“As agreed, the remaining balance will be paid with a portion of your future.”
Ur spoke nonchalantly, but it made Isolde laugh.
“A portion of my future? What is that? Is the remaining balance you use for transactions always this abstract?”
Ur said softly, “Naturally, transaction items must be of equal value. The unicorn is a unique holy beast, so exchanging it for a possibility you should have possessed is more than fitting.”
“Perhaps an escape from death, perhaps a victory, or perhaps someone who should have stood by your side.”
“Once the transaction is complete, that portion of your future will belong to me.”
Isolde's gaze darkened slightly.
This was troublesome.
Gold could be earned back once gone, and items could be stolen once lost.
But something like the future was invisible and intangible; if lost, there was no telling what kind of butterfly effect it might trigger.
She hated this kind of uncertainty. She hated it intensely.
Isolde looked at Ur. He was bowing, his movements elegant and proper. Aside from his bizarre attire, there was really nothing to criticize about his manners.
“You can take your time to consider,” he said. “We wandering merchants never force a sale.”
The moment he finished speaking, the black contract suddenly hung down from midair, a ring of tiny teeth growing along its edges.
【Remaining Balance Countdown: 10 minutes】
【Failure to pay on time will initiate forced collateral seizure】
【Eligible Collateral: Castle Ownership.】
Isolde: “...”
Never force a sale, but they sure do love time-limited robberies.
How incredibly typical of you.
She didn't speak. Instead, she raised her hand to press the 【Secret-Peeking Button】 on her cuff, attempting to use it to probe for potential loopholes in the contract.
【Secret-Peeking Active】
【Scanning Contract...】
The dense small print originally on the parchment floated up layer by layer.
Isolde narrowed her eyes and quickly scanned down.
【Contract Article 37: Upon the death of the purchaser, the remaining debt shall be assumed by the legal successor.】
【Supplementary Clause: The successor must simultaneously inherit the title, bloodline, and estate under the purchaser's name to be deemed a complete debt successor.】
Isolde's gaze paused, a wave of secret delight washing over her.
A contract loophole. Hadn't she just found one?
She had indeed obtained the Castle Authority.
But she hadn't inherited Valen's title, she didn't have Valen's bloodline, and she hadn't inherited his estate either.
Thinking of this, Isolde wondered to herself.
Does directly deconstructing a physical body count as inheriting an estate?
Cough, cough—unimportant.
In any case, strictly speaking, she could not be considered a “complete debt successor.”
She had merely seized the house while conveniently taking out the homeowner.
Was that inheritance? That was a forced transfer of ownership.
Isolde's mood suddenly improved quite a bit.
As expected, no matter how predatory a capitalist's contract was, it couldn't withstand a word-by-word reading.
She continued reading down, and the gray light flashed once more.
At the very bottom of the parchment, a line of text so small it was nearly invisible slowly emerged.
【Supplementary Explanation for Special Goods: If the goods possess hidden risks such as Echo of Last Wishes, curse backlash, or factional reclamation, the buyer has the right to redefine the remaining balance within seven days.】
【If the hidden risks affect the normal use of the goods, the buyer may request the seller to provide one free after-sales service.】
After Isolde finished reading, the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
It turned out this wasn't a debt collector coming to her door; it was after-sales service.
Isolde looked at Ur with leisurely ease, speaking gently:
“Mr. Ur.”
Ur: “Noble lady?”
Isolde raised her hand and tapped the parchment.
“I just saw a very interesting little detail.”
The painted smile on Ur's mask didn't change, but his voice grew slightly softer.
“The contract's contents are complex. It is inevitable that there would be some minor, unimportant additional notes.”
“Unimportant?” Isolde's smile deepened. “Echo of Last Wishes, curse backlash, factional reclamation.”
She looked at the Mooncrown Unicorn.
The gray-blue holy light still flowed slowly across its mangled coat, and the long horn on its forehead was wrapped in black patterns, resembling a piece of white jade corroded by mold.
“It has all three.”
Ur fell silent.
“What you sold me isn't a normal product, but a legendary-grade body burdened with a last wish, a curse, and the risk of seizure. According to the contract, the remaining balance is deferred for seven days.”
She paused, then continued:
“Furthermore, you must provide a free after-sales service.”
Ur: “...”
The tiny teeth along the edge of the black parchment clicked together twice, as if they hadn't expected to bite their own master back.
Ur slowly straightened up.
His neck let out a soft crack, and the smile on his white mask curved up once more.
“Noble lady, your secret-peeking tool is quite special.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Isolde said flatly, “The contracts of you wandering merchants are also quite special.”
“The print is smaller than ants, and your calculations are tighter than a needle's eye.”
“But unfortunately for you,” she touched her cuff, “my eyesight is pretty good.”
Lia stood behind her and added calmly, “My Lady's eyesight is indeed better than Duke Valen's.”
Isolde: “...”
There was really no need to drag her already deceased adoptive father into this.
Ur chuckled softly. “You are far more difficult to deal with than Duke Valen. He never read contracts.”
Isolde said softly, “Which is why he's dead.”
Ur: “...”
That statement was somewhat impossible to refute.
The ten-minute countdown was still hanging in midair, but in the next second, the blood-red numbers of the countdown suddenly began to flash.
【Contract Dispute Triggered】
【Remaining Balance Countdown Paused】
【Inspection Period Activated: 7 Days】
【The seller is required to perform one after-sales service obligation】
【The content of the after-sales service is to be proposed by the buyer within a reasonable scope】
Ur sighed and bowed slightly. “Well then, noble lady, what kind of after-sales service would you like me to provide?”
Isolde did not answer immediately. She walked over to the Mooncrown Unicorn's body. The holy beast was already dead, yet a faint lunar glow still lingered in its eye sockets.
She could almost hear countless distant wails, as if echoing from the deep snowstorms of the North.
In the end, they were all suppressed within this broken carcass. No wonder its last wish was not forgiveness.
Isolde lowered her eyes for a moment, then suddenly spoke: “I need to think about it. For now, you can stay here.”
Ur was slightly taken aback, and even the smiling corners of his mouth stiffened a bit.
Isolde glanced at him. “What, not satisfied?”
As someone who had swindled many clients, this was the first time Ur had ever suffered a setback at the hands of a young lady. Far from being angry, he was actually quite amused. He stared at Isolde and said in a low, eerie voice:
“Of course not. I only hope that the noble lady can hurry. After all, time is a merchant's most valuable asset.”
Isolde's tone was firm: “Your time being valuable is your own business. My future is also very valuable. Moreover, I am now your client. If you want to successfully retrieve your remaining balance, you had better move at my pace.”
After she finished speaking, she slowly added: “And, I won't let you stay for free.”
Ur: “?”
Isolde: “Lodging fees, protection fees, meal fees, and service fees.”
“Oh, right, you have your mobile shop parked right at my gate. That requires an extra parking fee. We'll have to count that as well.”
Ur's voice sounded caught between laughter and tears: “Noble lady, you have quite a talent for business.”
“Thank you,” Isolde said flatly. “I was mostly inspired by you.”
Isolde withdrew her hand and looked back at the Mooncrown Unicorn's remains.
“Don't worry, I won't drag it out for too long. This thing is no ordinary cargo.”
“It carries a last wish and a curse. If you ask me to just make up an after-sales request right now, that would be an irrational, impulsive move.”
Rate on N.U.
