Soon, Richard arrived at the ruins of Cross Town.
In the center of the scorched earth, a lonely tavern stood out conspicuously.
"Boss, you're here," said Bone as soon as he saw Richard. He immediately detached the bag from the back of the vacuum cleaner and carried it over to Richard.
Although Cross Town wasn't a particularly large lawless land, it was home to over a hundred large Nightmare creatures and several hundred small ones.
Despite the bombardment of spell barrages, these Nightmare creatures had lost a portion of their Nightmare Power. However, Bone's timely collection ensured that most of their Nightmare Power was preserved.
Richard patted Bone's arm in satisfaction and then reached into the bag, devouring the Nightmare Power inside.
In no time, a terrifying aura began to emanate from Richard's body.
This single bag provided Richard with nearly a million units of Nightmare Power.
If refined, this Nightmare Power could yield enough soul essence to boost Richard's mental power by at least fifty points.
If Richard wanted to fully replenish his mental power, he only needed to destroy two more such lawless lands.
"This Nightmare World is truly a land of fortune for me," Richard thought with delight.
After devouring the Nightmare Power, Richard turned his gaze to the nearby tavern.
At that moment, the bartender was at the door, cautiously observing Richard.
"Are you the bartender of the Tavern of the Seekers of Death?" Richard asked.
The bartender shivered slightly and nodded.
"Yes, I am."
Then, tentatively, the bartender asked, "Is your war... over?"
Richard was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that the bartender had discerned his identity.
Richard narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the bartender from head to toe.
"Interesting. You don't look like an ancient monster who has lived for hundreds of thousands of years."
The bartender stepped back repeatedly under Richard's gaze. The ancient memories of the tavern told him that this Nightmare creature before him was a disguise for an otherworldly being known as a Wizard.
These otherworldly beings had attacked the Tavern of the Seekers of Death multiple times, kidnapping its bartenders. There had even been a powerful Wizard who once seized control of an entire tavern.
Later, the Great Existence behind the tavern intervened and reached an agreement with these Wizards, ensuring that both sides would leave each other alone.
But after all these years, was that agreement still in effect?
The demon bartender nervously spoke up, "Wizard, the tavern and your higher-ups reached an agreement. We don't provoke you, and you don't attack the tavern."
"Agreement?" Richard looked at the bartender, contemplating pulling him out of the tavern. But as soon as this thought arose, a message appeared in his soul, warning him not to do so.
However, this message was merely a warning and wouldn't actually stop the Wizard.
It was more like a declaration, informing the Wizard that if he chose to act, he would be responsible for his actions, and the Wizard World would not protect him.
"Interesting. They actually signed a blood pact with the Wizards. It seems the entity behind this tavern is no simple matter," Richard thought to himself.
A blood pact was a higher-level contract than a Soul Contract because it bound an entire race.
Moreover, once a blood pact was signed, it would be passed down through the bloodline.
As long as the bloodline continued, the contract would remain in effect.
Richard gave the bartender a friendly smile. Since the bartender had someone powerful backing him, Richard couldn't treat him like an ordinary Nightmare creature.
"The ancient agreement is still in effect. I won't lay a hand on you."
The bartender breathed a sigh of relief. In the tavern's ancient memories, these otherworldly beings known as Wizards were mostly insane and paranoid.
Encountering a normal Wizard was indeed rare.
The bartender asked again, "Is your war over?"
Richard shook his head, "You could say it's over, but you could also say it's not."
Richard didn't trust this bartender, so his answer was deliberately vague, mixing truth with lies.
He and the bartender were not on equal footing in terms of information, so Richard had to maintain his advantage as much as possible.
"Oh? What does that mean?" the bartender pressed.
Richard said calmly, "It means that equivalent exchange is required."
The bartender was taken aback. Equivalent exchange? These Wizards were indeed still the same.
"What do you want?" the bartender asked.
Richard smiled slightly, "I don't want much. I just need the changes in the Nightmare World over the years."
Upon hearing this request, the bartender's face stiffened.
"I think you might not realize just how much information you're asking for," the bartender said with a forced smile. "If I were to present all the changes in the Nightmare World over the years, this tavern could only hold its catalog."
But Richard was unfazed, "Bargaining is part of any deal."
"I can give you information on the lords of this Nightmare Ring."
"Too little," Richard refused without hesitation. "I want information on all the lords of the Nightmare World."
"No! That's too much. At most, I can give you information on all the lords of the Nightmare Ring."
"Fine, but I also want two maps: one detailed map of the Nightmare Ring and another rough map of the Nightmare World."
The bartender gritted his teeth, thinking that this was the latest exclusive information. He steeled himself.
"...Deal!"
Richard smiled in satisfaction. He casually conjured a piece of parchment and wrote down the current state of the Wizard World. Meanwhile, the bartender returned to the tavern and soon came out with a thick book and two leather scrolls.
