Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter 101. A Strong Sense of Law
What was going on?
How did it suddenly change?
She refused to accept it.
“Boss!” Lilith panicked and grabbed the railing as she shouted, “This isn’t right! That guy looks slick and smooth-talking at a glance—he’s obviously not a good person! I think the one from earlier was better. If we tweak the terms a little, it could still work…”
“Silence.” Logaris did not even turn his head. “Are you that idle? If you have nothing to do, go scrub the floor of my laboratory.”
Lilith instantly fell silent.
However, the resentment on her face was practically tangible as she glared at Iowen as if she wanted to stab two holes through him with her eyes.
Iowen accepted the new contract and carefully checked it back and forth three times.
There really was no problem.
The terms were very clear: he would join Logaris’s team as a Special Technical Consultant for two years, mainly responsible for providing technical expertise, and he even had weekends off.
There was no soul trap and no life binding.
Phew.
Iowen let out a long breath.
It seemed this professor had only been trying to scare people. In reality, he was still a civilized person who followed reason.
“If you had just brought this out earlier, wouldn’t everything have been settled already?” Iowen instantly returned to his elegant demeanor and even used his fingers to comb through his messy long hair.
“For the sake of art and truth, it is my honor.”
He picked up the pen and signed his name flamboyantly on the contract written in black and white.
The moment the tip of the pen left the paper—
“Done.”
Logaris’s voice suddenly carried a trace of pleasure.
That kind of pleasure was like an old cat crouching beside a mousetrap, finally hearing the crisp snap when the trap closed.
Before Iowen could ask what was wrong, he saw Logaris reach out, pinch the corner of the contract, and gently lift it.
Riiip—
Beneath the sheet of white paper filled with clauses, there were actually several layers of extremely thin, semi-transparent dark gray sheets hidden underneath.
Because they were pressed together so tightly, and the edges had been treated with a special visual concealment method, Iowen had checked three times earlier and still failed to notice them.
“What is this…” Iowen’s pupils trembled.
“This is the ‘Carbon Paper 3.0’ I recently developed.” Logaris revealed a pleased smile.
“It uses the alchemical principle of ‘material permeation.’ The name you signed on the first page will simultaneously permeate onto every copy beneath it.”
With a flick of his finger, the several layers of carbon paper unfolded automatically.
They were densely filled with additional clauses that had not been visible earlier.
“So congratulations. All the clauses above are now in effect.”
“Hahahahaha!”
Lilith, who had just looked completely dejected, instantly revived on the spot.
She slapped her thigh and laughed so hard that tears almost came out, pointing at the stunned Iowen as if she had just won the lottery herself.
“Idiot! A complete idiot! I knew the boss couldn’t possibly be that kind-hearted! See?! Now you’re going to work black labor for the rest of your life just like me!”
Lilith suddenly felt her heart regain its balance.
This was what they called justice eventually catching up with everyone.
This was the cruelty of society.
Iowen stared at the extra clauses that had appeared out of nowhere and froze completely.
His hand trembled as he pointed at Logaris, so furious that he could barely speak properly.
“You… you…!”
“Do not get excited. Look at the content first.” Logaris pulled out the carbon sheets and casually tossed them through the railing.
With tears in his eyes, Iowen picked up the papers.
He had already mentally prepared himself.
Whether it meant digging coal, becoming an experimental lab rat, or even being sold off as a breeding stud… as long as he could keep his life, it would be fine.
The first line.
[Employment Period: Five years.]
Huh?
Iowen rubbed his eyes.
Not for life?
Not for a hundred years?
Just five years?
For an elf with a long lifespan, five years was nothing.
It was practically the length of a nap.
He continued reading.
[Salary and Benefits: Base salary of 100 Golden Lion Coins per month. Additional bonuses will be issued depending on project progress. Meals and accommodation included, with a private single room and personal bathroom.]
Iowen’s mouth opened wider and wider until it could practically fit an egg.
He raised his head in disbelief and looked at Logaris.
The grief and indignation in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by the kind of reverence one would give to a beloved father.
“Professor… th-this… these clauses are also in effect?”
“Of course.” Logaris nodded. “Black and white on paper. Fair to young and old alike.”
“Then I’ll sign! Can I sign for ten years instead?!” Iowen hugged the papers tightly as if afraid Logaris would take them back.
“This isn’t prison at all—this is basically a resort! When I used to serve at the royal court, the treatment was about the same, except I had to listen to those old fossils nagging me every single day!”
“What?!”
This time it was Lilith who screamed.
She snatched the contract from Iowen’s hands.
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she stared at the number.
One hundred Golden Lion Coins?
And a private room?
Lilith felt as if her entire worldview had collapsed.
Without comparison, there was no harm.
If earlier she had been watching a joke, now she felt like the joke herself.
The biggest joke of all.
“Why?!” Lilith’s mentality completely broke.
Grabbing the railing, she roared at Logaris, her grievance so intense that anyone who heard it would feel sympathy.
“Boss! This isn’t fair! We’re both prisoners here! Why is he a high-paid technical worker while I’m a slave serving a life sentence?!”
“Is it because his ears are sharper? Because his skin is paler? I refuse to accept it! I protest! This is racial discrimination! This is gender discrimination! This is—”
Logaris cast her a cold glance.
That single look caused the rest of Lilith’s words to get stuck in her throat.
“He merely stole something.”
Logaris pointed at Iowen, his tone calm as if he were stating an obvious truth.
“According to the law, attempted burglary with no actual losses and with the suspect actively cooperating with the investigation would normally result in only a few months of detention at most.”
Then Logaris’s finger shifted toward Lilith.
“And you.”
“On that train, you came at me with a knife aimed at my life.”
“That was an assassination attempt. A terrorist attack.”
Logaris bent down slightly and looked at Lilith’s face, which had turned deathly pale.
“The usual way to deal with a defeated assassin is to cut off their head and hang it on the city wall to dry in the wind.”
“I spared your life and even give you food to eat. And you think this is unfair?”
Lilith opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
A massive and despairing sense of class disparity enveloped her.
By now, Iowen had completely recovered.
He keenly sensed the shift in the situation.
Although he did not know what Miss Lilith had experienced before, it was very clear that in the professor’s eyes, he himself was “useful talent,” while the fierce half-elf lady was merely “manual labor.”
Since the contract had been signed and he had secured a powerful backer, his backbone naturally stiffened.
Iowen straightened the shirt he wore—although dirty, it was still made of fine material—and placed one hand on his waist, striking what he believed to be his most elegant and charming pose.
He even flirtatiously brushed his bangs aside and looked down at Lilith, who was currently frozen in shock.
“Oh my, Miss Lilith.”
Iowen’s voice carried three parts mockery, three parts pride, and four parts smug arrogance.
“It seems we will be colleagues from now on. Oh, no—strictly speaking, I am technical personnel and therefore part of the management. And you…”
He looked Lilith up and down and clicked his tongue twice.
“You can probably only be considered auxiliary staff outside the official establishment.”
“In that case, shouldn’t there be some proper rules? From now on, remember to salute when you see your superior. Also, I am a bit thirsty right now. Go and bring me a glass of water. Make it warm, and add a slice of lemon.”
As he spoke, he even winked at Lilith with those charming peach-blossom eyes.
The air suddenly fell silent.
A deathly silence.
Logaris put away the contract and quietly stepped back.
At the same time, he casually set up a small soundproof barrier in front of himself.