Purpose

In this age, any valuable resource was either connected to the land that was nearly impossible to return to, or to Sky Whales.

Most of a Sky Whale's body was covered in a thick layer of soil and rock, forming the "surface."

Very little of its actual body was exposed.

Sky Whales were blessings from The Gods, and everyone had to live on their backs, so any act that harmed a Sky Whale was taboo.

Most materials related to Sky Whales included Whale Oil, Whale Blood, Whale Bone, Whale Skin, and so on.

Although Whale Skin was called skin, it was actually a fairly renewable mineral.

Once the surface was dug through, one could find the whale's living, active skin.

This skin was extremely tough, and it took a long time of excavation to chip away even a small piece.

And because it was skin, it could regenerate after some time.

Still, it meant laying hands on a Sky Whale, which was equally taboo.

Whale Skin Mine was extremely valuable. A fist-sized chunk of ore was enough to drive people mad with greed.

When Nigel had been in Gas Spring City, he had seen a down-and-out noble auction off a legally obtained piece of Whale Skin Mine slightly larger than a fist. The enormous fortune it brought had supported his noble household's expenses for several months.

Of course, the reason that piece of Whale Skin Mine had been so expensive was mainly because it was legal.

It could be traded openly.

"Whale Skin Mine privately extracted by Otto probably isn't worth quite that much, but it definitely won't be cheap either." Naimus made a rough estimate and gained a fairly concrete understanding of Otto's wealth.

More importantly, if Otto possessed Whale Skin Mine, then he most likely owned quite a few items made from Whale Skin himself.

Whale Skin Mine could be dissolved and used as an additive in many items. It could also be used in supernatural practices such as alchemy and potion-making.

Spinning its refined material into threads and weaving them into cloth armor was the defensive equipment most desired by supernatural practitioners of the Meditation Technique path.

Whale Skin Cloth Armor possessed tremendous toughness and extremely high resistance to damage from sharp weapons such as swords and knives.

At the same time, it had exceptional flexibility as a spellcasting medium.

"Ottos's robe..." Naimus recalled the long robe Otto often wore, one wholly unsuited to the village environment. "Could Otto be a spellcaster too?"

Besides that, refined Whale Skin Mine could also be used for papermaking.

Whale Skin Paper was an excellent medium for spell scrolls and was similarly extremely valuable.

"Otto isn't simple!" That was about the only conclusion Naimus could draw.

Reality was not a game. There was no clear-cut level system or obvious level-based characteristics.

For physical professions such as warriors and knights who cultivated the Breathing Technique, it was easier to tell. The vitality emanating from a powerful body was comparatively easy to sense and distinguish.

But for spellcasting professions such as mages and priests who cultivated the Meditation Technique, unless the other party actively displayed their abilities or someone cast a detection spell on them, it was very difficult to determine their true rank.

Take the Old Priest, for example. Before this, no one had known that he was of the Steel Breed.

Otto was the same. Beneath that seemingly obese body, no one could directly confirm whether his spirit had already surpassed the Black Stone Breed.

"There are pros and cons. The stronger Otto is, the less information the people The Church sends to investigate will be able to obtain, and the less likely I'll be implicated."

"But at the same time, if I want to interfere and clear myself of suspicion, it'll become increasingly troublesome."

Naimus had not forgotten that Nigel still had some unresolved debts of fate.

The Dartmenly Family had exiled him to this place not because they had truly abandoned him, but because they had never found an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

Nigel had single-handedly turned Dartmenly into the laughingstock of Gas Spring City. If he had not still possessed the identity of a Paladin of The Church, he would have long since been dealt with under the family rules.

Sending him to a small village was merely a matter of out of sight, out of mind. Once Nigel made a mistake and gave them leverage, the Dartmenly Family would absolutely make an issue of it.

"Come sign a contract, Village Guardian!" With a shift in his thoughts, Naimus looked toward the Village Guardian, narrowed his eyes, and offered his solution.

The Village Guardian also pulled himself together at this moment. He knew that the moment deciding the fate of himself and his daughter had arrived.

"I only need my daughter's safety guaranteed!" the Village Guardian said bluntly, stating his bottom line.

He understood Demons' greedy nature very well. Naimus appeared to be a Paladin, but he most likely had close ties to a Demon.

And a Demon's contracts had never been tools to protect those who dealt with Demons. They were merely sharp instruments Demons used to squeeze greater profit from their targets.

Just like now.

Given their relationship, they had essentially become mortal enemies.

Once they were released, the Village Guardian would definitely spread information about Naimus and damage the foundation of Naimus's interests.

So without a Demon Contract, the only thing Naimus could do was kill him.

But Naimus would consider that a waste.

The Village Guardian might have been dealt with easily by Naimus, but in terms of combat strength alone, he was powerful even among the Black Stone Breed.

At the same time, the information he had provided about Controlled Whale-ification might not be reliable. Naimus would most likely need to keep him alive and verify it repeatedly later on.

Therefore, letting him live and controlling him through a Demon Contract was the optimal solution for maximizing benefits.

The Village Guardian roughly understood this, so he intended to use his own value to do everything he could to protect his daughter.

Ever since he had stolen Whale Skin ore, destroying his family and bringing about his daughter's Whale-ification Disease, this was what he owed her!

"Of course!" Naimus agreed without hesitation.

With a snap of his fingers, a Demon Contract appeared before the Village Guardian.

[Contracting Parties: Party A—Nigel Dartmenly; Party B—Village Guardian (designated by blood)]

[Clause One: Party A, Nigel Dartmenly, promises to protect Lia's life and safety (target explicitly identified as Whale-Man), provide her with resources such as food and water, and do his utmost to ensure Lia Whale-Transforms.]

[Clause Two: Party B, Village Guardian, must unconditionally carry out any command issued by Party A, including combat, reconnaissance, silence, and self-destruction.]

[Clause Three: Party A permits Party B to visit Lia once per month and participate in research into Whale-ification Disease. During the research process, non-permanent harm may be inflicted upon Lia.]

[Clause Four: Party B may not reveal any intelligence or information related to Nigel through speech, writing, actions, implication, or any other means.]

[Clause Five: This contract shall be dissolved upon an event of force majeure, such as Lia dying from Whale-ification Disease, or being discovered and killed by The Church or otherwise.]

This was a standard Demon Contract. Both Party A and Party B had their own needs, while the final clause concerned the contract itself.

Only a contract that roughly balanced rights and obligations in this manner could maintain its effectiveness to the greatest extent.

"Sign it. You have no choice!" Naimus said as he looked at the Village Guardian.

At that moment, his killing intent became unmistakable. There was no room for bargaining. If the Village Guardian refused, Naimus would kill him.

Bonus chapter! Keep those reads coming, brothers and sisters!