Wei Rou walked behind Noa.
He had no idea where they were heading, but he didn’t protest and just strolled along in silence.
There was enough to see around to keep his mind occupied.
Beyond the store he was already familiar with, Wei Rou saw three more doors.
One of them even opened after Noa clicked sothing, showing a small, cramped room inside.
It was an elevator, taking them both to the next floor.
The man felt how the room moved.
Instantly, he guessed what use this divine artifact had, and his eyes narrowed. Everything Noa had shown so far was far beyond him.
As though he had access to the very nature of the world, allowing him to do things no one else could.
The second hallway looked much longer.
It had only one door, but its pretty and seemingly ordinary walls caught his attention.
There was almost no trace of qi around.
Nor did the strange room move by using the spiritual energy.
"This is it," Noa said suddenly.
Before Wei Rou noticed, they had already reached the only room this floor had to offer.
The man reached for the handle and opened it for Noa.
Noa walked in as if such politeness was expected, carrying an air of calm authority.
"This is a contract room," he explained. "A space I sign people who I think will have so kind of use to . Your old disciples, Qing Xuan, Hue Hanxly, and Chen Hao, have already signed these papers."
Wei Rou followed Noa closely.
Though he approached the desk Noa had pointed to, the man’s sharp eyes scanned the room.
This ti, he was greeted with waves of qi.
They rested inside the wall, pulsing with a subtle intensity. The walls also cast otherworldly light across the space, acting like an inextinguishable torch.
Then, his gaze paused at the table.
It lingered for a mont, observing parchnts with cautious curiosity.
Yet, there was no hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"You know what to do," Noa whispered silently, not urging but reminding.
Wei Rou nodded and took the papers. He found a fountain pen as well, turned it over in interest, and signed the contract without reading it.
Abruptly, the air turned eerily still.
Qi flowed from the room and sipped into Wei’s skin, binding him in place.
The light also lingered around him, filling his core. And when the qi faded, he clutched his chest tightly, exhaling to regain his bearing.
"Wh-What was that?" he mumbled.
Noa, anwhile, narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man with interest.
"You didn’t lose consciousness. That’s rare."
Only Mia had withstood the pressure of signing the contract before—and considering she was still just a human at the ti, it spoke volus about her potential.
Now, Wei Rou had survived it too.
However, unlike Mia, he was at the Spirit Severing stage, and enduring that much was to be expected.
Noa hadn’t explained the consequences to the man.
So he observed him and mocked his bewildered expression with a slight grin. Then, Noa summoned the system to see how Wei Rou’s profile looked.
[Staff Overview]
-Strategist 001: Wei Rou-
Loyalty: 72%
Combat Instinct: A-
Leadership: B
Tactical Sense: A
Cultivation Stage: Mid Spirit Severing
Status: Strategist / Assigned to Fateless Order
Favourite Product: The Binding Room
Last Task Completed: Signed the contract
Owner: Noa Stark
Reading the last sentence, Noa’s grin widened.
It was a clause he added to the contract last minute, and the fact that Wei Rou signed it without actually reading a single word worked in his favour.
On the surface, Karma had already made sure that his employees would follow his reasonable orders.
But the old cultivator’s situation was slightly different, twisted even.
Though it didn’t go against the principles the store operated with, Noa gained a worker who would simply exist for him.
[Clause #69: Ownership Override]
— The subject agrees to serve without pay. No compensation shall be demanded, negotiated, or expected. All services are considered voluntary, but the owner controls the subject’s freedom and life.
It was a trial that Noa wanted to see.
To his surprise, Karma allowed it, letting Noa control an experienced strategist and leader for free.
As for the products he had promised?
Noa didn’t care about them—it wasn’t like he was paying for them.
That’s why he had been sharing them like cabbages.
Now, Wei Rou was stuck.
Forever.
No room to complain existed.
As for the man himself, after he steadied his breathing, sothing still felt off.
It wasn’t qi poisoning.
Just a strange sensation he couldn’t get rid of.
He wanted to question Noa, but surprisingly, his body hesitated. In the past, when he had held his tongue, it happened out of respect.
This ti, it felt different.
Each ti he tried to ask for the contract... the urge vanished, his throat drying.
Obedience.
Nothing more and nothing else.
This word lingered in Wei’s head for a mont.
However, he didn’t regret his choice one bit and believed it could be better for him.
Ownership.
It wasn’t Karma influencing his mind.
Wei Rou truly believed it himself, allowing Noa to bask in his next victory.
Now that everything was done in this room, it was ti for him to see if Chen Hao had arrived and brought Feng Fan with him.
So he left the chamber without a single word.
Noa took the lead, and the cultivator followed behind. Just like every other ti.
Near the first-floor hallway, he spotted Yun Qiqi.
She stood silently, observing how the sect mbers behaved through the window. Senior Bao remained in her hands, keeping her company.
"Big Brother!" she exclaid upon noticing Noa, hugging him.
Half an hour had passed at most since they last saw each other, but she was already asking for attention.
So Noa painfully squeezed her cheeks.
The girl giggled before lowering her head.
"I think it’s ti to bring Sister Mia back. Yun Qiqi misses her."
"You are right," Noa answered, noticing Feng Fan and Chen Hao outside. "It’s ti for her to et others as well."
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