The God of Contracts looked at her with a half-smile. Instead of answering her previous question, he studied her intently for a moment.
"Your condition is different from before again."
He propped his chin on one hand and said with great interest, "But it seems you haven't completely shaken off your troubles."
Alarm bells rang in Su Cheng's mind.
What was this guy trying to do now?!
Su Cheng: "Your Highness—"
The God of Contracts raised a hand. His muscular arm was corded with strength, and delicate gold chains wrapped around his honey-colored skin, winding all the way down to his large, distinctively knuckled hand.
His fingertips landed on the young woman's shoulder, then slowly wandered backward, tracing across her lean back muscles and caressing the contour of her spine.
Then, they moved slowly downward.
Finally, they stopped precisely at the location of her cursed brand.
"It still troubles you, doesn't it?"
The deity revealed a charming smile. "I can help you get rid of it."
Su Cheng: "..."
Fortunately, perhaps due to her continuous mental cultivation, she was still fundamentally clear-headed right now.
Su Cheng: "No."
The God of Contracts raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? You haven't even heard the conditions."
Su Cheng: "No matter what it is, my answer remains the same. Your Highness, I don't dare make another deal with you."
She wasn't sure if this would anger him.
But she also didn't dare to speak ambiguously, terrified of inexplicably reaching an agreement and then dying a tragic death.
"Ah, you're afraid."
He curled his lips. "The world flocks to me seeing only the honey in my palm; only a few can see the poison wrapped within the candy. This is good. Only like this can you go further. But why act so resistant, my dear? You actually enjoy the feeling of that moment, don't you? Those aloof people who look down on you, because they aren't familiar with the rules of our game, harbor disdain and contempt for you, only to fall into your trap and die in confusion and agony, becoming the fruits we harvest—"
As the deity spoke, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gently pulling her into his scorching, solid embrace.
He grasped the young woman's slender wrist, rubbing her palm with his thumb until a pitch-black scale mark appeared.
Su Cheng: "..."
It wouldn't have been a big deal normally, and given that this guy had an excellent physique, she wouldn't have minded getting close to him.
However, there was still another person in this private box.
Even though the Prince probably couldn't see the two of them, the scene was still incredibly bizarre.
Su Cheng instinctively shifted, her shoulder bumping against the man's chest chain, her shoulder blade pressing against a protruding ruby.
She could feel the tense abdomen pressed against her spine, while warm strands of hair and an ice-cold earring brushed past the side of her face.
Su Cheng: "...I don't dare to enjoy it, because I'm afraid that one day I'll become your fruit."
The deity behind her chuckled. "And what would be so bad about that? Suppose that really happens, you can just become my subordinate god. I will preserve your soul."
"...No," Su Cheng said. "It sounds nice, as if I'd gain immortality and become a god, but I feel like there must be many traps hidden in that."
The God of Contracts seemed amused again. "If you are worried, you can also set the conditions."
Su Cheng looked at him in disbelief. "Why would you think I'd dare to play this kind of game with you?"
Was she crazy or stupid?
"If you ask me," Su Cheng took a deep breath, "I will present more performances for you. So, if I can entertain you, then that is my honor."
But that was all.
She believed the other party could understand her meaning.
The God of Contracts didn't speak. He merely revealed a meaningful smile and vanished into thin air.
Su Cheng immediately looked toward the other person in the room.
Aquila seemed to have been immersed in her own thoughts. She suddenly stood up, called another guard in, and gave him a few instructions.
The guard was quite surprised to see the corpse in the box, but maintaining professional etiquette, he didn't ask any questions. He swiftly cleaned it up and quickly left.
Then, an attendant from the auction house entered, holding a special notebook and a quill.
Aquila looked at the attendant. "I am determined to get the item currently up for auction. No matter who bids, I will add ten thousand gold coins."
The attendant nodded respectfully. "Yes, Your Highness."
After speaking, he left.
Su Cheng blinked and quickly picked up the documents at hand, putting on a show of reading them earnestly.
