Chapter 25: Maria

Bai Jin dragged her heavy feet out of the refectory.
The cool morning air brushed against her cheeks, bringing a brief moment of clarity.

Her nerves, which had been taut all night, relaxed, and with it came an overwhelming wave of fatigue.

All she wanted to do now was find a place, collapse, and sleep until the world turned dark.

Louise followed Bai Jin out on her heels and immediately caught up with her, her face filled with an inexplicable excitement.

“Hey! Bai Jin!”
Louise walked shoulder to shoulder with Bai Jin, her voice deliberately lowered, but unable to conceal the joy within.

“Look at your face, tsk tsk, the taste of the Blood Contract isn’t pleasant, is it~ But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”

Bai Jin twitched the corner of her mouth, not even having the strength to be perfunctory.

Louise didn’t care in the slightest.
She took out her beloved Merchant’s Contract and her fingertips slid nimbly across it, the golden runes flowing like living things.

“Last night’s business, although I didn’t initiate it, and it cost me a lot of Gold Contracts…”

“But the process went through my Merchant’s Contract. The payment the Holy Blood gave to the Alliance, I can also get a cut from it!”

“Mmm, a transaction between gods. Even a thousandth of it is an astronomical figure for me!”

Her eyes were frighteningly bright, as if she could see Gold Contracts raining down around her.

“And there’s even more explosive news! This is a trade secret! Do you want to know?”

Bai Jin’s head was buzzing.
She felt like there were countless Louises chattering in her ear.

So she stopped, and once again activated the Blood Contract, Recovery.

The fading life force turned into a rushing hot current in her blood vessels, lifting Bai Jin’s spirits a little.

But Bai Jin was puzzled.
‘Why wasn’t it so painful this time? Is it because my body’s injuries have already recovered, so the price of this Blood Contract isn’t so painful?’

Bai Jin shook her head, looked at Louise, and her hoarse throat only managed to spit out one word, “Speak…”

Louise cleared her throat, glanced around, and seeing no one in the corridor, she leaned close to Bai Jin’s ear.

“It seems the Holy Blood Royal Court is going to invest in Twilight Town!”

“Do you know what that means? It’s highly likely that this place will be the next economic boom town!”

“Resource allocation! Increased personnel! Upgraded defenses! Wow! This is a sky-high fortune!”

“Supplies, building materials, potions, weapons, personnel flow… business opportunities everywhere!”

The more she spoke, the more excited she became.
The Merchant’s Contract in her hand shone brightly, the golden characters converging in the air to form another roll of parchment.

Then she solemnly handed it to Bai Jin.
“Bai Jin, I’m a good judge of character. For you to be by Lilith’s side, and to be able to make clear decisions in a situation like last night’s, you’re definitely no ordinary person!”

“How about it? Interested in joining our Merchant’s Contract Alliance? Become an official member!”

“With this Merchant’s Contract, in Twilight Town, and anywhere covered by the Alliance’s business, handling affairs, making transactions, and getting information will be a hundred times more convenient!”

“Internal discounts, priority channels, risk protection… and many other benefits!”

“Just take it as a small token of my personal appreciation, and also an investment in your potential. Sign it, and we’ll be one of our own~”

Bai Jin looked at the golden Merchant’s Contract in front of her, which flowed with a mysterious power and the aura of wealth, and then at Louise’s expectant eyes.

‘Why does this feel like Pinduoduo pulling in new users from my past life?’

‘And, to get a ‘one of our own’ like you to help, it would probably cost a lot of Gold Contracts…’

Her tired body leaned against the wall.
After a few seconds of silence, she slightly raised her hand, her fingertips touching the warm and smooth parchment.

A faint stream of information flowed into her mind, a brief description of the basic rights and obligations of a member.
The core was indeed equivalent exchange and commercial credit.

There were no mandatory binding clauses, and the authority in her mind remained silent, which put her at ease.

‘It seems the Merchant’s Contract in this world is just a tool…’

“Okay.”
Bai Jin’s voice was hoarse, almost squeezed out from her throat.

