Chapter 364: Top-tier Contracts, The Two Sides of the Peach Garden Oath
While Cheng Tian was working hard for his Steel Soul, Bazett wasn't idle either.
The "Twin Tiger Contract," which she couldn't obtain no matter what conditions she offered before, gave Bazett a hint. It reminded her that a similar contract might also be available in her main instance, "Dragon King Warrior."
The contract was called "Dragon King's Vow." It was a basic 3-person contract that could be expanded to a maximum of 5 people.
Normally, the more people a contract accommodated, the fewer bonus attributes it provided. Otherwise, a contract for a 40-person raid in Warcraft would be overpowered, wouldn't it?
With the Elven Archer and World Tree reputation she had saved in her instance archive, obtaining the contract was not entirely impossible; in some ways, it was even more reliable than buying it with money.
Cheng Tian's attitude towards the contract was indifferent, but Bazett was genuinely anxious.
She couldn't expect to be paired with Cheng Tian for every main quest, even as opponents.
Especially when she heard from Cheng Tian that she could use items to open additional instances, but couldn't join because it wasn't a bounty instance, she became even more anxious—
Bazett must not be allowed to overtake her easily!
"Wait a minute! Don't rush to open the instance! I'll figure something out!"
The half-elven archer, as if her pants were on fire, began to rack her brain.
When she completed the Bloodline Purification quest, Bazett also gained similar instance opening permissions. Originally, she had planned to wait a while before going, but now it seemed she had to open it early.
She would either try opening an instance or find a way to press that guy who was showing off the Twin Tiger Contract again.
However, what was very interesting was that at the grand finale of the new month's first auction, a Golden Legendary-tier contract item appeared—
The Peach Garden Oath.
In terms of popularity, this contract, or rather, this "oath," was probably among the T0-tier in terms of widespread recognition.
The contract accommodated 3 people, and the regular bonuses were quite substantial. What was even more terrifying was that it came with an attribute: "When a teammate dies, the remaining teammates' combat power skyrockets across the board, and after revenge is completed, a percentage of the skyrocketed combat power is permanently retained."
But when they saw this specific attribute, the players below, including Cheng, first fell into a long silence, and then erupted into a terrifying bidding frenzy.
Cheng Tian, however, only raised his paddle twice before decisively withdrawing to watch the show.
On one hand, he didn't have the money to compete with them. On the other hand, Cheng Tian had realized the most terrifying aspect of this contract.
This contract, placed on the original Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, naturally felt completely natural. They truly had deep brotherly affection, and in a fit of rage, they would do anything for their brothers.
But when it came to players, this seemingly powerful buff, a death-rattle effect where one's death fuels the teammates to increase their combat power, might instead become the main cause of a fatal disaster.
There are certainly player groups in the Space who can perfectly trust each other and entrust their backs, and those who would sacrifice their lives for each other are not rare.
But from Cheng's dark perspective, the most terrifying way to play this item should be the sacrificial style.
If a contracted teammate in the Peach Garden Oath dies permanently, their slot in the contract will be permanently occupied. However, if only 1 person remains, the contract will automatically be dissolved.
And the so-called sacrificial style is to directly sacrifice the other two teammates in the team, allowing the remaining person's combat power to skyrocket, complete revenge, and ultimately gain a permanent boost, without delaying subsequent enhancements.
The original intention of this contract item might genuinely have been designed around brotherly affection and avenging wrongs, but how you design it and how players play it are two completely different things!
At least Cheng Tian didn't believe that this dark line of thinking was something only he could come up with.
However, what he never expected was that this Peach Garden Oath would end up affecting him in a big roundabout way.
"Holy crap! That guy actually agreed to sell it!"
Just as Cheng Tian was leaving the auction house with the crowd, Bazett suddenly let out a strange cry.
The "guy" she was referring to was naturally the annoying person who had been showing off the Twin Tiger Contract in the group last month.
Perhaps the other party was genuinely in a very good mood and accidentally said more than necessary to Bazett. The archer, who also participated in the auction, precisely grasped the core reason for the other party's sudden change in attitude—
He was going to become a member of the Peach Garden Oath contract!
With a Golden Legendary-tier powerful contract, there was naturally no need for the Twin Tiger Contract anymore.
Hearing Bazett's point of view and judgment, Cheng Tian's body involuntarily stiffened, his expression quite subtle, and then he asked,
"The Peach Garden Oath contract wasn't bought by him, was it?"
"Probably not; he shouldn't have that kind of financial power. He might have latched onto some powerful player's leg."
Not a leg.
Cheng Tian mumbled to himself, but he didn't directly explain to Bazett that the other party was highly likely to become a sacrifice. After all, it was just his dark speculation. What if the rich guy or rich lady who bought the contract genuinely wanted to invite him to live together?
More importantly, if the other party thought through the issues and suddenly refused to sell the Twin Tiger Contract, wouldn't he be the one to lose out?
It's better for fellow Daoists to just die~
"Ask him directly for the price. If we can pool enough, we'll take it immediately for a reasonable price. Don't haggle and waste time."
"Oh, like that~ Then I'll ask!"
For some reason, hearing Cheng Tian say that, the usually bold Bazett suddenly became a little shy.
This girl probably thought Cheng Tian had also suddenly become interested in the team contract, willing to overpay rather than miss the opportunity to acquire it.
Someone like Bazett, who talks a mile a minute, spouts all sorts of dirty jokes with ease, and even dares to openly flirt, would most likely, once bundled up and thrown onto a Simmons mattress, just pull the pillow over her head, bite her lip, tense her body, and silently endure the other side's output like a coward.
Perhaps Bazett had been constantly pestering and following up on the Twin Tiger Contract, making her the most eager buyer. The other party was also in a rather smug state, and after confirming the price was suitable, he directly said he could call. Even during the market trade meeting, his every gesture carried an undeniable sense of triumph.
"This is something you figured out yourself, so don't tell the group members, okay!"
The man, whose true gender was unknown but appeared as a duck wearing a top hat, legless glasses, and holding a cane, lowered his quacking voice and told Bazett.
And Cheng Tian, who was pretending to stroll leisurely nearby, felt a bit uneasy when he saw that the other party looked like "Scrooge McDuck."
Could it be that he bought this contract himself?
Thanks to book friend "20240404155348859" for the 100,000 coin reward!!!
Thanks to book friend "Gu Yue" for the 5,000 coin reward!!
Thanks to book friend "Chuan Yue Zhi Jian" for the 500 coin reward!