"Risk...Brother, if you were found lying to three Daywalkers while already being under surveillance, no one would care if you got killed." Arthur said with a hardened tone while eyeing Levi's beeping ankle monitor hidden under his trousers.
"I know, but don't worry, if I didn't have it covered, I wouldn't have included you."
"You know I don't give a shit what happens to me." Arthur narrowed his eyes at the approaching squad, "Do your thing, I gotchu."
Before Levi could reply, Arthur tapped him twice on the shoulder, silencing him immediately. This was their signal of people being too close to Levi's comfort.
A moment later, a delicate short girl stood in front of Levi and Arthur while being accompanied by a tall dark-skinned man and a short man with a big belly.
The girl had short hair that resembled a crimson blood drop and was wearing thin orange sunglasses.
She had a skin-tight red suit, covered with a half-open black jacket. She had her hands inside her jacket's pockets while sucking on a lollipop with a white plastic stick.
While Levi couldn't see her appearence, the smell of blood on her was too stenchy, he couldn't help but scrunch his nose.
The girl saw his reaction and didn't seem bothered. In fact, she was amused by it.
"Not a fan of my smell?" She asked, her voice was as lovely as her face.
"My apologies, my nose is a bit sensitive," Levi said politely.
"Understandable for someone with your condition,"
Shia spoke as she kept moving her head from side to side, seemingly incapable of believing Levi's condition.
When she saw that his head was affixed in its place, she couldn't help but utter with a hint of marvel in her voice.
"How interesting, I thought everyone with complete blindness had already gone extinct or had eye replacement surgery," Shia murmured to herself, but Levi heard her as loud as thunder.
"Shia, we have no time for this, night is fast approaching, and if we want to reach the depth of the forest before sunset, we have to move now." The short man spoke coldly as he gazed at the Larson brothers, "From first sight, I can tell they are full of it."
Suddenly, a crimson crescent-bladed glaive with a curved blade came out of Shia's black jacket, exuding an ominous bloodthirsty aura.
The moment everyone's eyes affixed on it, Blee'der's mouth and eyes manifested on the weapon...He didn't seem pleased one bit.
"Fatty, are you questioning my judgment?" He asked coldly.
"Yes, when was your judgment ever right?"
Just as Blee'der was about to snap back at him, Shia intervened, "Sergio, Blee'der, we have already discussed this, let's find out what kind of information he has, and then we can make our judgment."
Uncaring that Levi and Arthur heard her, Shia showed them a pleasant smile and said, "We don't have much time, so, let's carry our conversation inside."
"Please lead the way." Levi smiled back.
...
A few moments later, Shia's squad had gotten inside the outpost and brought Levi and Arthur with them.
The guards allowed them in since they belonged to a quite well-known agency in the Holy Heliodor Region...Of course, they had to pay up a 'fee'.
"Woah, this place is packed with Daywalkers..." Arthur exclaimed as he kept spinning his head all over the place, leaving no area unscanned.
Meanwhile, Levi was also receiving information from his NeuraLens' AI as she was able to scan a ten-meter radius and give Levi detailed descriptions of everything in the radius.
With her help, he was able to envision the appearence of the Outpost.
It wasn't anything special as it resembled a small town with mostly transparent glass-based buildings arranged in a perfect structure that allowed all the streets to meet at a single point; the center of the outpost where the tall Sun Disk Tower was built.
After a short walk, Shia and her companions brought the Larson brothers to a motel room for some privacy.
Then, Shia sat on the bed while the other two stood near the corners. Levi and Arthur were offered chairs and a herbal tea while facing Shia directly.
"Now, will you kindly tell us how you plan on helping Blee'der achieve perfect evolution to Tier 3?" Shia asked with a kind smile.
In the hopes that Levi's information would be correct, she was respectful, kind, and understanding. However, Levi knew that her nice attitude was a mere facade.
"Hold on now, how will be assured that you will keep your end of the bargain if I spill the beans?" Levi asked.
"Fair enough." Shia brought out Blee'der and placed it in front of them, then she said, "I am willing to sign a Nocturnal contract."
Sergio and Jamal's expressions immediately turned gloomy.
"Shia..."
Before they could say anything, Shia silenced them with a hand wave. Then, she turned back to Levi and smiled, "If your method checks out, I will risk my own neck and reputation to ensure that you participate in the Contract Ritual Assembly. We will have this written in Nocturnal contract."
