[ Your soul ’Biggie’ has successfully evolved. ]
Malrik stared at the floating notification for a brief moment. The corner of his lips instinctively curled into a smile, but he quickly suppressed it.
The last piece of his tactical puzzle had just fallen into place. Any lingering margin of uncertainty evaporated on the spot.
Malrik’s mind worked rapidly as he glanced at the glowing runes on the scroll. Shaye was completely confident, believing Blackthorn was an isolated, desperate outpost. But more importantly, her contract condition specified: If Malrik or Blackthorn Fortress requests or accepts outside military assistance.
It did not forbid unprompted events outside the walls. If the "Black Reaper" swept through the forest and slaughtered the Morveth independently, it would not count as Blackthorn requesting or accepting external military aid.
It was a massive tactical blind spot born from her complete ignorance of his true strength.
Malrik raised his eyes to meet hers, his confidence settled into stone. "And if I hold Blackthorn for three days without requesting or accepting a single soldier?"
Shaye raised her eyebrows, waiting calmly. "Name your terms."
"One thousand High-Grade Soul Stones," Malrik said, his tone entirely flat. "Directly from the Pope’s private vaults."
Silence slammed into the dining hall like a physical blow.
Ronan choked on his breath. Beside Shaye’s chair, Jace’s hand twitched over his sword hilt, his jaw tightening. Even Lilith raised an eyebrow, a faint glint of amusement passing through her dark eyes.
Shaye’s serene smile vanished completely. Her golden eyes widened, a rare flicker of genuine shock and immediate anxiety flashing across her pale face.
"One thousand?" Shaye’s voice lost its smooth playfulness, turning sharp and cold. "Are you out of your mind, Banner Bearer? That is a fortune that only Supreme Sovereigns and the most powerful Saints possess!"
" The Temple’s private reserves do not exist simply to fund your absurd fantasies."
High Grade Soul Stones were not mere currency. They were strategic assets of the highest order. A single High Grade Soul Stone was worth hundreds, if not thousands, of platinum coins at major auctions, and even then, gold and platinum rarely bought them.
Saints, Ascendants, and beings above them relied on these stones for their cultivation and to strengthen themselves. Even Supremes used them, either to further their own power or to enhance the strength of their armies.
They were resources that could directly influence the strength of powerful individuals and entire armies. Demanding a thousand was no small request. It was enough to put a significant strain on the treasury of an entire domain.
Shaye leaned forward, her golden eyes narrowing. "That is completely unreasonable. The Covenant’s equity clause wouldn’t even recognize such a lopsided wager. I will offer fifty."
Malrik didn’t blink. He held her gaze with cold detachment. "Eight hundred. If you are confident enough in your wager, the number shouldn’t matter to you at all."
"One hundred," Shaye countered sharply, her usual composure fraying just enough to reveal her irritation. "And that is already pushing the limit of what I can offer."
"One hundred and fifty," Malrik stated calmly, his voice leaving zero room for further debate. "Not a single stone less. Take it, or put your scroll away."
Shaye stared at him for three long seconds, searching his face for any sign of a bluff.
To her, Blackthorn was a doomed outpost sitting in front of an encroaching tide of Morveth. Losing one hundred and fifty High-Grade Soul Stones was a staggering penalty, but losing was not a possibility she entertained.
She believed with absolute certainty that within three days, Malrik would be forced to swallow his pride and beg her knights for help.
"One hundred and fifty," Shaye agreed, her voice returning to a controlled, icy calm. "Done."
Behind his calm expression, Malrik could barely contain the smile threatening to spread across his face.
One hundred and fifty...
His heart skipped a beat.
One hundred and fifty High Grade Soul Stones...
I’m rich.
For the first time in a long while, Malrik had to make a conscious effort not to smile.
Truthfully, Malrik would have signed the contract even if the wager had been reduced to ten High Grade Soul Stones.
The hundred and fifty stones he stood to gain were an extraordinary windfall, enough to grant him more than twice the Evolution Points he had obtained from all the Soul Stones he had purchased from the Duchy combined.
Shaye extended a slender finger, channeling a thread of golden mana into the crimson parchment as the glowing runes shifted, etching the finalized terms into the fabric of the scroll:
[ THE GRAND COVENANT ]
* Duration: 72 Hours
* First Party: Malrik Vesperion
* Second Party: Shaye Valen
* Terms of the Wager:
1- Should Blackthorn Fortress request or knowingly accept external military assistance against the Morveth within the allotted seventy two hours, the First Party shall fulfill one reasonable demand made by the Second Party, as permitted by the Covenant.
2- Should Blackthorn Fortress endure the full seventy two hours without requesting or knowingly accepting such assistance, the Second Party shall deliver 150 High Grade Soul Stones from the reserves of the Lumel Temple to the First Party.
3- For the purposes of this Covenant, any force or individual already present within Blackthorn Fortress when the Covenant is sealed shall not be considered external assistance.
4- Should the Second Party deliberately interfere with Blackthorn Fortress or its defenses in an attempt to influence the outcome of the wager, the Second Party shall be deemed to have forfeited the wager.
5- Upon violation of the agreed terms, the Covenant shall pass judgment without exception. The offending party’s soul shall be shattered beneath its binding power.
Shaye picked up a small silver fruit knife from the table and lightly pricked the tip of her index finger. She pressed a single drop of blood—infused with a thread of radiant golden mana—onto the parchment. The scroll absorbed it instantly, etching her name in shimmering, blood-gold runes at the bottom.
She pushed the scroll across the mahogany table toward him.
"Your turn, Banner Bearer."
Malrik glanced down at the crimson scroll, his sharp eyes sweeping over the glowing text. He carefully reviewed every single rune and condition, searching for any hidden traps, subtle legal loopholes, or suspicious phrasing that could backfire on him. Finding nothing suspicious or out of place, he reached for the silver knife.
He pricked the tip of his thumb and pressed his own drop of blood, heavy with mana, onto the designated space beside her signature.
The crimson scroll flared with a harsh, blinding flash of light before dissolving into specks of red dust. The dust split into two equal streams—one sinking directly into Shaye’s chest, the other vanishing into Malrik’s.
A faint, cold sensation settled deep within Malrik’s soul for a fraction of a second, confirming the binding contract was now active.
Shaye leaned back, wiping her finger with a linen napkin while looking at him with quiet satisfaction. "It is sealed."
Malrik stood up from the head of the table, wiping his thumb with a napkin.
"Enjoy your stay at Blackthorn, Miss Shaye," Malrik said coldly. "You have three days to think about how you’ll explain those one hundred and fifty Soul Stones to your father."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel. Lilith let out a low, amused chuckle, standing up to follow him out of the hall.
******
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