Lifespan Contract

"Damn it, where is he? Where's the city lord?"

"Didn't they say the new city lord had taken office?"

"I remember it was someone from the Su Family, a Longevity Family!"

"Su Family, please give us a definite answer. When exactly will you stabilize the currency system?"

"My income can't even be exchanged for a single silver coin now. Am I not supposed to grind levels or use Enchanting?"

"Su Family, come out and give us an explanation."

Countless NPCs and players from Frost City gathered in front of the City Lord's Manor.

It was a magnificent building forged entirely from ice, with sweeping eaves and interlocking brackets that actually gave it a classical Xia Kingdom beauty.

But strangely, a crystalline book the size of a house floated above this magnificent building made entirely of ice.

An Appraisal clearly revealed the book's basic information.

This was the fabled "Frost Codex," what Frost City relied on to stand on the Sakas Empire's border as a tier-three major city.

No one from the City Lord's Manor came forward to respond. It seemed that, in the eyes of the City Lord's Manor in Frost City, these NPCs were merely a bunch of trash with no future.

After all, most were between level 30 and level 60. Not one had broken through to level 61 and the sixth advancement. They had not even entered the ranks of high-level players, so what right did they have to denounce the City Lord's Manor of a tier-three major city?

Once they had made enough of a fuss, they would naturally disperse.

But just then, the Frost Codex suddenly shone, its radiance falling like countless willow strands. Soon, a quest appeared that every unit in Frost City could receive.

[Tier-three major city quest "Darkness’s Homeless Dog" activated]

[Quest description: For unknown reasons, Tate, the Little Bird Town Mayor, embraced darkness and attempted to destroy a settlement within the territory of Frost City in the Sakas Empire. He fled after being severely wounded by an attack from the Frost Codex]

[Quest objective: Apprehend the fugitive Little Bird Town Mayor, Tate, within one hundred days]

[Quest restriction: Level 11-level 30]

[Quest rewards: An opportunity to study the original Frost Codex; one random ice skill (complex)]

The sudden major city quest caught all the protesting NPCs and players off guard.

"What! The Little Bird Town Mayor embraced darkness?"

"Those darkness-aligned devils who devour people whole again."

"Little Bird Town should be all right, shouldn't it? Did a lot of people die?"

"Don't worry. Since the Frost Codex intervened, Little Bird Town should be fine."

"What do you say?"

"What else is there to say? That fucking Longevity Family won't even show their faces. There's no point staying here. We might as well look for Tate. That's a chance to study the original Frost Codex! Rumor has it that just seeing the original can greatly increase your Ice Attribute Reduction."

"Let's go. Since the Frost Codex severely wounded Tate, he must still be near Little Bird Town. We still have a chance."

The aggressive procession dispersed as quickly as it had gathered.

Soon, Zhou Heng followed the crowd and took a seat in a small tavern.

The major city quest was certainly decent, but while others might not know what sort of NPC Tate was, how could he, who had experienced it firsthand, not know?

Those tentacles laced with black energy remained vivid in his mind. Even if the Frost Codex had severely wounded someone like that, could ordinary players and NPCs really stand against him?

Taking that thought further, was it possible that the Frost Codex had not severely wounded Tate at all, and that he was presenting himself in this state to lure Zhou Heng in?

At first, Zhou Heng had not understood why Tate would target a new player like him. He had only just completed his first advancement. Within the vast Sakas Empire, he was essentially an ant that could be casually crushed.

Now, he understood. It probably had something to do with the statue deep inside the Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm Secret Realm.

"Ancient Heroes, huh!"

"What kind of system was that, to make darkness-aligned NPCs care so much?"

Zhou Heng quietly ordered some food. He would fill his stomach first, then decide what to do next.

Half an hour later, having eaten and drunk his fill and satisfied his appetite, Zhou Heng stood to leave.

But just then, a woman's pleading voice came from nearby.

"Brother Wu, please!"

"Help me grind an achievement. I've been stuck at the Third Class Advancement for ten years!"

"Brother Wu, I really want to break through the Third Class Advancement. Please! I'll kowtow to you!"

Looking toward the voice, he saw a woman with fairly good looks and a shapely figure kneeling on the floor. Her hair hung loose, her face was haggard, and she kept kowtowing to a burly, muscular man.

Zhou Heng narrowed his eyes slightly and sat back down.

At level 30, for the Third Class Advancement, as long as one did not choose a difficult quest, one should be able to grind through it, easily complete an Achievement Breakthrough, and break through the Third Class Advancement.

There had to be some reason that left her with no other choice.

The player called Brother Wu sent the woman flying with a kick.

"Get lost! If I help you level, am I supposed to give up my own experience?"

"Do you know how hard it is to find a level 30 wild monster now?"

"Even if I begged everyone I could, I might not be able to scrape together enough wild monsters of your level for you to complete an Achievement Breakthrough."

After being kicked away, the woman crawled back, her face filled with anxiety and pleading.

"Brother Wu, please, help me!"

"I'll do anything. Please!"

"Just let me break through the Third Class Advancement."

"I really want the Third Class Advancement, Brother Wu!!!"

The woman grew hysterical, her eyes filled with madness and terror.

A cold glint flashed in Brother Wu's eyes. He grabbed the woman by the neck and lifted her up.

"Did you fucking use a Lifespan Contract behind my back?"

"Are you about to die?"

At the words "Lifespan Contract," the woman could no longer suppress the terror in her eyes and began wailing in despair.

"Brother Wu, I only have one year left to live!"

"I have to break through the Third Class Advancement. I'm running out of time!"

"Brother Wu..."

Boom!

The woman was thrown straight out of the tavern. Brother Wu stood, his face murderous, tossed down the money for his meal without a word, and vanished from the little tavern.

Outside the little tavern, the woman no longer tried to leave. She sat at its entrance, staring at the sky and sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhou Heng silently watched it all. He still knew far, far too little about everything in the Boundless Endless World.

Before hearing about it, he had not even known what a Lifespan Contract was.

There was no introduction to such a thing in the textbooks.

Zhou Heng ordered two cups of fine wine, filled the cup of the friendly middle-aged man beside him, and asked quietly.

"Sir, could I ask you something? What exactly is a Lifespan Contract?"

The middle-aged man was a genuine foreigner and seemed to be a player as well.

"Kid, what country are you from?"

"The Xia Kingdom, sir."

"A new player?"

"Yes!"

"Then you're pretty impressive. You're not a player from a Longevity Family, yet you reached Frost City in such a short time. Your starting talent must be pretty good."

Seeing that Zhou Heng seemed capable, the Foreign Friend took some interest and began explaining.

"A Lifespan Contract is exactly what its name suggests: a contract that exchanges lifespan for resources."

"Some say a deity stands behind the Lifespan Contracts, a deity called the Lord of Lifespan."

"But others say the Lifespan Contracts were actually created by the Longevity Families to harvest the lifespans of ordinary players and even NPCs."

"After all, even a Legendary only has a lifespan of 400 years. The Longevity Families have existed for ten thousand years. Who would believe they don't have some special means?"

"Honestly, that woman is pretty pitiful too. Her talent is utter garbage. Without a Lifespan Contract, she couldn't possibly grind her way to level 30. Even the Second Class Advancement would probably be a struggle."

The Foreign Friend grew increasingly enthusiastic as he spoke. He took a business card from his backpack and handed it to Zhou Heng.

"Kid, you've only just arrived. You probably don't know about the world after the first advancement yet, do you?"

"Take this business card to the secret realm entrance in Frost City's outer district. It'll let you enter the secret realm once."