Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 317 Buying is not as good as robbing
"What... happened just now?" Chen Xuan asked, puzzled.

"I don't know!" Lin Qing's voice was also quite surprised. "I didn't detect anything abnormal in the signal transmission; the waveform didn't change at all!"

In other words... the noise we just heard was not caused by electromagnetic signals.

"Interesting," Chen Xuan muttered. "Could this be some kind of mysterious force interfering with the surveillance footage, deliberately preventing us from seeing the details of the contract?"

Although he had learned about demons from Elori long ago, and knew that they liked to harvest souls using a power called contracts, this was the first time he had seen how this power worked in person.

“Theoretically speaking, we rarely allow multiple people to share a single contract, Mr. Xiao, it is your honor,” the old man said.

Xiao Kanon wasn't frightened by this bizarre scene; he simply raised an eyebrow slightly. "May I take a look?"

"You can not only look, but you can also ask any questions you have on the spot." The old man surnamed Qi waved to the five people. "Without a doubt, this is the fairest deal in the world. The contract will only be established when you willingly accept it."

Five demons approached and placed the document in front of Shawcanon.

"Now!" Lin Qing suddenly reminded her.

Another image popped up on the screen—it was shaking violently up and down, clearly moving along with its owner. Perhaps it was a mobile phone, or a watch with a camera, but in any case, the moment the document was put down, it was very close to Xiao Canon.

Chen Xuan pressed the button on his glasses in time.

The scene quickly receded into the distance.

"So, have you detected his abilities?"

“Strange…” Chen Xuan murmured, “Nothing is showing up…”

"No success?"

“No,” he confirmed that the barcode scanner was working and the transaction selection box had appeared in his field of vision, but the problem was… the box was empty. “Shao Kanon… he doesn’t have the ability.”

"What?" Lin Qing was also stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Anyway, I didn't see it."

"How could that be... He's the head of a branch office; such a position can't be held by an ordinary person!" she said with deep skepticism. "Could it be that he can block your abilities?"

This is still a new perspective. Is it possible for someone to block the spying effect of the ability shop? Even legendary abilities will be displayed. But what if there happens to be an ability that "doesn't display itself"? Chen Xuanyi couldn't say for sure that such a thing didn't exist.

Over there, Shocanon had already begun to carefully read the document.

"It says here that if I betray the devil, I will suffer the consequences and my soul will be imprisoned forever... Can such a clause really be fulfilled?"

"Of course, the binding effect of a contract is beyond everything," the old man said calmly. "I have seen some ability users who thought they had some skills and tried to escape the responsibility of the contract, but it turned out that this was all wishful thinking."

What exactly is the human soul?

"It is your origin, containing your will, memories, and abilities."

"I actually have something like this?" Xiao Kanong looked at his hands with a half-joking expression. "What happens when the soul is imprisoned? Sorry... I'm not saying I'll betray you all, I just want to understand how terrifying this kind of constraint is. After all, in my world... the soul is only regarded as a spiritual sustenance."

"Mr. Xiao, you're really long-winded. Just wait until you sign it and then try to understand the betrayal yourself," the young man said impatiently.

"Hey, Shang He, didn't I say he can ask whatever he wants?" Mr. Qi raised his hand to signal him to calm down. "It's very simple, Mr. Xiao. After your soul is imprisoned, it will become our puppet, and your body will also belong to us."

“That would be terrible,” Shawcanon said with a squinting smile.

“Indeed, the incident in Paris has forced us to increase our vigilance. You can also choose not to sign, and our deal ends here.” The old man seemed determined to succeed. “As I said before, this is the fairest deal in the world.”

Chen Xuan realized that the organization had clearly understood the importance of rare items in the last transaction.

They wanted more exotic items.

It's highly likely that Xiao Kanon's trip was authorized by higher-ups, and the demons are aware of this as well. Therefore, they made the contract a prerequisite for the deal. Xiao Kanon must sign the contract before the next step of the negotiation can proceed.

The problem is... the organization benefits, but Xiao Kanon himself bears the risks. Is he really willing to dedicate himself to the organization? "In other words, if I remain sincere to you all, this contract will never restrict me, right?" Xiao Kanon asked.

"That's right, its validity period is ten years, and it will automatically expire after ten years."

“Great, I have no problem with that.” He picked up the pen on the table and signed his name at the end of the document. “Is this alright?”

The signed documents all turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated into nothingness.

The group exchanged glances and all showed expressions of satisfaction.

“Yes.” Mr. Qi chuckled. “Now we can formally discuss… the sale of these rare items.”

At that moment, a man in a suit hurriedly entered the conference room and whispered a few words in the old man's ear.

He raised his graying eyebrows and looked at Xiao Kanong. "Zhang Yingzi is your subordinate?"

"Yes, may I ask what happened to her?" the latter asked in surprise.

"She said she has something urgent to report to you and needs to see you immediately," Mr. Qi asked. "What are your plans? If it involves official business, we can postpone the meeting."

“No need. Achieving this cooperation is the most important thing.” Xiao Kanong immediately disagreed. “Let her come in and report to me. It won’t take you all long.”

Having received a reply of agreement, the man in the suit immediately complied, and Zhang Yingzi appeared in the hall shortly afterward.

"Why is she here?" Chen Xuan asked casually.

"When I first saw her in the hallway, I thought she was going to the restroom," Lin Qing replied. "It's a pity the surveillance camera's audio reception isn't very good, otherwise we could have eavesdropped on their conversation."

However, after whispering a few words to Xiao Kanong, Zhang Yingzi turned around and stood behind him.

"Mr. Xiao, is it something very serious?" one of the attendees asked.

“That’s right, Mr. Zhou,” Xiao Kanong said with a serious expression. “This matter is not only related to the government, but also to all of you.”

The elderly man surnamed Qi said "Oh," and then asked, "Tell me about it?"

“I was told by my superiors that the matter of the rare items cannot be delayed, and the current trading methods are probably not feasible.” He spread his hands and said regretfully, “We need to get all the rare items as soon as possible.”

Everyone was stunned.

"Don't joke around. You won't get any of these wonders until you see the new land—not a single one!" the young man named Shang He scolded.

“I know, that’s why we plan to rob it,” Xiao Kanong said, enunciating each word clearly.

His words caused an uproar in the room.

Zhang Yingzi took off the cube-shaped earrings hanging from her ears and threw them at her feet.

In an instant, the thumb-sized cube rapidly expanded into a huge cabinet gleaming with metallic luster! It even pushed the table away, spilling the microphone and tea on the table all over the floor.

This sudden change not only stunned the demons attending the meeting, but also made Chen Xuan and Lin Qing gasp in shock.

The authorities actually... made a move?

"How dare you make a move on our turf!" Shang He shouted, instantly transforming from a handsome young man into a horned demon. He clapped his hands, and countless flying insects emerged from his body, swarming towards the two people behind the trap.

The others also revealed their true demonic forms one after another.

At the same time, the four walls of the cabinet collapsed, and a group of ability users rushed out from inside—the battle between the two sides broke out so fast that it was impossible to keep up with the pace!
"How is this possible?" The old man was both shocked and angry. "You clearly signed a contract that any thought that would be detrimental to us would turn you into a slave!"

This completely overturned his perception of his own abilities!
The power of contracts clearly transcends all rules!
“Yes, that’s why I asked you what it feels like to have your soul imprisoned…” Xiao Kanong did not join the battle, but retreated step by step. “But now it seems that I don’t have a soul.”

(End of this chapter)