Chapter 439 - 438: The Right of Final Interpretation

Chapter 439: Chapter 438: The Right of Final Interpretation

Seraphina Sinclair had known from the very beginning that this world was constantly changing.

So, to deal with these changes, Seraphina had added a specific clause somewhere in the middle of every single trade contract she issued: "The right of final interpretation belongs to Blacktiger Ford."

The contract templates were already wordy, and the ones Seraphina wrote herself could easily run into thousands of words.

To be able to pinpoint those few words within thousands...

Seraphina felt there was no need to sign a contract with such a person.

’They’re too shrewd; I’m afraid I’d be outplayed.’

But someone like Pretty Guardian was different.

Though she seemed fiery and explosive, Seraphina knew that such people were actually the easiest to get along with.

They wore their hearts on their sleeves. No need to guess, no need to be on guard.

You could tell what they wanted and what they didn’t want at a single glance.

Just like now.

Pretty Guardian was stunned. How could she not know about such a clause? She even pulled out the contract on the spot and, after reading it over carefully, still couldn’t find it.

She asked tentatively, a little uneasy, "Boss, you’re not just trying to scare me, are you?"

Seraphina didn’t hide it and told Pretty Guardian the truth outright.

Pretty Guardian was even more baffled.

’Who on earth reads through the template preamble before signing a contract?’

It was a several-thousand-word agreement. Her eyes glazed over after the first couple of clauses, so she just skimmed the rest.

’Who would have thought Blacktiger Ford would bury such a landmine in one of the middle clauses?’

[Pretty Guardian]: Boss... you...

[Blacktiger Ford]: Got a problem with it?

[Pretty Guardian]: N-No!

Pretty Guardian’s reply was almost instantaneous.

She didn’t dare have a problem with it.

The contract was system-certified; she couldn’t afford the consequences of breaching it.

But oh, the bitterness in her heart. Just moments ago she was spinning around, giggling to herself. Now she couldn’t manage a smile.

[Pretty Guardian]: So... how much is the cash equivalent?

[Blacktiger Ford]: Market price.

[Pretty Guardian]: What is the market price?

[Blacktiger Ford]: You don’t know?

Pretty Guardian froze for a second, then realized her mistake.

She was a Potion maker. How could she not know the market price?

[Pretty Guardian]: I-I know.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Mm, good. Remember to send it on time. Otherwise, it’s still a breach of contract.

Pretty Guardian: "..."

’Somebody come put Blacktiger in her place! Is there really no one who can put her in her place?!’

Seraphina had already closed Pretty Guardian’s chat window and was checking her friends list.

Almost everyone had returned.

Except... Chrona.

Seraphina frowned slightly, not quite understanding. At this time of day, Chrona shouldn’t be too busy to accept a friend request.

’Could something have happened?’

The moment the thought appeared, it sprouted and grew like mushrooms after a spring rain.

However, these didn’t seem like the good kind of mushrooms.

Seraphina thought for a moment before sending a few of the D-level runes she had on hand to Chrona.

If she had really run into trouble, these few runes would be enough to save her life.

After paying a hefty fee, the runes vanished into thin air, presumably sent successfully.

Seraphina breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been worried she couldn’t send items cross-region to someone who wasn’t on her friends list, but it seemed there was no issue as long as you were willing to pay the fee.

Only a short while had passed, but the direction of discussion in the regional channel had already changed.

The Description for Dolorum was relatively clear in its implications. It was fine not to use an Immunity Crystal for the first few days, and most people chose to save them for later. But some were more clear-headed:

"If you don’t use it now, will you really get the chance to use it on yourself later?"

Seraphina stared at the message for two seconds, then looked away.

The words were too real—so real that no one wanted to respond.

She closed the regional channel and refocused her attention on the task at hand.

There was still no word from Chrona, and Pretty Guardian had resigned herself to her fate. The next step was to plan out the day’s tasks.

Seraphina glanced around the inside of the cabin.

The Sunflower was lying on the cotton quilt, its leaves shimmering with a faint luster. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Luna Jacobs was still hard at work at the workbench, her tools moving without pause. She had said she could finish the improved blueprints today, and it looked like she wasn’t bluffing.

was nowhere to be seen, probably off selling items to other mobile cabins. As for the Gloom Hatchling...

The little guy was still asleep.

Seraphina glanced at it, slightly suspicious that something might be wrong with the dragon. Why was it sleeping all the time?

But on second thought, Gloomdrakes weren’t very active creatures to begin with. It was probably only so clingy before because it was still in its infancy.

It had certainly grown quite a bit bigger now.

Alright then.

Seraphina retracted her gaze and started planning for the day.

First, continue using the firework launcher to lure monsters and collect mucus for the Sunflower.

Second, wait for Luna Jacobs to finish the improved blueprints. If it was early enough, they could make one more move today.

Third, keep eating the food Gray sent over. There were fifty boxes, and she had only eaten five. A long way to go.

With the plan set, Seraphina got to work.

The firework launcher shot into the sky again, disappearing from view with a long trail of fire.

Monsters within five hundred meters would be drawn over. Based on past experience, this process would take about three to five minutes.

Seraphina opened the cabin door and stood waiting at the entrance, holding the Water Dragon Roar.

She was poised to take on whatever came, one by one.

Three minutes later, the first monster appeared.

It was a D-level Corrupted Monitor, about the size of a small car. Its body was covered in rotting scales, and while it wasn’t fast, it looked extremely tough-hided.

Seraphina met it head-on, swinging her blade at its neck.

The Blade cut into the scales, producing a grating, teeth-jarring sound. The monitor cried out in pain and swung its tail in a wide sweep. Seraphina sidestepped it and swung again with a backhand strike, hitting the same spot.

Two strikes.

The monitor’s head separated from its body as black blood gushed out.

Seraphina flicked the blood from her blade, watching as the corpse slowly collapsed and then dissipated into black mist, leaving only a puddle of sticky mucus on the ground.

"Another one,"

she muttered, bending down to wrap the puddle of mucus in a prepared rag and tossing it into a bucket placed by the cabin door.

Seraphina had prepared this for convenience; it would be too much trouble to make a separate trip for each puddle of mucus.

The Sunflower in its pot twisted its neck, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the mucus in the bucket.

Seeing its greedy expression, Seraphina couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What’s the rush? There’s plenty more where that came from."

The words had barely left her lips when the second monster appeared.

Then the third, and the fourth...

All day long, Seraphina repeated the same motions: luring monsters, killing monsters, and feeding the mucus to the Sunflower.

Perhaps because she was constantly in motion, her hunger came on quickly. Over the course of the day, she ate a full six portions of steamed cucumber and venison stew.

Of course, the results were remarkable.