All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 10: The Knights Of The Sun Kingdom

As Zhanyue placed his hand on a jade plate next to the stone mill, upon contact, the mill emitted a red glow different from the old man’s, and then began to rotate slowly.

“Ah, it’s also very sl-” The old man’s words were cut short as he saw the millstone visibly accelerating at a rapid pace. Soon, the rotation speed of the stone mill exceeded the fastest speed the old man had ever seen, but it still didn’t stop.

“Too… too fast, too fast.” The old man’s heart was in his throat, but the stone mill’s acceleration hadn’t stopped. Finally, the entire base of the stone mill detached and actually flew up, breaking through the roof and flying out.

“It’s… broken?” The old man rubbed his eyes. Could this talent-testing stone mill actually take flight?

“Oh no!” The old man slapped his thigh and hurriedly ran out. Even if the stone mill was broken, he had to find it, otherwise it would be a major dereliction of duty.

In the weapon contractors’ registration hall, people were chatting idly when suddenly something crashed through the roof and fell down. Everyone in the room was startled for a moment.

“Enemy attack?!” Everyone became extremely tense.

However, they only saw that what had fallen was a stone millstone. They all recognized this object, of course, but how could it fall from the sky?

The old man hurriedly ran over, and seeing that the stone mill wasn’t broken, he breathed a sigh of relief. A malfunction of the testing platform and damage to the stone mill were two different matters.

“What are you doing? How did the stone mill from the testing platform fall from the sky? Could someone actually make it fly?” Everyone laughed at the old man’s disheveled appearance.

“The testing platform must be broken. I won’t talk to you now.” The old man carried the stone mill back, feeling quite speechless. The testing platform probably hadn’t been used for a long time, so it was normal for it to break down.

“The testing platform is broken. Forget it, let’s register you first. You can come back for a talent test when it’s convenient later.” The old man said to Zhanyue. He was in a mess now, fearing he couldn’t escape responsibility for the broken testing platform. Moreover, Zhanyue was an important quota for completing his task, so it was better to help him register early.

Zhanyue smoothly completed the procedures and officially became a registered contractor in Sun City. He played with his identity token, very happy that he had officially settled in this world. Due to the special nature of contractors, many details could be kept private, so Zhanyue didn’t encounter any tricky questions.

“Well… becoming a contractor comes with many privileges, but…” the old man added somewhat embarrassedly, “rights and obligations are always equal, you know what I mean?”

Zhanyue frowned, not understanding the meaning of the old man’s words.

“Old Gu, is this the newcomer you reported?” Just then, a cheerful voice suddenly came. The newcomer was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing silver armor, the standard armor of Sun City officers.

“Captain Cheng, long time no see. This is the last quota. I’ve finally completed the task.” The old man was relieved to see the newcomer, letting out a long sigh.

The man named Cheng Lu looked Zhanyue over, “Awakening as a contractor in your twenties…still better than ordinary people. Come with me.”

Zhanyue looked confused, feeling as if he had been sold by the old man.

“Judging by your expression, it seems Old Gu didn’t explain clearly?” Cheng Lu noticed Zhanyue’s confusion and explained: “There are three sources of soldiers in the Eastern Kingdom. First are professional soldiers who voluntarily enlist and live in barracks year-round, they are the country’s main fighting force. Second are conscripted soldiers; all contractors, while enjoying special rights, must also bear the obligation to defend the country. They only need to complete some tasks to fulfill their duty. Third are wartime recruits, but in these peaceful times, we don’t need you for that.”

“According to regulations, conscripted soldiers should volunteer, but unfortunately, there are too few registered miscellaneous contractors in Sun City to meet the required numbers. So basically, once you register, you’ll be selected. Now do you understand?” Captain Cheng Lu explained patiently.

Zhanyue glared at the old man beside him with a black face. Why didn’t he mention these things before? His first task after registration was actually military service.

Feeling guilty, the old man said to Captain Cheng, “This youngster just awakened as a contractor, his strength is low. Captain Cheng, please take good care of him.”

Cheng Lu was open-hearted and laughed, “Am I going to assign him to eliminate the Night Lord? Don’t worry, we prioritize safety when arranging tasks. After all, contractors are scarce, each one is precious. For these low-level new recruits, the tasks we assign are not much harder than sweeping streets.”

Zhanyue knew that violating military law was a serious crime in any world, so he didn’t resist.

After Zhanyue left with Captain Cheng, the old man put the stone mill back. He placed his hand on the jade plate, and the millstone began to rotate slowly again, showing no damage.

“How strange? What happened earlier?” The old man was puzzled. He couldn’t believe any miscellaneous contractor’s talent could be high enough to make the stone mill spin and fly. “Better have someone come and check it.”

“By the way, do you have any family matters to take care of? According to regulations, you’ll need to leave home for about a month. If you have any arrangements, you can go back first and report to me within three days,” Cheng Lu said.

Zhanyue shook his head. He had no family, nor anything that needed to be taken care of.

“No need. By the way, Captain Cheng, I have something I’d like to ask,” Zhanyue said.

Cheng Lu patted his shoulder, “Don’t be so formal, just call me Brother Cheng. This isn’t the barracks. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

Zhanyue asked, “Do miscellaneous contractors have a very low status? I always feel like other contractors look down on us.”

Cheng Lu laughed, “Were you mocked at other contractors’ registration offices? This matter is actually very simple. Those you see at registration offices are mostly newcomers who have just contracted recently. They have no real experience, they’ve only read about the ‘spirit’, ‘beast’, ‘weapon’, and ‘miscellaneous’ four levels in books. Awakening a higher-level contract object naturally gives them a sense of superiority. However, in reality, every contractor has unlimited potential. In my team, some miscellaneous contractors are responsible for reconnaissance, some for logistics, some for emergencies. How are they any worse than others? Only newcomers cling to the so-called ‘four-tier’ system to determine superiority. But I must say that ‘spirit contractors’ are indeed rarer and more precious. Every spirit contractor has the potential to become a supreme expert, not to be offended lightly.”

