Chapter 436: Gods (VIII) Contract

The group cautiously entered the inn. A young man with a full beard came out from behind the counter and gestured while speaking in poor Mandarin, “Sirs, there is one empty room left, a large bed room, enough to sleep.”

It was absurd to suggest that four people could sleep on one large bed; this person would say anything to earn more money. But for the players who had struggled for so long on the snowy mountains, having a normal place to stay was already a blessing.

Moreover, this man appeared completely unrelated to the innkeeper named Sang Ji in the Final Dungeon, which undoubtedly reassured everyone. The suspicion that had just arisen dissipated slightly, and the players once again truly felt the reality of having left the Eerie Game.

Shuomeng smiled broadly, cupped his fists, and asked, “Brother, do you support facial recognition payment here? My friends and I ran into some trouble on the snowy mountains and lost most of our gear, so we don’t have phones or IDs. Will that be a problem?”

The young man waved his hands repeatedly, “No problem, no problem, it’s fine, it’s fine!”

No one expected this out-of-the-way inn to actually have high-tech facial recognition payment. It was truly a case of “a sudden turn for the better.”

Jiang Junjue happily scanned his face. Before Si Qi and Jin Yusheng could step forward, he waved his hand grandly, “It’s just one room. Let’s skip the split bill. I, representing the Tingfeng Guild, invite the Vice Guild Leader of the Unnamed Guild to stay. If anything happens in the future, remember my generosity.”

Since someone was willing to be the patsy, Si Qi was naturally happy to accept. Just like that, the four of them booked the last room in the inn. Shuomeng then bought some instant food and clean clothes from the man, also paying readily.

The man had an honest look. Seeing how generous the group was, his smile grew even brighter and more enthusiastic. He quickly packed the items Shuomeng requested and pulled a blank piece of paper from a drawer, handing it over: “Four sirs, please sign here. Federal regulation.”

Under the high-pressure management of the Federation, being without an ID was extremely difficult; especially recently, with the arrival of the Final Dungeon, the situation around the world had become increasingly tense, and suspicious individuals unable to prove their identity were routinely sent to prison. The fact that they only needed a signature to stay here was incredibly lax.

The four signed the white paper in turn. Si Qi was the last to sign, writing the characters “Qi Si.” Presumably, no one but himself would find this problematic.

Shuomeng bought a pack of cigarettes and followed Jiang Junjue upstairs. Seeing that Si Qi had no intention of leaving, Jin Yusheng shamelessly stayed beside him to keep watch.

Si Qi didn’t mind. He smiled and started chatting with the man, “Brother, have you always managed this inn? I see it’s just you here, not even a helper.”

The man wasn’t talkative, but he couldn’t ignore a guest. He scratched his head and said with a bitter smile, “For the past few years, my father was with me. Later, my father died.”

Si Qi raised an eyebrow: “Your father?”

The man hummed and said, “His name was Sang Ji. He was a very kind person…”

Sang Ji. The old man running the inn in the dungeon was named Sang Ji. It was absolutely impossible for this to be a coincidence of having the same name.

Was the Final Dungeon established based on reality, thus utilizing some real-life people, buildings, and objects? Or, because the world was about to undergo a restart, had the Eerie Game and reality merged to some extent? Or perhaps… the players hadn’t left the Final Dungeon at all?

Since descending from the snowy mountains until now, beneath the facade of peace and tranquility, every corner felt strange.

The most direct point was that Si Qi and Fu Jue had sacrificed so many people on the snowy mountains and controlled many eerie entities to cause chaos in reality. The outside world should have been in utter turmoil. Why did the travelers in Shangri-La Town look so peaceful and joyful?

Even if this place was isolated, they should have at least seen the news; moreover, even before the Final Dungeon began, the Balance Church had already launched wars in various places, causing widespread panic… The sights and sounds in Shangri-La Town right now were too beautiful and dreamy, like a children’s drawing scroll artificially created, or a sweet, comforting dream upon the verge of death—illusory and unreal.

Si Qi pretended to be completely unaware, turning back to Jin Yusheng with a smile and saying, “The Eerie Game is truly perfunctory. Not only does it use local materials for cattle and sheep herds, but it doesn’t even spare the dead.”

Jin Yusheng chuckled, “Now that you mention it, that’s true. But the theme of the Final Dungeon is death and reincarnation, and Shangri-La Town is a real place, so using the dead seems quite reasonable.”

