Chapter 240: A Contract of Indenture
When Qi Yanxin returned to the tent, Xu Zhi had already rolled her wheelchair over the ground, and the small crack Xiao Yi had forced open earlier was nowhere to be seen.
“Why did you pull the curtain closed?”
Seeing how dim it was inside, Qi Yanxin asked casually. Xu Zhi smiled and replied, “I’m not quite used to the light yet after putting on the glasses. It felt a bit too bright.”
Hiding things from Qi Yanxin wasn’t because Xu Zhi suspected her of anything. On the contrary, Xu Zhi already trusted Qi Yanxin to a certain extent. What struck her, though, was that concealing things from her had become almost instinctive.
It had no particular meaning, nor did it stem from distrust. She simply, subconsciously, didn’t want anyone to know about it—always keeping a bit of caution, leaving herself some room to maneuver. It had nothing to do with whether she trusted someone or not.
The changes brought by [Lamp] were real, but limited. At her core, she still only truly trusted herself.
“Does it feel uncomfortable?”
Hearing that, Qi Yanxin frowned slightly and stepped closer. Xu Zhi was already used to how carefully the woman treated her, how attentive she was to every little thing, and even to her drawing close, so she showed no resistance and simply replied, “It doesn’t hurt. I’m just not used to it yet.”
Only then did Qi Yanxin nod. “That’s normal at first. You’ll get used to it after a while. But don’t keep the curtains pulled so tight—too dark isn’t good for your eyes.”
As she spoke, she pulled the curtain open a little, letting some light in.
Xu Zhi wasn’t particularly affectionate or proactive in her attitude toward Qi Yanxin, but compared to how she used to be, she was already quite “well-behaved.” Because of this, Xiao Yi, hiding in her sleeve, clearly displayed an emotion called jealousy.
In its eyes, how had its master suddenly gained someone so close after such a short separation—someone far closer than when Xu Zhi had first created it?
Dissatisfied, Xiao Yi flicked its tail against Xu Zhi’s wrist. Xu Zhi, a bit helpless, reached out with her left hand and tapped its head through the fabric with her finger. Only then did it calm down.
What was going on? How did she fall straight back into a familiar rivalry-for-affection scenario the moment it returned?
Xu Zhi even felt, somewhat subtly, that it was a good thing only Xiao Yi was nearby and possessed independent consciousness. Otherwise, if more of them started making a fuss, she had no idea what kind of chaos it would turn into.
Qi Yanxin was the type who couldn’t sit still. Even trapped in the military camp, she would occasionally take out mechanical parts and repair them by hand. Xu Zhi actually found that quite impressive—looking at it herself, she only saw how incredibly complex those components were. Repairs required extremely delicate manual skill and a great deal of patience. Wasn’t that a kind of special ability in itself?
At around eleven in the morning, close to lunchtime, someone suddenly knocked on the tent door again.
Though they were called tents, these structures were more like simple prefab rooms—just shaped more like tents than actual houses.
After opening the door, Qi Yanxin learned that the person outside was looking for Xu Zhi.
Ever since moving here, Xu Zhi had been going out almost every day. Even so, Qi Yanxin still couldn’t help worrying.
The moment Xu Zhi looked up at the person outside, she understood—this was another ship coming for her. This person wasn’t wearing the uniform of a lower-district soldier. It was more refined, and on the chest was engraved a golden lotus.
Xu Zhi gave Qi Yanxin a reassuring look, then had her help push the wheelchair out of the tent.
Unlike the group behind the doctor, who at least had a perfectly legitimate excuse, this new visitor openly took Xu Zhi straight to a newly built tent.
It seemed this one’s style of doing things was quite different from the last.
Once inside, Xu Zhi didn’t even have time to look around before her attention was drawn to a row of badges hanging on the wall opposite her. Among them, the one that caught her eye the most was a falcon badge.
The badge was silver-white, the falcon engraved upon it vivid and lifelike. Though it wasn’t a sea eagle, in that instant, Xu Zhi felt as if she saw Xiao Zhen’s unrestrained figure through it.
The moment of daze passed quickly. After lingering on the falcon badge for a bit, Xu Zhi shifted her gaze. There were dozens of badges on the wall, and besides the falcon, there was another one she found quite familiar—a golden lotus.
Seeing that lotus, Xu Zhi more or less understood what this collection of badges represented.
As she withdrew her gaze, a hand reached out and took the silver falcon badge from the wall. Xu Zhi looked over to see a young man, probably around twenty years old.
“It seems Miss Xu likes Yi City’s emblem?”
So they really were city emblems.
Xu Zhi shook her head slightly. “It just feels a bit familiar.”
That wasn’t really a lie.
“…Familiar?”
The man repeated the word, but didn’t pursue it further. Holding the badge, he walked up to Xu Zhi. “Then let this emblem be a small gift for our first meeting.”
He smiled casually, his every gesture brimming with confidence. Xu Zhi could tell—this was probably someone who had lived very well since childhood, a genuine “big shot.”
After hesitating briefly, Xu Zhi reached out and accepted it. “Thank you. You’re too generous.”
The man waved it off. “I have plenty of these. Fixed Star Consortium does business all over these cities. A single badge isn’t worth much.”
Besides, displaying these badges served another purpose.
When the man turned around, Xu Zhi caught sight of the bright golden scales emblazoned on the back of his clothes.
“Miss Xu, do you know why I asked you to come here?”
Xu Zhi was a little surprised. He went straight to the point—this style really was something else.
“I… more or less do?” She didn’t bother playing dumb.
“As a representative of the Fixed Star Consortium, I’m here to invite Miss Xu to sign a contract with us and become a supernatural under our banner.”
“The contract term is twenty years.”
What?!
Xu Zhi’s eyes widened slightly, and the glasses chain swayed with the movement of her head.
Twenty years?
Damn—this wasn’t just a contract, this was basically selling herself!
“During this period, the consortium will provide abundant resources and channels, cover all your expenses, and from the first year onward, give you a base salary of one million per year. Every time your supernatural ability breaks through, the consortium will also grant you a generous bonus.”
“Of course, all supernatural materials you need for advancement will be provided by the consortium free of charge. Miss Xu isn’t even twenty yet, right? This is the age to be in school. The consortium will send you to a school in the Upper District, provide you with a property and full facilities—a car, student registration, and so on.”
So… so rich!
“Miss Xu may not know this, but the Fixed Star Consortium possesses enormous resources and influence. We also have many experienced, high-level Lamp-attribute supernatural users who can guide you.”
“You only need to make some small contributions to the consortium after becoming one of our supernatural members, and you’ll be able to enjoy all the conveniences that a giant like the consortium can offer.”
Every word the man spoke was filled with temptation and confidence. He was convinced that the compensation offered by the consortium was more than enough to entice the lower-district girl before him—after all, no one could possibly offer more generous terms than the consortium.
