Joyous moments always seemed to slip away unnoticed. Before he knew it, a new week had dawned.
“So bored, Big White, come play with me~”
Aya Tone lay sprawled on the sofa, his gaze fixed idly on the ceiling.
‘So bored—’
Xiao Jiu was at school, the latest anime hadn’t updated yet, and he had no desire to play games. He found that this sudden abundance of free time wasn’t necessarily a blessing.
Big White, diligently tidying the cluttered storeroom, cast a glance at their seemingly useless master with their characteristically innocent eyes.
“Master, if you find yourself bored, you could always assist me in tidying up, or perhaps go out for tea with friends. This marks your three hundred and sixty-fourth complaint since your return.”
Aya Tone, quite instinctively, filtered out the former suggestion.
But friends…
Aya Tone’s body, still reclined on the sofa, stiffened perceptibly.
It dawned on him that, in this world, he truly possessed no such thing. In his previous life, working nine-to-five at the company, he would collapse onto his bed, utterly exhausted, the moment he returned home. Having poured every ounce of his energy into mere survival, he had no time left for fostering deep connections.
Even after Fire Finch had drawn him into the guild, he had consistently operated under a female identity; none of them knew his true masculine self.
“…”
In essence, without Xiao Jiu, he felt like a desolate blue planet adrift, deprived of its sun.
—Only darkness remained.
“Big White~ Could you possibly transform into a human?”
Aya Tone pondered, and it seemed that only Big White could truly be counted as a friend.
Although Big White was a magical construct, during its creation, he had imbued them with the highest level of intelligence. This was specifically to ensure Xiao Jiu perceived them as a beloved family member, not merely a machine programmed to follow commands. Beyond their lack of combat prowess, in every other aspect of their actions, they were indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
“Master, are you truly asking me?”
Big White, with their wide, innocent eyes, conveyed a wealth of unspoken meaning, though not a single word escaped their lips.
“Indeed, it seems so,” Aya Tone offered an embarrassed chuckle.
Suddenly, a particular box nestled within the pile of discarded items caught his discerning eye.
“Hey, Big White, toss that box over here. That one absolutely cannot be thrown out.”
Big White, ever obedient to their master’s directive, sifted through the floor’s clutter and retrieved the designated box. Judging by its production date, the box appeared to predate even Big White’s own creation.
“Master, what is this?”
Cradling the box, Big White carefully set it upon a low pedestal.
“This one, huh.”
Aya Tone executed a rather undignified carp roll, tumbling unceremoniously from the sofa.
“Cough!”
Rising from the floor, Aya Tone felt no embarrassment, knowing full well that no one had witnessed his clumsy descent.
He clapped his hand against the iron box, the contact producing a sharp, resonant clang.
“Contained within this very box,” he declared, “is the contract of my esteemed self.”
Big White tilted their head, their expression conveying utter incomprehension, yet a profound sense of shock.
A flicker of nostalgia danced in Aya Tone’s eyes; three years had indeed slipped by without his notice. Xiao Jiu, once a swaddled infant, now constantly chirped “Dada! Dada!”
****
Three years ago.
Having officially become a guardian, Aya Tone ascended to the rooftop of his rented dwelling once the child had finally drifted to sleep. He sat there, contemplating the uncharted path his future would take.
With little Aya Jiu now in his care, his old job, notorious for its constant overtime, was no longer a viable option. Yet, armed with only a high school diploma, where could he possibly secure employment capable of sustaining two lives?
Confusion utterly dominated Aya Tone’s mind. In that moment, he yearned desperately for a cigarette, a fleeting solace to dispel his encroaching anxieties. Regrettably, however, he neither smoked nor drank…
He could only offer a helpless, self-deprecating chuckle. “Hah, I’m not that important, yet I’m trying to wear such a big hat, aren’t I just asking for trouble?” Still, he was merely venting his frustrations; who could truly predict the future?
He was a grown man, with his own hands and feet; surely he wouldn’t simply starve to death. However, entrusting the child to an orphanage was an option he couldn’t bear to consider.
By the following morning, Aya Tone had officially become an unemployed man. Their meager household savings would barely sustain them for a month. Should he fail to secure employment within that month…
****
“Hello?”
After days of relentless searching, every answer he received was, without fail, a resounding refusal. No company would willingly employ someone who flat-out refused overtime and might, on occasion, even leave early.
Deep in the throes of despair, Aya Tone trudged disconsolately along the path leading home.
“Hello?” Suddenly, a figure materialized, blocking his path.
“Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?”
Aya Tone slowly opened his weary eyes. Before him stood a vibrant, beautiful girl, who, by all appearances, seemed to have no conceivable connection to him. His reply was merely a matter of courtesy.
Yet, the woman seemed to pay him no mind, instead reaching into her bag and extracting a document. Before she could utter a single word, Aya Tone interjected, “I have no money, and I’m not interested in buying insurance.”
