Chapter 033: The Contract

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Yun Xi asked, voicing her thoughts aloud.

“I’m just worried you’d think I was going back on my word,” Yun Linlin replied cheerfully.

“You really want to sign this contract with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll ask you for an artifact someday?” Yun Xi asked casually as she took out her key to open the door.

“Only if I have one to give, right?” Yun Linlin beamed, her big puppy-like eyes sparkling.

“If I really have the strength and luck to obtain an artifact, I wouldn’t mind sharing one with you.”

“What if you only get one?” Yun Xi pressed further.

“Then I’d still give it to you,” Yun Linlin said seriously. “Everyone has to take responsibility for their mistakes. I’m no exception.”

“Alright,” Yun Xi gave her a deep look, her impression of Yun Linlin becoming clearer in her mind.

Yun Linlin handed over a contract scroll she had already filled out and signed.

Yun Xi examined it carefully—and was genuinely surprised when she read the penalty terms written on it.

This type of contract scroll was available for sale in the system shop.

It was incredibly cheap—just 100 copper coins—yet it came with the system’s witnessing and enforcement effects.

Ordinarily, the system—known for being stingy—would never price such items so low.

But the system’s profit didn’t lie in selling the scrolls. It lay in collecting penalties when people broke the contracts.

Every type of system-issued contract scroll had different breach penalties depending on its category.

Penalties were divided into several tiers:

• Mildest: Monetary fines. For example, in work or shopping contracts, the default penalty might be 100 to 1000 times the transaction value (like the “100x refund” clause in purchase contracts).
• More serious: “Servitude contracts”—the kind signed when joining a large faction. These could involve attribute point loss or even soul energy reduction for breaking the terms.
• The worst cases could result in death and the weakening of the soul. Once that happened, reincarnation as a human became impossible.
• Special contracts: Here, both parties could customize the terms and penalties or use default ones provided by the system.

For instance, when Yun Xi bought the Black Mist Stone earrings from an alchemist, the two had signed a special purchase contract. Due to the legendary nature of the item, it far surpassed ordinary merchandise. The penalty, if the item were fake or stolen, was death and soul degradation for the seller.

So even though the contract scrolls were cheap, the user base was massive, and statistically, there would always be a few violators.

That’s how the system profited. It would take half the monetary penalty, with the other half going to the aggrieved party.

In cases involving life force or soul power, the system would absorb all of it.

Now, looking at the scroll Yun Linlin handed over, Yun Xi was stunned to see that the penalty clause specified that if Yun Linlin broke the contract, she would die and lose most of her soul energy.

…Yun Linlin had actually chosen the harshest possible penalty for herself, which Yun Xi hadn’t expected.

After confirming everything, Yun Xi also wrote her name down.

The contract was now officially in effect. Yun Xi thought for a moment, then said to Yun Linlin, “I want to make my first condition right now.”

“What condition?” Yun Linlin asked.

“I want you to never do anything that would harm me, in any way or form,” Yun Xi added, as a safety measure.

No matter how sincere Yun Linlin appeared, Yun Xi had to prioritize her own safety.

Yun Linlin blinked, then nodded quickly. “Of course, that’s no problem at all!”

The scroll immediately recorded Yun Xi’s first condition in writing.

Yun Xi hadn’t expected Yun Linlin to agree so readily. With that, they were even.

With the contract completed, Yun Linlin didn’t stay long. She had recently taken a master in the Divinefall Continent and was currently learning combat techniques.

She was aiming to complete Main Quest Two and earn a Low-Grade Resurrection Charm as a reward.

After sending Yun Linlin off, Yun Xi didn’t rush to study. Instead, she pulled out her phone and checked the latest group chat messages as usual.

…

Across the internet and in various chat groups, discussions were once again heating up over the Divinefall Continent’s latest server shutdown.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: Why does this game keep going offline? Is the next test going to be another ten-day session?

[Niuniu]: Who knows? Probably, yeah.

[Sky Is Vast]: Nooo! I just started learning spellcasting! Now I’m back here and there’s no spirit energy in the air—I can’t draw spell patterns at all.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: @Sky Is Vast — you could start learning combat techniques instead. Get those quest rewards first. Some officials have tested this—certain martial arts on Blue Star are now being recognized by the system.

[Wind Whisper]: Are you serious?

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: For real. I think the government will make an announcement soon—if this game really turns out to be the ‘next big thing.’

[Niuniu]: @AAA Laundry Detergent, wait… did you join the government?

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: @Niuniu — uh-huh. I became a certified Warrior recently, so I got an invite. What I shared is officially approved for us to talk about.

That statement immediately sparked some objections.

[0453]: Hold on—I joined the government too, and I’ve heard none of this?

[Aimini]: Same. I don’t know anything about this either.

Yun Xi raised an eyebrow at that. She had joined the government too, and likewise knew nothing about this information.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: Hang on, don’t panic—I wasn’t done yet.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: I just got lucky and made a special contribution, so I was invited into a formal department.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: I know a lot of you also got invited, but haven’t been placed yet, so it’s normal not to know internal stuff.

[AAA Laundry Detergent]: You can ask the group admins. I’m not making this up.

Yun Xi fell into thought.

It was likely that AAA Laundry Detergent had entered one of the more important divisions, like the Special Operations Bureau, Special Investigations Bureau, or Special Enforcement Bureau—all well-known departments in her past life.

As for the rest of them—including Yun Xi herself—they were merely entry-level recruits.

So far, all she had received was a basic salary and permission to engage in offline transactions.

With so many Warriors and Spellcasters being invited, it was only natural for the government to screen applicants before giving them major resources and formal positions.

Once accepted into a full department, their pay would no longer be in Flower Coins but in the more valuable copper and silver coins, along with other benefits—but they’d also have to sign binding contracts.

Yun Xi had already made up her mind: she would not join any formal department or sign any contracts.

For one, she didn’t need the money.

And second, she carried a special mission—one that might lead to unpredictable consequences, depending on the mysterious entity behind it…