radiothebook Chapter 274 The Price of the Contract
Chapter 274 The Price of the Contract
Chapter 274 The Price of the Contract
One unexpected event after another left Leo feeling completely disoriented.
First, in the tribe of the Green-Eyed People, they were captured by a group of Easterners.
Then he used his power to make Daniel scream.
But the monster attracted by the screams was far more terrifying than anyone else.
Then he followed those Easterners and fell to the bottom of the cave.
Leo found another cave underground, and Daniel said that the cave contained information that would shock the world.
Right now, Leo and Clark have been captured by those Easterners again and are walking side by side through the forest.
Leo was undoubtedly on tenterhooks at that moment.
He didn't know where he was or where these people were taking him.
What troubled him even more was that they had no mounts at the moment.
If that giant three-headed monster were to find them again, they would likely not be as lucky as they were last time and manage to escape death.
Daniel became depressed after leaving that cave.
Only now did Leo realize that what Daniel had told him earlier was not a lie.
Know-it-all may use various means to achieve his goals, but he is not a conman.
Leo could no longer allow the situation to continue deteriorating.
He had finally reached this point, and he was only one step away from becoming a spice tycoon. He couldn't just watch his promising future crumble.
Leo said to the two men in front of him, "If we are of no value to you, why don't you just kill us?"
"Of course I want to kill you," the middle-aged man with slightly curly hair roared. "You attracted that monster with your screams, and my men died because of your stupidity."
"But you didn't do that, which means we still have value to you," Leo replied calmly. "I don't think you want to use me to blackmail anyone."
"Since that's the case, you want to get information from us, so ask us whatever you want!"
"I've already asked," the man said. "Tell me everything you know about spices!"
"Will you let us go after I tell you?" Leo asked.
The man smiled and said, "Of course!"
"You're lying!"
Leo said that if he didn't have the ability to see through lies, he would have gone bankrupt long ago.
"You won't let us go, and there's nothing that can bind you to keep your promise, so I can't say anything."
"Then you'd better stay here obediently."
After speaking, the man faced forward.
The man's attitude showed that he was confident he could get what he wanted from Leo.
Was he planning to torture Leo and Daniel, or use some special power?
Leo himself was able to make a pact with a great being, so he was certain that such power must exist.
Whatever it may be, if she continues to follow this man, he will definitely not have a good ending.
Leo pondered for a moment. As a businessman, his greatest strength was undoubtedly negotiation.
So he spoke again:
"Let's make a deal!"
The man turned around: "How do you want to trade?"
"Give us both our freedom, and I will grant your request."
"No problem!" the man said with a smile. "And I want information about spices."
Leo shook his head: "I can't just tell you the information directly."
"Then there's nothing to talk about."
Leo had anticipated this kind of conversation, and he continued:
"I"
"Information is not your ultimate goal. What do you want to achieve with intelligence? Tell me, and I'm willing to help you."
These words left the Easterner silent for a long time.
Finally, he stopped and stared intently at Leo:
"You are indeed an excellent businessman; even now, you have made a calm and rational judgment. I think you must feel that..."
We won't kill you as long as you don't reveal your trump card, right?
"And you should also realize that any intelligence only has value when it is put to use, which is why you asked me what I want to do with the intelligence."
"You have an extremely keen business sense and excellent negotiation skills, for which I must commend you. Others might have been tempted, but with me, there is no compromise."
Hearing this person's resolute refusal, Leo was filled with doubt:
Why?
"Sometimes, even when we are in dire straits, we are unwilling to ask people for help directly."
Leo immediately understood: "Your purpose cannot be revealed to outsiders?"
"Now that you understand, save your energy and shut up!"
Hearing this, Leo understood that a deal between him and these two Easterners was impossible.
He also sensed that this Easterner's belief was extremely firm.
No one can predict what this kind of person will do.
Leo felt increasingly uneasy.
No!
Even if the negotiations fail, we must find a way to extricate ourselves!
