Draconius observes the nervous human in front of him with a bright smile on his face.
Chen Yu quickly snaps out of his stupor and tries to remain calm.
"Can you deal with the monster horde heading towards my village?" Remembering Gold's explanation, a glimmer of hope appears in Chen Yu's blue eyes.
"That massive horde of monsters… Let me see." Draco strokes his chin, recalling the situation when the token found its first customer.
After hours of waiting, the duo was notified that the customer had been located, and they could see the situation the token was in.
So, Draco was vaguely informed about the client's situation.
"I can handle the situation, even if it's just a temporary solution." He says, taking a sip of the tea provided by the system for free.
"Temporary?" Chen Yu grimaces upon hearing this, as he wanted his loved ones safe. However, when he thinks of the monster kings who sent the horde, he wears a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, a horde of irrational monsters must have a leader. You don't want attention drawn to your village, especially to your talent, right? After all, many would envy someone who can control time." Draconius gives a playful smile, seeing Chen Yu tense up reflexively.
'I hope he believes this, as there's no way I can kill so many monsters in my current condition.' A bead of sweat forms on Draconius's forehead. To disguise his nervousness, he decides to surprise the customer.
"As you..." In the past, Chen Yu was relentlessly hunted by people who wanted his talent. There are various techniques to steal the spiritual avatar of talented individuals.
"I must know everything about my clients to serve with mastery. Don't worry, I am a businessman, not a thief. Hahaha!" He laughs happily, knowing that this will be a success.
"How long will the temporary measure last, and how much will it cost?" Sitting on the couch and regaining a serene face, Chen asks seriously. It's a matter of life and death, and the whole future in his world seems to have changed. The horde was not even 10% of what he witnessed before.
'Maybe it's those strange beings trying to invade?' With this thought, he would accept any opportunity to gain time to grow stronger.
"Let's see what you have to offer first." With a thought, Draco's eyes shine with a mysterious purple color, and a blue screen appears for him alone – the bank's negotiation ability.
[Chen Yu]
Customer's Possessions:
- 200 years of life
- Low-level spiritual stone mine (Partial ownership)
- Hundreds of Prana manipulation techniques
- Chronodraco Spiritual Avatar
- Low-level Immortal talent
Seeing all this, Draconius almost drools, wanting everything, but he restrains himself and starts to think.
"How about 100 years of life expectancy and 50% of the spiritual stones mined by your village? In return, I'll place a barrier, using the materials I find, around your village for 2 years, including the spiritual stone mine. Provided no one with a cultivation stage 2 levels above yours comes, you'll be safe."
After weighing the pros and cons, Draconius decided on this price. He didn't know how much life expectancy was worth, but he knew that spiritual stones were valuable for someone broke like him.
"100 YEARS?!" Chen Yu is astonished by the exorbitant price, as life expectancy is essential for becoming stronger. And he was well aware that he only had 200 years to live as someone in the spirit manifestation realm, that was half.
'It is indeed a steep price.' Chronos's voice suddenly appears, commenting in Chen's mind. He was confused about having fallen asleep suddenly but was now aware of the situation.
"Lord Chen, this is a cheap price in exchange for a barrier that will protect all your loved ones. Besides, our service is of high quality, and you won't age, losing potential in the process!" Draconius continues to smile from ear to ear, this smile appearing more and more devilish to Chen Yu.
"Every time you break, life expectancy increases anyway; someone as talented as you can reach unimaginable heights." He continues, giving a flattering smile to the tense customer in front of him.
"But I don't have the right to decide on the spiritual stone mine." Chen Yu clenches his palms with a hesitant look on his face.
This negotiation was one-sided; Chen Yu had no options – either accept or abandon the village like a coward.
"Of course, I will personally visit your village to get everyone's approval." Draco speaks casually, making Chen Yu think seriously.
"And what if they don't agree?" This was one of his fears. Will the banker do what he promised if they don't deliver the payment?
"The deadline will be shortened to 1 year. Deal?" In response, he raises one finger with a pitying tone and nods. Immediately after, Draco extends his hand for a handshake.
'Accept it, kid, we have no other choice.' Chronos encourages him.
"So, I agree!" Swallowing the steep price, Chen surrenders and decides to accept, shaking hands with the man who had a fun smile on his face.