Aquila turned her head and immediately looked satisfied, assuming that Su Cheng was tempted by the dragon bone and was therefore carefully studying the task.
"...Go get those contract parchments."
The Prince ordered the guard in a low voice.
It wasn't as if she didn't have papers blessed by the Favored and carrying the power of the God of Contracts. Now that the God's Favored was gone, she could only use those.
Su Cheng noticed that when the Prince spoke, she also made a gesture. It looked very casual, as if she were just waving her hand randomly.
But it was definitely some kind of signal.
She just pretended not to have seen anything.
The bidding process turned out to be quite interesting.
The number of customers participating in this auction was actually fewer than before. Perhaps it was because they didn't want to gamble, or maybe they felt they had no chance of winning it.
In the end, only two "mystery guests" were left competing against each other.
This situation of not disclosing seat or box numbers was a common sight in the auction hall of the Marigold Palace, and most people weren't surprised by it.
After the bid reached two million gold coins, the other contender finally gave up.
"Alright," Aquila said casually. "The item is yours."
The attendant from earlier came back in, presenting an auction contract, and the Prince signed her name.
At this time, the previous guard also returned, holding a few pieces of light-colored parchment. Strange patterns faintly surfaced on the pages under the light.
Su Cheng knew she was about to sign a new agreement with her, and couldn't help but reveal a somewhat solemn expression.
"Don't be nervous," the red-haired woman glanced at her. "I won't harm you, Miss Kahn."
The guard and the attendant left once again.
Aquila picked up the quill and wrote strings of flowing, elegant cursive on the paper.
"Your Highness," Su Cheng lowered her head slightly. "I heard that Prince Cassiopeia highly appreciates the son of Marquis Murong."
Aquila scoffed coldly. "That Marquis is nothing but a social-climbing snob. As for Cassiopeia, she just wants to sleep with the boy. I heard he does have some good looks—"
"In any case, they seem to be tied together on the surface," Su Cheng said, seemingly offhandedly. "I actually think you could take the opportunity to win over Murong Yue's former fiancée. I heard things got very ugly when they broke off their engagement, and that God's Favored has now arrived in the imperial capital."
Aquila paused for a moment. "They did mention it to me before. I heard that person also has a good relationship with the Church, just like most of the God's Favored. Cassiopeia has been busy kissing up to the Archbishop, and her relationship with the Church is better than mine—"
Su Cheng was noncommittal. "If you think so, you might miss out on some opportunities. You see, that Divine Favored comes from Golden Amber City, and Archbishop White of the Golden Amber City Temple is said to be promoted to Cardinal. However, Archbishop Johnson of the Imperial Capital didn't get this opportunity. No matter what considerations the Holy See's conclave has, these two might not be on harmonious terms. The interior of the Holy See has never been completely united. That person is just an outsider, how much influence can they have?"
The Prince immediately fell into deep thought.
Su Cheng sighed again. "Your Highness, do you know the rules of the Silencers? If I am to complete this task, I will have to break the oath I once made."
The Prince was still pondering her words, and upon hearing this, only casually brushed it off, "You are not a Favored of the God of Contracts, so what if you break it?"
"...I just feel uncomfortable about it."
Su Cheng could tell she was absent-minded, and quickly seized the opportunity to continue, "After my mother died, my... biological father and mother didn't want to acknowledge me. They just gave me some money and drove me away. It was the Society that took me in."
"Hah?" Aquila raised an eyebrow. "I thought you people didn't care about this."
Su Cheng showed a strange expression. "Living in this world, it's hard not to care at all. If I'm just all alone, without a family or a Society, I wouldn't even be able to buy certain materials. Black market merchants would just treat me as a fat sheep, and all I could get my hands on would be fakes or defective goods."
Aquila nodded in understanding.
A society like the Ring of Silencers must hide all sorts of secrets. The forbidden arts this child obtained from the Society might very well be under their control.
If used outside, the Society might even be able to sense it.
That was why she was showing this kind of expression now.
She was worried about being expelled by the Society and losing her backing in the future.
Aquila squeezed the quill pen. "...After it's done, I will send you away, to somewhere far from the Imperial Capital."