Even if it comes at a price, all Leo can rely on is "Disqualified Contract".
Leo's possessions were insufficient to support him in signing a contract to employ a great being to accomplish his complex tasks.
However, the price that great beings are willing to pay is far more than just material possessions.
Or rather, using money to fulfill a contract is merely a rudimentary application of this ability.
Leo went up to Daniel and nudged him with his elbow to signal that he was about to take action.
Daniel still didn't perk up, staring blankly at Leo.
Leo didn't say anything, so as not to be overheard by the two people in front and behind him.
Daniel has already focused his attention on Leo, and that's enough.
In case of an emergency, Leo gave Daniel a temporary reminder, and presumably the know-it-all would be able to immediately think of the best course of action.
Leo immediately began to mobilize his forces.
The blue power transformed into tiny threads, attaching themselves to his pupils.
He controlled the silk threads, weaving them into characters.
He quickly drafted a contract.
cost-
Leo simply chooses the compensation he can offer.
He filled in the word "lifespan"!
As soon as he finished filling in the word, he discovered that the name of the great being he had just entered was distorted.
The words became blurry, yet slowly became clearer. Leo soon discovered that they had been replaced with the name of another great being!
However, the changes did not stop.
The name twisted again, becoming the name of other great beings!
The text in that area kept changing, and the names of new, great beings kept appearing.
Some of the names Leo wasn't even very familiar with.
Looking at this unexpected change, Leo felt as if many great beings were vying for the right to accept this contract.
He recalled a line from "Disqualified Contracts": "The contract itself can be disqualified."
Could it be referring to the current situation?
No one could answer Leo's question.
Moreover, at this point, he was no longer able to stop the situation from developing.
Once a contract has alarmed a great being, there is no possibility of rescission or regret.
He waited passively, filled with anxiety.
Ultimately, the great being known as "Pluto" became the bearer of this contract.
The term "lifespan" has also undergone a subtle change, becoming more specific, referring to a lifespan of ten years!
ten years?
Leo took a deep breath.
How many people in this world can live to be a hundred years old?
Most people reach the end of their lives around the age of fifty or sixty.
And "Pluto" took away ten years of his lifespan in one go?!
No wonder the "Disqualified Contract" warns that one must be cautious when using power.
This force is extremely uncontrollable, or rather, he doesn't have the power to speak.
As a businessman, he didn't even have the option to negotiate or bargain with the other party!
Leo adjusted his mindset and finally calmed down.
He quickly grasped his current situation.
The current situation is that without using his power, Leo cannot even guarantee his future for a month, let alone ten years.
Therefore, although the price was high, it was a force he had to use.
The contract was defined in his pupils, then burned.
The deal was done, and he only needed to wait for the change in "Pluto" to take action.
Leo saw a black dot suddenly appear in front of him.
The black dot rapidly expanded and turned into a black sphere.
Dongfang, who was behind him, also saw it and immediately questioned it loudly:
"What did you do? What is this thing?"
Upon hearing this, the Easterner in front immediately turned around.
The two of them drew their scimitars at the same time.
Leo didn't answer, he just stared intently at the black ball.
The black sphere seemed to be liquid, with countless black liquids spraying out from it.
Then, several sickle-like segments extended from the black sphere—
Finally, a gigantic, black monster resembling a locust appeared before Leo.
This monster has no head, or rather, its structure doesn't require a head.
不 ...
He's not even a living being!
The Easterner yelled at Leo, "Whatever you've done, get this thing out of here, or I'll kill you!"
Leo didn't care about the man's threats at all.
He knew very well that now that this black entity had appeared in front of Leo, no one but this thing could kill him.
The Easterner behind Leo charged forward, brandishing his scimitar.
Clearly, he had already decided to kill Leo.
Leo saw that the scimitar in his hand suddenly transformed into several more in the air.
Explanation—He may have also used some kind of power?
But it doesn't matter.
Leo believed that the power this person possessed was utterly insignificant in the face of this black thing.
