The Thing You Are Also Craving

"So you haven't done anything like this before either." Chaoyang felt both the confirmation of his expectations and a sense of disappointment. There were no others like him in this world; he was still an individual. "All your knowledge comes from the Demonic Awakening, yet you've never had the chance to verify if it's correct."

"I'm not a de-" Elodie was about to retort when she saw Chaoyang reach into the flour bag and immediately changed her words, "I admit I have no experience, but that doesn't mean none of my other he... companions do."

Chaoyang's heart trembled slightly.

Other companions?

This guy wasn't alone?

This was truly remarkable news!

His mind raced. Controlling Elodie had initially been an optional choice, but now the necessity of that choice had suddenly increased significantly. After all, he couldn't stay in this other world forever; he would have to return to Earth eventually. If some natural enemy targeted him then, his situation would be quite dangerous.

An Angel in a cooperative state, however, might be able to quell the hostility of her other companions.

After a moment of silence, Chaoyang turned to Dane and Judy. "We are about to enter the final stage of the ritual. As it requires the power of My Lord, I must ask the two of you to temporarily excuse yourselves."

"Um, I can't meet your deity...?" Judy seemed a little reluctant.

Dane, however, was perceptive. "This is the work of a Divine Emissary. What church would casually allow outsiders to meet their god? We shouldn't trouble our benefactor."

After the two left the room, Elodie couldn't help but show a mocking expression. "Deity? What do you think you are? Only those with ulterior motives make themselves out to be incredibly noble. You really are..."

"Really what?"

Elodie stared at the flour bag beside him, but ultimately couldn't finish her sentence.

"If I were you, I'd be much more careful with my words when arriving in a new world," Chaoyang said, pulling a dagger from his bosom and slowly bringing it closer to the girl. "Because there are beings in this world that are no different from deities. You know nothing about them, yet I've had brief contact with them."

Her expression changed, but she quickly bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly.

Even though she was threatened by a flour bag, she didn't utter a single word of plea.

"I wonder if you've ever considered this: why are you still alive? The moment you activated your ability, you were at the end of your rope. The result of exhausting your power is death... In this regard, you and I are no different."

Elodie couldn't help but be stunned.

Just then, Chaoyang brought down the Dagger, cutting the rope binding her right hand.

Realizing she had regained her freedom, she involuntarily asked, "...Why?"

"Because I saved you," Chaoyang said calmly. "I gave you a drop of blood of wish power."

Elodie's expression froze.

"I don't know if it was effective, but it seems it worked—so I can understand why Angels chase after Demons, because that's how they bathe in the most demon blood. In a sense, you're no different from a bunch of vampires, merely succumbing to your own desires!"

"That's not true... We eliminate Demons to fight evil..."

"Including trying to kill your savior?" Chaoyang sneered.

Elodie was speechless.

He pressed his advantage. "By the way, let me tell you a not-so-secret secret. In the past, Demons indeed aimed to devour souls when forming contracts, but that's clearly not a long-term strategy and carries high risks. So, later Awakened ones optimized the contract process, changing it to collecting wish power—a form of installment payments for souls. Although the profit per instance decreased, the cost and risk were also significantly reduced. Didn't your companions tell you about this series of changes?"

"Inst-installments?"

"To survive, one naturally has to keep up with the times." Chaoyang flipped his hand, and the Dagger in his grasp instantly transformed into a sheet of A4 paper. "Now, let's talk about repayment. In the humble values of an Angel, shouldn't someone who has been saved return something to be fair?"

"I never ask for repayment when I save someone." When it came to this, the girl seemed to regain some courage. She looked directly at Chaoyang and said, word by word, "You can't use words to tempt me."

"Aren't you going to look before we talk?"

"No need! Our ancestors' teachings tell us that any contract with a Demon is a trap. You can kill me, but don't even think about enslaving my soul!" She paused, then added, "Installments don't count either!"

"No, I can't be bothered to kill you. Because unlike you, I don't take lives indiscriminately. At most, I'll just banish you from this world." Chaoyang feigned retracting the contract. "Of course, I can overlook this as a mistake made out of ignorance the first time, but I won't be so polite next time."

"You're really... going to let me go?" Elodie still couldn't quite believe it.

"Why not? You can't do anything anyway. Even if you see someone who truly needs help, all you can do is watch from afar, ultimately tasting only the bitterness of failure."

"What are you talking about?" She frowned.

