Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Let the Blue Dragon Work for You
“Does this human even speak the truth?” the Blue Dragon thought, looking at the human before him. He was an adult Blue Dragon, powerful and capable of being a perfect mount on land, sea, and air. So what if he asked for a few bottles of Life Spring? Besides, weren’t all these injuries inflicted by the King of Winter himself? Now that he was under the King of Winter’s command, essentially a mercenary for him, shouldn’t the King of Winter be responsible for healing his wounds?
“Greedy human! I will not compensate you with gold coins, so give up on that idea!” Bryant roared in refusal. He couldn’t harm the King of Winter and had to fulfill the missions required of him as a mercenary according to the contract. However, that didn’t mean he had to accept the King of Winter’s unreasonable requests.
Xi Wei, who was prepared for this, brought out the contract scroll. He ordered a knight to unroll it before the Blue Dragon, Bryant, and explained, “The contract clearly states that the employment period is one hundred years. If you cause me economic losses during this period, you must compensate me.”
Bryant sneered. He had read the scroll countless times and knew its contents by heart. How foolish of this human to try and trick him. “King of Winter, I admit you have some martial prowess, but unfortunately, your brain seems to be malfunctioning.” Bryant calmly pointed a dragon claw at the contract scroll. “Tell me, which clause here contains the conditions you speak of?”
Xi Wei smiled and glanced at Bryant. The Blue Dragon’s arrogant demeanor made him think that if he were to cremate the dragon, only its mouth would remain unfired. With a gentle wave of his hand, the court alchemist brought a goose quill. He was the one who had drafted the contract at the King of Winter’s request, so he was well aware of the hidden clauses within this seemingly simple contract. Seeing the Blue Dragon’s stubbornness, the white-haired court alchemist couldn’t help but smirk. It would soon be clear who the real fool was.
Xi Wei took the quill and drew a diagonal line across the parchment contract. On this diagonal line, it was written: “Employee must compensate for all losses caused to the employer.”
“Here,” Xi Wei said, handing the parchment to the Blue Dragon, Bryant, with a grin. “Didn’t you keep emphasizing that there was no such clause in the contract? Well, here it is.”
Bryant leaned in and stared at the scroll, his eyes widening. He saw the clause Xi Wei had mentioned written on the diagonal line. But wasn’t this cheating? It was worse than those cunning demons who exploited loopholes!
“I don’t accept it!” Bryant roared. “You’re violating the spirit of the contract! According to the rules established by the God of Contracts, both parties must have full knowledge of the contract’s contents. I was unaware of this clause, so your act of cheating is invalid!” He grew more confident with each word, his dragon head held high. His purple eyes looked down at Xi Wei, who seemed insignificant to him, like an eagle disdainfully gazing at a bug.
“Is that so?” Xi Wei asked with a sly smile, like an old fox who had seen through his opponent’s hand at a gambling table. “However, I seem to recall asking you if you were fully aware of the contract’s contents, and you said yes. This means you were fully informed, as you yourself stated.”
Did that happen? Bryant tried to recall. When the soldiers had set him down, the King of Winter had handed him the scroll for review. Coincidentally, the King of Winter had also treated his wounds and asked him some questions related to the contract. Among them, he remembered a conversation. The King of Winter had asked if he fully understood the contract’s contents. At the time, he was enjoying the healing sensation of the Life Spring, feeling warm and comfortable, as if bathing in plasma. Plus, the contract seemed fine, so he carelessly said he understood. So, this was all part of the King of Winter’s plan!
A surge of rage rose from Bryant’s gut to his head. He wanted to lash out with his dragon claws and crush the cunning human knight before him. But the power of the contract restrained him; he couldn’t harm the man in any way. Moreover, he knew that a single dragon claw wouldn’t be enough to kill him.
“I will repay what I owe!” Bryant declared. “It’s pointless to argue with the King of Winter any further. The more I say, the more passive I become, especially since meeting the King of Winter.” He lifted his chin again. “King of Winter, it’s only twenty-five thousand gold coins. A hundred years is enough for me to repay this debt! You cannot command me except when you need a mount or for combat!” The human knight wouldn’t be able to control him. Twenty-five thousand gold coins was a lot, but for a Giant Dragon, it wasn’t an insurmountable fortune. An adult dragon without around a hundred thousand gold coins wouldn’t be able to find a mate and would be ridiculed by other dragons. Wealth was an embodiment of a dragon’s strength. Rich dragons weren’t necessarily strong, but poor dragons were definitely weaklings.
Xi Wei sighed and shook his head. This Giant Dragon was still too naive, even more foolish than Connie. They said dragons were knowledgeable and wise. But the dragons he encountered were not like that at all. Xi Wei suspected that the legends about dragons might have been embellished. Perhaps those legends were written by bards who were actually dragons in disguise.
“You are mistaken,” he said, lifting a corner of the scroll. Underneath, in tiny print, were more words: [When the employee causes economic losses to the employer, the relationship between the employee and employer shall be converted to a master-servant relationship until the debt is repaid.] The print was so small, barely the size of a fingernail, that Bryant had to lean in very close to read the crookedly written words.
“So, Mr. Blue Dragon, do you understand now?” Xi Wei asked with a sinister smile. “Until you repay the twenty-five thousand gold coins, you must call me Master, and do whatever I tell you!”
Bryant, proud and unwilling to back down, wanted to retort. But the contract had already taken effect. A grand will instantly bore down on him, and he felt as though he were being watched by a pair of dazzling, divine eyes. With a resounding “boom,” under the immense divine power, Bryant knelt on the ground, filled with frustration and resentment.