Sure enough, just before he was about to strike Leo, the black thing suddenly extended its limbs and easily blocked the attack.
He then flicked forward, and the opponent's curved blade snapped in two.
The limbs drew arcs in the air, slicing a deep wound in the chest as they passed over the opponent, from which red blood spurted out.
The person was thrown dozens of feet before coming to a stop.
The black thing immediately began attacking another person, who was much smarter and immediately retreated a great distance.
But the black thing immediately gave chase.
The ending is obvious without even watching: faced with this black thing, that person has only one choice: defeat.
Leo didn't have time to continue watching.
All he gave up was ten years of his lifespan. Would "Ming" really kill someone completely for that little bit of lifespan?
Leo had doubts about this.
He didn't know to what extent "Pluto" would help him, so now was definitely not the time to relax.
Leo immediately said to Daniel, "Quick! Let's get away from those two while we still can!"
But Daniel said, "What's the point of escaping? We're just a bunch of self-righteous, useless idiots."
"Idiot!" Leo slammed his forehead into Daniel's nose. "Give up on yourself now, wait until it's safe!"
Blood flowed from Daniel's nostrils as he stared at Leo with a strange expression.
However, a glint of intelligence returned to his eyes.
Daniel seemed to regain some of his composure, and he nodded to Leo.
Leo said no more, randomly picked a direction, and ran off with Daniel.
The two continued on their way.
From the first day to the last, and from the last day to the first day.
Along the way, I freed my hands from their restraints and ate some fruit whenever I got hungry.
Two days later, the two finally dared to take a breather.
The two leaned against the tree trunk, wearily gazing up at the canopy.
Golden sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, falling on Leo's face.
"Now, it should be safe, right?"
Leo waited for a long time, but received no response.
He then noticed that Daniel was sitting on the ground with a blank stare.
Leo frowned, picked up a pebble, and threw it at Daniel.
"I'm talking to you!"
After being hit, Daniel suddenly jumped up.
He looked up at Leo: "What's wrong?!"
"Hmm—" Leo sighed, "Why have you suddenly become like this?"
Upon hearing this, Daniel simply lowered his head in silence.
Leo stood up, walked to Daniel, and squatted down directly in front of him.
Tell me about it, maybe I can help you.
You can't help me—
How would you know if you didn't tell me?
Daniel frowned and looked at Leo, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke:
"Those maps—"
Leo immediately understood that Daniel was referring to the rocks in the cave below:
"What's wrong?"
"I told you, I chose to help you in order to draw a map of the New World, and I've come this far."
Daniel's smile was bitter as he shook his head.
"But that stone made me realize that the appearance of this continent was completely understood long ago, and my ideal will never be realized."
"Idiot!" Leo yelled. "Can't you even figure this out?"
"What?" Daniel looked at Leo in confusion.
"Since a map of the Ancent continent has also appeared on this land, doesn't that also prove that Demetrius's Map of All Nations is real?"
Isn't this the first map of the Ancent continent? Yet, has Demetrius's status ever been questioned?
Daniel's eyes lit up again: "You mean..."
"Once you've drawn the map, no one can tell whether your map or the stone came first," Leo said. "But the sculptor of the stone is dead, though you can still explain!"
Daniel's eyes widened in shock, but his gaze gradually cleared.
After a long while, a smile appeared on his face:
"Thank you, Leo. Without your encouragement, I'm sure I would still be making silly mistakes, but I've figured it out now."
"Okay, buddy, what do we do now?"
Leo didn't say much, he just patted Daniel on the shoulder:
"The problem now is, where are we, and how do we get in touch with Passamakodi?"
"It's simple, just go find his tribe."
Leo shook his head: "We've been walking in the forest for so long, and we don't even know where we are. How are we going to find his tribe?"
Daniel laughed and said, "Why didn't you ask me?"
Leo's eyes flashed with a strange light: "Can you pinpoint the location?"
"A cartographer's mind is constantly drawing maps!"