The Altered Terms

"Through Chandler's introduction, the three parties reached an agreement that ____ would help ' Bloodblade ' Savi hunt down ' Wax Sculptor ' Damian."

All three parties must adhere to the following guidelines:

"First, during the term of the contract, ____ and Chandler are prohibited from harming each other, either directly or indirectly."

"Second, during the period the contract is in effect, ____ and ' Bloodblade ' Savi have a mutual obligation to assist each other and are prohibited from harming each other in any form."

"Third, during the period the contract is in effect, ____ and ' Bloodblade ' Savi will equally divide all the spoils of this hunt."

"The contract becomes effective immediately upon being jointly signed by ____, Chandler, and Savi."

"The contract expires the moment all three parties jointly decide to terminate it, or 72 hours after the hunting operation ends. Before that, the terms must be followed."

"Jointly signed by: ____, Chandler, Savi."

It seemed to be fine... Lorry Rui checked it carefully two or three times and found that the terms of the contract were very rigorous.

From his perspective as a "Swindler," there was no loophole.

Of course, this is on the premise that the contract has strong enough binding force; otherwise, a simple piece of paper won't suffice, even if its color is a bit odd.

Seeing that Lorry had already confirmed the contract, Qianlede said confidently:

"You can divine its effectiveness yourself, or have someone else divine it; it can absolutely and easily restrain Beyonder below the High Sequence."

Lorry glanced at the other person but ignored him.

He hesitated for a moment, then pretended to reach into his pocket, but actually took out Yellow Crystal from another Dimension and prepared to perform a divination in front of the other person.

Divination is not the Patent of "Seer" or similar Pathway.

Other Pathway are also possible, but the results are generally not as good as those of Beyonder are proficient in this field, such as "Seer," "Astrologer," and "Witch."

Lorry held the Yellow Crystal in front of him and whispered in Hermes:

There's something wrong with this contract.

Repeated seven times in a row.

The Yellow Crystal is swinging counterclockwise at a large amplitude.

This proves that the contract Chandler prepared in advance was correct!

He glanced up at Chandler across the table, who was happily enjoying his tobacco, pondered for a moment, and then began his second divination.

This contract is sufficiently binding on all three parties involved.

Repeat this seven times consecutively.

This time, the Yellow Crystal swung significantly clockwise.

This proves the divination statement was correct!

The contract is sound and sufficiently binding; does he really intend to cooperate?

But how do you explain yesterday's events, and how do you explain today's events? I don't believe he can explain it as a coincidence the moment we meet.

Lorry took a drag of his Cigarette without making a sound, and muttered to himself:

"Old Gentleman, what do you think?"

Soon, an aged voice resounded deep within his soul:

"That contract is filled with yin and negative power, and it is not among the twenty-two known Paths of the Divine. Your previous guess was probably correct."

"This Chandler must have secretly worshipped some Evil God or primordial God."

"As for the results of your two divinations, I tend to believe they are correct, but only in the context of the contract we see before us."

Lorry nodded secretly:

"Do you also believe he might have the ability to change specific terms or unilaterally terminate the contract without the knowledge of others?"

"That makes sense, doesn't it?" Sebastian asked himself, answering his own question. "It would be unusual for the initiator to lack a certain degree of initiative."

He reminded him in a deep voice:

"You can try to consider whether there are any loopholes in the contract under these two premises."

"Understood," Lorry replied mentally, picking up the black contract again to examine it. Pretending to be at ease, he asked in a casual tone:

"The spoils belong to me and ' Bloodblade,' you don't want anything?"

"Of course not." Qianlede was about to answer when he suddenly heard a light knock on the door. After calling out "Come in," he continued the previous topic:

"A qualified businessman should not pursue profit in every transaction."

Sometimes, maintaining relationships is the greater benefit.

"This has always been my rule: no matter who I'm dealing with for the first time, my goal is never to make money, but rather to express my goodwill."

As he spoke, he picked up his Black Tea and held it out to the side, saying:

"So this collaboration?"

Lorry answered with actions, clinking glasses with the other person.

Chandler's eyes lit up with satisfaction. He quickly took out a black, round-bellied fountain pen, which Lorry took and scribbled his name on.

The moment the last stroke was made, Lorry vaguely felt that something had changed within him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

Chandler's eyes crinkled with laughter. "I hope we have a pleasant working relationship."

"It's a pleasure working with you." Lorry nodded slightly and began to sip the "Queen" Black Tea, which was said to be the finest in terms of taste.

More than half an hour later.

Qianlede personally escorted Lorry to the Hired Carriage and told him that "Bloodblade" Savi could be found in the Private Harbor in the northwest of the island before noon today.

Lorry readily agreed, nodded in acknowledgment, and then drew the curtains of the carriage.

"You heard that address, right? Go there. I need to rest for a while. Call me when we get there," he told the driver.

Then, he conjured up a Illusions of himself and simulated the "Fallen Earl's" manipulation of the rules to make it last longer.

I quietly entered another Dimension and returned to that casino.

Meanwhile, in Qianlede's office.

The Brown-Haired Boy entered the room, closed the door, and looked at Qianlede, who had called him in, with a puzzled expression. "Teacher, did you want to see me?"

Qianlede nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips:

"You've done well lately. I plan to ask the God of Justice for a blessing after this matter is over, to elevate your status."

That is, the Sequence 8 "Shadow Merchant" corresponding to the "Broker" Pathway.

"Today presents a perfect opportunity for you to witness the abilities of the ' Shadow Merchant ' in advance." With that, he took out the dark-colored contract.

The ability was activated, and the white text on it rapidly Distortion and changed.

This process lasted about ten seconds. Qianlede chuckled and put down the contract, pushing it toward the student and assistant standing opposite him.

"Take a look." He chuckled softly, picked up the Queen Black Tea, and took a sip.

The Brown-Haired Boy nodded, picked up the contract, and quickly scanned the terms. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he noticed two differences.

These are the first and second criteria, respectively:

"First, during the period the contract is in effect, ' Flower Bow Tie ' Jodson and Chandler are prohibited from harming each other directly."

"Secondly, after the hunt begins, ' Flower Bow Tie ' Jodson and ' Bloodblade ' Savi have a mutual obligation to cooperate and prohibit any form of harm to each other."

He looked at Chandler in astonishment. "Teacher, this..."

"The contract was drafted by us, and of course it can be amended; this is the ' God of Justice's ' protection of His Believer," Chandler explained with a smile.

"For Savi, who is eager for Advancement, all he wants is to earn a large Bounty as soon as possible, and he doesn't care who his target is."

"Whether it's Damian or Jodson, it doesn't really matter."