Levi corrected her with a similar smile, "Not any Contract Ritual Assembly, I am only interested in the upcoming one in two months."
"Of course, that's what I meant." While she said this, the thoughts in her mind were different. 'He might be young, but he isn't easily fooled.'
Without further ado, Shia tapped once on her signature weapon, and a pitch-black spiritual piece of paper manifested before everyone...It floated at the center, turning the atmosphere quite solemn.
This was a Nocturnal contract, the sole reason nightcrawlers and humans had a chance of coexistence.
No one knew of its origins besides a false name for its creator, not even high-tiered nightcrawlers had a clue.
The only thing known was that its terms must be respected at all costs as the moment both parties signed the contract, their souls were bonded by it.
If a party were to void a term, the contract would deliver the written penalty instantly.
It possessed such an overwhelming and mysterious authority, that its presence always commanded attention.
Just as Shia was about to write the terms, Levi interrupted with an apologetic smile, "Before we sign, I have to confess something."
"God damn it, I knew he was full of shit." Sergio snapped instantly.
"Boy, were you lying to me?" Even Blee'der's expression turned sinister.
"Hold on, give him a chance."
Meanwhile, Shia still had hope in Levi, halting her partners from doing something that would jeopardize the deal.
"Thank you." Levi nodded politely and then explained, "First of all, I have never guaranteed that my method will succeed 100%. All I said was that I have a method to help him achieve the unattainable perfect evolution. Whether it succeeds or fails, it depends heavily on your cooperation."
"What do you mean?" Shia held her chin in intrigue.
"I have my ways and at the moment, I have no interest in sharing details." Levi said calmly, "If you truly desire perfect evolution, all you can do is put your trust in me."
"Trust..."
Shia stood up and walked to the reflective glass wall.
As she gazed at the rogue Daywalkers forming exploration squads in front of the outpost's exit, she shared with a serene voice, "In our world, trust has lost its value. Everyone and everything requires the addition of Nocturnal contracts."
"Even the lifelong partnership with our contracted nightcrawlers can only work when our life and death are bound together."
She turned to face Levi and added, "You also know this. Otherwise, you wouldn't have accepted the use of a Nocturnal contract."
Levi nodded in agreement.
"So, I can tell you right here, I don't trust you, but I do trust that you will give it your all if you put your life on the line." With the same kind smile, Shia asked, "So tell me, are you confident enough in your method that you are willing to sign off your life to me in case you fail?"
"..." Levi went silent.
He understood that Shia wanted him to sign off a lifelong subordinate contract, which was nothing but a fancy name for a 'Slave'.
With the introduction of Nocturnal Contracts and their absolute power, slavery became quite rampant in the world.
Of course, since the term was frowned upon, it was changed to a lifelong subordinate.
Since only entities with Shadowlife seeds could summon the Nocturnal Contract, most Daywalkers had several lifelong subordinates under their name.
'Brother, you won't sign such crap, right?'
Suddenly, Arthur's solemn voice resounded in Levi's ear, coming from the earpiece.
Since it was attached straight to the ear, the messages sent were heard solely by the owner. Unless there was someone with extremely sensitive ears nearby.
Levi merely showed him a comfortable smile, unfazed.
Arthur knew that his brother couldn't use holograms, so he was unable to send a message or a vocal without being heard by their company.
'Okay...'
Although Arthur was quite bothered by the whole deal, all he could do was put his trust in his brother.
Facing straight ahead, Levi asked, "May I ask why you want me to work under you?"
His question resonated with Sergio and Jamal as they also gazed at their friend Shia, wondering what she wanted from a blind kid.
"I don't know yet, consider me intrigued." Shia licked her lower lip, "It's quite rare to find someone with complete blindness still alive and sane."
"..."
"..."
While her answer left her partners somewhat speechless, realizing that she was seeing Levi as a plaything, it didn't bother Levi.
"Fair enough." He replied calmly, "I am willing to approve these terms."
The moment he said this, silence engulfed the motel room...Even Shia was a bit taken aback, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
She expected him to negotiate the contract, understanding that her terms were quite extreme.
She knew that securing a perfect evolution was nothing but simple. She had low hopes that a blind teenager would help her achieve it even if he were to hear something from the nightcrawlers hanging around him.
After all, how would he know for sure that it would work?
But now? Everything changed.
"Your confidence gives me hope." Shia's eyes gleamed in excitement under her sunglasses.