I cleared up my throat and erased these unnecessary emotions. “Anyways, please elaborate on this magic. I’m all ears…”

“Fine, you’re in luck that I know how to produce it. This magic is called ‘Contract Magic,’ and it is not your typical magic per se — it relies on runic inscription to be implemented,” Lunaria explained.

“In a nutshell, this magic taps into the source energy present within everyone’s body, no matter how minuscule. The power of the contract lies in its ability to bind individuals, with any violation resulting in a powerful backlash,” she continued, shedding some light on the underlying mechanics.

Realizing the potential of this magic caused me to smile from ear to ear. Such a limitless possibility!

“Psst, Ms. Lunaria, it looks like Maxxy is thinkin’ of using this for something devious again.”

“Ah, the self-proclaimed mastermind of cunning schemes. A deviously clever villain, indeed,” said Lunaria poetically.

“Hehe, I am indeed the mastermind of cun— Wait, no! Don’t trick me into becoming that again! Besides, I’m doing this for these people’s sake too.” I pinched my temple to curb my headache over their antics.

“Look who’s talking there,” Lunaria retorted. “Didn’t he say, ‘Imagine if there were a magic that could bind them to work for me while eliminating any possibility of rebellion…’ before?”

“Hahaha!” Tuilë couldn't contain her laughter, clutching her stomach. “Ah, no more…” She panted for a moment before continuing, “But here’s the catch: I don’t have any catalyst marrow with me… It’s not that we cannot make it here, but the materials…”

“Worry not.” I took out an elementless catalyst stone I found in the jewelry store and a source crystal and gave them to Tuilë, saying, “Are these enough?”

“Almost. We only need oil and a few other things like salt and other necessities…”

“About that…” I gestured towards the supermarket I had spotted the day before. “I think you can find everything there. Here, I’ll lend you Luna-1.”

“As usual, without even asking for my consent,” Lunaria grumbled.

I ignored her complaint and added, “I’ll stay here overseeing them. You go ahead and gather all the necessary materials.”

“Gotcha!” She gave me a thumbs-up while closing one of her eyes.

Moments later, Tuilë darted into the supermarket, accompanied by a nimble, flying spherical drone. It was a pair not often seen.

In the meantime, for safety reasons, I told Renn to tie all of the assailants with glowing vines found nearby. He appeared to be adept at doing this despite his small stature…

Thinking back, I was very fortunate to have met both Lunaria and Tuilë. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I was transmigrated to this world without an airship… and a reliable companion. My fate wouldn’t be any different than theirs, maybe even worse since I would likely not be in Aquarine.

I waited for about half an hour before Tuilë and Luna-1 returned with a shopping cart filled with miscellaneous stuff.

“Heya! Did we make you wait long?” Tuilë waved her hand at me.

“Nah. It was pretty quick even. What’s the deal?” There was no way that a supermarket that large wouldn’t be filled with mutated creatures.

“Y’see, those mutated creatures were scared before I did anything.”

“I see…” It appeared that my suspicion held true. “So, you bring all the goodies?”

“Yep. Here.” She showed the shopping cart with a straight posture.

I inspected the items in there… Other than oil that was still in a decent condition despite having passed its expiration date for who knew how long, there were also cans of meat…

“Hang on a sec, why haven’t these things spoiled yet?” Although they weren’t in tiptop condition, it was remarkable that they hadn’t deteriorated into complete trash; it would give normal people a stomachache if eaten though.

“Surprise, surprise! The super-whatever over there contains a functional small freezer that’s powered up by a set of solar panels,” Tuilë revealed with a grin, pointing at the supermarket with her right thumb.

“Well, the freezer is no longer working as it should be. But the place itself is completely airtight and filled with tons of ice that it has essentially become a natural freezer on its own,” Lunaria explained. “Unfortunately, the solar panels are beyond repair and all the important parts have rusted.”

“Oh… That’s unfortunate.” Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be amazed. The combination of a self-contained freezer and the icy environment had unintentionally created the ideal conditions for preserving the items. It was an unexpected stroke of luck.

To think that I would miss such a finding. I guessed you couldn’t judge a supermarket by how long it had been abandoned alone.

Without dilly-dallying any further, we immediately set to work on creating the contract. Of course, Tuilë took the lead in crafting the catalyst marrow, which was done rather swiftly because crushing both the catalyst stone and the source crystal into dust was easy to do with her power. Mixing the remaining ingredients was equally effortless, as we efficiently blended them together.

Once the catalyst marrow was prepared, Lunaria, our knowledgeable guide, proceeded to instruct both Tuilë and me on the intricate art of Contract Magic. She guided us through inscribing the runic inscription onto the contract. However, in the midst of our eagerness, we realized that we had forgotten to bring any paper with us, but thankfully there were some in the supermarket.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

After the final stroke of the runic inscription, I injected my source energy into it. The paper that was used as the foundation for the contract suddenly shone brightly and hovered above my hand before landing gently.

“Huh, so using source energy is possible…” Lunaria mused.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing. I say we call this ‘source contract’ as it involved the use of such. What do you say?”

We — Tuilë and I — both agreed and read the content of the contract.

The contract was as follows:

1. The other party shall obey specific tasks given by the contract holder without objection.

2. The other party shall demonstrate unwavering loyalty towards the contract holder and shall not engage in any activities that may undermine or betray their trust.

3. The other party shall refrain from any form of resistance or rebellion against the contract holder.

4. Any violation of the contract, including acts of betrayal, disobedience, or sabotage, shall result in severe consequences. These consequences may include loss of source powers, physical incapacitation, or other appropriate measures to ensure compliance and deter rebellion.

