Chapter 259

Chapter 259: The Contract

"We do possess one, though currently there’s only a single Termination Scroll in the shop. It can dissolve contracts formed by the eleven Class C Contract Scrolls, but remains ineffective against the pact sealed by the Class B variant."

The hierarchy of magic items mirrors Adventurer Levels, categorized into six tiers: None, D, C, B, A, and S. Their classification depends on the maximum tier of human race or monster they can influence.

Among the twelve Contract Scrolls displayed on Sandra’s shelves, eleven bore Class C markings while one shimmered with Class B insignia.

Crafting Termination Scrolls proves more arduous than producing Contract Scrolls, with a Class B Termination Scroll being capable only of undoing agreements forged by Class C Contract Scrolls.

Sandra shook her head gravely before moving to the opposite shelf. Retrieving the Termination Scroll, she offered it to Magic Rainbow.

"Might this be the item you seek to purchase, my lady?"

"Merely examining it."

Magic Rainbow accepted the scroll, unfurling it to reveal intricate spellwork that sent immediate vertigo through her vision.

Snapping the parchment shut, she returned it to the bewildered shopkeeper.

"Then… what other goods did you mention requiring?"

"What I require…"

A mysterious smile played on Magic Rainbow’s lips as she flicked her wrist. A sudden inward gust howled through the chamber, violently shutting the agape window with a thunderous crash.

"…is you."

"Wh-what?!"

The elderly woman’s eyes darted across the cloaked figure’s form.

"Explain yourself!"

"Set aside your assumptions. I require your expertise in crafting high-tier Contract Scrolls."

Magic Rainbow’s pale fingers glided over the stacked parchments before extracting the lone Class B Contract Scroll.

"Specify the grade of monster pelts or bone ash required, along with quantities. I shall procure them without limitation."

"Unrestricted access to any tier of monster materials? In any amount?"

"Precisely. However…" Her voice lowered like velvet over steel. "This arrangement remains strictly between us. Should others learn of it…"

She extended the Class B scroll toward Sandra, her smile sharpening.

"…you comprehend the stakes."

"A contract…"

Sandra’s eyes contracted to pinpoints.

"Who—what manner of creature are you? This is coercion! Illegal! The patrols circle this district hourly—a single scream would bring—"

"Mutual destruction, then."

Magic Rainbow settled gracefully into a nearby chair, her composure unshaken.

"I observed your precious patrols upon arrival. Do you imagine such gnats could hinder me?"

"Moreover…" She tilted her head, moonlight catching her hood’s shadowed interior. "That scream still chokes in your throat because life’s sweetness lingers on your tongue. Does it not?"

Or perchance you scheme to wield this feigned threat as bargaining leverage?

Magic Rainbow shook her head.

"Rest assured, our Contract Scroll binds both parties. You need only assist me in crafting the scrolls and maintaining secrecy. In return, I shall ensure your safety and provide compensation equivalent to your efforts."

"Should you decline… well, that’s acceptable too—though your safety would then lie beyond my protection."

Magic Rainbow raised her index finger, where magic essence swirled like storm-tossed waves.

"Water Ball."

The coalescing essence crystallized into a pearl-sized sphere before launching from her fingertip.

_Whoosh—CRACK!_

The projectile struck the floor half a pace from Sandra’s right, blasting a bullet-like cavity through the wood. A fathomless pit gaped where it landed.

"Fair terms, would you not agree?"

"…Undeniably."

Sandra took several heartbeats to recover from the Water Ball’s demonstration before stretching her wrinkled face into a smile.

"If matters remain thus, nothing could be better."

Access to advanced monster materials for crafting practice, coupled with proper payment… In her youth, she’d have leapt at such an offer—a golden chance to hone her craft and carve her legacy. But time had dulled her ambition, leaving only a desire for quiet twilight years. Yet choices seemed scarce now. She could but pray this rainbow-hued stranger honored their bargain without hidden clauses.

Accepting the Contract Scroll, Sandra inscribed the terms as directed before both parties pricked their fingers over the enchanted circle. Their blood-drops ignited violent magic essence fluctuations, reducing the parchment to flame-licked nothingness—no smoke, no ash. Simultaneously, an unspoken understanding rooted itself in their minds: breach the pact, face fatal magical retaliation.

"Success, it seems."

Magic Rainbow nodded approval. Rising from her seat, she began pacing while surveying the shop’s other shelves cluttered with magic-engraved artifacts and glittering Magic Crystals.

"This item…"

Her gaze fixed on an object that triggered sudden recollection—a showerhead, bathing tool from her mother’s previous world.

"Ah, that experimental trifle?" The crone approached, her pinched expression softening as she discussed her work. "A bathing gadget. Useless unless one possesses the ‘Talent of Magic’ skill."

"Intriguing. Demonstrate."

"Channel magic essence to your fingertip and press here."

Magic Rainbow gathered wisps of essence at her finger’s tip, activating the blue Magic Stone embedded in the device. Water cascaded from the showerhead’s pores.

"Water emerges."

"Now this," the crone tapped an adjacent red Magic Stone. Steam curled from the falling droplets. "Heat adjustment."

Three rubied stones offered varying temperatures. Deactivation required merely re-pressing the blue stone—both gem types Magic Rainbow recognized from Second Ant Nest’s mines. How forgetful she’d been! Magic Stones were essential crafting materials.

Beyond domestic curiosities like the shower, lethal Magic Crystals lined the shelves, each primed to unleash destructive spells.