With that, he walked past the woman without so much as a backward glance. Out on the main street, anyone who stopped you and presented a document was invariably either selling insurance or peddling real estate. Neither option was something he, in his current predicament, could possibly afford.
“Hey, hey, hey! I’m not selling insurance; I merely want to recruit you!”
Upon hearing this, Aya Tone’s pace quickened involuntarily.
‘Recruit?’ Anyone using such a term immediately signaled an involvement in something far from legitimate. He considered himself a good, law-abiding citizen, and had no intention of engaging in anything illegal or criminal.
Watching Aya Tone accelerate his steps, the girl let out an exasperated stomp of her foot. ‘Why did this man react to her as if she were a malevolent spirit, fleeing as if his life depended on it? Did she truly resemble a demon?’
In that moment, the girl couldn’t help but question her own appearance. Yet, it was merely a fleeting thought; after all these years, how could she not know what she looked like?
The next moment, she smoothed away the anger from her face, cast a profound glance at the retreating figure of Aya Tone, and dialed a number on her phone.
–“Alright, send me that person’s address.”
No sooner had she ended the call than Aya Tone’s figure vanished from sight.
“Aya Tone?” The girl lowered her gaze to the document in her hand, a thoughtful expression settling upon her features.
‘He awakened a D-rank water ability, yet he didn’t even participate in the college entrance examination? With a D-rank water ability and his impressive academic scores, he would have had every opportunity to gain admission to a prestigious university for further cultivation. As for tuition, he could easily have applied for national assistance. So why did he suddenly abandon it all?’
He had never once utilized his ability after entering society. Suspicious, profoundly suspicious. Supernatural abilities had long since become an intrinsic part of human life; even a city’s sanitation worker would, inevitably and unconsciously, employ their powers in their daily tasks. He was undoubtedly harboring some secret. Perhaps his D-rank was merely a facade!
The girl cast a glance towards the direction Aya Tone had vanished, a smile of absolute certainty playing on her lips.
Noticing that the girl hadn’t pursued him, Aya Tone finally exhaled in relief, allowing his steps to slow. Simultaneously, a nagging suspicion began to form in his mind. ‘With so many people on the street, why had she singled him out? Could she be a human trafficker?’
Aya Tone’s heart tightened with a sudden jolt. It wasn’t narcissism, but his current appearance was undeniably on par with, if not superior to, that of some celebrities. Especially after the awakening of his supernatural ability, he seemed to have become even more striking.
He decided it was best to return home swiftly. The sky was already darkening, and he wanted to be home in time to pick up Xiao Jiu for her evening milk. At the mere thought of that adorable child, a tender smile involuntarily graced Aya Tone’s weary face.
His steps homeward grew lighter, and the pervasive fatigue that had clung to him seemed to dissipate entirely. If only he could wield that power, perhaps he could truly provide that child with a prosperous childhood. In that precise moment, the seal within Aya Tone’s heart quietly, almost imperceptibly, fractured.
Upon returning to the suburban village, Aya Tone was astonished to discover a sleek black sedan parked there, a rare sight in a place where cars seldom ventured. By its luxurious exterior, it was clearly no inexpensive vehicle.
‘Could some influential magnate have taken a liking to this area, arriving to negotiate land sales with the village elder? The village grandmothers had often lamented to him that despite years of arduous struggle, none of the younger generation had truly forged a name for themselves. If this were truly the case, then he might soon find himself in need of a new place to reside.’
Navigating the narrow alleyways, Aya Tone expertly reached the grandmother’s home, and after offering his heartfelt thanks, he retrieved little Aya Jiu. Beyond his gratitude, he truly possessed nothing with which to repay the kind old woman.
“Why are you here?”
Aya Tone, who had been on the verge of retrieving his keys to unlock his door, frowned deeply, his gaze fixed on the girl squatting nearby. ‘Were criminals truly so brazen these days? To brazenly show up at someone else’s home—did she truly take him for a naive fool?’
“No, no, no! I’m not a good person—ugh, I mean! I’m not a *bad* person!” The girl rose, waving her hands in a flurry. “I merely wish to recruit you.”
“Recruit?” This marked the second time Aya Tone had heard that particular word from the girl. ‘But why was she seeking him out?’
“Cough, cough. My apologies, this is my first time doing this, and I completely forgot to introduce myself.” The girl subtly adjusted her attire. “Hello, my name is Fire Finch, and I am the current Guild Master of the Vermillion Bird Guild.”
Gazing at the hand the girl extended, Aya Tone, still cradling little Aya Jiu, found himself momentarily at a loss. ‘The Vermillion Bird Guild? A Guild Master? Were scammers truly so amateurish these days? To even dare impersonate the Guild Master of one of the Four Symbols Guilds! Moreover, everyone knew that the Vermillion Bird Guild headquarters in Yan’an City exclusively recruited women. This individual was, without a doubt, a fraud.’
Convinced of her fraudulent nature, he made to dismiss her.
“How about we step inside first, and then we can discuss this at length?”
