Chapter 49: A Boosting Contract? -2

A rumbling commotion erupted in the forest; in the distance, a dinosaur-like beast chased several giant bulls charging into the distance.
Mori stared, stunned for a moment.
“Thanks. I’m mostly a lone wolf, so there’s still a lot of relevant info I haven’t picked up yet,” Yang Zicang said, brushing off insects that had jumped onto him. “How do I get to that Hubtown of yours?”
“Then you’re really something, aren’t you?”
Mori, now wearing only a well-fitting black-blue thin shirt, shook his head and said:
“Once you stabilize a full-moon level crossroads, some interdimensional spaces open up new exits that might show up at the far end of the city—you know that, right?”
“Some B-class interdimensional spaces have two entrances and exits,” Yang Zicang nodded.
“Similarly, after stabilizing a Scarlett-level interleaved land, a new exit will appear. However, that exit leads to a small town.”
“A small town?”
“Yeah, the town has living areas for people to relax and enjoy themselves, and it’s very cheap. Many people have settled their few remaining family members there. The place is very safe, and people from different cities can share experiences and trade items in the town.”
“Scarlett-level… A-level? I see!”
Mori carefully observed the man’s surprised reaction. Though he was holding a weapon, he exuded a calm and relaxed aura, as if he had become one with the mountain forest.
Thinking that this man had obtained a Mail Emblem all by himself, he must have a powerful model.
Mori’s heart stirred, wondering if this guy’s model was a quadrilateral.
Yang Zicang looked up and asked his second question: “What ability did you use to make a wish to the statue?”
“It was a Wish Talisman. I bought it, and I don’t know how it’s obtained.”
Yang Zicang glanced at the dozens of cyan spheres beside the man and the seven books on the bed.
“What about these books?”
“Secret arts!” Mori suddenly lit up. “They are magical martial arts from this world, but unfortunately, you can’t learn them just by flipping through them.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“No, friend!” Mori said loudly. “This time, I’ve come specifically to be able to learn them just by touching them!”
“What!” Yang Zicang’s eyes flickered. “You have such an ability?”
“No, not me. It’s them.”
Moly picked up a small sphere from the bed and tossed it over. As YangZicang caught it, the abilities contained within the spheres surfaced in his mind.
[Substitute Training Contract.]
“？？？”
“These are my friend’s Ability Spheres!”
Before he could react, Moly walked over and shoved two more books into his hands.
“I just gathered these Secret Techniques, but time was too short—otherwise, I could’ve found better ones. It’s a shame we missed this chance; you actually entered a state of temporal expansion. Ah, if only we were in the same city.”
YangZicang picked up the Secret Technique manual and flipped through it. The effects described were abilities like summoning flames, frost, and snow.
“Too powerful.”
“These books hold mysterious power. Only by reading them can you learn the techniques without errors. If you try to rewrite one—even copying it exactly—you can no longer guarantee absolute safety.”
YangZicang silently browsed through them before walking to the bed that had abruptly appeared in the forest. He picked up other books on it and read them. These Secret Techniques were like normal martial arts manuals: after learning them, one could enhance physical strength, power, and flexibility, along with… mysterious power!
So, there were indeed other ways to grow stronger in this world.
“Impressive—where did you get so many?”
“There’s a chance to find them in the Crimson-moon-level Intersection Zones.”
“So you plan to enter there to learn these skills? Not a bad idea—it’s a good method…”
“These Secret Techniques can’t even be fully grasped in one or two years, much less mastered. That would take at least a decade, or even decades of grueling training.”
YangZicang looked back at the spheres on the bed.
“So…”
Standing by the bedside, he put down the book, picked up an Ability Sphere, and tossed it from hand to hand. Then, the circle on his chest appeared, and quadrilateral lines flickered into being.
Mori’s throat tightened—it really was a quadrilateral.
[I spent 1R to obtain more information on “Ability Sphere.”]
The first time he got this sphere, the model didn’t indicate its name. But ever since he called it an Ability Sphere, the model himself now referred to it that way in the mind scape as well.
The model’s names for all things in the world are also based on human cognition.
A stream of information appeared in his mind.
[Contract Clause for Proxy Training: Once the contract signatory completes skill training or passes away, Party A shall, in accordance with the agreement, strip away the proxy training experience associated with the skills signed by Party B during their lifetime.]
[Once the contract is severed, Party B will lose the ability to utilize this specified experience.]
