The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 61

That was the radiance belonging to the Otherworld.

The pure light instantly flooded the overly confined space. Fortunately, the sun’s boundless brilliance was isolated by layers of space, projecting only the smallest, most harmless plume of light.

Consciousness seemed to have drifted for decades in that brief instant, but time ultimately returned to its origin: the specific space bound by the wheel of fate and the devil.

When Yao Yuan opened her eyes, Star Sky’s hand provided the first barrier. When the dark veil of the stars receded, she could finally look down to gaze at the warm… little bird in her palm?

It was a hatchling, a golden ball of fluff. The only difference between it and an ordinary bird was a grain-of-sand-sized golden gem on its head and its overly brilliant plumage.

The little bird’s feet pressed against her skin, and every brush of its feathers against her fingers brought a warmth slightly higher than body temperature.

【Yao Yuan, we finally meet.】

The voice was slightly solemn, neutral, and inorganic, immediately prompting her to think of the inspiration she’d received that was different from her intuition.

【Have you been hinting to me all this time?】

【Yes and no. I merely pushed you towards the step of self-awareness. My energy is limited. Please do not awaken me until the necessary time arrives.】 The little bird hopped onto Yao Yuan’s hand and closed its eyes.

【What is the necessary time? When the age of magic descends?】

The little bird-fluff did not reply, but silently dissolved into particles of light and vanished in the space.

“Congratulations on successfully summoning your familiar. Please care for it and await its growth.” Lapis Lazuli interlaced his hands. “The three of you may leave.”

“So, do we need to pay for the blessing now?” Xiao Ke made a gesture of reaching for her purse, but Yao Yuan quickly pulled her out. “Don’t actually think we’re in a temple!”

Watching the beings that did not belong to this world exit the room, Lapis Lazuli let out a soft sigh at the basin, then immediately locked the door, allowing the arcane arrangement to be once again shrouded in darkness.

“The radiance that does not belong to this world… I hope everything goes smoothly.”

Having acquired a golden bird that had once projected a voice inside her brain, and having rebooted into a brand-new life, what should she do next? Yao Yuan pondered as she stood in front of the sports car.

She subconsciously wanted to ask Star Sky, but she turned her head and changed her mind. Star Sky’s earlier intention was probably for her to make her own decisions.

“Wang, Xiao Ke, do you know where people like them usually gather?”

“Which people?” The young lady, who was eager to leave, stopped.

“The ones we just saw—the ones with familiars and magic.” She let out a dry laugh. “Haha, but that little yellow chick was pretty interesting. Since I got a benefit, I want to learn more about it.”

“A bar, it’s a very ordinary bar.” Xiao Ke waved at her. “I’ll get going now. I’ll text you the name when I find it.”

“Okay~ See you later.”

As soon as the young lady’s figure disappeared from sight, she immediately tumbled into the sports car, lying spread-eagle without any sense of decorum.

“Just say what you want to say,” Star Sky said with a smile, sitting down beside her.

“You already knew what I wanted to say, didn’t you?” Yao Yuan rolled her eyes dramatically. “I absolutely cannot stand this young lady persona! If my brand-new life is going to be like this, I’d rather go back to the way it was before.”

“Why don’t you like it?”

“Why… there is no why. You don’t need a reason to dislike a certain life.” Yao Yuan sat up. As she slipped off her shawl, her clothes transformed back into casual wear.

“Oh? Tell me about it?” The devil’s smile widened.

“Actually, you—you also don’t like humans of this style one bit.” She looked firmly into Star Sky’s eyes. “I said I would try my best to satisfy your preferences, but this is a trap, not a preference.”

“Very good. How did you guess?” Star Sky finally leaned back against the seat. The driver in the front and the bodyguards in the motorcade behind them simultaneously dissolved into smoke, as the little devils dispelled their shapeshifting magic and automatically retreated.

“You despise people who lack self-will. Besides,” Yao Yuan added smugly, “Your acting is terrible! A rebellious devil like you would definitely deliberately clash with your aristocratic relatives, hahahahahahaha… Ha… Woah!”

Ten minutes later, Yao Yuan understood why Star Sky hadn’t changed the sports car back.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel. “Are—are we really going to do this? Doesn’t the car have an automatic driving mode?”

“Give it a try. You won’t hit anyone.” The devil smiled benignly. “Even if you drive it into the sky, I have the ability to restore it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

With this promise, she could finally concentrate on looking ahead. The destination was the Redwood Bar that the young lady had just texted her. First, she needed to turn on the navigation.

She couldn’t understand any of the operations inside the car; all she knew were the accelerator, the brake, and the steering wheel. To drive, did she just step on the gas, or did she need to press some kind of start button?

Before she could decide whether to try stepping on the gas or pressing every button, the car slowly started.

The devil in the passenger seat fastened the seatbelt. “Please.”

【Please what?!】

The sports car swerved out at an unbelievable angle, scraping against several walls. Each collision was followed by a soft, rubbery rebound that returned the car to its original spot. All the pedestrians on the street remained calm, as if they didn’t even see the car.

Fortunately, Yao Yuan knew not to run red lights. Under Star Sky’s protection, she nervously tried again and again.

“That was close. If there wasn’t magic assistance, 800 years in jail wouldn’t be enough for me.” The bar was not far away. She collapsed onto Star Sky’s shoulder, looking dead tired.

“Not bad. Better than I expected.” Star Sky calmly lifted Yao Yuan and dragged her out of the car. A faint shadow enveloped the front and back of the vehicle; this was the only spot in the parking lot that no one paid attention to.

Arriving at the main entrance of the bar, she expected to see comic-book-style attendants checking introduction letters or similar items. Instead, there was only one seemingly robust man checking IDs.