Observing Aya Tone’s slight hesitation, Fire Finch, mistaking it for interest, pressed her advantage. “And look at me,” she reasoned, “I’m just a helpless girl. Why not hear the remuneration first? If you’re still not interested, we can part ways amicably, can’t we?”
‘Remuneration?’ Aya Tone’s movement to usher her away paused. He was desperately short of money; it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear what she had to offer. Besides, he had nothing worth anyone’s prying.
“Fine.”
‘Phew, this man has finally relented.’
Inside the rented house.
Fire Finch watched Aya Tone pacing back and forth, her curiosity piqued. “What are you doing?”
“Making milk. Just speak your mind; I’m listening.”
“Er…”
Fire Finch’s expression stiffened. He truly was a man devoid of humor, no wonder the child’s mother had abandoned him. But that was not her concern. She retrieved the document from her bag and gently placed it on the old wooden table.
“I’ve reviewed your records from Fourth High School: a D-rank water ability, and your academic scores were top-notch. Yet, you chose not to participate in the college entrance examination. Are you concealing something?”
“Your ability cannot possibly be the D-rank stated in the information; it must be a considerably powerful ability, otherwise, it couldn’t have influenced the records. Am I correct?”
“…”
Aya Tone remained silent, concentrating intently on the temperature of the baby bottle. Finally! Once the milk reached the optimal temperature, Aya Tone, cradling little Aya Jiu, settled into a chair opposite Fire Finch.
“Then why are you looking for me?”
‘There’s a chance!’ Fire Finch, being a novice yet to truly step into society, was all about sincerity. “Actually, I’m still just an intern Guild Master, and I want to prove to the elders in my family that I am a capable Guild Master.” The simplest and most direct way to prove herself was, undoubtedly, to unearth an A-rank adventurer. And Aya Tone was the one she had chosen.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
“Remuneration.”
“Huh?” Fire Finch was momentarily stunned. How had they moved to discussing remuneration after only a few sentences?
“State the remuneration first, then I’ll make my decision.”
Aya Tone held a scale in his heart. If the other party truly was a Guild Master from one of the Four Symbols Guilds… perhaps it was worth considering…
“Since I don’t yet know your full strength, and your male identity prevents you from joining the guild, I can only provisionally assess you at a B-rank adventurer level.” Fire Finch pondered for a moment before stating a relatively reasonable price, “How about five hundred thousand a month?”
Five hundred thousand!? So much?
Aya Tone’s heart fluttered, and he swallowed a tiny gulp. Then, feigning composure, he probed, “What if it were calculated at S-rank? How much would that be?”
“S-rank, you say?” Fire Finch hadn’t considered it much. “An S-rank can no longer be defined by a standard figure. Take an S-rank auntie I know, for example; she does nothing, yet her dungeon income alone can be calculated in the hundreds of millions.”
“You shouldn’t even dream about it,” Fire Finch teased. “China is vast, and there are barely a hundred S-ranks currently.”
But Aya Tone had taken it all in.
“I think it’s worth a try, but on the condition that you sign a non-disclosure agreement with me.”
“?”
****
Since the iron box hadn’t been opened for a long time, Aya Tone exerted considerable effort to pry it open. What met his gaze was not some high-end item like a parchment contract, but merely a single, yellowed piece of paper lying quietly inside.
The contract’s content was remarkably simple, comprising only a few brief sentences.
[Guaranteed Salary: One hundred thousand per dungeon run.
During the period of guardianship, fifty percent of an S-rank dungeon’s profits belong to the guardian.
Knowledgeable party (Fire Finch) must not expose Aya Tone’s true identity.
Violators shall suffer the calamity of the Spirit Prison, subject to the other party’s command.
The contract is valid for five years.]
At the bottom, under the甲方 [party A] section, a lifelike little Vermillion Bird was imprinted. While the乙方 [party B] section bore the characters for Aya Tone.
Though this contract appeared somewhat playful, even lacking protection from national judicial law, it didn’t require such ethereal assurances. Instead, it was recognized by the very “laws” and “principles” of heaven and earth. Even if the contract were torn, the agreement would persist between the two, an indelible mark upon their souls. This was the oath sworn by Fire Finch, as one of the Four Symbols successors, witnessed by heaven and earth. The lifelike little Vermillion Bird served as its imprint. It was precisely because of this that Aya Tone believed in the existence of cultivators in this world. Otherwise, what kind of supernatural ability could possibly stir the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao? That was simply preposterous.
“Master, shall I discard this?”
“Discard your head, you fool! This is for future reference!” Aya Tone picked up the iron lid and tossed it at Big White’s head.
He had been ignorant back then, believing that the fifty percent profit from an S-rank dungeon was a one-time deal. He had even secretly cleared the dungeon all by himself. Now, thinking back, he regretted it terribly. No one had told him that the items within dungeons were renewable resources! If he could do it over, he would never have been so impulsive.
(●—●)