All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 151: On My Own

“Useless! You can’t even watch an old man. What are we keeping you for?” A city defense general’s face was filled with anger. Recently, there had been a constant stream of refugees bursting through the city gates, but not everyone was qualified to enter the city. More people were setting up new homes in the wilderness around the Academy Town, but the defense at the edge of the formation was not necessarily secure.

“Find him quickly and execute him on the spot as a warning to others,” the general said sternly.

“Execute on the spot? Isn’t that too harsh?” A soldier was taken aback, not expecting the general to be so ruthless.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Otherwise, how can we implement policies? If we spare this old man, next time expect others to storm the city gates. Do you think our swords are just for show? Execute immediately. This is a military order, no objections allowed,” the general said coldly.

“Yes, sir!” A squad under the general’s command immediately began searching the city. Finding an old man without cultivation and with distinct facial features shouldn’t have been difficult, but with the city now overcrowded, the search was delayed.

After entering the city, the old man asked a random passerby about the location for settling civilians.

“In the south of the city?” The old man immediately ran towards the south. He knew he would die for breaking the law but just wanted to see his grandson one last time. He had been doing business elsewhere when his daughter-in-law gave birth to a son. Upon receiving the news, he immediately rushed to Wuye City. Wuye City was not far from the Academy Town but was outside the formation’s protection area and among the first batch of cities to be relocated within the formation. The Eastern Kingdom’s policy was to relocate cities one by one, starting from the nearest. They tried to move the population towards areas protected by the formation, but only a portion of people could actually live in the cities. Those outside the formation could only fend for themselves.

The human race had multiplied over the years, but now the population had become a severe burden. The yield from the safe farmlands within the formation couldn’t support so many people. According to Thunder Lord and others’ calculations, the formation could at most protect one-third of the population. The other two-thirds would have to live outside the formation and fend for themselves.

This Nightmare attack was like a cleansing, with both cities and rural villages facing attacks from large numbers of Nightmares. The Nightmare population had exploded, becoming countless. Village destruction meant hundreds or thousands of deaths, while city destruction meant hundreds of thousands or even millions. Under the massive Nightmare army’s attack, human resistance was minimal, mainly due to being caught off guard. No one expected that the Illumination Towers, which had operated without problems for thousands of years, would one day become ineffective against Nightmares. Strictly speaking, they were ineffective against a small number of powerful Nightmares, but as the attackers, the Nightmares could initiate attacks at any time and place unpredictably. Humans couldn’t organize effective defense and could only contract their lines, surviving under the protection of ancient formations.

Zhanyue sat in a teahouse in the city, watching the chaos in the Academy Town and feeling deeply moved. The Academy Town had changed from prosperity to chaos in just a few days, with countless people facing the pain of family separation. According to the Eastern Kingdom emperor’s decree, those elderly who hadn’t awakened contract power were the first to be abandoned.

From the teahouse’s location, Zhanyue could clearly see the second Illumination Goddess statue. The Academy Town had two goddess statues, one within the academy for students to worship, and another in the city center for other civilians. However, even the Illumination Goddess, who had protected and prospered humanity for thousands of years, now had no solution.

“Catch him! He’s running towards the goddess statue!” Several soldiers finally discovered the old man. He didn’t even have time to reach the south of the city to see his newborn grandson before being discovered.

“Don’t hold back, execute on the spot!” a soldier shouted. These soldiers were all contractors, not lacking in ranged attack methods. But due to the distance, the old man luckily dodged a few times.

Hearing the words “execute on the spot,” the old man’s heart sank. He realized how serious his crime of forcibly entering the city was, and that he was to be made an example of.

The old man felt deeply wronged. He wasn’t unwilling to follow the policy, but he knew staying outside the formation meant certain death. He just wanted to see his unborn grandson and fulfill his last wish. How could it be so difficult? Although he was an ordinary person, he had accumulated considerable wealth through his intelligence in business and lived quite comfortably. Yet he had done nothing wrong, committed no crime. Why should he suffer such treatment? In the face of historical tides, any individual’s efforts seemed meaningless. Even Thunder Lord couldn’t protect everyone.

