God of Contracts: I Buy, I Rule

5. Vengeful

Arthur's lips curled into a smile as he stared at the colorful stones before him. He wasn't a good person by any means. But for once, he wanted to do a good deed.

'If one day, I find a way to return to my original life, I can return with pride,' he thought, his mind gears running as he planned his next series of moves.

And his first move involved leaving the kingdom. He could not stay in the kingdom anymore. His family was dead, and the imperial army was looking for 'him'.

Without a spirit root, he would easily be squished like an ant.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, his eyes flashed with a killing intent. He dropped the blue stone and prepared to leave the Heavenly Pavilion.

"Heavenly Pavilion," he called, his voice glacial.

"Yes, Master?" The Heavenly Pavilion was frightened, and its voice trembled.

But Arthur did nothing to console it.

"How do I get out of here?"

The next instant, he was back in his hiding place.

Looking to his right, he pondered for a minute.

Retracing his path was out of the question. That would be him inviting his death.

The other options that remained were for the storm to calm down or to take the path on his right.

Arthur was never the one to shy away from exploring. Anyway, waiting would yield him no results.

Standing to his height, he started walking. However, the path was quite dark, and he could not make out where he was going. 

Frowning lightly for a moment, a notion sprang in his mind, and his eyes lit up.

"Heavenly Pavilion, if I want to bind something with a contract, what do I do? How do I summon it?"

"Master..." Heavenly Pavilion hesitated, and Arthur quirked a brow, wondering what had gotten it all dithering.

"To bind something with a contract, it needs to be present first."

"Oh, then I can't bind fire to me, right?"

"Umm... Master," The Heavenly Pavilion hesitated, before continuing, "Natural elements do not have a spirit root. You cannot bind a normal flame to you."

Arthur cursed under his breath. For a moment, he even felt that the Heavenly Pavilion was playing games with him.

But he soon calmed down when he realized that losing his temper would help him in no way.

"I cannot see anything. What should I do now?"

"Master, that... there is nothing I can do for you."

"Fuck you!" Arthur directly spat in anger, his hands itching to beat the Heavenly Pavilion.

Was it trying to anger him to death? 

Taking deep breaths, he tried to curb his anger and think of another way.

Glancing at the closed door behind him, he pursed his lips before he leaned against it, trying to listen for any movements.

But he heard nothing.

Except for his labored breathing, there was no other sound.

Arthur didn't even hesitate. Pushing the lever up, he opened the door and ran out, looking for something that could help him illuminate his path.

Once he was in the chamber, he heard loud noises, followed by clashing.

His eyes quivered slightly. But he didn't lose hope and noticed something shining brightly in the corner of the room.

Picking it up, he dashed towards the secret pathway that was still open and pulled the lever down.

Arthur had no idea he had missed his death in the nick of time.

Barely had the door closed when four men entered the chambers, their hands coated with blood.

Arthur panted. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes.

"He is not here," he heard someone say from the other side, and a rare feeling of panic and relief filled him.

"But I can sense someone here," another man said, and Arthur's heartbeat spiked.

His legs got moving even before he could think.

Arthur stared at the white luminous pearl that almost blinded his eyes. He now didn't have to worry about not seeing where he was going.

The tunnel was long, and it seemed to stretch on forever. But Arthur didn't stop even once, his fear of getting captured giving him more power and strength.

Arthur wasn't a scaredy cat by any means. He had already died once; he didn't mind facing death again.

However, he had made up his mind to seek vengeance on behalf of Jin Yuchen, and he didn't intend to abort the mission without even trying.

Arthur had no idea how long he had been walking. His legs were killing him, and he was close to giving up.

He was also famished and thirsty, and all he wanted was to find a place to relax and eat to his fill.

"Heavenly Pavilion, can you tell me how long this tunnel is?" Arthur asked, gasping for air.

"Master, please forgive me. I do not know."

"You...." Arthur was vexed. "Then, what do you know. What is the use of having you if you cannot even help me in my times of need?"

"Master..." The Heavenly Pavilion was close to crying, and Arthur almost rolled his eyes in dismay.

"Don't act pitiful before me. It won't work."

Arthur didn't speak to it for some time, and the Heavenly Pavilion also didn't dare provoke him.

But as time passed, Arthur was bored of being by himself. So, he decided to talk to the only thing accompanying him.

"So, you are practically useless to me?" he asked, and the Heavenly Pavilion knew at once that he was speaking to it.

"No, no, Master. I am not."

"Oh, do enlighten me on how you are useful to me."

The path was long and endless. Thankfully, it was straight and didn't have multiple routes to choose from. Otherwise, Arthur would have lost his mind for sure.

"Master, I keep track of all your contracts and spirit stones. You can store anything you want in me, for now."

"What do you mean by for now?" Arthur asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Master, my abilities are limited as I have yet to develop and gain power. Once I gain power, my abilities will expand."

"And how will you gain power?"

"When you bind things, Master. The more you bind, the more my abilities will expand."

"At least, you are still useful," Arthur said, not hiding his admiration.

"But Master, you should be careful," the Heavenly Pavilion cautioned.

"Careful? Why?"

"You will have to choose only those things that will be beneficial to you. If you bind something that has a corrupted spirit root or is cursed, then you and I both will be harmed."

Arthur nodded, making a note to be vigilant.

Just then, the path became smaller, and he finally saw the end of the tunnel.