CHAPTER 85: CONTRACT

Noa spoke with a smile, his voice calm and measured.

"I am not trying to sell you something," he added. "Not this time."

The woman knew she couldn’t hesitate.

She was cautious and intrigued at the same time, her fingers twitching in excitement.

"What is it?" she asked politely, ignoring the startled guards behind her.

Noa stepped forward.

They had already stood near, but after closing the distance, he made Mo Yuhua tilt her head in fear.

"I am offering you a partnership. Not the kind you are used to, because I have no need for things you own," he spoke, keeping his eye close. "All I want is you."

The woman blinked.

She was unsure whether she was hearing things.

However, noticing how the guards stiffened in anger, she knew it wasn’t a dream.

So she stopped them again and glanced back at Noa.

He, however, wasn’t done.

"People whisper my name. That’s not enough. But you can be my mouth and talk about me."

Karma didn’t allow Noa to demand advertising for the shop.

Yet it couldn’t prevent him from increasing his influence and creating more rumors.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, her voice steady.

Noa smiled, just faintly.

"Doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that. I am just curious what would happen when immortals hear about me. Will they come for a trade or a fight? Sounds entertaining, right?"

Noa showed that she wasn’t needed.

It was just for him to have fun playing around with the greatest forces this world had to offer.

She was just a pawn he could easily replace or throw out.

Still, Mo Yuhua nodded her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Noa continued—slowly, confidently.

"Contract. We have to sign it."

Silence.

Only a slight change in the air as she swallowed hard, barely looking at him straight.

"I agree," she said finally, bowing her head in submission.

Noa patted her shoulder.

His touch felt soft and cold simultaneously, freezing her for a heartbeat.

But his eyes...

They looked warm.

Either they were naturally bright, or he used them to break the uncast spell she was in.

"Follow me," he said, his eyes still locked onto hers.

Mo Yuhua didn’t waste a second.

She gestured to her guards to stay inside the store and not move.

Noa, on the other hand, winked at Qing Xuan and Xue Hanly, as if telling them to look after the guards.

They both understood the meaning behind his actions and flung into action.

Meanwhile, Noa guided the woman into the hall.

Umbu remained by his side, but Yun Qiqi stayed to help the girls, allowing him to walk alone with Mo Yuhua.

They stepped inside the corridor, the woman’s eyes scanning every detail.

She said nothing.

When Noa summoned the elevator and the door opened, she paused briefly, observing the inside with a quick glance. Her expression didn’t change.

As the room ascended the floors, she remained still.

The walls vibrated and moved, forcing her to watch with interest.

The doors opened.

Then she walked out of the elevator and looked at the pretty, yet ordinary walls.

The second hall brought eerie calm.

Noa took the lead and showed her the way to the contract room.

Mo Yuhua walked into it without hesitation, her gaze moving across the carved, qi-rich walls and the long table where a stack of papers lay neatly arranged.

Still no words.

Her mouth remained shut.

Noa could tell—she was already tamed, and the contract was nothing but a quick formality.

"Come here," he said, signaling her to come closer.

Not even a heartbeat had passed, and she was already next to him, waiting for further instructions.

’Fear is such a scary weapon,’ Noa realized.

He took the paper and willed what the contract should entail.

It happened instantly, almost unnoticed, as the blank piece of paper was filled with runic symbols.

They felt ancient.

Noa couldn’t read them.

But he could pretend.

So, without even blinking, he handed the woman a pen and paper, waiting for her to sign.

Mo Yuhua took it, glanced at it once, found a thin rune at the edge of the contract, and signed it without a single word.

Each contract Noa had made differed from the other.

Even the language they were written in was random, sometimes displaying letters from English.

The moment the ink dried, the parchment glowed.

It drew qi from the walls.

A pulse of energy shook the room. Cold. Binding.

The woman trembled, staggering slightly, and began shaking as soon as qi touched her.

Then—

She collapsed, not able to handle the energy wrapping around her.

Noa stood still.

He didn’t even move to catch her before she hit the ground.

Amidst the thundering thud, he grinned. "She didn’t resist. You love to see it."

After muttering under his breath and seeing how the paper vanished into thin air, Noa left the room, not caring about the unconscious woman he left behind.

Ten seconds later, he arrived in the Binding Room.

Umbu woke up instantly.

The unnoticed scent of qi and mana made him yelp with happiness.

He jumped out of Noa’s shoulder, found his previous cocoon, and sat inside with a comfortable sigh.

The shell he sat in throbbed.

Umbu let out another satisfied "Puhhh. Puhhh," then closed his eyes.

Mana and qi instantly flowed toward him.

Strong. Silent. Strengthening him, just like before.

He was devouring everything that came his way, be it elemental qi or chaotic mana—he wanted them all.

There was no visible change to him.

But he looked pleased, giggling nonstop.

Umbu truly looked like a baby, warming Noa’s heart each time his eyes landed on him.

It was impossible not to fall for his cuteness.

However, the bond they shared intensified these emotions severalfold.

After watching the little dragon enjoying his moment, Noa shifted his focused attention onto something else.

Umbu wasn’t the only reason he came to the Binding Room.

He wanted to see what the slime was up to.