The crab didn't understand why the powerful silver creature wouldn't charge toward the beasts like always, smashing and slashing them into pieces, so it was looking at Andrea while circling her, trying to find an injury or something.
The crab movements roused Andrea from her thoughts. She looked at it, speechless for a second, not understanding why it was circling her. 'Is something wrong with it?'
She placed a hand on top of its violet-gold shell, stopping it from continuing its dance around her. Andrea caressed the shell and asked, "What are you doing? You are going to get dizzy."
The crab stopped when it felt Andrea's hand on its shell. Even if the shell was a mineral, the crab could feel across it since the nerves and meridians on its back pierced through it, becoming one with it when it was inside.
This proved to be somewhat of a problem since it had begun to fall for Andrea's skillful pats as they were very comfortable. The way Andrea made pressure with her fingers as she caressed it was relaxing its whole body.
How could it not find them that way when even the dragoness becomes a blob under Andrea's caresses?
Andrea saw its vertical black eyes looking at her and asked gently, "Are you nervous about all those bad guys over there? Don't worry. It is I who will fight. You can just wait at a safe distance. I will make sure that you aren't hurt, okay, little one?"
The crab understood her words, and it felt something strange that it didn't know. It was a feeling that made the crab a little uncomfortable but feeling good nonetheless, a confusing feeling for it. Similar to when its parents praised it, but different.
Trying to ease its own confusion, it began blowing unharmful bubbles at Andrea while its extremities hit or tangled Andrea. This happened because It didn't experience this feeling before, so it showed in its actions.
Our heroic, tall beauty was confused and a little concerned at the sudden fit of the crab. She didn't dodge its actions and tried calming it with more caresses, but it wasn't working. 'Does it find the ambient here too hot? The place where I found it had much cooler temperatures than here.'
Andrea asked with concern, "Are you hot? What's wrong with you? Do you need water or something?"
The crab stopped its movements and hid inside its shell. 'Bad silver creature. I don't like how I feel around it. I will leave and not see it again! Only strange things happened after going with Silver Creature. Moreover, she may eat me!'
But even if the crab thought that way, Andrea's soothing armored hand made it impossible for the crab to move. 'Hmph, maybe I will wait a little more before leaving...'
Meanwhile, Andrea, who had misunderstood the crab's actions, looked at the door and struggled for a moment. 'I really wanted to explore that part, but it isn't worth putting my little friend in danger for it... Well, whatever. There are plenty of other places in the secret realm.'
She sighed and said, crouching in front of the crab. Her deep voice had a gentle tone increasing those strange feelings inside the crab. "If you want to, we can leave, little one. Gathering resources outside is already good enough for me. Do you want us to leave?"
The crab felt its insides churning, and it didn't know why. It was something that was making it anxious. The crab suddenly took out its head, almost hitting Andrea, who was before it.
Then, for the first time, its aura burst out. It didn't even use its aura the first time they fought since Andrea overwhelmed it so fast.
Andrea felt it like a tide hitting her and opened her eyes wide. 'Strong!'
However, she wasn't referring to normal strength since the amount wasn't high enough. It was a low-level beast, after all. Nevertheless, the quality of the aura emitting from the creature was something that she had only felt a few times before. And although It didn't reach the level of Yasenia, Tian Long, or Cecile. It was scarily close, maybe just one level below Cecile, who had the "worst" bloodline between them. 'Not even the Ice Phoenix patriarch and matriarch had this quality of bloodline! What the hell is the little one's race!?'
A bright golden drop of blood appeared between the crab's eyes, stunning Andrea even further. 'Golden Blood!? That is the color of high-level bloodline beast blood essence!
Andrea came to another realization after seeing the golden drop of blood. "You want to make a contract with me?"
But what Andrea didn't know is that the crab didn't even know what a contract was!
The reaction just felt instinctual, as if this was something that it could do with the silver creature that had treated her so well until now. Even if its thoughts were somewhat strange, it never left Andrea's side, even when it could.
Andrea felt the crab's confusion since the contract ritual was somewhat shaky, so she was hesitant to accept the contract. 'Why is it confused when doing something as important as a master-servant relationship? Should I accept?'
Although her head was spinning with many thoughts, not much time passed. Finally, after thinking about it, Andrea decided to complete the contract.
After the contract, she will be able to take the crab with her outside. Moreover, if it wanted to leave one day, she would let it go without regret.
As said previously, Andrea and the others had another perspective of beasts since Yasenia was their lover. Just thinking about Yasenia creating a contract like this with someone and then being abused was enough for them to treat their contracted beasts nicely. And yes, since Yasenia was a complete beast, even if she had human form, she is able to create this kind of contract.
With that in mind, Andrea proceeded with the contract.
Andrea bit her finger, and a drop of bright red blood appeared like a floating ruby. It was a drop from the pool of blood essence inside her heart. Then, her own aura spread and entangled with the crab's aura.
Andrea melded them gently and helped the crab stabilize the contract ritual.
The golden and Ruby blood mixed, and energy rushed toward that position, creating a circular pattern below them.
That circular pattern moved the energy around, making it flow toward Andrea's chest.