5. The contract shall incorporate source bindings or enchantments that prevent the other party from breaking or altering the terms of the agreement.

6. The other party shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding the contract's terms, existence, and any sensitive information shared by the contract holder.

7. The contract shall provide mutual benefits to both parties involved. The specifics will be determined by the contract holder.

8. The contract shall not specify the duration of the agreement, as only the contract holder may release the binding.

At first glance, this was totally a slave contract. Well, I wasn’t so heartless and still had compunction that prevented me from doing things that were too far, but it all depended on my conscience.

Finding that there was nothing more to add, we made more according to the number of Renn’s group. I had to use fifteen First-Order source crystals to make all of them… So expensive.

With chest thrust out and a high chin, I briefed the assailants about the Contract Magic. Naturally, I didn’t tell them the specifics and only told them the basics, even in regard to the violation, since only through first-hard knowledge would they learn.

They had no choice but to sign the source contracts. I heard some grumbles among them, though in the face of between life and death, it was obvious which one they would choose. Plus, to sign the source contracts, all they had to do was put their palms on the contracts and be willing to accept it and done as the physical contract would vanish.

After they all signed the source contracts, I brought up something that was kind of a loophole to this whole matter: “Umm, Lunaria, how do you erase the contract if there’s no specific duration?”

“The only way for you to do it is to infuse your source energy into them. Don’t you feel the source marks left behind inside their bodies?”

Indeed, there were subtle threads of connection between me and these people… And if I wished for it, I could sever those ties, as long as I wasn’t too far from them.

“Neat. It means they can’t get away by stealing the original contracts, eh?”

“Yes and no.” Lunaria’s voice lowered and added, “Listen, if there were a stronger source user — especially an evoker — with deep knowledge of Contract Magic or even runic inscription, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to break the contract.”

“Right… Not that they can get help for one, can they?”

“I agree, but it’s better to be cautious.”

Tuilë, who had been silent for some time, came back after going around the area and uttered, “Maxim, what should we do with this guy?” she kicked the unconscious Tier-2 source user, Haisem.

“Uhh…”

He was the only one we put into recurring faint. This poor guy had to withstand constant bashing on his head from Tuilë’s somewhat bent massive wrench. It would be a miracle if he didn’t suffer a brain concussion.

In any case, the quality of source contract depended on the grade of source crystal used. If I wanted to bind Tier 1 or lower, I only needed First-Order source crystals, and correspondingly, Tier-2 source users necessitated the use of Second-Order source crystals. And because I didn’t have one at the moment, I couldn’t do anything to him. What a dilemma.

“Well, no matter.” Shaking my head, I walked ahead. “Let’s hunt a Second-Order crustacrawler on the way.”

That said, a Second-Order source crystal was usually three times the size of its First Order counterpart, so it could be used a few times.

“Where to?”

“I’m thinking of nipping the problem in the bud.”

If what Renn said held some truthfulness to it, then for the sake of the scavengers living in the Eastern Outpost, this action had to be done. It wasn’t that I wanted the treasure that this guy had collected. Not at all… Maybe a little.

In addition, it just so happened that I had a “brilliant” plan in mind, considering that my target’s henchmen had been converted to my side.

“Um, before that though… did you two find large styrofoam boxes inside the supermarket?” Without these things, it would be hard to execute the plan.

Lunaria answered, “Hrm… Yes. What about it, Maxim?”

“Well… this gonna be fun.”

“Psst, it seems Maxxy is brewing up yet another devious plan.”

“As expected of our devious mastermind.”

“…”

***

Tarlak’s Perspective

Tarlak picked up one of the ten wasted batteries on the table, bringing it closer to his four eyes with his feathered hand. He meticulously checked the model and whether it was damaged and threw it on the scale beside him. For people living in Aquarine, batteries were precious because not only they were essential for a lot of electronic devices, but they also couldn’t produce them.

“Sell for source crystal or meat?” He looked at the scavenger before him.

“Meat, please.”

“The quality is alright, but it’s definitely going to be scrapped. The seals have been removed and I doubt that they can be recycled, so I can only give you a quarter of the value… All I can give you is one hundred grams of woodlouse meat.”

Tarlak had measured that these lithium-ion batteries were worth at least a fifth of a First-Order source crystal. After all, they were already rare on the outskirts of a ruined city where the good stuff had been cleaned up by now.

Because Aquarine didn’t have an agreed-upon currency other than source crystals, it became all the easier for him to cheat others. He would sell items for inflated prices while buying for as low as possible that it was basically daylight robbery.

“One hundred grams is not enough! These things will sell for at least five hundred grams,” The scavenger protested.

“One hundred and fifty grams. Take it or leave it.” Tarlak sneered, a mischievous glint in his eyes as his beak curved into a taunting grin.

It had been his modus operandi to involve manipulation and deception in his business. At first, when he was young and had nothing, he had to use his natural avian charm and charisma to win the trust of unsuspecting scavengers. But now, as the sole monopoly in Eastern Outpost, he didn’t have to use that stupid acting skill anymore.

The scavenger could only begrudgingly take the offer and leave the place with heavy steps. Tarlak snorted at the scavenger and continued to scam other scavengers lining up outside.

As he was about to leave the place and inspect his treasured guns when people became more sparse, a guard he hired knocked on his door.

“What is it?” he asked in a tone laced with annoyance.

“Sir, that stinky scavenger Renn is back with the groups we sent with him. He claims to have completed the task.”

“Ho?” He rose from his seat and ordered, “Bring him in.”

“Yes, sir!”

There couldn’t have been better news for him than this. Because soon, another incredibly rare gun and a trove of exotic riches would fall into his lap.