Realm Committee, specifically designed to bind both parties in a negotiation. Anyone who violates the contract will have their God Soul annihilated, even a God-King is no exception!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena's face immediately darkened.
This clearly shows a lack of faith in her character!
The Dragon Clan always keeps its promises, okay?
That's so insulting to dragons! She's furious!
Not only Gu Yuena, but also the beasts beside her, such as the Beast God Di Tian, the Emerald Swan Bi Ji, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear Xiong Jun, all changed their expressions.
As the saying goes, "When the ruler is in distress, the minister is disgraced; when the ruler is disgraced, the minister dies." Zhou Chen's disbelief in Gu Yuena and his questioning of Gu Yuena's dragon status is a slap in the face to all the Soul Beast!
"Human, have you considered the consequences of such insult to our Lord?!"
The middle-aged, burly Xiong Jun, spoke in a sinister tone. On his two palms, a pair of Dark Gold Dreadclaw kept popping out and bouncing back, clearly threatening Zhou Chen.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen was instantly stunned.
Holy crap, is this considered an insult?
Isn't drawing up a contract a normal part of negotiation? It's a sign of civilization!
Damn, what an uncultured bunch.
However, despite his inner complaints, Zhou Chen still pretended to be very friendly on the surface.
He didn't even glance at Xiong Jun, who looked like a fierce thug, but instead looked directly at the stunningly beautiful Gu Yuena and explained calmly, "Your Excellency Silver Dragon King, this is how we humans do things. We have absolutely no intention of insulting you."
After a pause, Zhou Chen continued, "If His Excellency the Silver Dragon King is truly open-minded, why can't he readily agree to this contract?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena's face darkened even further.
Zhou Chen's words were clearly a provocation, a way of putting her down. If she didn't agree to the contract, then she would be a wicked dragon with ulterior motives, plotting against others.
Thinking about it this way, Gu Yuena realized that she had no choice but to agree, as it concerned her reputation!
Gu Yuena glared at Zhou Chen with her beautiful eyes, gritted her teeth, and said coldly, "Fine, hand over the contract!"
As she spoke, Gu Yuena stepped forward and extended her delicate, snow-white hand to Zhou Chen.
"Haha, I knew Your Majesty the Silver Dragon King was a dragon who kept his promises!"
With a chuckle, Zhou Chen handed the golden scroll to Gu Yuena and instructed, "As long as Your Excellency the Silver Dragon King infuses a spiritual imprint into this golden scroll, this contract will be established."
"No rush, I need to see what terms you've written!"
Gu Yuena rolled her eyes at Zhou Chen, unfurled the scroll, and then she discovered more than a thousand densely packed characters.
Gu Yuena was immediately speechless.
It wasn't that she thought there were too many words, but rather... she couldn't read.
She does recognize the ancient Dragon Clan script, but she doesn't recognize modern human writing!
Zhou Chen wrote in the common script recognized by the two great empires on the Douluo Continent.
"Um... does anyone recognize this character?"
Gu Yuena turned her head, her face slightly flushed, and looked at the several Ferocious Beast beside her, whispering.
Although she was Dragon Clan, she still had her pride; not being able to read was ultimately a disgrace to the dragon race.
Upon hearing Gu Yuena's words, the Ferocious Beast, including Di Tian, shook their heads in bewilderment.
Human writing systems are highly variable, constantly evolving in form and grammar as civilization progresses. How could they possibly understand modern human writing systems if they had been isolated for thousands of years?
Of course, they wouldn't even recognize ancient human writing systems, because they disdained to learn them.
Seeing that her subordinates were all illiterate, Gu Yuena was so ashamed that her ears turned red.
Especially Zhou Chen's ambiguous smile, which Gu Yuena saw as a mockery of her and the Soul Beast Clan.
Fortunately, at that moment, Xiao Wu, who had been silent all along, suddenly whispered, "Um... Sister Silver Dragon King, I recognize these characters."
She studied at the Nuoding Academy for six years, so of course she knows human writing.
"That's great! Come here quickly and read the words on this contract to your sister."
Relieved, Gu Yuena waved to Xiao Wu and said with a smile.
"Yeah."
Xiao Wu nodded quickly, took the golden scroll from Gu Yuena's hand, and began to read it word by word.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Wu's clear voice still hadn't stopped.
Twenty minutes later, Xiao Wu was still reading the terms of the contract.
