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The following night.
Ian sat in the study of the small building, idly turning a dark-red crystal over in his hand.
Linas had delivered the crystal during the day, saying it was the Demon Dragon's "gesture of sincerity." Sealed inside was information about the distribution of the ore veins around the outskirts of the Dragon Domain.
Ian casually set it on the table. It was not what he wanted.
Around midnight, a faint, unusual aura entered his perception.
A Gray Imp no more than three feet tall silently slipped in through the gap in the window.
After landing, it quickly looked up at Ian. Its tiny eyes held a trace of nervousness.
"My lord, my master, the Frost King, sent me to deliver a message." The imp's voice was shrill. "My master has agreed to the cooperation you mentioned."
Ian studied the Gray Imp curiously. He could not tell what race it belonged to. It was probably a hidden agent the Frost King had planted here.
This Gray Imp was quite capable. It had crossed the Dragon Domain's defensive barrier without making a sound and infiltrated the interior.
"My master is willing to establish a contract using his True Name." The imp lowered its voice further.
"Under the witness of the great Abyss, neither party will betray the other."
The corners of Ian's mouth curled slightly. The True Name Contract was the oldest and strictest binding in the Abyss.
Using one's True Name as the signature and signing a contract under the Abyss's witness—once it was violated, the offender's soul would be devoured directly.
This kind of contract was nearly impossible to fake, but Ian could accomplish it with ease.
Back when he was a First-Level Wizard, he had already