"You know very well what I'm talking about," Chaoyang smiled. "Without the wish power from Demons, you'll ultimately achieve nothing—because kindness without power can only exist on the lips, can't it?"

Elodie's eyes suddenly sharpened like thorns.

Chaoyang knew he had guessed correctly.

This was the source of that dark emotion in her heart.

In fact, this flaw wasn't hard to spot. At her sixteen years of age, she had participated in too many organizations and activities. This could only mean one thing: she hadn't stayed long in any of them. She kept trying, but kept failing, simply because she lacked "power."

In an era where Demons were nearly extinct, how could Angels be any better? Without the source of wish power, people like Elodie were just ordinary humans. An ordinary person could help an old lady cross the street, but when faced with anything slightly more difficult, they would find their capabilities quite limited.

And this frustration would only become more common as they aged.

"Now you finally have a chance to change, but you're giving it up because of your short-sightedness," Chaoyang stood up and said with a tone of regret. "What difference does it make if a good-for-nothing like you is let go?"

"...Wait." Seeing him about to leave, Elodie couldn't help but speak. "Are you planning to continue providing me with wish power?"

Chaoyang didn't answer, but instead flicked the contract in his hand.

"Fine, bring it on..."

"Is this how you usually speak to your savior? I think you should be more polite."

Elodie hesitated for a moment, then finally repeated, "Please show it to me."

Chaoyang decided to call it a day and offered the contract to her again. "I believe the most important thing about a contract is fairness. Considering your concerns, I won't be taking any payment in the form of souls or wish power. Instead, I'll be giving you blood of wish power to use in the other world. You know better than I do what the power granted by talent awakening represents."

This time, Elodie read the entire contract carefully. "And what I have to do... is protect your safety? And cooperate with the identity you give me, and provide assistance when necessary? This is utterly absurd..."

"But its essence lies in the termination clause, doesn't it?" Chaoyang said dismissively. "Your worry is nothing more than being unable to stop me from doing evil, or becoming my accomplice. That's why I specifically wrote down the conditions for termination. Once what I do leans towards evil, and is no longer a good deed, the contract will automatically be void."

"...Who gets to decide?"

"The contractor, of course," Chaoyang chuckled. "That would be you, Miss Elodie. However, there's one thing you must note: a contract is not determined by words. Once signed, it becomes the most stable guarantee in this world. Even if you regret it immediately and verbally call me evil, the contract won't be broken—because it measures your heart."

"If what you do is unrelated to good deeds, I can just ignore it?"

"Precisely."

Elodie was silent for a moment. "What if I attack you without terminating the contract?"

"You'll be scattered into dust the moment you act," Chaoyang spread his hands. "Believe me, the power of restraint is unparalleled. In fact, not only can you not attack me, but you also cannot conspire with others to harm me. Likewise, I cannot harm you; the restraint applies to me as well."

Seeing her eyes flicker, Chaoyang knew success was within reach. "I don't need you to believe me, just as I don't trust Angels. A contract is the only reliable safeguard. Think of it from another perspective: even if I hadn't saved you, and you hadn't come here, couldn't we still form this kind of mutually beneficial relationship? It is precisely because both of us stand to gain that cooperation can exist beyond our identities."

Chaoyang lowered his voice, gently tempting her. "You need power too, don't you? On Earth, you managed to survive through various good deeds, but that's all. The scarcity of wish power limits your ability to act freely. Faced with true evil, you stand no chance without the ability to use your talents."

This time, Elodie remained silent for a long time.

Through the subtle changes in her expression, Chaoyang could sense her internal struggle, as if the shadow under the sunlight had become more pronounced.

After a long while, she finally asked slowly, "How much... wish power?"

"Naturally, it's calculated based on the amount of wish power I obtain. The more people I help, the more wish power I gain."

"I can't stay here forever."

Hearing this, Chaoyang knew the deal was made. "You don't need to worry about time. Even if you stay in another world for three to four days, only a few minutes will have passed here... Wait, this situation is probably a bit special this time."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. This time was just an accident. I'll try to minimize the time difference's impact in the future." He skipped over the topic. "Besides... if you don't act with me, how will you judge whether what I do is evil or not? Don't forget, this is the key to the contract's validity."

Elodie stared at him for a long time, then took a deep breath. "If you cross the line, I will never let you off easily."

"Uh-huh," Chaoyang handed her the pen. "I look forward to that day."