Attendance Contract

"My dear mistress," Sonia heard Yaxiu's cocky laugh, "you're still as easy to read as ever, just like you were in the cabin. "Back when you lied in the cabin, you suddenly became chatty too, loved using reasons and excuses to hide what you truly felt, putting up walls of words to misdirect everyone's attention. "You say you want to kill us. If that's a lie, it means you definitely won't kill us. "And why won't you kill us? The answer is obvious—the 'Secret Incarnation' is far too important to you. You can't afford the risk of losing it, so you've stooped to using threats to make us submit." "A very bold guess," Denzel said. "Aren't you afraid that out of shame and rage, I might just toss you out?" Yaxiu glanced toward Sonia. Sonia looked away, not meeting his eyes, but her fingers tightened slightly around his. "Then go ahead and toss us," Yaxiu said. "I've heard spiders bundle people up and turn them into yogurt before eating them. I'm actually curious about that way to die. Care to let me try?" The wind died down, though the rain had not stopped. Suddenly, the surroundings fell so quiet that all that remained was Diya tugging on her threads and the low drone of the Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider's mouthparts cleaving the air. "Heh." *Smack!* Yaxiu and Sonia were thrown hard onto the ground. Diya rushed over to help them up. The three watched Denzel with wary hostility as she leaned against the fence. Behind her, the terrifying Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider formed a monstrous backdrop, lending her an aura of sovereign dominance. "I didn't expect you to be such a greedy man." Denzel crossed her arms. "To keep the 'Secret Incarnation,' you not only staked your own life, but even the life of the person beside you..." "Teammate," Yaxiu corrected. Denzel glanced at Sonia. "...Aren't you afraid of losing the bet?" "All I know is that a bet might lose, but not betting is certain death," Yaxiu said calmly. "If I hand over the 'Secret Incarnation,' that's when you'll actually throw us out to feed the spiders." Denzel narrowed her eyes. "Am I really that wicked?" It sounded almost like coy sulking, yet her flat, emotionless tone only gave the impression that her subtext was: *I'm actually not wicked enough.* "You're a dead spirit driven mad by love. In life, you twisted the meaning of love through slaughter and built a cage of love out of corpses. As long as you could carry out your love, no moral law or principle could ever stand in your way. "Your current master..." Yaxiu enunciated each word, "...is the Omniscient Weaver, whom you once treated as your exclusive possession, isn't that right?" Days ago, Sonia had told Yaxiu that Demilo was very likely someone from the Starry Country. Coupled with names like 'Star Hall,' she strongly suspected the master of Star Hall was none other than the guardian of the Starry Country: the Starry Law Master. Yaxiu naturally did not doubt Sonia's words, but he hadn't fully bought into them either. After all, Sonia had her own plot world, so having ties to reality was normal. Yet Denzel's appearance completely proved that these roaming Heroic Spirit Legions on the Time Continent were indeed the handiwork of the gods. The 'Gospel Incarnation of the Omniscient Weaver' she had mentioned in her answer meant she was an ancient sorcerer from the Gospel Country a thousand years ago. Perhaps she had achieved legendary feats in her time; perhaps Yaxiu had even crossed paths with her living descendants. Denzel did not reply. Her fingers lightly tapped the wooden railing, and outside the fence, the legion retinue instantly stirred with unrest. "You're someone used to cutting the weeds at the roots," Yaxiu said. "We know too much. Even if only for the Omniscient Weaver's sake, you wouldn't let us go easily. The 'Secret Incarnation' is our only protective charm. The moment you take it back, your final reservation vanishes, and you can turn us into sorcerer projections in the Void Realm to your heart's content." Denzel remained silent, but behind her, the Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider quieted down. "The Domain of Stillness is almost here." Yaxiu glanced at the sky. The massive foot of the White Ox was already completely out of sight. A gloomy, cold light emerged along the distant horizon, pushing away the golden rain bit by bit. "Didn't you say you like smart people the most? At this moment, smart people would make only one decision." "What decision?" Denzel finally spoke. "Don't tell me it's letting you go?" "Let us go, and we'll return