Chapter 7: The Magic Contractor, The Price!

The Space-Time Abyssal Realm is known to everyone on Blue Star.

The demons, detested by all, originated from this realm. In the history of the spiritual energy resurgence, the Space-Time Abyssal Realm appeared even earlier than the Divine Heavenly Gate. It had simply remained shrouded in thick, pitch-black demonic mist, hidden within the notorious Demon-Swaying Domain, unseen by the rest of the world.

Ren Jie suddenly perked up. "Demon Contractors? How have I never heard of them?"

Nuoyan chuckled. "Of course you haven't. Demon Contractors are not the kind of information someone like a small fry like you would come across."

"Just as you said, the Space-Time Abyssal Realm, much like the Divine Heavenly Gate, selects certain individuals and transforms them into Demon Contractors!"

"Those chosen enter into a pact with a demon and possess demonic genes. They are incredibly powerful and possess the ability to 'demonize'! Unfortunately, this pact becomes the greatest nightmare of a contractor's life, following them to the grave..."

"So, all Demon Contractors are just miserable lunatics!"

Ren Jie was stunned. "Why do you say that?"

*Lunatics?*

*I don't want to turn into a lunatic!*

Based on Nuoyan's description, he was effectively confirmed as a Demon Contractor. Because of the Tree of Demons, he had entered into a pact with the Flame Demon without even realizing it, gaining the ability to demonize.

*Could there be some side effects?*

Nuoyan continued, "In a sense, Demon Contractors and God-Chosen are two polar opposites. However, compared to the God-Chosen, Demon Contractors have it much worse."

"As I mentioned before, the God-Chosen must maintain enough faith in their gods daily to avoid being consumed by divine fire, essentially offering their power of faith to their deities."

"Demon Contractors, on the other hand, must feed their demonic spirits with the power of their own emotions. If they fail to provide it, their will is devoured by the demonic spirit, and they become 'Fallen Demons'—turning into true monsters."

Ren Jie shivered.

*Damn! The risks are that high?*

"Neither being a God-Chosen nor a Demon Contractor is easy, is it?"

Nuoyan said indifferently, "Possessing power... always comes with a price."

"The power of emotion produced by a Demon Contractor comes from 'Demon Sins'! Once a pact is formed, the contractor is influenced by a specific Demon Sin for life, continuously generating emotional energy to feed the spirit."

"You've heard of the Demon Sins, right? Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Lust, Wrath, Fear, Sadness, Inferiority, and so on..."

"This is why a Demon Contractor's personality becomes eccentric and erratic. The influence of these sins reaches its peak during demonization."

Ren Jie stared in shock. *Good heavens, it's that terrifying?*

In that case, wasn't a Demon Contractor's willpower just like livestock raised by a demonic spirit, forced to produce emotional energy constantly or be eaten if they failed to deliver?

Yet, he felt puzzled. He didn't seem to be influenced by any Demon Sin, and he didn't feel like a lunatic when he demonized. What was going on?

Ren Jie suddenly froze, looking at the entire laboratory filled with sacred scripture texts.

(๑ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) "Sister Nuoyan~ Could it be that you are burdened by the Sin of Lust?"

Nuoyan shook her head, looking perfectly natural.

(,,Ծ 3 Ծ,,) "Pfft! How could that be? It's just a simple personal hobby of mine~"

Ren Jie: ...

*I don't believe you for a second!*

"So, using the ability of demonization also comes at a price, right?"

Nuoyan shrugged. "Of course. But unlike the fixed, physical costs the God-Chosen pay for 'divine transformation,' the costs for Demon Contractors are bizarre and varied."

"The price might be folding ten paper cranes, stealing a hundred pairs of women's underwear, smoking 200 cigarettes, or pulling out your own fingernails. It varies from person to person. According to research, the price paid seems to be related to one's personal life experiences..."

"All Demon Contractors hide their price; they never let anyone else know. Because if someone found out and prevented them from paying it..."

Ren Jie swallowed hard. "What would happen?"

Nuoyan’s eyes turned teasing.

(◦ಡ▿ಡ) "Little guy~ You seem very interested in Demon Contractors~"

"Could you be one? Which demon did you contract? What is your demonization price? How big was it when you woke up this morning?"

