ALL NOVEL Chapter 83: The Contract Between A Human And The Queen Of Yellow Bees
It was uncertain if the contract was made of parchment, but even in the depths of the Black Forest, the monsters could use a system of contracts.
Under Athena's watchful gaze, the Queen somehow produced a piece of parchment out of thin air. This parchment was slightly different from the one Athena had seized from a lost soul. It looked more ancient and venerable, exuding an aura of authority and inviolability.
A faint black mist surrounded the parchment, giving it an ominous appearance.
The parchment floated towards Athena, who quickly stepped aside to avoid it. Her eyes were sharp, warning the Queen not to make any rash moves. This thing clearly didn't seem right.
"Don't be afraid; it's just an ordinary contract."
The Queen's ruby-red eyes remained calm, as still as water without a single ripple.
| Warning! Mental strength assessment in progress... Assessment successful |
"Wait!"
Athena put away her Black Abyss Axe and took out her Moonlight Bow, assuming a shooting stance.
The moment Athena drew her Moonlight Bow, the two Queen Bee Guards tensed their muscles, ready to rush and engage her. However, with the Queen behind them, they could only stand protectively in front of her, issuing warning sounds to Athena.
But no matter how fast they were, the explosion would come first.
"I won't harm your Queen, but I do want some compensation."
Acting on impulse wouldn’t solve anything.
"A single arrow from me won't kill you. Since your Queen tried to deceive me, I'll shoot one arrow in return. Fair trade."
The moment the mental strength assessment failed, the Queen suffered a backlash. Her previously wide-open eyes now narrowed. They had indeed hoped to leverage Athena and the other players' abilities, but controlling them would have been even better.
What they hadn't anticipated was that Athena's mental strength far exceeded their expectations.
Enhancing mental strength was incredibly difficult, and they had underestimated her.
Athena wasn't foolish enough to harm the Queen, but she also didn't intend to do nothing. If the Queen thought she was easy to manipulate, they would only become more audacious.
"Wait!" The Queen's ethereal and melancholic voice now carried a hint of urgency.
Successfully halting Athena's actions, she awaited the Queen's next words.
"This ordinary parchment can be very useful to you. We can throw in some extras as an apology for my rashness."
Having gained an advantage, Athena retracted her bow and arrow. Although she understood the Queen's probing and counterattacks, it didn't mean she would tolerate such behavior. Gaining something was necessary, but she also needed to maintain their cooperative relationship without making it too hostile.
"Is the contract you mentioned real?" After this minor interlude, Athena began to doubt the authenticity of the contract ritual the Queen mentioned.
"Yes, but it's somewhat different from a normal parchment contract. It is a contract verified by your Third World. This type of contract offers more security and is harder, if not impossible, to break compared to a parchment contract."
A contract verified by the Third World? So, parchment contracts were unverified contracts native to this world? Contracts verified by the Third World were more secure than parchment ones!
Athena was deeply curious. She looked at the Queen and asked, "How do we formalize the contract?"
"It's simple. Just write the terms on your Third World contract paper." The Queen finished speaking and quietly waited for Athena's response.
The Queen Bees' two guards stood silently by her side, though their eyes burned with a desire to tear Athena apart.
As the Queen waited for Athena to act, there was only silence. She had no idea where to obtain this "Third World" contract paper.
Sensing her dilemma, the Queen reluctantly provided the contract paper herself. Only by signing a contract notarized by the Third World could both parties feel secure, preventing the situation from becoming overly tense.
A blank scroll, adorned with intricate patterns, materialized beside the Queen. When it appeared, Athena received a system notification.
|
[System Contract Paper] Description: Write the contract terms and have both parties sign it. The system will notarize it, making the contract effective. Any breach of the terms will result in automatic, inescapable punishment. Once formed, the contract cannot be torn. |
Athena grabbed the blank scroll from mid-air and inspected it. Both sides were identical, and without the system's introduction, it would seem like an ordinary scroll.
However, she didn't have a pen. She considered asking the Queen for one, thinking it wouldn't hurt to request another item.
As she pondered this, the blank scroll began to display her thoughts. This change startled her. It seemed the scroll didn't need writing; the contract terms would appear as long as she thought about them.
She formulated the contract terms in her mind, and they successfully appeared on the contract paper. While the content could be mentally inputted, signing it required physically placing her finger on the signature line.
Athena signed her name first and then handed the scroll to the Queen, who reviewed the contents.
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[ Third World Contract ] Athena and the Yellow Giant Bee Colony hereby agree: The Yellow Giant Bee Colony will provide materials and a location. In return, Athena will create Explosive Orbs to aid the colony in the battle for Dark Fruit. During this period, the Yellow Giant Bee Colony must not harm Athena in any way, nor will Athena harm the Queen. Regardless of the outcome of the battle for the Dark Fruit, after the battle, the Yellow Giant Bee Colony will prepare at least 100 grams of Tree Monster Bark and Tree Monster Leaves for Athena per unit. The party that breaches the contract will suffer a permanent reduction of 50 in all attributes. |
The Queen read the terms carefully, then shook her head at Athena.
"100 grams is too much. We can only promise to do our best."
Athena wasn't surprised by this and ultimately agreed to the Queen's modification, reducing it to a minimum of 10 grams. Though valuable, these materials were also dangerous to obtain, as Tree Monsters were formidable adversaries.
Athena wasn't stupid, without the agreement between the two parties, the contract paper is useless.
Initially, she wanted to set the punishment as death, but the system indicated that the notarization strength wasn't sufficient or perhaps 'unenforceable', so it defaulted to a 50-point reduction in all attributes.
