Su Cheng touched her neck, feeling as if an invisible chain there was shattering now that the oath-breaker had been sacrificed.
It was as though a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Listening to the laughter of the wind elements in the air, she twitched her fingers.
Tiny currents of wind instantly surged forward, twirling and swirling around her fingertips, occasionally flashing with a cyan light.
They clung to her with affection and obedience.
...Perhaps it was worth it.
Su Cheng thought to herself.
No.
That was a very dangerous thought.
She knew the plot, and she knew the Count's daughter's temperament and exceptional talent, which was how she managed to take advantage of the situation.
Otherwise, it would have been incredibly difficult to find a suitable sacrifice before sunset.
But...
Watching the wind dancing between her fingers and sensing the presence of the elemental spirits, Su Cheng wavered slightly.
Any elemental mage would become addicted to this feeling, wouldn't they?
If the God of Contracts could grant her more power, and the only price was offering up oath-breakers, that seemed like a pretty good deal, right?
...People who went back on their word and broke their promises, just like that young Count, were not limited to just one or two. In fact, there were plenty of them.
Finding such people wouldn't be hard. As long as she kept her identity as a God's Favored a secret, she could easily lead them into a trap.
No.
Su Cheng immediately rejected the idea again.
Facts proved that the God of Contracts' deals were all predatory. He would likely grant her a boon and then simply decide they had reached an agreement.
Only then would he state his conditions.
If she couldn't know the price in advance, she would be completely at his mercy.
What if the sacrifice wasn't an oath-breaker next time?
What if he added even harsher conditions?
She got lucky this time.
What about the next time?
One failure, and she would lose her life.
Leaning against the pillar of the guild's porch, Su Cheng pondered for a long time before finally making a decision: if the God of Contracts ever spoke to her again, she would not agree to anything, no matter what it was.
Though to be fair, her mental state had been a bit hazy at the time. She wasn't clear-headed at all and had just nodded along in a daze.
Thinking of this, her stomach began to ache again.
What was she supposed to do?
If he deliberately messed with her mind first and then tricked her into agreeing, how could she possibly refuse?
"...I hope you've resolved your problem, Miss Guild Member."
A deep, resonant voice came from above.
Su Cheng looked up.
The handsome dark-haired man was standing beside the pillar. His sharp golden eyes sparkled brightly, and the shadows from the porch eaves cascaded over the contours of his chest, tracing down his defined abdominal muscles.
His heavy fur-lined cloak hung at his side, covering half of a muscular arm. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression obscured by the backlighting.
"...Yeah," Su Cheng said, rubbing her forehead. "It's resolved, but I found out there are even more problems now, and I have absolutely no idea how to deal with them."
"Hmm," Kai didn't pry. "That's life, I suppose."
Su Cheng paused for a moment.
She suddenly realized that she had once thought killing Lin Yun would solve everything, but that had only been the beginning of her troubles.
However, if she had to do it all over again, she would still make the same choice.
So...
Perhaps she should be a bit more optimistic. This world was already messed up anyway, and there was no way to live safely and comfortably no matter what she did.
Especially since she had become the protagonist.
"You're right!" Su Cheng jumped up. "Now, let's go on an adventure together!"
Kai glanced at her, looking as though he wanted to laugh. "No problem, but before that, there are a few things we need to take care of."
And so, the two of them returned to the Mercenary Guild together.
After completing the paperwork, Su Cheng officially joined the Black Flame Mercenary Group.
She flipped through her mercenary diary.
On the outer cover, there was now a black flame insignia, the symbol of her new mercenary group.
Su Cheng had only just learned that the Black Flame Mercenary Group actually had over twenty members, though they were scattered all across the continent.
The mercenary group was also B-rank.
While it couldn't compare to the illustrious reputation of an S-rank group like Silver Wing, a B-rank was by no means low. It was high enough to hang their flag outside any mercenary guild.
If they displayed their rank and recruited publicly, many people would fight tooth and nail to join.
After all, a mercenary group's rank was accumulated based on the level, quantity, and success rate of the missions completed by its members.
It wasn't just about having one or two powerful individuals; it required completing multiple missions successfully over time.
"After I registered the mercenary group, I gradually ran into many people, and I invited some of them to join,"
Kai said casually. "I don't have any strict requirements for the members. They are all people I met by chance. Some of them... I just spent a little time with them and felt they could be trusted. It's always been like that."
Su Cheng was a bit surprised.
Lin Yun joining this team felt more like she had relied on her protagonist halo to pester them into accepting her.
She felt like she had done something similar.
But thinking about it carefully, she hadn't really pestered them much at all; she was just approved directly.
According to the Captain, since she called him Captain and he didn't object, did that mean he had tacitly agreed right then and there?
"So you think I can be trusted too?" Su Cheng asked, quite pleased. "And you didn't just let me join to comfort me because I looked like I was about to die?"