They exchanged items.
The bartender opened the parchment and glanced at the information. But with just one look, he was shocked by the news.
The war is over, and the stars are being contested.
Richard was currently looking at the map of the Nightmare Ring when suddenly, he felt a grand and majestic will descend upon him.
He looked at the bartender in shock, only to see the bartender swallow the parchment in one gulp, then stare at Richard with vacant eyes.
"Wizard, have you also embarked on the path of contesting the stars?"
Richard bowed slightly to the bartender.
"You must be the Great Existence behind the tavern. You're correct; the Wizards have indeed embarked on the path of contesting the stars."
The Great Existence, through the bartender's eyes, scrutinized Richard. A feeling of being completely exposed from the inside out instantly sent chills down Richard's spine.
"Hmm?"
The Great Existence seemed to have noticed something, and his expression showed a hint of surprise.
Then he lowered his gaze and muttered to himself, "Has fate set its eyes on me? Or is this just a coincidence?"
The Great Existence looked at Richard again, and this time, his gaze was as dazzling and mysterious as the stars.
No one, no matter how small, can escape the content on 69shu!
Soon, the Great Existence spoke, "Wizard, I want you to sign a contract with me. From now on, you cannot enter my tavern, nor can you engage in any transactions with it.
Do you agree?"
Facing the Great Existence's demand, Richard, though terrified, stubbornly replied, "Great Existence behind the tavern, for a transaction, you must offer something in return.
I agree to your deal, but you must place something on the other end of the scale."
Richard stood his ground, his eyes fixed on the Great Existence. He didn't know why this Great Existence wanted to make a deal with him, but he knew that the Great Existence wouldn't kill him.
He had a vague feeling that in the eyes of this Great Existence, he was like a mere pawn.
Killing him would be beneath the Great Existence.
"Wizard, you are as greedy as ever," the Great Existence's voice was devoid of emotion. "Since you agree to the deal, sign your name on this contract.
Once the contract is complete, the other end of the scale will naturally have its weight."
As soon as the Great Existence finished speaking, a seemingly illusory contract flew out from the tavern.
Richard's heart skipped a beat.
A Fate Contract!
Richard took the contract, casually conjured a pen, and signed his name on it.
The contract flew back into the tavern, and the Great Existence pointed a finger, sending a stream of light into Richard's body.
As soon as this stream of light entered Richard's body, it plunged into the Nightmare artifact he had obtained earlier.
Then Richard sensed a transformation occurring within the artifact.
This Nightmare artifact seemed to be evolving.
Almost simultaneously, Richard felt an invisible shackle bind him.
He could never enter the Tavern of the Seekers of Death again in his lifetime.
After the contract was completed, the Great Existence's will left the bartender.
Once it left, the bartender looked confused, "What just happened? I feel like the boss was here.
Wait, where's my parchment?"
The bartender looked at Richard, who shrugged.
"Don't look at me. Your boss's will descended just now and took that parchment."
The bartender's eyes went blank for a moment, then he sighed in relief.
"The boss was indeed here. It seems your information was quite important."
Richard feigned regret, "Yes, I feel like I got the short end of the stick."
The bartender chuckled, "Haha, the deal is done. You can't ask for more now."
…
The transformation of the Nightmare artifact was soon complete. After the transformation, the missing corner of the artifact disappeared.
The entire pyramid now bore many intricate patterns.
After integrating the pyramid back into the Nightmare core, Richard quickly understood the new functions of the evolved artifact.
"Wow, this Great Existence is indeed generous," Richard couldn't help but marvel upon discovering the new capabilities of the pyramid.
"Even the slightest thing that falls from the fingers of such a being is a treasure of the highest order."
The pyramid's functions had been greatly enhanced after the Great Existence's evolution.
Its enhancements to Nightmare creatures were no longer limited to rule-based methods; it could now directly strengthen the innate abilities of Nightmare creatures.
Additionally, the pyramid had gained some new functions.
For example, it could now serve as a hub, linking up to fifty Nightmare creatures simultaneously.
As long as the Nightmare creatures were linked, they could share a life link and fully share their Nightmare Power, just like the Black Knights.
As the hub, Richard could freely allocate this Nightmare Power.
At first glance, this ability seemed like a weaker version of the Black Knights' power. After all, it could only link fifty Nightmare creatures, whereas a single appearance of the Great Black Tide could link thousands of Black Knights.
However, this ability of the pyramid didn't require the consent of the other party.
In other words, Richard could forcibly link other Nightmare creatures and drain their Nightmare Power without their permission.
The success of this forced link depended entirely on the parties' mastery of Nightmare rules.
In other words, if the other party had no mastery of Nightmare rules, Richard could link them with a 100% success rate.
Richard clicked his tongue, "What a monstrous ability. With this, why would I even need spell barrages?"
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