Bab 28: Contract
"Why don't you tell us your choice then?" asks the voice beyond the light.
"[Nia already said she will stay with brother.]" The little phoenix girl spirit hugs me again.
"Bah! You're making a mistake." The gruff voice from beyond the light trails off. Its direction unclear in this empty white space.
Nia steps back and folds her arms in front of her chest. Her chin tilts up as she gazes into the air defiantly.
"Fine then. Let's move on… Ehem."
The disembodied voice deepens taking a serious tone. "Kid, you have earned the right to inherit the Effervescent Mountain's school of alchemy."
"Effervescent Mountain?" I scratch my head in puzzlement.
"Indeed, the Effervescent Mountain disciples met with a catastrophe a few thousand years ago leaving only a solitary member. I've had a contract with them since their founding, and —long story short— Since your predecessor was too preoccupied to revive the school or take a disciple, he tasked me with finding a disciple according to his parameters…That is you. Here. Sign your name on this contract."
I step back as the ground beneath my feet trembles. The rising floor becomes a stone lectern. It warps and tilts. The top cracks down the middle and the two halves slide apart revealing a thick piece of parchment beneath. Fanciful black scrawling letters cover the yellowed parchment titled, "Effervescent Mountain Disciple Contract."
Half an incense stick of time passes as I read it. My hand brushes my chin.
Hmm... The contract affirms my status as a disciple of the Effervescent Mountain and has a list of requirements.
"Why should I sign this? I already have high attainments in the field of alchemy. The contract will only restrict me. Especially these clauses requiring me to aid the Effervescent Mountain in times of emergency. Also, these clauses restrict who I can teach alchemy to and what I can sell…"
"Well, the Effervescent Mountain is currently only you. Do you really have a problem aiding yourself? As for what you will gain… Let me be frank, in my eyes you have no attainments in the field of alchemy. The alchemy from the continent of Auster is a mere shadow of true alchemy."
Hmm, the proposition of alchemy beyond the scope of Auster intrigues me, but this could all be empty words. Besides, I came here for material gains, not knowledge.
"How can I know the scale of Effervescent Mountain's alchemical attainments? Do you have any samples or examples as proof? Are all the gains of discipleship theoretical knowledge? Are there any concrete material gains?"
"Not only are you so rash that you did not wear your underwear before arriving. You also took a storage ring without investigating its contents. Is someone so lacking in common sense and so greedy suitable to inherit a supreme school of alchemy like the Effervescent Mountain?"
Gritting my teeth, I send Qi and my will into the storage ring. In the dark space, a polished obsidian box floats. When I first checked the ring, I missed it because it blended in with the darkness.
Pop! The box expands into the air above my outstretched hands and I catch it. My arms sag from the unexpected weight of the box.
I carefully lift the lid. Various little compartments seal pills and materials in crystalline containers. My hand slides a transparent cube out of its slot. As it rises from the compartment a brilliant marble of fire appears inside.
Nia leans in to watch and gasps. ["Oh pretty! …Oh wow… It's getting brighter… Ah, too bright! Too bright!"]
My free hand shields my eyes as the marble inside becomes as bright as the sun, but it's not hot in my hand. I send my fiery Qi inside the crystal cube to investigate. My senses detect a vast expanse proving the unparalleled quality of this containment crystal. My senses approach the sun-like pill.
Buzz! The pill's energy incinerates my fiery Qi on contact, but there are no physical components. It's composed of pure solar energy. My knowledge cannot explain how to make this or how to use it in alchemy.
The cube appears valuable, but can I use it?
Hey Void-Soul Spirit-Housing, can I use this as a cultivation base?
[Absolutely not! The raging energies would incinerate the host.]
My hand slams the cube back into the case, and it stops producing light.
Next, I pull out a corked bottle holding a black metallic sphere. At first, I thought it was floating in liquid, but there are no indications of liquid inside.
Tink! My finger flicks the transparent bottle —an attempt to reveal bubbles. Instead, the metallic surface of the sphere ripples. It grows spikes that rhythmically retract and fluctuate. A faint, cold and sinister aura leaks out.
Nia takes a few steps back. ["Scary!"]
Sending my Qi inside something unstable like this could be dangerous so I ask instead, "What is this thing?"
"That's a Metal Terminus Doppelganger Pill. Since your knowledge of alchemy is so weak, I'll take the liberty of explaining it to you. Upon contact with blood, it creates a liquid metal copy of that organism. The copy will mimic their movements and techniques with extreme efficiency. Often, it is stronger than the original. Some groups test their members by forcing them to defeat the resulting body. It forces them to improve on the spot."
Housing, can I use this as a cultivation base?
[No, its current form has no spirit.]
What if it copies something with a spirit?
[Unknown.]
I'll plan the target for this pill with care. If done right, it could become a strong spirit-root.
I place the undulating Metal Terminus Doppelganger Pill back into the box. It stops moving after a moment inside.
Hmm, even this box is a supreme treasure. According to my knowledge, the ghost isn't bluffing.
I investigate a few breaths more, but nothing in the box resembles a living spirit herb.
"Okay, old ghost. I'm convinced by these pills, but where are the spirit herbs for producing them and practice?"
