Chapter 7 - Right Here, Right Now.
Ash'Kral remained silent for a few moments before finally breaking into a burst of wicked laughter.
"Boy, your imagination is on a different dimension." Ash'Kral narrowed his eyes, "Your foolishness will be the end of you. Why would you assume I would go through so much trouble just to sign a Daywalker contract with you?"
"You do know if I wanted to possess your body, I would have done it years ago?" Ash'Kral sneered, "You think you had it in you to stop me from turning you into a Sleepwalker?"
"Not at all," Levi answered calmly, "I knew deep down that you could have easily convinced me to sign a Sleepwalker contract. Your unfathomable strength would have been enough to win me over and hand you my body for the sake of vengeance."
"If you know this much, how can you reach such an idiotic conclusion?" Ash'Kral said.
"It's because I know this much that I am confident in my judgment." Levi replied calmly, "While I have no idea why you prefer a Daywalker contract instead of a Sleepwalker, I am certain that you want something from me, something that even I, don't know about."
"30 seconds." Astra Ai announced in the background.
"Ash'Kral, you either negotiate the Daywalker contract terms with me and help me fulfill the deal with Shia, or you can watch me sign my life away...For I know, it's more precious to you than to me." Levi uttered one last time.
Ash'Kral narrowed his slit at Levi, noticing that he hadn't flinched once. Still, he refused to accept that his scheme was figured out.
"Boy, you should stop your bluff while you still can." He advised.
"20 seconds."
Levi remained silent and continued taking small sips of his herbal tea. In his eyes, he had already said more than enough.
If Ash'Kral still refused to cooperate, this could only mean that he had misjudged the situation or he was holding strong until the last second.
Either way, Levi had made peace with his decision.
"10 seconds."
Still, no reaction from Ash'Kral or Levi.
"5 seconds."
"Big bro, they are coming back."
Arthur informed with an antsy look at the sight of Shia and her partners approaching the motel room.
He heard everything and understood that his brother was in a game of chicken with Ash'Kral using his soul as the price.
While he couldn't hear Ash'Kral's response, he could deduce that the situation wasn't going in his brother's favor.
Unfortunately, no miracle was in sight...
Three...Two...One...Zero.
Cling!
The room's door opened and Shia entered the room. Jamal closed the door behind him and each of them returned to their original position.
"Thank you for your patience." Levi smiled gently.
"So?" Shia narrowed her eyes.
"You have a deal."
The moment Levi said this, he extended his fingers towards the spiritual pitch-black paper, which appeared in his line of sight as well.
Then, a gleaming white pen manifested on his fingers, and he wrote his full name at the bottom, next to Shia's full name.
The instant the last letter was written, all the sentences seemed to have come to life as they shimmered brightly for a few moments. Then, the paper burned from bottom to top, turning into two clouds of ash.
As everyone's eyes were affixed on the two clouds, each person had a different expression.
Jamal and Sergio were surprised the deal actually went through. Shia and Blee'der had similar wide excited grins.
Arthur looked like his soul was snatched out of his body, his face was as pale as sheet paper.
Meanwhile, Levi still maintained the same gentle smile like he hadn't just signed his life away.
At last, Ash'Kral.
As he watched those two clouds solidify into two spiritual seals and slowly move toward Shia and Levi, he couldn't help but finally drop the act.
'Hahahaha, you little brat, you actually signed it. I should have known that you had it in you. Mad, absolutely mad.' Ash'Kral laughed, amused by the whole situation.
Levi heard him and didn't bother to respond, focusing on the seal being stamped on his soul. When it happened, he felt a simple chill that lasted less than a split second.
"The contract has been approved." Shia asked while rubbing her hands in anticipation, "Now, tell me, what should we do to achieve perfect evolution to Tier 3?"
'As you said before, a risk has to be taken to move forward. I applaud your efforts, you have gained my attention.' Ash'Kral shared, 'Now, tell her that her contracted nightcrawler needs to find the variant of Blood Crystal Flower called Obsidian Bloodvine and ground it with the Blood Crystal Flower's stem while using...'
Before he could finish giving out the secret recipe to create a perfect evolutionary formula, knowledge worth millions of lumen credits, Levi's solemn voice resounded in the room.
"I will need you to bring me five Blood Crystal Flowers, Obsidian Bloodvine, and a piece of Ruby Veil Blossom. In addition, I will be requiring all the secondary materials for the remarkable evolution."
