Chapter 490: Chapter 514: Contract Chapter 490: Chapter 514: Contract “The condition is that you take us to Lake Meyne,” Lancelot nodded, “Can you do it?”

“Since I have accepted your boat fare, it is my duty to deliver you to your destination. Traveling on this great ship surely would be more comfortable and faster, but I cannot operate it alone. Shall we go back to the smaller boat? Under my control, even the most dilapidated boat won’t sink, and you can absolutely trust me…” the Ferryman Demon’s eyes flashed with sly red light, “Or, I can summon some helpers…”

“But that would require additional payment for those helpers,” Lancelot immediately saw through the other’s intention, “That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Hehehe, it won’t be very expensive,” the Ferryman Demon boatman let out an unpleasant laugh, “I would need about five of my kin to help me steer the ship, and you would only need to pay an additional… ten thousand Gold Coins. Moreover, we can summon the Stygian River mist, so even if we encounter the Demon’s navy again, they won’t be able to detect this ship…”

“Mr. Vexus, let me make this clear,” Lancelot’s gaze was firm as he looked at the other, “Tell me, how much is the ship itself worth?”

“Around five thousand Gold Coins…”

“Lies.”

“But in the lower planes, everything is a bit more expensive, I am willing to say ten thousand Gold Coins…”

“Another lie.”

“Considering it’s built with Nine Hells craftsmanship, perhaps twenty thousand Gold Coins could also find a buyer…”

“Still a lie. Mr. Vexus, cut the rest of the nonsense,” Lancelot shook his head, “Both you and I are very clear that a warship itself is always more valuable than its crew. I truly am a generous employer, but that’s not a reason for you to take advantage of me.”

The Human Knight turned his back and looked down at the bone warship below with an indifferent tone, continuing:
“This ship is of no value to me; destroying it is no big deal, especially under the current circumstances where this water route is impassable and we need to switch to land. Yes, I wouldn’t mind paying more for your sailing skills and knowledge of the Stygian River, but don’t take me for a fool. If you want this ship, then you better give a reasonable price.”

The Ferryman Demon fell into silence, and Lancelot did not rush to speak either. In such moments, it’s a matter of who can keep their cool longer. After waiting a while longer and seeing that the other party still made no move, Lancelot decided to scare him one last time.

“Bruto!” he called out to the Dwarf below who was wrapping a bandage around himself, “How much mining explosive did you bring?”

“Wait a minute!” the Ferryman Demon finally gave in, “Alright, you win. Give me the ship, and I’ll take you to Lake Meyne for no extra fee…”

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“Because we’ve already paid for that,” Lancelot said, unmoved, but his heart was jubilant.

“I would never pay for a ship…” the Ferryman Demon’s eyes flickered with an eerie red glow, “How about this? Whenever you have a need for a ship, I must provide the service for free until you die. How’s that?”

“That does sound almost too good to be true,” Lancelot said with interest, looking at the other, “Do you think that I won’t last long in this plane?”

“That’s part of the reason, but I’ve also seen how you fight, Sir,” the Ferryman Demon was quite candid, “I think, in the future, you will either be killed in a confrontation with a powerful being and my debt will vanish, or you’ll become a new power, and my relationship with you is likely to benefit me greatly. So, either way, it’s a win-win situation for me.”

“You’re smarter than you look,” Lancelot raised an eyebrow, “How can I ensure you’ll adhere to this agreement?”

“By signing a contract, in the name of Lord of the Styx, Charon,” the skull beneath the cloak revealed a twisted smile, “Essentially, all Ferryman Demons are agents of Charon, and as long as it acknowledges the agreement, its validity is equal to a Styx Oath. Should we break the contract, the Lord of the Styx himself will bear the consequences, ensuring that the agreement is fulfilled without reservation.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Lancelot nodded, “Give me a moment to think it over.”

The Ferryman Demon remained silent, closing its mouth, while Lancelot stepped aside, reaching into the Dimensional Bag and grasping the Emblem of Twin Bridges Town.

‘Tijana, Tijana! Can you hear me?’
‘I’m here. What happened?’
‘Well, we’ve just captured a Demon’s warship…’
‘…What?’
‘I’ll tell you the details later. Right now, I’m negotiating the terms of selling the warship with the Ferryman Demon and I need your help…’
‘While Yugros Demons are known to honor contracts, they’re much more arbitrary in interpreting the terms than Bartez, so we have to be extremely careful… This is professional service, you know, not free.’
‘But we are on a mission for you,’ Lancelot said, speechless, ‘How much?’
‘Did you just roll your eyes at me?!’
‘I didn’t.’
‘You did, you rolled them on the inside, I felt it! Is asking for a kiss as payment too much to ask?’
‘If you had said so earlier… One kiss? I’ll give you ten!’
‘Dream on,’ a light laughter came through the mental link, ‘Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. When signing a contract with Fiends, the core idea really boils down to three rules: First, don’t let the other party exploit loopholes to establish the contract; second, don’t let them exploit loopholes to render the contract void; and third, don’t let them break the contract without consequences. With regards to your current situation, the agreement for selling the ship in exchange for services should be written like this…’
A moment later, Lancelot called all his companions to discuss the final text of the contract, which was then transcribed by the Scholar onto a blank scroll.

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When he finally presented the scroll, written in Abyssal language, containing a multitude of complex clauses and exceptions, and exceeding nine feet in length, to the Ferryman Demon, the latter’s expression was as stagnant as that of an actual skeleton.

“Hey!” Bruto waved his hand in front of the boatman’s face, “What’s the matter with you?”

“Stop it,” the Fiend spoke in a tone devoid of any breath, “Lord Charon is currently examining the text of the contract through my eyes.”

“The contract itself isn’t complicated,” Lancelot said with a smile, tapping a few places at the beginning of the scroll, “It’s basically the terms you agreed to earlier, and the rest are just unimportant, preventive, technical minutiae–merely to ensure that neither of us would break this mutually beneficial contract over trivial gains…”

The Ferryman Demon silently scrutinized every clause on the scroll, and after a while, it looked up at Lancelot with resignation and said:
“Sir, have you killed so many Demons that you’re contaminated with too much of their foul blood? We may be accustomed to taking a slight advantage in contracts, but this is a bit too much…”