"Ha-ha! Ignorant kid! You don't seem to learn. I'm not a ghost. Also, you need to learn that alchemical products are made from more than just spirit herbs."
"Huh?" He did say something similar earlier, but it contradicted my years of experience, so I overlooked it.
"I thought you might have grasped it in the earlier test. Alchemical materials—spirit herbs included— can be produced from natural materials and, yes, even the void itself."
"Eh?"
"You are so focused on materials. You do not realize the knowledge you're shunning includes how to make your own materials. You prefer a single fish over learning how to catch fish. Truly foolish."
"Where do I sign?"
"Ha-ha! That's the spirit!"
I reread the entire contract, wary of the details. I lack the confidence to break the clauses because the unfathomable ghost is behind it. Indeed, there's mention of an unbreakable oath entering my soul…
After reading a suspicious line I squint. "Who is this designated arbitrator of quality and representative of sales in foreign markets?"
"Me, of course," says the voice in the sky.
"Figures… so, your name is Tenjin Rim?" Perhaps the worst restriction will be interacting with this ghost in the future.
"That's Your Imperial Majesty Tenjin Rim to you."
"You're an Emperor?" I raise an eyebrow because it's hard to imagine this old ghost ruling citizens.
"I have a vast business empire."
"…" I shake my head internally and roll my eyes as the provided pen finishes the final signatures. At completion, my soul stirs and a phoenix shaped seal appears embedded into the paper after my name. It moves and burns inside the page, yet the parchment is unaffected.
The unfathomable level of the contract is frightening. It's difficult to even consider leaking the teachings to an outsider after signing it.
"And for you…" A lectern rises from the ground revealing a new contract in front of Nia.
"No, you don't!" He can't take Nia away through an underhanded trick! I rush forward to place myself between Nia and the contract.
"Hold your horses! It's not your turn to sign yet. Don't worry I'm a trustworthy guy."
As he begins to speak the ground I run on stretches. Despite my struggle, I grow no closer to Nia. "Nia don't sign it! Let me read it first! What if he tries to take you away against your will?"
"For cases like this where the signee cannot read the contract, I will verbally explain. Nia I hereby swear that signing this contract will only have the following effects: You will be unable to reveal the knowledge you witness from the Effervescent Mountain disciple's training to any outside of the said organization. It will also make you a member of Effervescent Mountain upon approval by your dear brother Reinhold."
["Oh, that's easy. I want to be a member like my brother. I agree!"]
A speck of light flies from Nia's phoenix-girl spiritual body into the contract. The ground suddenly stops stretching and my stomach crashes into the corner of the lectern.
Thunk! "Gah! Uhaah..." My body slumps to the ground holding my stomach. It's hard to breathe with the wind knocked out of me.
Huff! Wheeze! Huff!
"So incredibly eager. A pity the contract can't be signed while doubled over on the ground."
After half an incense worth of time, I recover myself and read through the contract. Thankfully, the evil voice in the sky didn't play any tricks this time. The contract is as he described. But…
"Nia already signed this. Why do I need to sign this as well?" I'd rather limit the contracts restricting my soul.
"If you don't she will have to stay with me… I'm contractually obligated to prevent the secrets of your school from leaking."
Sigh. "Fine!"
I sign the contract.
"Ha-ha! Now you can't harm Nia and must aid her in emergencies. I sense your lack of kind intentions. You only see her as an item, but now you'll have to recognize her as a person."
"… that's not true…" Did I see Nia as an item? Actually, he might be right… I can't sell her? Ugg, he tricked me but... Oh well, I didn't have a concrete plan to sell her anyway. At least, I'll keep my conscience clear.
["That's right brother isn't that type of person"]
My heart warms from Nia's blind trust in me.
"Alright, I've wasted enough time on you. Get out, you grinning fool!
A familiar force strikes me, and I am now holding Nia's Jade phoenix statue in the plush, doorless room.
"Hmm…"
Nia appears beside me. "[Ooh, I like it here. What's this? It's so fluffy!]" She runs her hands against the upholstery.
The wardrobe is gone. There's no penguin statue…
"[Why, hello there, grandpa! Who are you?]"
I turn to find Nia patting the crooked back of a slightly transparent bald and bearded old man in a green robe.
The spirit strokes his beard green eyes focused on me. "I am a projection of Ri Tu the last Alchemist of the Effervescent Mountain and your mentor. Hurry along I haven't much time." His spirit vanishes.
["Wah? Where did the grandpa go?"]
"Customer!" a squeaky voice exclaims.
"Gah!" Again, the penguin statue appears behind me. It stands on the couch this time.
"Please pat my head to continue."
["Oh! Hello, Mr. bird! Of course, we'll pat your head! My brother is an extraordinarily talented patter."]
"Perverted customer! Please hurry. Don't make this more awkward for me than it already is."
Sigh! My finger reluctantly taps the penguin's rocky head.
Pop! The force brings me to the same floating test area where I almost starved to death before.
...
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
NitrogenousBeing
NitrogenousBeing Thank you to dayreader for the powerstone. It encouraged me to stay up and try editing with my phone on the plane so it could be ready today. Planes really dry out my eyes.
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