The third contract Tina produced finally turned out to be the "real" one. As Aster expected, it was packed with enough legal jargon to make his head spin. Still, he carefully read through each line, doing his best to decipher its contents.
"So, basically, I just need to beco a Zirroth Family-affiliated adventurer?" he asked, summarizing the bulk of it.
That was the gist. The contract ca with so strict conditions, the most notable being that their party would have to offer 10% of their loot to the Zirroth Family until they repaid 10 trillion Tels—the estimated cost of the bracelet-car.
The number sounded astronomical, but Aster wasn't overly concerned. After all, they had already earned 1 trillion Tels in a single night before. Replicating such a windfall might not be easy, but knowing it was possible gave him confidence that they wouldn't be in debt forever.
The contract didn't just bind Aster, though. It included the entire party and even reserved blanks for any future mbers to sign. After everyone present went through the terms and signed, Aster handed the contract back to Tina. She gave it a quick once-over to confirm everything was in order.
"Hm, looks good!" she said with a nod, slipping the folder back into her spatial ring. Then she sighed. "I didn't want to make you guys sign sothing so strict, but Father insisted. Even after I beat him to a pulp, he wouldn't back down."
"..."
Aster recalled his first eting with Tina's father and suppressed a shiver. The man's overprotectiveness was etched into his mory. It wasn't hard to guess the contract's true purpose—providing him with legal leverage if anything happened to Tina while she was adventuring with them.
Liz nodded in silent understanding, her expression one of quiet empathy. Cassy, on the other hand, looked worried and confused, particularly at the ntion of Tina beating her father. Kali, as usual, didn't seem to care.
"Anyway," Kali said, abruptly changing the subject, "who wants to go for a ride?"
"Ah! , ! I want to ride darlin—ugh!"
"Not THAT ride, you horny vixen!"
Ignoring the squabble between Kali and Tina, Aster turned toward the van, his curiosity piqued. Kali's suggestion to take it for a spin wasn't a bad idea.
Once the chaos settled, everyone piled into the vehicle. To Aster's surprise, the interior wasn't all that different from a conventional car. There were, however, a few noticeable differences—chiefly, the presence of an actual steering wheel, three pedals under the driver's seat, and a gear stick. These were absent in modern levitating cars, which were almost entirely AI-controlled.
"This thing's fully manual, huh?" Aster muttered, glancing at the controls.
Luckily, he had so experience—albeit simulated. In the past, part of his exercise routine to combat muscle atrophy had included a manual driving simulator. The program was remarkably realistic, replicating the resistance of the pedals, the weight of the steering wheel, and even the slight stubbornness of the gear stick.
Still, Aster understood simulations weren't the sa as the real thing. He wasn't about to overestimate his skills. After ensuring everyone had fastened their seatbelts—Tina in the passenger seat, Kali directly behind him, with Cassy and Liz on her right—Aster slid the key into the ignition and turned it.
The engine roared to life.
*VROOOOM!*
The sound of the V8 engine filled the cabin, vibrating through their bodies. The vehicle, though levitating, relied on a complex mix of electromagnetism, eddy currents, and static electricity for propulsion. The technical details were far beyond Aster's grasp, but he wasn't here to debate physics.
"Let's start slow," he muttered, shifting the gear stick from neutral to first.
But the mont he released the clutch and pressed the accelerator, the van exploded forward. The acceleration was so great that his vision turned black for a mont!
"Ugh!"
Everyone was slamd into their seats as the sudden G-force hit them like a tidal wave.
*CRACK!* *BAM!* *SMASH!*
The van barreled forward, cutting through trees like a battering ram before coming to an abrupt halt. Aster clung to the steering wheel, panting heavily, his heart hamring in his chest.
"I-Is everyone okay?" he asked, glancing back at the others.
Thankfully, the seatbelts had done their job. While everyone had been thrown forward slightly, no one was injured—at least, not seriously enough to warrant a healing potion. Only Argus, alone, was sent flying toward the dashboard, almost flattened like a pancake.
Tina winced as she adjusted her seatbelt, the strap having dug into her chest. "Darling, I'd really appreciate it if you went a bit gentler. It's my first ti..."
Aster flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry about that. It's my first ti too." He quickly clarified, "Driving a manual levitating car, I an."
The only upside to their wild start was that the van appeared unscathed, despite having plowed through at least a dozen trees. Its robust design was a testant to the Zirroth R&D Departnt's craftsmanship.
Determined to avoid another disaster, Aster carefully eased the van into reverse. This ti, he kept his foot on the clutch, allowing for more precise control. The vehicle backed up smoothly, and they slowly extricated themselves from the forest they had just bulldozed through.
Once they reached an open clearing, Aster began testing the controls. He experinted with acceleration, braking, and turning, taking note of how the levitating vehicle handled compared to a traditional car.
By the ti he had practiced for about half an hour, his confidence had grown. The girls—aside from Tina's occasional "helpful" advice—sat quietly, watching him improve. There were a few close calls, particularly when a couple of passersby narrowly avoided becoming roadkill, but thankfully, no one got hurt.
"Alright," Aster announced, gripping the steering wheel with renewed determination. "Let's head to the other end of the floor!"
Their destination: the Boss Area!
With the basics under his belt, Aster pushed the accelerator. The van responded imdiately, gliding forward with a smoothness he had gradually perfected. The girls seed to relax as the ride evened out, the earlier chaos fading into mory.
"Not bad," Tina said, giving him an approving nod.
"Yeah, I guess you're not totally hopeless," Kali comnted, probably half-serious.
The van gradually gained speed, lifting gracefully into the air until it hovered at the height of the forest canopy. It glided forward in a smooth, straight line, unimpeded by any obstacles along the way, the dense treetops stretching out beneath them like a verdant sea.
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