“But don’t worry, in my long life, I’ve only seen one spirit contractor. Let alone others, you can’t even encounter them, so how could there be conflicts of interest?” Cheng Lu explained.

Zhanyue nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of this world’s rules. Except for spirit contractors, the other three types – beast, weapon, and miscellaneous contractors – actually had no significant difference in status. It’s just that the abilities awakened by miscellaneous contractors might not be very suitable for combat.

After bringing Zhanyue to the city garrison, someone notified Cheng Lu to attend a meeting. This captain was in charge of over a hundred contractors, making him a middle-level figure in Sun City. Naturally, he could access many things that lower levels couldn’t.

Zhanyue moved into his temporary residence, a small room. Although not large, at least it was private. He lay on the bed waiting for a long time before Captain Cheng Lu returned, wearing a serious expression.

“Everyone, assemble!” At this command, the hundred or so people in the garrison quickly gathered. By now, Zhanyue had also changed into Sun City’s temporary military uniform.

“We have a mission. This mission is highly valued by the higher-ups, even I don’t know much about it. In any case, we must approach it with the utmost seriousness and caution. But don’t worry too much, there won’t be any life-threatening danger,” Cheng Lu introduced, then set off with the troops to make advance arrangements for the mission.

Based on the drills Cheng Lu had led them through, Zhanyue easily guessed the nature of the mission. It seemed some important person was coming to Sun City, and their task was to maintain order. They weren’t responsible for the VIP’s safety – their strength wasn’t sufficient for that. They were only responsible for maintaining order among the civilians on the streets, preventing people from running around and disturbing the important guest.

The VIP’s arrival was very sudden, or rather, very secretive. Very few people in Sun City knew about it in advance. When the sun was about to rise on the second day, Zhanyue and the others were called up and headed straight for the city gate. Their hundred or so people lined up on both sides, each responsible for a section of the area. Barriers had already been set up on both sides of the street to prevent entry. With such a commotion, how could the citizens of Sun City not know? They had gotten up early to watch the excitement. Both sides of the street were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder.

In the direction of the rising sun came the sound of heavy hoofbeats. Finally, the mysterious visitors revealed themselves. It was a cavalry unit, numbering about a hundred.

At the front of the heavy cavalry was the most eye-catching figure – a middle-aged man with blonde hair wearing heavy armor. He had short, vigorous golden hair and a short beard, with a scar on his right cheek, a mark of both injury and merit. Most striking was the golden lion he rode, leading the way at the front, naturally unobstructed.

The heavily armored cavalry following him were also imposing.

Their golden armor gleamed in the Rising Sun. Tall and strong, both riders and horses were clad in golden heavy armor. Just the sight of them was awe-inspiring, their killing aura immediately silencing the spectators on both sides. This cavalry unit would be elite among elites, ace among aces in any country. They were far beyond comparison to small soldiers like Zhanyue. Every cavalryman in this unit was no weaker than Captain Cheng Lu.

At the center of the cavalry’s protection was an elaborate white carriage. The carriage was tightly sealed on all sides, making it impossible to see inside. Beside the carriage was a white steed, ridden by another golden-armored knight. His golden armor was even more dazzling, clearly special, highlighting his unique status.

“The Sun Knight Regiment! It’s actually the royal elite Sun Knight Regiment of the Rising Sun Kingdom! Could the one leading at the front be the legendary commander of the Sun Knight Regiment – Golden Lion Kieran?” Zhanyue heard people around him discussing. He was also very curious about who such an elite unit was escorting.

At this moment, a child about four or five years old was playing with a round bead in the crowd. The bead accidentally fell from his hand and rolled into the horse formation. The child shook off his mother’s hand and hurriedly crawled through the gap under the crowd. His mother was blocked by others and couldn’t stop him.

As luck would have it, the carriage was just passing by, and Zhanyue was responsible for this section of the road. These heavy war horses could easily trample anything in their path. Just as the naughty child was about to touch the war horse, at the critical moment, Zhanyue flashed over and scooped him up. However, this movement startled the horse pulling the carriage, causing it to become agitated.

“How dare you! You dare to disturb the Holy Maiden’s carriage, seize him!” the man beside the carriage shouted angrily.

Just as several cavalrymen were about to approach Zhanyue, a voice came from within the carriage. It was a gentle female voice, just hearing it made one feel as if bathed in spring breeze.

“Enough, Xiongxin. He was only trying to protect the child. Don’t create unnecessary trouble. Let’s go to the City Lord’s mansion immediately, we can’t keep the City Lord waiting long.” Those outside couldn’t see inside the carriage, but it seemed the person inside could see out.

“Yes.” The person inside had given the order, so naturally, the others didn’t dare trouble Zhanyue.

Zhanyue returned the child to his mother. The woman’s face was pale, full of guilt. She thanked him profusely, almost causing the soldier before her to get into trouble because of her child.

“Are you alright?” After the cavalry had passed, others moved forward to maintain order, but Cheng Lu came to Zhanyue’s side to comfort him. He had also been startled just now, but since Zhanyue was trying to save the child, he naturally wouldn’t blame him.

“I’m fine. The Sun Knight Regiment, they really are impressive,” Zhanyue said, still feeling a bit shaken.

“Captain, who was in the carriage?” Zhanyue asked curiously. To be escorted by such a powerful knight regiment and receive such attention from Sun City, her identity must be extraordinary. If she hadn’t spoken up to intervene, he might have gotten into big trouble.

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