With the Devil Contract's appearance, most of the doubts voiced by the Devils were solved.
Not only could the Devil Contract ensure that no one among them would stab them in the back, but it also made the Inn Keeper's words seem more credible.
Slowly, more and more Devils nodded their heads as if they had made a decision.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on the Inn Keeper's face.
"Since everyone is on board, let's begin the signing.", he said.
Then, holding the Devil Contract with one hand, he pressed his other hand onto it.
The Devil Runes on the parchment's surface squirmed, and a crimson light fell on him, signaling the contract's establishment.
"Mr. Elder, please go next.", the Inn Keeper spoke, and with a wave of his hands, the Devil Contract floated toward the elderly Devil.
Catching it, the Elder examined it with a solemn expression, going through its terms and making sure that nothing was wrong.
After he confirmed the contract's authenticity, he pressed his palm on it. A familiar scene occurred, and the same crimson light fell on him.
Feeling the Devil Contract's binding power, the Elder paused for a brief moment before passing the contract to the next Devil.
Slowly, one after another, the Devils signed the contract. Some among them hesitated, but, under the threatening glares of the participants around them, they were forced to sign.
As they did, the smile on the Inn Keeper's face grew wider, almost reaching his ears.
Before long, the Devil Contract had traveled through the entire hall, reaching Liora's table.
Liora picked up the contract and instantly felt the mysterious power surging within it.
Suppressing her impulse to explore it, she turned her attention to the contract's terms.
Not surprisingly, they were pretty much the same as what the Inn Keeper had previously said.
According to the contract, the only restriction on the parties who signed was that they could not attack their allies. Apart from that, they were free to do whatever they wanted.
After checking the contract a few more times and ensuring that she had not missed anything, Liora lightly bit her thumb, opening a small wound.
Immediately, she pressed her finger on the parchment, trying to do so before the wound could heal.
A drop of her blood dripped on the Devil Contract, but before it could go very far, the Myriad Devils Armor's effect—Blood Resonance—activated.
The drop of blood shot back into her finger, healing the wound in an instant.
However, the brief moment it had touched the Devil Contract was more than enough.
Following a crimson light, Liora felt an invisible, ancient, and omnipotent power arrive. It was filled with chaos and madness—the most obvious characteristics of the Will of the Demon World.
Like a ruthless judge, the Will of the Demon World wrote her name on the contract, as if it were its witness.
However, the moment her name appeared, Liora sensed something stirring inside her mind.
This feeling only lasted for a split second before it quickly vanished.
Before Liora could react, Scurry's squeaky voice reached her ears:
"Hey! I also want to sign the contract."
Returning to reality, she passed the contract to the excited Scurry, while she fell into deep thought.
Recalling the stirring she had just felt and the exact moment it appeared, a suspicion formed in her mind.
"Is the System interfering with the Demon World again?", she wondered.
She remembered that the last time such a thing happened was during her bloodline awakening, when the System interfered with her bloodline selection.
However, unlike then, the System showed no obvious reaction this time.
This left Liora with only guesses about what had just happened.
"Did the System invalidate the Devil Contract? Or did it simply make it so that I won't suffer punishment if I were to violate its terms?"
Unfortunately, with no one to answer her questions, they could only remain that—questions.
Despite feeling that either of these two possibilities was very likely to be true, it was impossible for Liora to risk breaking the contract just to test it out.
After all, if she were mistaken, her error would not make her embarrassed but would directly result in her death.
"For now, it's better to act as if nothing happened.", she concluded, putting an end to her thoughts.
Raising her head, she observed the hall and found that by now, everyone had signed the Devil Contract, and it had returned to the Inn Keeper's hands.
Holding it solemnly, the Inn Keeper wrapped the parchment and placed it away like a sacred relic.
Then, he turned to the guests, the grin on his face many times more sincere.
"Hahaha. Now that we're finished with the business, let's have some fun! Today, the drinks are on the house!", he chuckled loudly and gestured at the bartender.
The Devils put aside everything that had just happened and raised their glasses, cheering in joy.
Yet, despite what the cheerful atmosphere would suggest, silent undercurrents were surging within the hall.
--
A few hours later, many figures walked out of the inn and melted into the shadows like a pack of wolves dispersing into the forest.
Among the figures was Liora, her long robe rustling in the wind as the black mask adorned her face.
She flashed through the city's streets and dark alleys, but seemingly unbeknownst to her, a Devil trailed a few steps behind.
The Devil blended into the shadows, its presence barely perceptible, like a drop of black dye in black paint.
No matter which direction Liora went, the figure kept its distance and followed.
Taking a turn, Liora's clothes brushed against a building, and a few seconds later, the figure did the same.
However, upon entering the dark alley, the figure was shocked to find that there was no one there. It was as if Liora, the person it had been stalking, had vanished out of thin air.
"Old man, why are you following me for no reason?"
Suddenly, a voice reached the figure's ears, and it turned around instinctively, only to see Liora standing a few steps behind it.
Its movements caused the sky's crimson light to cut across his face, revealing the old, weathered facial features of the Elder Devil.
Seeing that Liora had not only managed to discover him but had also gotten so close without him noticing, the elderly Devil's face became a little red.
"Little friend, I mean you no harm. I only followed you to warn you to be careful of the Inn Keeper—"
Before he could finish, a black dagger materialized in Liora's hand and, with a flick of her fingers, shot toward him.
In shock, the elderly Devil took half a step back, narrowly dodging it.
"Little friend, what do you mean?", the elderly Devil's weathered face darkened while the way in which he looked at Liora turned harsher.
But Liora was not intimidated by this look.
"Old man, stop talking nonsense. Say what you want, or I'll use you as a knife-throwing target.", she warned, her voice cold and murderous.
Her words stunned the elderly Devil, who, despite his old age, found it difficult to respond.
Embarrassed and angered by Liora's attitude, he could only snort coldly and merge with the shadows, his figure disappearing.
Only his voice rang out, echoing in Liora's ears:
"You can keep my warning or ignore it. But I remind you: beware of the Inn Keeper, as well as that little rat at your side."