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墨書 Inktalez
I walked slowly to the tree, reaching out to gently caress its trunk.
"If you are willing to share your life with this tree, where it lives as you live and dies as you return to dust, then I can assist you both with a Contract. As long as you can be bound by the mechanism of returning to dust, I have no concerns about repairing it for you."
Back in the illusion, Anyeah had imparted two skills unrelated to the Holy Walker: Contract and Soul Forging.
At that moment, I had no idea what these skills were for, but now... I might have an inkling of their purpose.
However, since I had never used these skills before, I was unsure how effective they would be. Now that I had an opportunity to test them, I had to seize it.
I apologize, Master Song; please allow yourself to be my experimental subject.
"If you agree to this proposal, please place your hand on the tree; if not..." I smiled awkwardly. "Then let’s think of another way to communicate, shall we?" Of course, this was under the assumption that he was willing to engage in conversation.
After all, I didn’t know why he was here. If he had no intention of sitting down for a proper discussion and instead decided to resort to violence...
But since he had listened to me ramble on for so long, surely he wouldn’t choose to fight outright?
He gazed intently at the Sophora Tree, his expression heavy with conflict.
After a long moment, just when I thought he would refuse, he seemed to come to a decision and slowly stepped forward, silently placing his hand on the tree's trunk.
I looked at him in surprise.
"You agree?"
He nodded slightly.
"I see..." I paused for a moment, then forced myself back into focus. "Then let me inform you first: once the Contract is formed between both parties, unforeseen consequences may arise based on the degree of their connection. For instance, you might be able to sense each other's presence or understand each other's intentions... Each person's situation is different, and I cannot predict what will manifest in your case. Is this acceptable to you?"
He cast a silent glance at me, his hand resting against the tree showing no signs of withdrawal.
"…If there are no issues, shall I proceed with the Contract?" I made a final confirmation.
Seeing that he still made no other move, I took his silence as agreement.
Standing between a person and a tree, I spread my arms and began to chant the Contract incantation.
"With the soul's connection, bound by life, both parties hereby agree to coexist…" The spirit light emanated, slowly enveloping both sides of the Contract. "In life together, in death returning to dust, the bond shall remain unbroken…"
I forcefully brought my palms together, and the spirit light instantly gathered at the point of contact—
"Contract established!"
The gathered spirit light suddenly burst apart.
At that moment, a line of text appeared before my eyes: [Complete the ceremony of becoming sworn brothers].
…Is it because this is a special skill that such a notification appears?
Well, as long as it confirms success.
I couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned to look at Master Song beside me.
I saw him slowly retracting his hand, his face filled with astonishment as he looked back and forth between his palm and the Sophora Tree before him.
…I wonder what "aftereffects" his Contract has brought about?
"Since the contract has been established, it is now time for me to fulfill my part," I said, extending my hand toward him. "I apologize for the intrusion, but may I borrow your hand?"
He turned to look at me, then glanced at my outstretched hand. Although it was barely noticeable, a hint of distaste crossed his face.
After a long moment of hesitation, he tentatively placed his hand on mine.
Well, I remembered that the book mentioned he had a slight obsession with cleanliness and didn't like physical contact with others... Fine, I'll take this as a win and not hold it against him.
I shrugged dismissively and began to chant the Restoration Spell.
As the spirit light faded away, he suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief as he looked at his own hands.
"What is this..." Hearing his long-lost voice made him freeze entirely.
I, on the other hand, felt my legs give way and collapsed onto the ground.
Oh no! I forgot again!
After all, I had just purified a batch of Wandering Spirits not long ago, and now I had used a Contract and Restoration... I quickly checked my Spirit Power value—thankfully, although it was nearing its limit, it hadn't hit zero yet!
"Miss?!" Noticing my unusual state, he immediately expressed concern.
"I'm fine." I trembled as I slowly pulled out the remaining half of a steamed bun from my sleeve and took a hearty bite. "Just overexerted myself for a moment; I'm hungry."
As long as I don't embarrass myself by passing out right here, everything will be fine!
Seeing that I seemed to be alright, he appeared to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Miss, I shall surely repay this great kindness in the future," he said solemnly, bowing to me. "I am Song Lan, courtesy name Zichen. May I ask how to address you?"
I looked at him, silently swallowing the bun I had been chewing, and tucked the remaining piece back into my sleeve. I returned his bow in a similar manner.
"I am Wei Hua, courtesy name Mian Fei," I introduced myself with the name given to me by the system.
***
"May I inquire, Miss Wei," he began, perhaps due to not speaking for a while, his tongue seemed a bit stiff and took time to adjust. Song Lan spoke slowly, trying his best to articulate clearly. "Am I... resurrected?"
He surveyed himself with an incredulous expression.
I glanced at him calmly.
"No, you are still dead, so there is no heartbeat or breath," I replied.
That said, I too felt somewhat surprised.
I had initially thought it was merely a simple restoration of missing parts; who would have expected that the Song Lan standing before me could move as usual? The stiffness of death was gone; aside from his skin still being a pale shade devoid of color, he was almost indistinguishable from a living person.
No wonder the consumption of Spirit Power was so abnormal. I had thought it would only be a matter of restoring a tongue, yet it turned out to be a full-body restoration... How unfair!
"Though Life Pact is about shared fate, its essence still focuses on 'shared demise,' after all. It primarily serves as a measure to force the deceased back to dust," I said, glancing at the Sophora Tree standing nearby. "As long as this tree remains alive, you can continue to exist in this world. Once it withers or is destroyed, your life will also come to an end... Now, how do you feel?"
Song Lan wore an expression that was hard to describe.
"It seems I have merged with it; I can sense its feelings. For example..." he said with a mix of amusement and disbelief, "I know how many birds are perched on its branches and how many insects are crawling and dwelling upon it."
I was somewhat taken aback.
“…This feels a bit hard to bear, doesn’t it? Congratulations on drawing the short straw!”
“Fortunately, this isn’t my personal feeling; I just have access to this information, but…” He couldn’t help but smile wryly. “It will indeed take some time to adjust.”
“Oh.” I replied casually. After all, this matter was already settled. Since he had accepted it, there was little more I could say.
“When the lady suggested that we need to Contract with someone, I initially thought…” For some reason, he suddenly paused, trailing off.
“Thought what?” I tilted my head in confusion, looking at him.
“…Nothing, never mind.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Speaking of which, why did the lady think of having Mr. Song make a Contract with this tree?”
“Well, after all, one party in a Contract must be a living being, and it seems that the only suitable candidate around here is it.” Sorry, you don’t have a choice. “Moreover, plants have a pure nature and strong tolerance, so the chances of Contract failure are relatively low.”
“Is there a possibility of error in this Contracting Technique?” Song Lan looked surprised. “What happens if it fails?”
“If it fails, then nothing happens; it simply means the Contract cannot be established.” I replied. “Basically, if either party has any resistance, the contract will be difficult to form. Therefore, the success of this Contract entirely depends on you. Since the Contract has already been successfully established now, it indicates that you indeed agreed to it.”
“I see…” For some reason, he still looked at me with a thoughtful expression.
“Well then, back to the main topic.” Ignoring his inscrutable gaze and feeling that my strength hadn’t fully returned yet, I decided to sit directly on the ground. “May I ask what brings Master Song here?”
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