The Erald Branches and Leaves
Mo Ying had already witnessed just how terrifying the price of a fairy contract could be.
But it didn't matter. The contract stated it very clearly: as long as she didn't use that ability, Anlus would not reclaim the price.
"Anlus, can you tell how your previous forty-three contractors died?"
Mo Ying walked along the small path in the land of fairies.
With Anlus's guidance, she already knew the way back.
"Their wills were too weak. They couldn't bear the price they should pay, couldn't endure that pain, and all of them killed themselves."
Anlus said calmly.
"As long as life perishes, there's no need to fulfill the contract. In that sense, it seems like I've lost out forty-three tis already."
"That's why."
Anlus gently caressed Mo Ying's face.
"Mo Ying, after using the ability again, you must completely repay the price."
"I certainly will repay the cost. But, can your ability really do what you promise in the contract?"
"Absolutely. We never lie in contracts."
Anlus flew up to a tall branch.
"But every ability has its limits—just as healing magic cannot revive the dead, or spatial movent can't be used several tis in a row. If you reach the limit of my ability, there's nothing more I can do for you."
Fairy abilities, at the end of the day, were still magic.
"Hmm..."
Mo Ying looked like she wanted to ask more.
"This is my first ti in the land of fairies—can you introduce to it?"
"And I heard that one person can contract with multiple fairies at the sa ti?"
"As long as you can pay the price, and the other fairy agrees, that's fine."
Anlus descended from the tree and fluttered beside Mo Ying.
"So fairies need to be paid periodically, too—even if you don't use their powers, you still have to pay."
"For example, every ten days, you have to provide a certain amount of magic to a fairy, otherwise, it's a breach of contract."
"If you made contracts with more than three fairies like this, you'd be drained dry in an instant."
"Can soone really contract that many fairies?"
Mo Ying asked curiously.
"Humans at most can contract three, maybe four, but surpassing five is nearly impossible."
"But gods can do it."
Gods can do it.
Gods again.
Since coming to this world, Mo Ying had already heard plenty about gods.
"The God of Order signed contracts with tens of thousands of fairies."
"Really?"
"This isn't a legend—it really happened, right here in the Sea of Fairies,"
Anlus said seriously.
"As for the land of fairies itself, there's not really much to introduce."
"The land of fairies is ruled by seven fairy queens, each ruling a different region."
"Each area ruled by a fairy queen is called a 'branch.'"
"For example, the iyas you just saw is the queen of one such branch; the region she rules is called the Erald."
"The place where we t is the Erald Branch. Each branch has special ans of protection."
Special protective asures?
Mo Ying looked at the Return Prism in her hand.
That must be why it hadn't activated.
"The territory outside the branches is called the New Leaf, and outside that is the Single Branch."
"The branches are where the higher-ranked fairies live—like ."
"Middle- and lower-ranked fairies live in the New Leaf, and only strays dwell in Single Branch."
Mo Ying suddenly recalled sothing Liushu had said about the hunting grounds.
The hunting grounds were split into three parts: the outer ring, the center, and the depths.
When they first entered the hunting grounds, it was into the Fallen Leaves region—the outer ring.
And she had been brought by that white mist to the depths, into the branch territory.
"There are eight branches in total, but only seven queens."
"Because one fairy queen left the land of fairies."
"Her na is..."
"Lizayira."
Mo Ying spoke the fairy queen's na.
She seed to have seen this event play out in the mist.
"Ah, yes, lizayira."
Anlus wasn't surprised that Mo Ying knew this—maybe her teacher told her, or perhaps it was iyas.
"The branch Lizayira ruled was called Bramble. She was extrely, extrely, extrely strict and had a severe obsession with cleanliness; she couldn't tolerate even the slightest bit of dust on her clothes."
"Why did she abandon her territory?"
Mo Ying was puzzled—since Lizayira was the queen, why would she give up her people?
"A long ti ago, the land of fairies was an anomalous space, almost inaccessible."
"Until one day, an uninvited guest arrived."
"That guest took Lizayira away."
"I don't know any more specifics."
"But Lizayira's departure wasn't agreed upon by all the queens; four queens remained neutral, three refused."
"So they fought, and in the end... Lizayira still left."
"What price did that guest pay to contract that queen?"
"..."
Anlus paused.
"Compare today's saness to tomorrow's unforgettable mory I can give you. That was the condition."
"There was no price at all. The queen simply left with her."
"In the past, once a fairy left the land of fairies, there was no coming back."
"After thousands of years, that queen never returned."
"'Bramble' was divided between the remaining five queens. There always have to be rulers."
Anlus resud walking.
"Then, Anlus, are you a resident of the Erald branch?"
"Yes, I'm a fairy of Erald."
Erald was ruled by iyas.
Out of the eight branches, Mo Ying knew of only two: Erald and Bramble.
"We're almost out."
Anlus said.
"Ah, okay."
Mo Ying nodded, continuing forward.
The mont she stepped out of Erald, the Return Prism activated.
She instantly returned to her starting point.
"I thought you'd bought the farm."
The person Mo Ying saw as she opened her eyes was Liushu, holding a cigarette case.
"Can't you say sothing nicer, teacher Liushu?"
Mo Ying said, sweating.
"Just a joke. Is this the fairy you contracted?"
Liushu pointed at Anlus.
"Yes, this is Anlus, the fairy I contracted."
Mo Ying replied.
Anlus, who was about the sa height as Mo Ying, slowly touched down on the ground, folding away her transparent wings.
"God Slayer. [KNSZLMS]"
Anlus said sothing in fairy tongue to Liushu.
"Wei should have given all of you her advice, right?"
Liushu clearly didn't understand Anlus, nor did anyone else—including Mo Ying.
"It's fine—Anlus told as long as I don't use her powers, there's no price."
Mo Ying said.
"You should know, most who were devoured by their contract's price started out thinking just like you,"
Liushu laughed.
"Fairies under contract are supposed to be able to speak the common tongue, so why can't I understand what she's saying?"
Liushu took out a cigarette from the case.
"Hello, I'm Anlus."
Anlus approached Liushu.
"See? She can speak. But don't co too close—my constitution might hurt you."
Liushu stepped back.
"There are even fairies very interested in your 'constitution,' Mr. Liushu."
"And are you among them?"
"I'm fond of novelty, but my tastes aren't that extre, and besides, I already have a contractor."
Anlus retreated behind Mo Ying.
"So this is a fairy?!"
The students crowded around Anlus as soon as they saw her.
"Let touch her wings!"
"Let , let !"
"What kind of fairy is this? What's the price?"
The students' enthusiasm made even Shuang Yun and Xiya, who'd wanted to co greet Anlus, hesitate.
"By the way, teacher Liushu,"
Mo Ying suddenly looked at Liushu.
"What is it?"
*Smack.* Mo Ying snatched the cigarette from Liushu's hand and set it on fire.
"What the hell?!"
"Sorry, that's the contract! You can't bla ! If you want to bla soone, bla Director Wei!"
"??????????"
Liushu's face was full of confusion.
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