Contract

Deep down, both of them resisted the idea. But with Zheng Yichen watching, they had no choice but to sign. The Ghost Maid had brought the contract, which meant there was surely someone else behind him.

If they refused, Zheng Yichen might not kill them himself, but whether they could make it out of the Phantom Forest once they were out of his sight was another matter. This contract was too ruthless. There was no way back.

"Could we take our teacher out first and discuss this when he wakes up? The Illusion Demon Forest is still affecting us..."

The Ghost Maid stepped forward and shook her head. She took out a small milky-white bead, and the moment it appeared, everyone felt their minds clear. The forest's lingering negative influence vanished completely.

Zheng Yichen felt no difference. He had never been affected in the first place. He was only curious where the Ghost Maid had taken that thing from.

"You want an adult to decide? Fine, we'll wait." Zheng Yichen spread the dragon wings on his back and stretched. He pointed a finger into the air, and a translucent dome enclosed everyone.

It was a basic Warning Barrier with no defensive power and only limited warning capabilities. Still, it was enough to keep anyone from sneaking away.

The Ghost Maid glanced at Zheng Yichen, who had settled onto the ground with one claw propping up his chin while the other lay open before him, drawing a three-dimensional Magic Array Pattern. She stepped into his Warning Barrier and brushed her translucent hand across the middle-aged man's face.

The unconscious man jolted awake. The instant he saw the Ghost Maid, his pupils contracted, and he instinctively took an attacking stance.

The crackle of rapidly forming ice drew Zheng Yichen's attention back. He looked toward the sound and found the students' teacher frozen solid except for his head. He stared for a moment, then turned to the Ghost Maid, whom Petty and the others were watching in terror.

She looked so delicate. How was she this powerful?

"All right. Explain what happened to him, then sign the contract," Zheng Yichen told Petty.

Petty nodded quickly and explained the contract to their teacher. Trapped in the ice and unable to move, he soon understood their situation.

He was shocked to find a dragon in the Illusion Demon Forest, but none of that mattered now. If they did not sign, they would die!

He had more experience than his students, so once he grasped their predicament, he had little resistance to signing. Even if this was an evil contract, surviving at all was a stroke of incredible luck. Trying to bargain for better terms would only get them killed!

After checking the contract several times for any other traps, the teacher wrote his true name on it. A contract only took effect if signed with one's true name, and the signer had to do so willingly. Someone could be deceived into signing, but not compelled by special means. If they were acting against their own will or did not know what they were doing, they could scarcely write their true name at all.

Seeing their teacher sign, Petty and the others stopped hesitating. Some signed at once, while others wavered before writing their names. Once everyone had signed, the dark sheet of paper burst into dark flames and burned away.

"We can leave now, right?" the teacher asked, watching Zheng Yichen warily. He was wary of Zheng Yichen, but even more so of the unknown being behind him.

"You can." Zheng Yichen gave a small wave of his claw. "Wait!"

The teacher, who had been about to lead his students away, stiffened. He stared at Zheng Yichen, puzzled and on guard.

"I just remembered something else. Have her come with me." Zheng Yichen pointed at Petty, then walked toward a spot out of the others' sight. Petty hesitated before following him.

That left the teacher and the other students facing the Ghost Maid. The teacher did not know how strong Zheng Yichen was, but he had experienced the Ghost Maid's strength firsthand. As the teacher leading the group, he was no weakling.

Years of investigation had established that no particularly vicious creatures roamed the Illusion Demon Forest. His strength was not quite at the top, but he was very close to entering the ranks. Even so, the Ghost Maid had defeated him in an instant—and he had not been in a frenzy brought on by an illusion!

If the Ghost Maid could take him down that easily, she could wipe out the whole group just as quickly!

"What kinds of contracts do you have?"

"Huh?" Petty was taken aback by Zheng Yichen's question, then a surge of delight filled her. When an intelligent nonhuman asked a Summoner that, it usually meant they were interested in signing a contract. Why else would he ask?

The timing was peculiar, too. He had waited until they were about to leave. It felt like a choice that was no choice at all, but to her, this was still an extraordinary opportunity!

"There's... the Familiar Contract Summoners usually use, and the coercive Enslavement Contract. Ah! I don't like that kind either. Summoned Creatures are partners, after all. Um, then there's the Equal Contract... Mr. Dragon, do you want to sign a contract with me?" Petty looked at Zheng Yichen cautiously.

"Which kind of contract do you have with that rabbit?"

"A Familiar Contract."

A Familiar Contract. Zheng Yichen raised his brows slightly, unsurprised. "Do you need a Familiar Contract to use that Projection Summoning of yours?"

"No, no. Any kind of contract that links us would work," Petty answered quickly.

"Then let's use an Equal Contract. Can it be dissolved?"

"Yes..." Petty answered in a daze. "Equal Contracts are the easiest to dissolve. Both parties just have to agree. The stronger party can also choose to dissolve it unilaterally."

She no longer heard what Zheng Yichen said after that. Her heart was so full of joy that she was cheering wildly inside.

"..." Zheng Yichen watched Petty, who seemed to have drifted into some lovestruck daze, and waved his claw in front of her face several times. Surely I'm not that charming? Do girls in this world like scary-looking creatures?

A wisp of icy mist spilled from his fingertip onto Petty. The cold finally snapped her out of it.