to this area sooner or later." Yaxiu's expression did not change. "When that happens, you'll still have a chance to take back the 'Secret Incarnation' from us. But if you kill us, then you... will have disappointed your beloved." The commander's tapping finally stopped. "You will return?" "Why wouldn't a sorcerer come to the Void Realm?" "What if—" "You can only trust us," Yaxiu said. "It's impossible for us to never enter the Void Realm again, and I don't know where you'll appear, nor how to avoid you." Sonia and Diya kept quiet, merely lowering their heads so Denzel wouldn't catch the secret glee in their eyes. They knew full well where this commander would appear, and they knew exactly how to avoid her pursuit! Yaxiu's Void Realm Map had long shown that the path of the Ox of the Sky Carriage was a loop, returning to the same region every cycle. In other words, on the nights when the Ox of the Sky Carriage was about to reach the Spider Tower's territory, they could simply take the night off and do whatever they liked. As long as they didn't report to work in the Void Realm, they would effortlessly dodge the pursuit of Party A, Denzel. Yet Denzel shook her head. "I don't trust you." Yaxiu's gaze sharpened. "I only trust contracts." Denzel snapped her fingers. In an instant, her appearance transformed from a mysterious, alluring Assassin Specialist into an intellectual, beautiful clerk wearing a small vest, a short skirt, high heels, and plain glasses—albeit a rather tall one. Yaxiu stared blankly. "Is this also... one of your Spider Tower's unit types?" "No." Denzel shook her head, pinching her fingers forward to suddenly pluck a contract out of thin air. "This is a 'vocation' responsible for production." With no intention of explaining further, she flicked her fingers, and three copies of the contract fluttered down in front of Yaxiu and the others. The terms were straightforward: [Party A: Spider Tower Commander 001] [Party B: (Pending sorcery power authentication)] [When the Ox of the Sky Carriage enters the Spider Tower territory, Party B must remain within the Spider Tower territory for more than three hours.] [If Party B possesses the 'Soul Summoning' sorcery spirit, Party B is prohibited from discarding the 'Soul Summoning' sorcery spirit.] [When Party A encounters and captures Party B, Party B must willingly surrender the 'Soul Summoning' sorcery spirit.] [Breach Penalties: Upon the first breach, Party A shall strip Party B of one held sorcery spirit (prioritizing the Soul Summoning sorcery spirit); upon the second breach, Party A shall strip Party B of two held sorcery spirits; upon the third breach...; upon the tenth breach, Party B dies.] [Effective Date: Effective upon signing.] "Sign it." Denzel's tone carried cold, brook-no-argument finality. "Or be thrown out by me. "Just remember: once you sign this contract, even handing over the 'Soul Summoning' sorcery spirit won't end it. You will either be hunted down and killed by me in the Void Realm, or face execution by the Void Realm after missing ten times." Sonia shook her head. "Then if we ascend to a higher layer of the Void Realm, wouldn't we inevitably breach it? I'm not signing a contract that guarantees our death in the end." Denzel's expression didn't waver. "That was an oversight on my part. I'll add it now." An additional clause appeared in the contract: [If Party B is unable to enter the Time Continent due to ascending to a higher layer of the Void Realm, this contract becomes null and void.] The three exchanged glances. Denzel raised an eyebrow. "Any other objections? I have already granted you a way to escape this hunt permanently. You wouldn't be greedy enough to hope for more, would you? Or did you honestly think I would let you go without imposing any restrictions?" Once signed, Yaxiu and the others would have to clock in for work whenever the Spider Tower's turn arrived. An absence meant having their pay docked, and ten absences meant direct retirement—permanent retirement. "Of course," Yaxiu said, skimming through the contract. "However, there are no clauses restricting you on here. Isn't that a bit improper?" "How else do you want to restrict me?" There wasn't a trace of anger or rebuke in Denzel's voice; she seemed genuinely curious. "I cannot simply let you walk away, nor will I show mercy the next time we meet. "Once you are caught by me, you must hand over the 'Soul Summoning' sorcery spirit, and then become snacks for my followers." "That's the problem," Yaxiu said. "If we don't sign, you won't let us go; but even if we do sign, you might not let us leave either."