"A contract?"
Raiden Mei reached out in confusion and took the thick stack of papers. The words "Garden of Eden Guardianship Contract" caught her eye.
It was a strange name.
Her head filled with questions, she flipped to the next page and began to read.
Given:
Party A shall provide Party B with the opportunity to ascend to the rank of Archangel, and Party B shall guard the Garden of Eden for Party A. Therefore, based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, mutual trust, and no regrets in life or death, both parties have voluntarily entered into this agreement through friendly consultation.
Rights and Obligations of Both Parties:
1.1 Party A shall ensure that after Party B signs this agreement, Party B will gradually gain control over the power of the Conquest Gem until complete mastery is achieved.
1.2 Party A guarantees that Party B will not cause irreparable loss to surrounding people or objects due to the loss of control of her own power.
1.3 Party B promises that upon signing the agreement, on the day of her natural passing (including accidental death or death in battle), her soul is willing to ascend to Heaven to guard the Garden of Eden for 10 years.
1.4 Upon signing the agreement, both parties promise they are of sound mind, possess normal cognitive functions, and are capable of simple communication; otherwise, the contract is void.
This agreement is made in duplicate, with Party A and Party B each holding one copy. Party A reserves the right of final interpretation.
Party A: Lord of Heaven, Lierre.
Party B:
"Pfft... Hahaha! Every time I see the name you use for your signature, Auntie, I can't help but want to laugh."
Kiana, who had been hovering nearby to watch the fun, burst into laughter when she saw "Lord of Heaven, Lierre." "I didn't expect you to have such a bad case of Chuunibyou at your age. But it actually suits your current appearance quite well—it's cute."
She had roughly estimated that Lierre's actual age was nearly fifty.
To be so Chuunibyou at such an age—Kiana really couldn't hold it back.
"Want another Swiss roll?" Lierre asked calmly with her arms crossed.
"No, no, I haven't even finished this one yet."
Kiana looked down at the more than half-finished Swiss roll in her hand and hurriedly waved her hands in surrender.
Raiden Mei carefully read through the contract once more.
The terms inside were extremely favorable to her. If the content weren't so strange, Lierre would definitely be the dream boss for any worker.
An eight-hour workday, three days on and four days off, paid leave, and even year-end bonuses. She could even travel to other worlds and retire with a pension after working for ten consecutive years.
If she couldn't stand staying in Heaven, she could even be reincarnated into a good family in the mortal realm and return to Heaven after death.
If it weren't so absurdly fake, she would have taken it seriously.
"I want to... confirm with you one last time. If I sign this fa—unique contract, can you really help me control the Conquest Gem inside me?"
Raiden Mei fixed her gaze on Lierre and continued, "However, I'm not that thirsty for power. I simply hope that the power of the Conquest Gem won't affect innocent people."
She had already witnessed Lierre's methods, so she set aside her initial dismissiveness and placed her hopes in Lierre.
The thought of the potential Third Honkai Eruption she might trigger—which would cause a massive number of innocent people to lose their lives—filled her with immense pressure and a strange sense of panic.
"You won't be disappointed."
Lierre gave a slight nod.
Hearing this, Raiden Mei took a deep breath and accepted the pen Kiana had fished out of her backpack.
She no longer hesitated and directly signed her name on this contract that was filled with things to complain about.
The moment Raiden Mei's final stroke landed, she felt a sudden moment of clarity, as if her spirit had been touched. The previously violent and uncontrollable Conquest Gem seemed to slowly stabilize.
Dong!
A solemn and holy bell toll suddenly echoed in Raiden Mei's ears.
She raised her head and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound, but she couldn't pin down the general direction no matter how she tried.
The bell toll came as quickly as it went.
It didn't even last a second.
Seeing that both Lierre and Kiana had no reaction, Raiden Mei assumed the bell toll was just her imagination and didn't pay it any mind.
As time passed, the surroundings grew darker and the temperature dropped. Inside the unfinished building where no one usually entered, only a few flashlights provided a limited amount of light.
"The fastest way to master the Conquest Gem is through combat. Come, I'll take you somewhere."
With that, Lierre led Raiden Mei and Kiana—who insisted on following—to the main site of ME Corp in Nagazora.
There were currently no traces of living humans inside the ME Corp building, but there were many humanoid robots responsible for security and patrolling.
"Our goal is to investigate this place. We might encounter enemies, so stay alert."
Lierre walked quickly to the main entrance but was blocked by an electronic lock.
"This is the company Mei's father opened. Mei, you should know the password, right?"
Kiana glanced at the password lock, which was packed with high-tech vibes, and turned to look at Raiden Mei behind her.
After introducing themselves before they arrived, Kiana naturally called Raiden Mei by her name, and the girl herself didn't seem to mind much.
"I might have to disappoint you. I rarely come here. Usually, the guards open the door for me when they see me, so I never specifically asked my father for the password to the main entrance."
Raiden Mei, who had changed her clothes and was holding a Tachi, shook her head. She gave Lierre a complicated look.
We agreed to go fight, so why did we suddenly come here?
"Actually, I'm quite confident in my lockpicking skills."
A faint divine light shone in Lierre's eyes. She then reached out a fair finger and input the correct password.
By now, she had already perceived all the secrets of this building.
Beep.
The green light on the password lock lit up, and the door opened automatically.
Kiana was awestruck and exclaimed, "Amazing! You didn't even need any tools, and it was so fast, like you already knew the password!"
Raiden Mei rubbed her eyes in disbelief, her heart screaming.
That's not lockpicking at all! Lierre definitely knew the password!
The doors swung wide, and Lierre was the first to step inside.
"Come on, follow me in. Remember to stay close and don't let these robots spot you."
Kiana gripped her baseball bat and quickly followed, pulling along the dazed Raiden Mei.
The three of them carefully avoided the patrol robots, moving rapidly through the intricate interior of the ME Corp building.
None of the access locks could stop Lierre, the master lockpicker.
When she reached a door requiring a fingerprint, it opened as soon as she pressed her own finger against it. For doors requiring keycards, she simply swiped a strand of Kiana's hair through the reader to open it.
This led Kiana to complain that ME Corp's security measures were completely half-hearted.
Even Raiden Mei felt despair over her own company's security system.
As if she were simply returning home, Lierre led the two girls through the building without hindrance until they reached the underground laboratory.
Then, a massive Honkai energy reactor came into view.