After the Eerie Game closed, the effects of information shielding and cognitive distortion also vanished. The young man heard the words “Guild” and “Eerie Game” mentioned by the players during their conversation, without missing a single word.

He looked around at the two, utterly confused, and asked, “What do you mean? Did you see my father?”

Si Qi glanced at him, his expression a half-smile, “Why would you think we could see your father?”

That was right. The two had never explicitly mentioned meeting Sang Ji in the Final Dungeon during their conversation. Asking this question could only mean he was assuming things beforehand.

The man stared blankly at Si Qi, his gaze showing a hint of struggle. A moment later, as if having made a decision, he stammered, “My father is buried in the snowy mountains. Three nights ago, I saw him crawl out…”

Three days ago, that was roughly when the Final Dungeon started. The connection between the dungeon and reality was further deepened here, as if an invisible door stood across the area; pushing it open would transport one to another world filled with ghosts and monsters.

Players had encountered situations where events from a dungeon were reproduced in reality, but Eerie Invasions were rare and usually reported to and intervened by the Eerie Investigation Bureau as regional eerie incidents. This was the first documented case of such an event naturally integrating into the lives of ordinary people as a supernatural occurrence.

It was conceivable that the snowy mountain region, as the highest point in the world and the mythical origin of humanity in various civilizations, indeed held its own oddities. The boundary between the eerie and reality was not distinct here; instead, it was blurred by some unseen force, forming a balance where humans and ghosts coexisted.

“Is that so? I understand…” Si Qi tapped his chin with his index finger, as if he suddenly thought of something. He frowned and pointed to the paper with the four names on the table, “Right, I suddenly remember hearing people say that you shouldn’t sign a blank piece of paper, because someone might add new clauses in the empty space.”

He looked into the young man’s eyes, full of suspicion, “I’m not saying I don’t trust you, but you run an inn. You couldn’t possibly not know this. Why did you specifically use a blank piece of paper for us to sign?”

The young man froze, genuinely surprised by Si Qi’s sudden challenge. His inn was remote and rarely visited. Since four generous guests had finally arrived, he just wanted them to check in quickly and casually grabbed a piece of paper to go through the motions.

His Mandarin was already poor, and now in his panic, he opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Just as it looked like he wouldn’t be able to explain himself, the young man in the white shirt shook his head remorsefully, “I’m sorry, I’m just being too paranoid. You know, after encountering what we did on the snowy mountains, I can’t help but be nervous about everything.”

The young man paused for two seconds, a look of conflict on his face. After a while, he calmed down and looked back at the man with a genuine smile: “How about this? You sign this paper too. That way, we can all feel more at ease.”

This was indeed the easiest way to prove innocence. The young man nodded, picked up a ballpoint pen, and quickly wrote a line of Tibetan script on the paper, thoughtfully adding poorly written Chinese characters next to it.

He introduced himself, “My name is Ciren Donzhu. They call me Donzhu.”

Si Qi watched the man finish signing his name with a beaming smile, the curve of his lips deepening. He suddenly took a step closer, pulled a razor blade from the specialized bracelet on his wrist, and sliced his own finger.

A drop of crystal-clear blood fell onto the pristine white paper. As if alive, it flowed in all directions, sweeping across the entire sheet like fire in just a few seconds, coating the ordinary object with an eerie aura.

The sound of cracking glass echoed in the deep void, as if a barrier had shattered. On the crimson-stained paper, the originally black script glowed with dazzling gold, and the divine power of a god erupted through this catalyst.

Instantly, golden vine phantoms filled the entire space, waving wildly like the tentacles of a deep-sea leviathan.

【Soul Contract Signed. This contract is guaranteed by the rules of the world. No existence may violate it.】

Si Qi smiled brightly, waving his hand to collect the contract scroll into his sleeve.

Deep within the dark Hall of Thought, the withered crimson vines regained vitality. Four newly formed leaves hung brightly, belonging respectively to Jin Yusheng, Shuomeng, Jiang Junjue, and Ciren Donzhu.

“Since this place is closely linked to the Eerie Game, that makes things convenient. I suppose divine blood can still play some role, at least in converting certain things into vectors for skill activation.”

Si Qi chuckled softly, issuing the first command to the newly acquired souls: “From now on, worship me as you would worship a god.”