Su Cheng pursed her lips. "If, and I mean if, Your Highness ascends to the throne one day, could you save a seat for me in the Royal Mage Order?"
The Prince was a bit surprised, then burst into laughter. "So that's what you want. Fine, I will have the Chief give you an interview opportunity. But you should know that if members of the Mage Order fail the assessment, even the Emperor's relatives cannot join. So, this cannot be written into the agreement, but I can give you a verbal promise. I can at least arrange a position for you in the Magic Guild."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Su Cheng looked at her with a smile and took the parchment from her hand. "Then it's settled. As long as you have been telling the truth, I will do my best to complete the task and keep the secret. Whoever lies will blow up on the spot."
Aquila sneered, not taking these childish words to heart.
She was already pondering how to win over the Divine Favored, and had no mind to think about anything else at the moment.
Moreover, what truly mattered was the agreement in their hands.
She had left many loopholes. In the future, there would be countless ways to completely get rid of this little girl, absolutely leaving no future troubles.
Su Cheng: "Is that okay?"
The Prince's thoughts had long flown away, and upon hearing this, only nodded casually. "Sure—"
Su Cheng raised the parchment to block her face.
At the same time, she heard the sound of flesh and bone bursting.
In the permeating stench of blood, fresh blood splashed over, making the paper vibrate slightly.
"People never learn," Su Cheng put down the parchment and wiped the blood off her hand. "But you did teach me a lesson—"
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
The gruesome remains on the ground could hardly be described as a corpse anymore; it was more like a large pile of shattered tissue.
However.
From those festering, crumb-like pieces of flesh and bone, black smoke was curling up, faintly condensing into a human form in the mist.
"...So that's how it is."
The black smoke stagnated in the air, letting out a hoarse and low laugh. "This is simply the most interesting experience I've had since using this body..."
Su Cheng looked at it in shock.
A skin-suit player!
This thing had used some method, perhaps reconstructing the body, or perhaps killing the real Aquila and controlling her corpse—
In short, it was not the Prince.
It might not even be human!
No wonder the Prince seemed so calm when Leo died!
Because after Leo died, the thing inside the skin-suit probably just remembered that it was not Prince Aquila.
Which led to the statement "Only Prince Aquila, Vanessa, and Leo know the plan" being invalid.
Su Cheng: "...You're not even Aquila, why are you being so serious, even wanting to kill me to silence me?"
The black mist sneered. "Since I am playing her, of course I have to do things according to her style. Otherwise, how can it be considered playing a role?"
Su Cheng: "?"
You're quite principled, huh?
"And you ruined my plan and mission," the black mist said with some resentment. "You absolute liar!"
Su Cheng: "...Yeah, I'm the only liar in this room. Do you want to listen to what you're saying yourself?"
The black mist suddenly let out a weird laugh again. "Hahahahaha, but I'm also quite curious about how you will wrap this up, you sinner who killed an Imperial Prince—"
After saying that, it directly smashed into the crystal glass wall ahead.
"If you can survive, I will also take everything from you. You will pay the price..."
The mist split into countless wisps in the air and escaped through the cracks in the corners of the wall.
Leaving Su Cheng alone, facing a floor full of flesh and blood.
Su Cheng: "......"
There were guards and attendants in the corridor, and Prince Aquila had other noble friends.
And the private room only had one door.
It looked like a dead end.
Su Cheng slowly stood up, took off her clothes, pulled out a flint from her necklace, and quickly burned them.
She reached out to dip her fingers in the blood flowing all over the floor, and began to chant an obscure and awkward spell in a low voice.
Thousands of red threads rose from the shattered remains and submerged into her face and limbs.
Then came the slight pain of bones elongating and muscles deforming—
Her pitch-black curly hair was covered in red.
A few minutes later, the naked red-haired woman slowly stood up, walked to the door, and called the guards from the outside corridor in.
"...This little mage is quite difficult to deal with."
The red-haired woman said crossly, "Go get me some clothes, and tell the people of the Aulu family to prepare to pack the goods."