Seeing no hope of escape, the old man kept running towards the goddess statue.

At this moment, there were quite a few people around the goddess statue, kneeling and praying devoutly, hoping the goddess would show her divine power and protect their families outside the city.

“Help me stop him!” a soldier ordered those praying ahead: “This man is a wanted criminal, help me stop him!”

Someone reached out to grab the old man, but somehow the old man burst with unexpected strength and threw him off.

“Goddess, I’ve lived a virtuous life and never done anything evil. Why am I suffering such retribution? Please, Goddess, grant me justice!” Knowing he would die if caught, the old man decided to die making a statement. He suddenly rammed his head against the goddess statue, dying on the spot.

Everyone around was stunned, taking a while to react. Two soldiers finally carried away the old man’s body, to be displayed outside the city gate as a warning to others.

Zhanyue felt the other soul in his soul space tremble. He knew the Illumination Goddess couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was happening.

“Sister, do you really have no way to break this deadlock?” Zhanyue asked.

“There is a way,” the Illumination Goddess answered after some thought.

“Is it because of me?” Zhanyue asked again.

“Yes. You’ve now been exposed to the Nightmares, with even higher priority than the Holy Maiden. If I leave, your life can’t be guaranteed,” the Illumination Goddess said honestly.

“So that’s it. I’ve felt your unease these past days, seeming very conflicted. So it was because of this,” Zhanyue sighed. Although the Illumination Goddess said she wanted to live for herself in this new life and not carry too many burdens, when faced with the situation, she indeed couldn’t abandon her responsibilities.

“Although it was I who made you reincarnate, it was the strong faith of the people that maintained your soul for thousands of years. I don’t want to put you in a dilemma because of me,” Zhanyue said calmly.

The Illumination Goddess’s soul shook, “But what about you? You know that if you die, I’ll die too.”

“The Nightmare clan doesn’t know this secret. Although they see me as someone who must be killed, they’re not urgent about it. Moreover, with Thunder Lord and Sword Lord both stationed in the Academy Town now, at worst I can just stay in the town and not go out. And once I advance to the Profound Realm and refine an external incarnation, my main body can hide in the city while the incarnation ventures outside. I won’t be bored,” Zhanyue persuaded.

The Illumination Goddess revealed herself in the private room, her eyes flowing with divine light as she looked deeply at Zhanyue. If she didn’t act, human casualties would likely be astronomical. But if she did act, Zhanyue would no longer be under her protection and might only be able to hide within the Academy Town, unable to leave.

“Promise me, you won’t die,” the Illumination Goddess said seriously.

Zhanyue nodded, “I promise. You know I won’t go down without a fight.”

“Pinky swear,” the Illumination Goddess held out her little finger.

Zhanyue was stunned, not expecting the goddess to have such a childlike side. He smiled and reached out his hand, hooking his little finger with hers.

“Take care,” the Illumination Goddess said finally.

Zhanyue felt a fragrant breeze pass by and stood there dazed, a soft sensation lingering on his forehead.

Before officially leaving, the Illumination Goddess finally revealed herself to Thunder Lord. There were some things she had to explain clearly to him, especially regarding Zhanyue’s safety.

As night fell, each night was a death sentence for humanity. However, this night was destined to be extraordinary.

“Look, what’s that?” People all over the world were surprised to see a ‘bright moon’ slowly rising, illuminating all lands. At this moment, it was truly a time shared by all under heaven. Under everyone’s gaze, that moon hung high in the night sky, its light bringing peace to people’s hearts.

“The Celestial Star Wheel Illumination?” Around the world, some knowledgeable old-timers looked at the moon with shocked expressions, seemingly recognizing this technique. “It’s exactly like the records in ancient texts, the legendary ultimate skill of the Goddess. Could it be that she didn’t die?”

Zhanyue looked at the moon and realized he could no longer get a response to his inquiries. He knew that the moon was the transformed Illumination Goddess. He was now on his own.

[Translator note: And now begins a new story arc! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this novel as much as I have so far. This upcoming arc is one of my favorites I can’t wait for you to experience it!]