Ren Jie: ???

*There seems to be an odd question mixed in there?*

"You're overthinking it. How could I be a Demon Contractor? Do I look like someone influenced by a Demon Sin?"

Nuoyan just smiled, clicking her tongue as she looked at Ren Jie...

"What if the price isn't paid? Do you know about 'Demonic Mark Disease'?"

Ren Jie frowned. Of course he knew. Tao Yaoyao suffered from it.

Nuoyan said softly, "It seems you do. If the price isn't paid after demonization, demonic marks will grow on the contractor's body. It is an extremely painful condition."

"When it flares up, the marks cause excruciating pain, as if bones are being scraped and flesh carved away. When the marks cover the entire body, that is the moment of death..."

Ren Jie looked up at the shadowless lamp on the operating table, his eyes dazed...

"Sister Nuoyan... you're an expert, you know more. Is there really no cure for Demonic Mark Disease?"

Nuoyan shook her head. "At least with the current medical standards of the Great Xia, there is no root cure. It can only be suppressed to a certain degree. Once you have it, it's a terminal illness that takes lives..."

"But don't worry, as long as you pay the price obediently, the disease won't..."

"Is there really no way?"

In that moment, Ren Jie became stubborn, his eyes filled with desperate longing as he looked at Nuoyan.

Nuoyan frowned. "Does someone in your family have it?"

"My sister... she's in the third stage..."

Nuoyan fell into a rare silence...

"Perhaps there is... but no one has found the method yet. If there is a cure, the answer must lie within the Demon-Swaying Domain..."

Ren Jie clenched his fists tightly.

*A way... I will find it.*

To ensure Yaoyao doesn't suffer anymore, he would find it, no matter how difficult.

Nuoyan looked at Ren Jie, her eyes dimming...

It reminded her of her former self. Once upon a time, she too had been like him, firmly believing she would find a cure...

But all she received were countless shattered hopes. It had even ruined her life, everything...

But giving someone hope, perhaps, wasn't a bad thing.

"Ah!"

Ren Jie’s eyes widened as he let out a sharp cry, his face turning pale from the pain.

Nuoyan smirked. "Linking the nerve plexus is very painful, just bear with it!"

"Get up and try it out. From today on, you won't be a one-armed man, but an evolved, fully-functioning two-armed person!"

Ren Jie was sweating from the pain. *Why do I feel like you're insulting me?*

Ren Jie looked down at his mechanical arm.

At the shoulder, the machinery and flesh were perfectly integrated; the metal expanded to cover half his chest, forming a mounting slot that connected the mechanical limb to his body.

The entire arm was black and gold, engraved with intricate golden patterns, radiating an unparalleled mechanical beauty!

With a slight control, the bio-muscle fiber bundles contracted. His left hand slowly clenched, emitting a creaking sound. A slight punch in the air even created a sonic boom.

Even more magically, because the nerve plexus was linked, the mechanical arm provided tactile feedback. It was as responsive as his own limb...

It just felt a bit heavy on the left side.

"I've finished what Little Li asked of me. The new arm has many functions, and I've already set them up. Take it home and study it slowly."

"Don't disturb my studies anymore. Add me as a friend; if you break it, contact me, and I'll fix it."

"Don't forget the ten steps!"

After adding her as a friend, Nuoyan began to shoo him out.

Ren Jie was practically pushed out of the laboratory.

"Hey, hey, hey! Doesn't this thing have a camouflage function? Am I just supposed to go home like this?"

Although the mechanical arm was incredibly cool, if Aunt An Ning saw it when he got home, she would definitely be angry. She hadn't even wanted him to go to the Department of Radiance in the first place.

"Rotate the wrist to the left three times!"

"Bang!"

The laboratory door slammed shut. Ren Jie tried doing exactly as Nuoyan said.

Sure enough, the muscle fiber bundles on the mechanical arm began to shift, mimicking skin like flipping scales!

In the blink of an eye, it looked identical to a human arm, even though the structure underneath remained mechanical.

Ren Jie: Ruthless Iron Hand +1.

Awesome arm!