"Five flowers, Obsidian Bloodvine, and even the infamous Ruby Veil Blossom? As expected, perfect evolutions aren't cheap." Jamal sucked in a cold breath, knowing that a single Ruby Veil Blossom cost half a million lumens.
"While money can solve Ruby Veil Blossom, it will be quite tough to secure five flowers at once, plus their variant Obsidian Bloodvine." Shia frowned, "I heard there is only a 10% chance for such a variant to emerge."
Neither she nor her partners questioned Levi's information as they knew that the moment he signed the contract, there was no way he would try to fool them.
After all, if Blee'der's evolution failed, his life would no longer be his.
As for asking him about the details? It was written in the contract that Levi wasn't obligated to share his method with them.
This was quite a normal procedure since this kind of vital information was sold for millions of lumens to the right target.
Shia wasn't the sole Daywalker with a contracted nightcrawler of Blee'der's species.
"Alright, at least we have a goal now."
Shia clapped her thighs and stood up with an invigorated look. She looked at her partners and said, "We might require more manpower to collect five blood flowers. Sergio, go out and hire four Rookie Daywalkers at stage three or Junior Daywalkers. The payment is twenty thousand lumens for each blood crystal flower harvested and one hundred thousand for Obsidian Bloodvine."
Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise, realizing that Shia might be from quite a well-off family. After all, there was no way a Junior Daywalker at Evolution Stage would have this much money to throw away.
"On it." Sergio took off immediately.
"Jamal, I need you to reach out to the Anti-Sleepwalker Bureau and request a temporary lift on Levi's ankle monitor."
"Huh? Don't tell me you want to bring him with us?" Jamal was alarmed.
"Of course, he isn't leaving my sight until we conclude the deal." Shia winked in the direction of Levi, forgetting that he couldn't see.
"Fine by me." Levi smiled.
"If he is going, I am going." Arthur interjected with a cold gaze.
"Why not? You seem to have a bright prospect of becoming a high-ranked Daywalker. It will be a good experience for you."
Shia welcomed him too, knowing that while the Harrowing Forest might have some surviving nightcrawlers of the fallen Shadow Castle, it wouldn't be much of a threat to their party.
"Let's go."
Next, she nodded at her partner and walked to the door. When she was about to leave, she turned around and showed a gentle smile.
"For your own sake, I genuinely hope this works out."
While her smile was gentle, her tone carried a hint of bloodthirsty intent, making Arthur's heart skip a beat.
"Don't go nowhere, we move at dawn."
Thud!
The door was closed, leaving Arthur and Levi in the chamber. Before Arthur could say anything, Ash'Kral asked, "What are you doing?"
"Showing you how serious I am. If I were to give them the correct formula, the deal would go through and I would get my recommendation letter." Levi replied calmly while standing up.
"As I said before, there is no point in participating in the assembly if you were the only nightcrawler interested in me. So, I am getting my contract on my own terms, right here, right now."
"..."
"..."
Hearing this, both Arthur and Ash'Kral were left silent, staring at Levi's expressionless face. Even Arthur was thrown off by his big brother's unbreakable stubbornness to get his way regardless of the consequences, even if it meant walking straight to a life of enslavement.
That's what Arthur thought but in reality, every action Levi made was a calculated move no matter how crazy it seemed.
"While I do appreciate your resolve, it's not enough to convince me of linking my legacy, my life, my everything to a blind child," Ash'Kral said calmly.
"I understand this isn't a simple decision for nightcrawlers." Levi replied, "Once you sign the contract, you return to a Tier 1 nightcrawler, a mortal, and most importantly, you lose your autonomy until the duration of the contract ends."
"Committing to a blind human is even worse...but that's the thing." Levi smiled faintly, "You're different...You chose me specifically because I am blind. I don't know why, but I know damn well that my blindness is an advantageous condition for you."
"Correct me if I am wrong."
After he heard all of this, Ash'Kral couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.
'This boy...He didn't lie, his observation and analytic skills are superb.' He thought to himself as he narrowed his slit in the direction of Levi, 'He has been studying me for years just as I have been doing to him. He only made his move once he was confident in his analysis.'
'Although he hasn't hit the nail on the head, his intelligence and cunningness are unquestionable.' Ash'Kral thought to himself, 'Maybe it's about time I commit, I have tested him for long enough, he might be the one.'
But soon, Ash'Kral shook his head, knowing that it wasn't the time yet.
'He has yet to be tested in the real world.' He smiled sinisterly as he gazed into the distance, seemingly noticing something strange, 'Let's see how he fares in the forest...'