[This proxy training experience contract can perfectly integrate into any recipient’s mind, allowing them to inherit and wield the skill experience and achievements originally trained by the contract signatory.]
[Affected by the Heart’s Wish Talisman, I can take the contract book away when leaving the Mental World.]
Mori, looking at Yang Zicang’s expression, said:
“My friend here has an amazing set of skills, but unfortunately, they have little practical application in the real world.”
No wonder even that mysterious voice claimed I was the ideal candidate for the wishes it harbored—these secret arts indeed realize their greatest value here.
Yang Zicang watched with boundless envy.
“It’s truly a skill set perfectly suited for this place. As long as someone in this dreamland learns these secret techniques and you strip them away, you can acquire these abilities. Mr. Morley, you’re truly fortunate to have met me.”
It probably goes without saying that the true biggest beneficiary of the Complete Stamp Emblem is the owner of this power-contract ability; even a fool could tell that the guy would have no chance to fully utilize his skill in the real world.
Yang Zicang looked at Morley, his eyes ablaze with fervor: “So, my friend, how much compensation are you planning to pay me?”
This was a rare opportunity to obtain skill books.
“Of course, I’ll give you the secret techniques you need most! I have so many Ability Spheres here… But…”
Morley glanced around. Having also obtained an Incomplete Stamp Emblem, he was always on alert for potential dangers that might suddenly emerge, but so far, nothing had happened.
Perhaps the dreamworld of the Complete Stamp Emblem was different.
“I’d like to understand the situation here first. To be honest, I’ve only heard of the world within the Complete Stamp Emblem; I know very little about it.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
About ten days later, standing together by the riverbank staring at a tribe on the opposite side, Morley scratched his head.
“These civilized tribes, and even the towns we encountered earlier, all speak Chinese!” Morley was completely awestruck. “Did you start educating them from the Stone Age and help them develop like this?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Oh, my god!! What are you trying to achieve here, creating a civilization that worships you?”
“Not a bad summary.”
Upon hearing this response, Morley stood completely stunned.
YangZicang crouched down, scooping up some clear water from the river.
“So, if I’m willing, your wish can come true soon. It would just take a few decades—are you willing to stay here for that long?”
Moir swallowed hard, his throat tightening.
“This is insane, Mr. Zicang. Forget decades, I’ve almost gone crazy just these few days. But you… you’ve stayed here for thousands of years!”
When he first saw a relatively primitive tribe, Moir felt a bit disappointed, but now… he only found it terrifying. The man beside him, alone… was nurturing a civilization on this continent.
“Mr. Zicang, I think if you refuse, with your authority, I probably can’t achieve anything. How about this: although those Ability Spheres were just a spur-of-the-moment idea for me, for my friend, this might be one of the few opportunities in his life to actually use them.”
He continued, “I want to leave more for him, so how about I give you one-third of the Skill Spheres?”
“No need. Just give me ten.”
Moir opened his mouth, a wave of emotion washing over him. “I understand now why you’re not a dictator here.”
“You’re not even a ruler. You’re just someone drifting beyond the world. Mr. Zicang, you’re truly a kind-hearted person.”
YangZicang beamed with a smile, waiting for the compliments to end before saying:
“What I mean is, we can still collaborate next time. You know what I mean? That’s not dozens, not even hundreds.”
“You, you you, you…”
Moir’s hand trembled as he raised it, taking a steadying breath before saying.
“My esteemed friend, when shall we begin?”
He looked at Yang Zicang expectantly.
“Anytime, but before that, I want to confirm one more thing.”
“What is it?”
As long as Yang Zicang was willing to cooperate, the world’s strongest warriors could come to practice these skills at any time.
Mori already knew that this world could fast-forward to the future, and if all went smoothly, within a few hours he would have at least seventy scrolls of secret skill contracts that could be instantly learned.
He was already looking forward to seeing how shocked Bopoli would be when he saw how many books he had brought for him.
“Mr. Mori, I recall you mentioned a couple of days ago that you entered this world while exchanging foreign currency at a bank. At that time, you obtained the model and gained the auxiliary ability to store time. But you didn’t specifically explain what it does.”
“Me? Um.”
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“My ability is that I can transfer lifespan to others through a medium without making an investment, but when you use it, there’s a ten percent loss.
“My main role is probably to use the medium to store extra time. The medium can be any form of currency on Earth, or items with monetary attributes, like gold or silver.”
“There should be a limit, right? How long can it be stored?”
“No time limit, up to ten thousand years.”