Chapter 61: Magic Contract

If I believed you, there'd be ghosts.

Rod's face remained expressionless, though he silently cursed inwardly.

Promising with every breath, not even haggling a bit—do they really think the Naga are a race with good reputation?

He secretly probed his spell satchel.

Among the relics of the Shadow Mage were many small trinkets, one of which could counteract the destruction of a Magic Contract.

It was quite funny, really.

Ever since the Magic Contract appeared, some races with already poor reputations became keen on devising countermeasures.

During that period, a major case erupted.

A small human kingdom neighboring the Aethelorn Kingdom once reached an agreement called 【Hunter's Metal】 with Laton, a non-human kingdom to the south.

The main content was that the small human kingdom invested money and technology to build a processing plant for special metals within Laton's territory, partly to expand diplomacy and partly to find markets for its abundant domestic minerals.

After the processing plant and equipment were built and the materials were brought over, just as they were about to begin,

the lord of the land where the factory stood turned around and sued them in court, claiming that the land was merely leased to the Kingdom of Laton, the term had expired, and he intended to annex the factory, equipment, and materials along with it.

Only then did the small human kingdom realize something was wrong and hurriedly contacted the Laton authorities, since the agreement between the two nations stipulated that Laton had an obligation to help coordinate.

Who would have thought that Laton had actually developed a spell to bypass that clause, completely swallowing the costly processing plant and equipment.

"Heh, if I hadn't guarded against you, I'd be in trouble."

Having said that,

Rod pulled an alchemical sphere from his spell satchel, squished it soft, then flicked it onto Eve's body.

Just in case, he flicked three or four of them.

The other party noticed nothing at all.

Foolish land-dwelling Naga,

I very much look forward to the moment the Magic Contract cannot be dissolved; what expression will you wear then?

"Where are the pursuers? Which direction?"

Rod could hardly wait to start cutting people down.

"They're trapped by my little trinkets and can't break free for a while. I suggest finding a place to ambush; they have a treasure that can locate me."

"Then I can lure the monsters here, letting the pursuers and the monsters slaughter each other."

"Worth a try. The Passage Trial sometimes attracts monsters, but their strength is never too high."

Eve shook her head.

The Naga Princess very much wanted to say that she could pass such a maze trial with her eyes closed.

"Is that so?"

Rod remained noncommittal.

A fluctuation came through the spiritual breeze in the air.

Three hundred meters away, a sixth-tier mid-stage Demon Fire Lion charged forward at extreme speed.

Behind it were two smaller lionesses, whose strength reached the sixth-tier early stage.

"Monsters are coming again."

He pointed toward the Fire Lion.

Eve smiled faintly, taking her curved blade and crossbow into her hands.

"Leave it to me. The trial isn't difficult; we'll finish within half an hour."

Let me give you a little taste of sweetness, human.

After all, I am a royal Princess; acting completely against my word like other Naga wouldn't be fitting.

Rod smiled too.

He stepped aside.

"Be my guest."

"Watch closely; I'll finish it within two minutes."

Eve spoke boldly, then swam toward the direction he pointed, moving with extreme speed until she quickly disappeared beneath the small hill.

But to be honest,

the combination of the Naga's human upper body and serpentine lower body was truly seamless; as she moved, even her waist twisted along with it, making Rod's heart itch.

One minute later,

thunderous footsteps approached from afar.

Eve's panicked face rose from the hill, her powerful serpentine body writhing wildly.

Her thick red hair floated in the air, the thin straps holding her clothes on her shoulders as fine as silk, looking more and more like they were about to snap.

"Run quickly! It's a sixth-tier mid-stage monster!"

"Your Highness, it hasn't even been two minutes yet."

"You!"

The massive Fire Lion suddenly spat out a shockwave of sound; Eve moved with agility, barely dodging it, but the residual force blasted her into midair.

The spiritual shield on her body flickered dimly and brightly, though it had not yet shattered.

Rod laughed loudly.

With a boom, he slammed into the ground, creating a large crater, then leaped into the air and pulled the Naga Princess into his arms.

With a beauty in his embrace, a scent of spices rushed to his nose, cloying yet passionate.

Ignoring Tally secretly pinching him, he simultaneously extended a massive pillar of white light from 【Dedicated Body Sword】, slashing down upon the Demon Fire Lion.

"Roar!"

The Fire Lion let out a roar of pain.

Looking at it again, a huge gash had split open the bones of its head, exposing half a brain.

If the people of the Yige Sect saw this, they would surely be delighted.

Meanwhile, the two lionesses behind had already sprinted to the front.

Rod held up the 【Lightless Seal】 to block them.

"Let go of me!"

Eve cried out with resentment.

She was held in his arms, the Great White Rabbit pressed tightly against the other's chest, deformed.

Rod shoved her away with one hand.

His right foot stomped fiercely on the ground.

Boom!

The pink ground cracked violently!

【War Stomp】 + 【Steel Vine Charge】!

The two lionesses hadn't even touched him before steel vines pierced their bodies; they let out a wail and died one after another.

"Roar!!!"

Seeing this, the Demon Fire Lion let out a shrill, mournful roar.

Almost at the same time, countless semi-transparent spiritual breaths drilled out of the pink soil and continuously entered the Fire Lion's body.

The next moment.

Scales mixed with purple-black and gold grew on the Fire Lion's surface, quickly wrapping its entire body; it appeared a full size larger, while pink resentful fire filled with violent power gathered on its mane and tail, burning endlessly.

Its aura expanded again and again, directly reaching the peak of the sixth tier.

"This should be strong enough now."

Rod said while whistling in admiration.

Eve, whose snake eyes were wide with terror, felt instantly ashamed and angry at his teasing.

But wait—

Why are you, a human at the peak of the fifth tier, not at all afraid upon seeing a sixth-tier peak demon beast?!

"Roar!!!"

The violent sound waves radiated outward, raising a sky full of mud and dust.

The 【Shock Reduction】 of the 【Guardian Veil】 allowed Rod to quickly negate this effect.

Facing the Resentful Fire Lion charging forward with speed far superior, Rod once again pulled Eve into his arms.

Squish—

The Great White Rabbit crashed into his chest again.

"You! Did that on purpose!"

"Hahahaha—"

【Repulsion Art】 + 【Steel Vine Charge】.

At the same moment they left their original spot, the Resentful Fire Lion crashed into that location; the pink resentful fire immediately exploded, blasting out a huge black smoke crater there.

"This power in the maze is no joke."

Upon sensing the power contained within, Rod evaluated silently.

Although this Resentful Fire Lion was only at the peak of the sixth tier in terms of spiritual energy, its lethality and speed far exceeded those of the seventh-tier demon beast in the Flawless Crystal Land.

Is it the difference between a mature maze and a nascent maze?

Moreover, why does this form of resentment so closely resemble the story of the Red Dragon Saban that the half-dragon Xia Li mentioned?

Could it be that the maze truly has a connection to Saban's death?

"The pursuers are in that direction! Lead them over quickly!"

Eve's floating long hair crawled into the collar of his clothes and clung to his arm, ticklish.

Rod sensed several more high-temperature worms approaching, supported by a mound of earth.

"Don't rush; let me lure a few more."

"Lure more?! Are you looking for death?!"

(End of this chapter)