The check was very relaxed; people were allowed past with just a glance, with no real screening and no entrance fee collected.

It wasn’t late yet, but the bar seemed incredibly popular, with many people constantly moving in and out. Yao Yuan tightly held Star Sky’s hand and squeezed in with the crowd.

The moment they entered the dance hall, their ears were immediately filled with loud, chaotic music. Countless men and women were swaying their bodies under the colorful lights, thoroughly hyped.

It was the first time Yao Yuan had seen a scene like this, and she couldn’t help but peek ahead. Pretty girls with multi-colored hair, looking like actresses, were hot-dancing in dresses that exposed most of their waists.

Were those breasts for real? And the tattoos…

The next second, Star Sky covered her eyes and dragged her away, throwing her onto a sofa that suddenly appeared. Brand new utensils appeared in the private, secret booth dedicated solely to the two of them, containing none of the bar’s existing items.

“Star Sky.”

“Regretful?”

“Regretful about what?” Yao Yuan asked with a confused look. “It’s too loud here. How can anyone talk about magic in this environment without a soundproofing spell?”

She had already looked around. She didn’t see anyone who looked like an occult enthusiast; the vicinity was filled only with partygoers and staff.

No matter what, the man over there who was holding a glass and trying to hit on three or four girls in a row couldn’t possibly be discussing serious matters.

Wait, soundproofing magic.

She turned her head to examine the side seating area, and doing so revealed a few suspicious pairs. Also, there were doors on the wall—were they private rooms? Using the dance floor closest to the door as a disguise made sense.

“Try to feel it with your magic circuit.”

Star Sky’s reminder made Yao Yuan close her eyes. The surroundings instantly fell quiet. The elements wrapped around her ears, leaving her to hear only the sound of her blood flowing internally.

The colorful lights no longer bothered her eyes; her gaze only registered the slowly flowing elements. The natural elements of this world were mixed and scattered, twinkling brilliantly in the white, but only within the human body would a specific tendency exist.

Found it! The side booths, and the door further back!

“Use your magic to listen.”

The basics of magic included spells specifically for eavesdropping. Those spells were easily defeated by isolation magic, but when the golden light particles surging from her heart naturally moved, this world—which barely contained any magic—would be powerless to block it.

Fragmented voices began to enter her mind.

【Are we really going to the UK? Do we have to follow them?】

【I heard there are outposts set up everywhere…】

【…How much energy do we need to gather before…】

Ineffective messages were filtered out. Just as she was about to tell Star Sky the information she had gathered, she noticed an abnormal signal coming from a room on the left.

The transparent membrane was actually capable of blocking her detection. The golden light particles in her heart were faintly aching.

Was it… the person inside?

She grasped Star Sky’s hand. “Maybe someone from the False God is nearby.”

“Not maybe, certainly. Where?” Star Sky’s tone was very calm. “The only power that can evade my notice yet be sensed by you is that kind of power.”

Yao Yuan nervously pointed in the direction she had just sensed. The moment she extended her hand, the person on the opposite side clearly noticed the change.

A detection met a detection. Neither side could be considered to have executed a surprise attack.

“It seems I waited too long. I shouldn’t have been so greedy.” The room door opened, and Chu Yan walked out. At this moment, whether she had lost a certain ability or gained a new one, her face was no longer so difficult to remember, and corresponding concepts could now be formed in Yao Yuan’s mind.

“What were you waiting for?” Yao Yuan couldn’t help but ask. Chu Yan must have been waiting for something. Star Sky’s attack was faster than her question. Before her words could even travel through the air, the blade had already sliced through space and landed beside Chu Yan’s neck.

The devil, skilled in manipulating time magic, could make time stagnate and slow down. However, Chu Yan was clearly a master of another dark path.

In front of her, time could even recede…!

Yao Yuan anxiously watched as the shadow-formed blade slowly moved away from Chu Yan’s neck, finally falling to the ground.

So, the previous duel really did have an element of luck: their mutual unfamiliarity and the devil’s overwhelming power had caused her to slightly misjudge Chu Yan’s true strength.

Chu Yan probably couldn’t kill the devil, but the fact that Chu Yan had the ability to kill Yao Yuan was beyond doubt.

At the moment she should have felt fear, Yao Yuan suddenly became much calmer. Star Sky had once tapped her forehead, reminding her to 【Use this place more】, meaning her brain.

Chu Yan must have a reason not to kill her—not to kill her now!

First, she needed to stall for time.

“You must have something you want to say to me now, right?” Yao Yuan braced herself, her entire body tense. No matter what, Star Sky was still standing by her side… Huh?

Where was Star Sky? Why was everything around her receding—【Mere Chu Yan】 couldn’t achieve this, nor could the self-proclaimed divine artifact. Therefore…

【Can the False God do this?】

As if to answer her at this moment, Chu Yan’s neck was abruptly severed into two parts—the wound Star Sky had been about to inflict.

So, Star Sky’s attack had begun to take effect normally. Then, the time—no, Yao Yuan realized in terror that only her own time was rapidly receding, as if she had become a parallel line in the normal timeline!

“Do you want to die here? I guess the answer is 【No】.”

A rope descended from the sky. The succubus, who had been killed several times yet still lived, successfully landed from the spatial rift. Her toes touched the ground, and she looked at Yao Yuan with a hint of sarcasm.

However, she found that the human, who should have been screaming loudly where she stood, reacted quickly and took off running the moment the temporal sequence sorted itself out! The bar door was violently slammed shut from the outside with a bang.

Damn it. The human had run out of the optimal attack range, and this world was not the magical realm. She had run outside the sphere of influence of the Lady Goddess—she still had to give chase!

The succubus didn’t hesitate. She pulled out an intact, yet only ethereal, spiral-shaped instrument made of glass from her bosom and gently rotated it.