After a moment of silence, a golden chain shot from Andrea's chest and pierced the crab. Both of them felt a connection forming between them, and the ritual dissipated in light particles.
Then, everything disappeared at the same time that the connection solidified between them.
While they did this, the people that entered previously accelerated their rhythm and began catching up.
The energy emissions of the ritual were high enough to be detected by other cultivators one kilometer away.
Andrea knew that the ritual would attract trouble, so she took a quick glance toward the twenty beasts. After seeing them standing in place as they were before, she sighed in relief. 'However, the cultivators might be coming soon, so we have to move.'
Then, she focused on the crab, which had its feelings even more tangled than before, and began thinking about what to do. 'I need some time to relax it. I didn't know it was feeling this confused.'
She looked toward the twenty beasts again and steeled her mind. 'Well, those who don't risk won't gain.'
Andrea picked it up and ran straight toward the twenty lava beasts guarding the gate. She carried it under her arm since it wasn't that big. With the help of energy, she could make sure that it didn't fall, even if it seemed about to slip at any time. Still, in hopes it would understand, Andrea said, "We have to move fast, little one. Grab onto me tightly."
After their contract was completed, the crab didn't have any problems understanding Andrea. Therefore, even if confused, the crab grabbed Andrea without delay, surrounding her with its legs. Andrea smiled and accelerated, creating various sonic booms.
When Andrea came close to the enormous creatures, the twenty creatures fired enormous magma projectiles.
Andrea's footwork suddenly changed, and her speed multiplied.
The armored woman weaved through the attacks with ease and expertise. While dodging, she observed that the twenty creatures didn't move as they attacked. 'So, I don't have to fight them but dodge them until I go past them.'
After understanding the nature of the trial to enter those gates, she accelerated, not holding back. The floor under Andrea exploded with a magma wave as Andrea's body blurred.
The crab was holding onto Andrea for its dear life, any of the attacks fired by the beasts would be lethal for it, but it soon would realize that it wasn't the same for its recently gained master.
When Andrea was approaching, the twenty beasts shot simultaneously, creating a wall of projectiles before Andrea. Andrea took out her halberd and swung it horizontally with one arm, activating [Sweeping Solar strike].
A golden fifty-meter-tall wave appeared before Andrea, powerfully clashing against the incoming attack.
*BOOOM!*
After an explosion that rocked the earth, only six of the twenty attacks were left. Andrea shouted and thrust her halberd toward them without stopping her sprint, "[Solar Charge]!"
The armored woman accelerated one more time and became a reddish meteor, zooming toward the six magma projectiles.
The six attacks and Andrea collided one after another, crushing them without stopping and overtaking the twenty creatures. However, it wasn't an easy feat as Andrea felt its insides churning after absorbing the impact of the attacks so that the crab wasn't hurt. She swallowed the blood rising through her throat and hastily used her spiritual sense to confirm if any more attacks were approaching from behind. Her nerves relaxed when she didn't sense any attacks.
She stealthily coughed blood once but then smirked under the helmet and said, "See, little one? We've made it through easily~."
The crab was scared shitless. The number of times it thought it would die during that small timeframe was too many to count, making its soul greet its grandparent on the other side who knows how many times.
Andrea felt its feelings and laughed aloud, "Are you that scared? Hahaha, we will have to train and make you a powerful male!"
A sluggish, cute, and milky feminine voice echoed in Andrea's head. 'What male!? I'm an extremely beautiful female!'
Andrea almost tripped, "Female?"
Andrea looked at the black protruding crab eyes with wonder. "I don't know why I thought you were male. Well, this is a nice surprise. Yasenia would be a little more welcoming of you like this… I hope. Will she make a fuss after she knows that I made a contract with another beast? She wouldn't... Right?" Her last sentence had a little bit of confusion and fear in it.
Just imagining Yasenia "smiling" and asking, "Who is this woman, darling~?" Was enough to make her feel a chill going up her spine.
The crab jumped off Andrea as they were already in front of the enormous gates and asked with its cute voice. "Yasenia? Who is that?"
Andrea looked at the crab and gently patted its shell, and changed the subject, "I'm glad you are feeling better. Your feelings were a mess before."
Now that she could understand Andrea perfectly, the crab became somewhat embarrassed and waved its claws around. "S-Shut up! It's your fault that I felt that way!"
But even if her words were fierce and her actions violent, she actually stepped closer to Andrea to let her pet her easier. Andrea decided not to hide it from her and answered her question. "Yasenia is my mate."
The crab froze and asked, "You have a mate? Why do you not have a mark?"
Andrea lifted an eyebrow and thought, 'Mark? Does this crab have enough bloodline level to mark her mates? Well, I'd not be surprised. Her previous display was impressive.'
However, Andrea didn't know the lowest bloodline level requirements for marking a mate, so she was surprised, thinking that the crab's bloodline level was at least at Cecile's level.
Therefore, she was wrong this time. Although marking could only be done by high-level bloodline beasts, the threshold for this "Marking-level" was a lot lower compared with Yasenia's, Cecile's, or Kali's bloodline level.