"No," a hint of helplessness flashed in the Captain's beautiful golden eyes. "First of all, I didn't think you were about to die, and secondly—"
"New member!"
Su Cheng's neck was suddenly hooked by someone's arm.
A cold, solid, and heavy arm rested on her shoulder, pale fingers wrapping around it.
"So we're family now, right?"
The silver-haired, red-eyed young man pulled her into his embrace, a smile hanging on his striking face. "Shouldn't we throw a welcome banquet or something for the newbie?"
Su Cheng was instantly enveloped in a chilling cold and almost shivered. She quickly tried to break free. "Is this a rule in the group?"
Sasha smiled down at her. He didn't seem to be using much force, but his hand was clamped tightly around her shoulder and arm. "I just think the timing is perfect—"
Su Cheng was still struggling to get away from him. "You're too cold!"
"Is that so?" the silver-haired young man said nonchalantly. "Then we'll warm up if we hug a little longer."
"...Sasha, please."
Kai reached out to rescue the new member and continued explaining matters regarding the mercenary group.
"Some people prefer to do missions alone, while others are scholars or researchers who only take on missions in passing."
He paused for a moment. "Most of the time, I'm alone too. This time the situation was special, so I gathered the three of them."
Besides Sasha and Camus, there was another teammate who was currently visiting relatives and friends in the Shadow Forest.
The original plan was for everyone to reconvene in ten days, but because they had recruited an elemental mage, Kai had already sent a letter to that teammate, telling him to return swiftly.
"However," Kai looked at her, "I do think throwing a banquet to celebrate your joining is a good idea."
Su Cheng: "..."
Don't think I don't know that you just love to drink too!
Su Cheng sighed. "Be that as it may, I still have an entrance exam to attend."
She wasn't opposed to going to the academy; she really could learn a lot of skills there.
It was just that, unlike Lin Yun, Su Cheng wanted to resolve her curse first, or at least suppress it.
Otherwise, it would be too troublesome if she kept having episodes at the academy.
So she was not in a hurry to participate in those recruitments.
Originally, she wanted to wait until Camus finished his work before deciding, but since it had already begun, she might as well see it through.
Kai was not surprised. Having seen her enter the Magic Guild earlier, he had already guessed this would happen.
Sasha, on the other hand, enthusiastically asked which school she was aiming for and reached out to wrap his arm around her shoulder again.
Before he could finish speaking, a large hand with prominent knuckles intervened, forcefully separating the two of them.
"Do not engage in prolonged physical contact with her, at least for these next few days."
Camus had come over at some point.
The blond man said coldly, "It might affect the curse."
Sasha rolled his eyes at him. "Seriously? You think I don't—"
Su Cheng took the opportunity to slip away, ignoring whatever they were arguing about.
She went home, took a nap, and fully rested before running back to the Magic Guild. She entered the lounge of Cross Star Academy and announced that she was ready.
The grand mage who had received her earlier stood up with a smile. "What a coincidence. Lord Han Sheng and Lord Xiao Yun have both returned. We can ask them to host the assessment for you."
Cross Star Academy had sent out two recruitment teams in total. One team was from the Academy of Valor, currently recruiting next door at the Warrior Guild.
The other team was from the Academy of Mysteries, which consisted of these people in the Magic Guild. There were two people in charge among them, namely the two lords just mentioned.
Su Cheng tried hard to recall this plot from the original novel.
These two were a man and a woman. The man was only briefly mentioned in the book, while the woman was described in detail.
She could not remember many specifics, only recalling that the woman seemed to have a very large chest and was constantly finding fault with the male lead.
Before her thoughts could settle, the door at the end of the corridor opened.
Two mages walked out one after the other, conversing in low voices as they walked.
They were both very tall, wearing robes of luxurious fabric. The crest on their chests featured a staff adorned with an octagonal gem alongside an unfurled scroll.
Eighth-tier mages! Grand Magisters!
Su Cheng could feel the abundant magic power emanating from them.
Extremely dense elemental spirits tightly surrounded them, like iron filings attracted by a magnet.
This sensation flashed by in an instant.
It quickly disappeared.
In her perceptive world, they seemed to turn back into ordinary people.
Su Cheng could not help but feel shocked.
It was her first time encountering powerful mages of this caliber, and a sense of awe and yearning welled up in her heart.
The brown-haired, blue-eyed woman among them looked over first.
She was beautiful, gentle, and elegant, exuding a scholarly aura. She smiled faintly and said, "Good luck with your assessment, child."
After saying that, she left.
The man behind her yawned and approached unhurriedly.
He had curly orange-red hair, like flowing lava, with faint sparks dancing at the tips.
His handsome, lean face still carried a bit of drowsy sleepiness. "Is this the one with exceptional aptitude in wind, fire, and lightning?"
His outer robe was wide open, and the buttons of his shirt underneath were more than half undone, exposing a broad, strong chest that gleamed like marble under the light.
Su Cheng was speechless.
Indeed, very large.