Upon shaking hands, a white glow appears above them, and a small contract slowly descends from the air, landing in front of Chen Yu.
"Read the contract and drop a drop of blood on it; neither party can break the contract. In my case, I'll have to pay five times the received value, while in your case, you'll be hunted by the bank and killed." A malicious look is directed at the customer.
"That's certainly unfair, but alright." Without hesitation, Chen Yu bites his finger and drops a drop of blood. He is someone who, when deciding to do something, goes all the way, even if it means death. A golden glow emerges from the contract and flows into both their bodies before disappearing.
"Splendid! Let's finalize the contract as soon as possible." Not hiding his happiness, Draco stands up from the couch, excited to step into a world for the first time. He had always stayed in his parents' mansion without venturing out.
"Oh! Let me get half of the payment before we go." Suddenly, he reaches out to Chen Yu, who doesn't resist.
A green light begins to emanate from the boy's body and stops after a few seconds.
"Done."
"Only that?" Chen Yu is speechless at the process; everything involving the life force of living beings in his world is complex. Moreover, he doesn't feel anything different.
"Only, Lord Chen. 100 years of life have been deducted successfully. Shall we go?" With a proud smile, Draconius starts walking towards the bank's entrance.
"Alright..." Recovering from the surprise, he quickly follows the intriguing banker.
"I'm coming too!" As they passed by the statues, Gold emerges from behind one, surprising Chen Yu, who almost kicks him. He quickly climbs onto Draco's shoulder, no longer wearing anything.
Draco doesn't mind and continues walking. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, where the entire terrain and the destroyed world outside are visible, he mentally calls the system.
[IT HAS BEEN DETECTED THAT THE HOST NEEDS TO LEAVE TO COMPLETE A CONTRACT MADE IN THE CLIENT CHEN YU'S WORLD. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LEAVE? SYSTEM PROTECTION WILL NO LONGER BE IN EFFECT, AND THE HOST CAN NOW BE KILLED IN COMBAT.]
'Yes!' Draco, without caring about the risks, responds with an excited exclamation in his mind.
[SPACE TRAVEL CONFIRMED... INITIATING TELEPORTATION.]
"Here we are." Draco speaks with joy in his tone.
"What?" Both chicken and human ask in confusion.
*CRACK*
"AAAAAAH!"
"HELP!"
"HAHAHA!"
A fissure in space suddenly opens and sucks the trio in, quickly disappearing from the spot and then closing, making it seem like no one was ever there.
...
In Chen Yu's merchant village...
All the hundreds of people were gathered in the central square of the village with their luggage ready to depart.
"MY SON!" Chen Yu's mother, a beauty with brown hair and green eyes, cried as she knelt on the ground with Lin Mei. Chen Jun, now awake and full of injuries, struggled to embrace his wife and console her.
"I'm sorry, Sister Li, it was so sudden, and I couldn't save him. It's my fault." Elder Lin clenches his fists with a frustrated look on his face.
"It's not your fault, Elder Lin. It's my fault for giving in to the boy's request." Elder Xin pats his shoulder with a sad look.
"Now we must be as strong as our son. It's not the time to cry; we need to leave immediately while the monsters are affected by the explosions." Wiping tears from her face, Chen Jun helps his wife stand up and firmly holds her hand.
The atmosphere of the crowd was one of sadness; after all, many knew the boy since childhood or were his friends. Only a few envious ones didn't show pity.
*CRACK*
Suddenly, interrupting the atmosphere of sadness, a crack appeared in space and opened, revealing a dark void on the other side.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" All the elders and warriors immediately summoned their avatars to fight whatever came.
Seconds passed, and the tension persisted with everyone standing still, watching the rift.
"It's nothing?" Elder Xin approached curiously with his hands on guard.
"You don't need to be scared; I'm strong!" Elder Xin grumbles and starts hearing a sound.
"Hmm?" Approaching, the sound becomes clearer.
"AAAAAAAHH! HELP! HAHAHA!" Screams and laughter began to increase at an astonishing speed.
"RETREAT— BAM" Before Elder Xin could finish, a rear end full of feathers hits his face, sending him flying.
Two youths zoom out at high speed but land gracefully on the ground.
"CHEN YU!" Everyone shouts in surprise upon seeing who it is.