Swearing an Oath X Thoughts Are Innocent X Actions Are Guilty
The room fell silent for a moment.
The three men pressed their right palms to their chests, the warmth passing through the thin fabric to their skin.
Jiang Ye stood by the window and looked down at them, neither urging them on nor speaking.
He simply waited in silence for them to say the words themselves.
Iron Wall was the first to speak.
His voice was deep and rough, as though worn by sand and gravel, each word forced out of his chest.
"I, Iron Wall, swear by my Nen and my flesh and blood..."
He raised his head, the gray-white daylight casting sharp angles across his broad face.
"I will serve the current leader of the Rust Bone Gang and do everything in my power to protect the gang and its territory."
He pressed his palm a little harder against his chest.
"If I actively plot a betrayal, attack the leader, or collude with outside enemies to sell out the Rust Bone Gang's core intelligence and strongholds... once I put those actions into practice, my Nen will be permanently taken from me."
"All my strength will utterly dissipate, my bones and muscles will continue to break down, and I will become a cripple with no fighting power, left to live or die on my own in Meteor City!"
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing once, then added the final clause.
"This vow is binding only as long as the leader does not actively seek my life or completely abandon the Rust Bone Gang."
When he finished, he remained kneeling quietly, his head slightly lowered as he waited for a response.
But Jiang Ye said nothing. His gaze shifted slightly away from Iron Wall and settled on Gray Beak's face.
Gray Beak drew a breath.
His voice was thinner than Iron Wall's, but the force he squeezed out of his throat was no weaker.
"I, Gray Beak, swear by my Nen..."
His fingers curled against his chest.
"I will be loyal to the leader of the Rust Bone Gang, safeguard the gang's secrets, and manage the captives and our own people."
He paused, as if making sure every word would hold up.
"If I secretly collude with outside enemies, scheme to frame the leader, leak the gang's secrets to outsiders, or use my ability to harm the leader... once I put those things into action, my Nen will turn against me."
"It will corrode my body and coil around my nerves. I will suffer torturous pain forever and never be able to use any Nen Ability again!"
He raised his head to look at Jiang Ye, then quickly lowered it again.
"If the leader decides to take my life without cause, this vow is void."
As soon as Gray Beak finished, Shattered Eye followed.
He did not speak quickly, but he pronounced every word clearly.
"I, Shattered Eye, swear by my eyes and my perception..."
He raised his head, his pale eyes clearly visible in the dim room.
"I will scout and provide early warning for the leader, report intelligence truthfully, and never sell out the gang's movements to outsiders."
"If I falsely report critical military intelligence, collude with enemies to leak the defenses of our strongholds, or make an attempt on the leader's life... the moment the betrayal is carried out, my Nen will turn against me."
"My perception will vanish completely, my eyesight will rapidly deteriorate until I go blind, my aura and perception will be lost entirely, and my Nen Ability will be sealed forever!"
He pressed his palm more firmly against his chest.
"If the leader orders my death without cause, the vow is lifted."
When the three had finished, silence settled over the room again.
Jiang Ye stood by the window, his gaze sweeping over them.
He had heard several common structures in their vows.
The price would be triggered the moment an action was carried out; thoughts would not be judged guilty.
They had added an exemption: as long as he, as their leader, actively sought to kill one of them, that person's vow would automatically become void.
He had heard it clearly and thought it through.
Thoughts were innocent; actions were guilty.
The three of them could still feel dissatisfied, be suspicious of him, or even complain in private. The vows could not govern their thoughts.
Only when those thoughts became actions would the price be triggered.
And the exemptions were even more shrewdly devised.
If he actively sought to kill one of them, that person's vow would immediately become void, and he could turn against Jiang Ye without paying a price.
It was an agreement that benefited both sides, not a one-way chain.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Ye slowly spoke.
His voice was not loud, but the room was quiet, and everyone could hear him clearly.
"You've made your vows..."
He turned away from the window to face the three men.
"As your leader, I will make an equivalent vow."
At those words, all three trembled for a moment in surprise.
"As long as you uphold our agreement."
Jiang Ye's voice was steady.
"I will ensure your survival and resources, help you grow stronger, and not harm you without cause."
"If I harm you without cause while you are keeping your vows... one of my shadow Shikigami will be permanently destroyed."
The moment the final word fell, the oppressive feeling in the room suddenly changed.
The sword of Damocles that had hung over the three men's heads finally vanished, replaced by a knight standing at the front to protect them.
They had never imagined Jiang Ye would make an equivalent vow.
In Meteor City, leaders were leaders and executives were executives. The distinction was clear.
A leader could demand everything from his executives without giving up anything himself.
That was the accepted rule here.
They had seen far too many leaders who ordered their subordinates around and threw them away once they were done with them.
Dodge was one such man.
But Jiang Ye was not.
He had given them a chance to live and the possibility of growing stronger, and had borne the pressure from the Shattered Iron Group and Gray Rat Squad for them as he expanded their territory.
And now, he had even put his own future on the table!
This was not something as light as a simple "I'll look after you."
He had placed his own lifeline on equal footing with theirs.
They could clearly feel that, in this little room where even the window glass could not be wiped clean, they had been treated as equals and with due solemnity.
At that moment, the three men's states of mind underwent an earthshaking change without a sound.
And outside the door, behind the gap where it had been pushed half an inch open, a massive black-and-white figure crouched silently deep in the shadows.
Divine Dog: Totality's vertical pupils watched the backs of the three men kneeling in the room through the gap in the door, without a sound coming from deep in its throat.
Its body was like a solid black hill, blending into the shadow beneath the doorframe as though it had never appeared.
It had crouched there for a long time.
If any of the three men had stood up, turned around, and left, it would have acted.
Jiang Ye had actually made preparations long ago.
Even if the Rust Bone Gang fell into chaos as a result, even if he had to face more uncertainty all over again before anything had stabilized.
He would not let anyone who might betray him remain at his side.
One wrong step meant a bottomless abyss. He knew that better than anyone.
But all three men had stayed.
Divine Dog: Totality's body slowly sank into the shadow beneath the doorframe, like water seeping into dry ground. It vanished without a sound, leaving only a dark gray shadow by the gap in the door.
In the room, Jiang Ye looked at the three men kneeling before him.
He was about to say something to bring the moment to a less heavy close.
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Hurried running footsteps pounded against the iron floor, approaching from a distance.
They were followed by continuous knocking, accompanied by panting.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!
Jiang Ye's gaze shifted from the three men to the door.
Iron Wall pushed himself up from the floor, and Gray Beak and Shattered Eye quickly followed.
Four pairs of eyes turned at once to the sheet-metal door, which trembled slightly under the pounding.
A voice came through the iron door, mixed with heavy panting.