Chapter 133: Strategic Withdrawal

"As you can see, my pet has grown stronger, and this change will continue to occur in the future. Your companion, Shyvana, is the exact opposite; she will steadily grow weaker and may eventually even revert to an ordinary human." Chu Yun held little affection for Shyvana, who was a wanted criminal, but he felt a certain sympathy for Carlo.

To put it bluntly, the entire incident was sparked by Shyvana's volatile temper, and Carlo had been innocently dragged into it.

Upon hearing Chu Yun's words, Carlo couldn't help but ask, "Are you a Dragon Soul Priest? But I have never heard that a Dragon Soul Priest's abilities could be applied to monsters."

"You may consider this my latest research, though I would prefer that no one else knows about it."

"Rest assured, I will certainly not tell anyone!" Carlo felt a foreboding premonition in her heart.

Sure enough, Chu Yun voiced his true intentions: "I don't trust that you can keep a secret. Even if you don't speak of it yourself, should you encounter someone proficient in mental charm spells, you wouldn't be able to protect this secret."

"Moreover, since I saved Shyvana, you naturally must pay the corresponding price. You said it yourself before—you are willing to do anything."

Carlo clenched her small fists, looking at the sleeping Shyvana. After a moment of internal struggle, she said, "I understand what you mean. Only by signing a slave contract can this secret be kept. I..."

"I can become your slave and serve you, but you must guarantee that you will heal Shyvana and do her no harm," Carlo proposed, her request humble.

Chu Yun nodded. "That is a reasonable proposal. I can guarantee that I will let her go once she is healed, but should she attack me later—whether to save you or for any other reason—I will not show mercy."

—

Carlo continued, "Given Shyvana’s personality, she certainly won't be happy if she finds out I’ve become your slave... Could you please not tell her the truth? Let me explain it to her myself."

"Very well."

Chu Yun was quite interested in the Dragonborn identity. Having studied Paimon, he wanted to study a Dragonborn as well, which was why he chose to keep Carlo instead of killing her outright.

Chu Yun did not know how to draft a human slave contract, but fortunately, monster contracts were equally applicable to Dragonborns who possessed draconic bloodlines.

Signing a monster contract required the other party to offer no resistance. If one were to attempt it without proper communication, it would likely fail. Although forced binding was an option, it carried a high failure rate.

"Then let us begin."

"Alright, all right. What do I need to do?" Carlo asked, somewhat nervously.

"I only know the monster contract; it is a bit troublesome. First, fill this bottle with your blood," Chu Yun said, handing a bottle to Carlo.

Carlo pulled out a dagger and sliced her wrist. Soon, the bottle was filled, and frost formed over the wound to stem the bleeding.

"The monster contract requires magical patterns to be drawn on the surface of the skin, so..."

"I understand..."

Chu Yun took the blood and began to draw the magical patterns on Carlo’s body, using the blood as a medium according to the ritual of the monster contract.

The patterns were not complex—only ten lines—but the complexity lay in the spell models constructed upon them. Even with the aid of his "Gamer" specialty, it took Chu Yun quite some time to complete the construction.

Compared to Paimon’s massive frame, drawing on the petite Carlo proved more difficult.

Once the spell models were constructed on the patterns, Chu Yun began to chant the incantation.

As he chanted, the magical patterns on Carlo’s body emitted a blood-red light, which then bound her as if they were shackles.

Carlo let out a painful moan, yet she did not resist.

Soon, the blood-red shackles binding Carlo broke through her soul defenses and merged instantly into her soul.

A special connection was established between the two, a connection rooted in the soul.

After completing the contract, Carlo was somewhat weak. Chu Yun cast a healing mantra on her, fed her a berry, and told her to rest to the side.

Having signed the monster contract, Carlo could serve as his little helper in the Mirror World in the future, though Chu Yun did not intend to increase her strength just yet.

When it came to leveling up, Chu Yun’s own priority was the highest, followed by his relics, then Paimon, and only then would he consider Carlo.

Once Carlo had rested sufficiently, Chu Yun prepared to leave.

Paimon, having completed its evolution, had grown significantly in size, making it inconvenient to move through the sewers. Furthermore, since Shyvana was a wanted criminal, he had to ensure they were not discovered.

In particular, the "White Dove" had many of his men monitoring the area near the dry well.

"Carlo, are you familiar with this place?"

Carlo’s heart trembled. Due to the nature of the contract, she could not resist Chu Yun’s questioning; she felt that if she refused to answer, she would suffer a backlash. This made her feel very uncomfortable.

"Shyvana and I have been here for several days; I am quite familiar with this vicinity," Carlo replied truthfully.

"What is above? Are there any other exits nearby?"

Carlo took a map from her satchel that marked the routes of the sewer system. She pointed to one spot and said, "Mas-Master, we are here."

Calling someone else "Master" for the first time was difficult for Carlo, but the power of the contract was invisibly taming her, making her more obedient. This was one of the greatest differences between a monster contract and a common slave contract.

Chu Yun examined the map. This location caught him by surprise.

He knew they had walked for quite a while in the sewers, but he hadn't expected to be nearly out of the slums already.

"There is an abandoned warehouse here. We will leave from there," Chu Yun decided on the route.

"But there is no entrance or exit to the sewers there? How are we to leave?" Carlo asked, puzzled.

Paimon leaned in. With the link of the contract, it felt closer to Carlo, and the two could communicate via the contract’s local network.

"You mean you can dig a hole up to the surface?" Carlo’s eyes widened. A subterranean dragon that could dig was truly unconventional.

Paimon proudly extended its increasingly sharp and sturdy claws, indicating, "Paimon is very strong; Master taught me everything."

Carlo looked at Chu Yun in confusion. Chu Yun hoisted Shyvana onto his shoulder and tossed her onto Paimon’s back. "Alright, let’s go this way and get out of here first. I’m afraid someone might come soon."

Chu Yun was unsure if the White Dove would turn to other helpers to hunt Shyvana once he discovered that Chu Yun hadn't entered the dry well. However, judging by his reaction, he likely didn't know about Shyvana’s physical condition, as her abnormal symptoms had only become uncontrollable recently.

The depth of the sewer was only a few meters. Upon reaching the vicinity of the warehouse, Paimon began its excavation work.

Its "Digging" skill level was not low, so the noise caused by the excavation was minimal. Moreover, the tunnel it dug was not only stable but also large and neat; Chu Yun considered putting it to work mining in the future.

Through his perception, Chu Yun pinpointed the location accurately. After some digging, they finally tunneled through the warehouse floor and entered the abandoned structure.

It had originally been a commercial warehouse, but with the growth of Blackrock City's population over the years, it seemed to be temporarily abandoned in anticipation of being demolished for housing.

Chu Yun looked around and found a wooden crate of unknown purpose. He stuffed Shyvana into the crate and then took out a scent-masking potion, spraying it over everyone.

Ever since the Black Crow organization's hounds had tracked Sia by her scent, Chu Yun had purchased plenty of this potion to keep on hand, and he had been spraying it liberally along the way.

"I will take her away first. You two wait here; I will use a summoning spell to teleport you out in a moment."

Both Paimon and Carlo were monster pets bound by a monster contract, making it very convenient to use spells for teleportation.