There was no way around it; Zhou Chen had written far too many and too long terms, totaling over a thousand words!
Moreover, Xiao Wu also had to explain the meaning of these terms to Gu Yuena, the God of Illiteracy, and the group of illiterate Ferocious Beast around her from time to time.
Half an hour later, Gu Yuena finally understood the full meaning of the contract and confirmed that there were no clauses in the contract that were detrimental to her or the Soul Beast Clan.
At this moment, she had lost her earlier fierceness and was completely deflated, her fair and jade-like face flushed with embarrassment.
She felt ashamed of her illiteracy.
Especially in the past half hour, Zhou Chen, Yu Tianmeng, Ning Rongrong, and even Tang San and others all looked at her with strange eyes, which made Gu Yuena wish she could drown herself.
Thankfully, I've finally finished reading it, and this ordeal is finally coming to an end.
Gu Yuena quickly infused her spiritual imprint into the contract, took a deep breath, and looked at Zhou Chen with feigned composure, saying softly, "Yes, I have accepted this contract. It's your turn."
As she spoke, Gu Yuena tossed the golden scroll back to Zhou Chen.
"Smack!"
Zhou Chen took the scroll and also left his spiritual imprint in the contract.
The next moment, the golden scroll suddenly floated up automatically and then slowly ignited with golden flames!
As the golden flames died down and the contract burned out, a majestic and resounding voice, like the grandest bell, echoed in both of their minds:
"Equality Contract is established!"
These six simple words startled Gu Yuena!
She could fully sense the immense power contained within that voice!
That was a power far exceeding that of First-Level Main God, and even surpassing that of a god-king!
Even more disrespectful thoughts arose in Gu Yuena's mind:
Even if the Dragon God were to be resurrected, he would still be no match for the owner of this voice!
This disrespectful thought was fleeting, but it made Gu Yuena realize something.
That is... this Equality Contract probably didn't originate from the Divine Realm!
Because the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm could not possibly possess such powerful divine strength!
Zhou Chen was lying.
Gu Yuena frowned slightly and looked at Zhou Chen with a puzzled expression. She understood that the people standing behind Zhou Chen were probably not the human deities from the Divine Realm.
Because no god could create such a contract containing infinite power!
Zhou Chen has a powerful backer!
As First-Level Main God and a direct descendant of the Dragon God, Gu Yuena's inherited memories tell her that the universe is vast, with many planes and planets, and even the Divine Realm is not just one!
Perhaps, the one standing behind Zhou Chen is not a god from the Douluo God Realm, but an existence from another higher plane!
Immediately, Gu Yuena felt that Zhou Chen... might be an ally that could be won over.
Perhaps one day, when her injuries have fully healed and the Divine Realm has undergone dramatic changes, she can join forces with Zhou Chen to challenge the order of the Douluo God Realm!
With that thought in mind, Gu Yuena's gaze toward Zhou Chen became even more amiable.
However, forming an alliance with Zhou Chen can be discussed later. What she needs to do now is to obtain the Soul Beast Breeding Booster and fulfill her promise to spend a day and a night at the bottom of the lake with that human girl named Yu Tianmeng.
Although this made her feel very awkward.
What's the point of women staying together?
Gu Yuena smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Lord Zhou Chen, now that the contract has been established, what about this Soul Beast Proliferator..."
"It's naturally yours."
Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow, and the green hemisphere with three slender supports that he was holding in his right hand slowly floated up and then fell into Gu Yuena's hand.
This made Gu Yuena unable to contain her excitement, and the Ferocious Beast beside her, including Di Tian, were also overjoyed.
"Your Excellency Silver Dragon King, the Soul Beast Breeding Booster will operate once you bury it underground or place it at the bottom of the Lake of Life. Its Proliferator area is over two thousand miles, roughly covering the entire Star Dou Great Forest!"
"Thanks for reminding me."
Gu Yuena took a deep breath, then channeled her Soul Power and instantly threw the Proliferator in her hand!
Then, the green hemispherical object traced a graceful arc in the sky and plunged into the Lake of Life with a splash, slowly sinking to the bottom!
Immediately afterwards, a green beam of light burst forth from the bottom of the Lake of Life!
This towering green beam shot straight into the sky, then transformed into patches of green light that spread across the heavens.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Star Dou Great Forest, covering millions of square kilometers, was enveloped by this green light, just like a huge jade dome that completely covered the Star Dou Great Forest!