With her faint approval in her mind, Bai Jin’s name appeared in the identity section of the Merchant’s Contract, along with a string of numbers.

“Great!”
Louise’s face instantly broke into a wide smile.
“Welcome to the Alliance, Member Bai Jin! If you have any business needs in the future, or want to inquire about anything, feel free to come to me!”

Bai Jin looked at the balance of three zeros in the top right corner and fell silent again…

Louise patted Bai Jin’s shoulder, turned around in satisfaction, and humming an out-of-tune little song, walked briskly out of the church.

The world was finally quiet.
Bai Jin let out a long sigh and walked towards the small room assigned to her.

The corridor was empty, with only the sound of her heavy footsteps echoing between the stone walls.

Just as she touched the doorknob, a timid voice sounded behind her.

“Sis… Sister Bai Jin?”

Bai Jin’s movement paused.
She turned around somewhat stiffly and saw a young nun standing a few steps away, nervously twisting the hem of her nun’s habit with both hands.

She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, with a round face and a bit of baby fat.
Her emerald green eyes were now filled with nervousness and admiration?

Bai Jin recognized her.
It was the novice nun from yesterday’s lunch who had brought the cut offering fruit and had blushed shyly at being able to get close to Lilith.

“Is something wrong?”
Bai Jin tried to make her voice sound as calm as possible, even though all she wanted to do now was fall into bed and sleep.

“My name is Maria. I saw you and the two important figures from the Royal Court. You all look so amazing.”
Her eyes sparkled, full of longing.

“Especially you, being able to use divine arts just like Her Holiness the Saintess!”

Bai Jin forced a tired smile.
She didn’t want to mislead this little girl.

“That’s just the most basic Blood Contract, granted by Lady Lilith.”

“That’s still amazing!”
Maria said eagerly, then lowered her head in embarrassment.

“I know this is very presumptuous, but I heard that Her Holiness the Saintess granted you the original copy of the 《Holy Blood Bible》? Is that true?”

Bai Jin was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, it’s in my room.”

She remembered that she hadn’t finished reading that book, which was as thick as a brick.
She had put it in her room before being dragged out by Lilith.

Maria’s eyes instantly brightened even more, her gaze filled with eager pleading.
“Can I… borrow it for a look? Just a peek! I know this is a very presumptuous request, but…”

She took out a thin booklet from her robe.
The handwriting on the cover was clearly handwritten.

Bai Jin looked at the handwritten copy in Maria’s hand, then thought of the thick, magnificent “original manuscript” that Lilith had casually thrown to her.

She understood now.
‘Is this probably the difference between a Saintess’s personal transmission and mass production?’

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
‘For such basic knowledge, what’s the big difference between looking at a manuscript and the original? Could the original have some hidden chapters?’

But looking at Maria’s longing eyes, Bai Jin couldn’t bear to refuse.

She was just an ordinary girl who longed for the power of the Holy Blood.
Besides, all Bai Jin wanted to do now was to get rid of her quickly.

“You can.”
Bai Jin pushed open her door.
The thick bible was casually placed on the bedside table.

“It’s over there. You can get it yourself, but…”
Bai Jin let out a big yawn, squeezing out tears.

“When I wake up, you have to return it to me…”

“Really?! Thank you, thank you so much! Sister Bai Jin!”
Maria was overjoyed.
She practically pounced on the table and carefully picked up the bible.

“I promise! I will return it to you in perfect condition after you wake up! I’ll just read it in the corridor outside and won’t disturb your rest at all!”

Bai Jin waved her hand weakly, signaling for her to do as she pleased.

Maria, as if she had obtained a priceless treasure, hugged the large book, tiptoed out of the room, and even thoughtfully closed the door gently.

Finally… quiet…

Bai Jin locked the not-so-sturdy wooden door from the inside.
She didn’t even have the strength to take off her nun’s habit, which was covered in blood and dust.
She just staggered and pounced on that hard wooden bed.

The moment her body touched the bedboard, all her strength seemed to be drained away.

Deep within her soul, the contract that bound her to Lilith, the pulsation of Lilith’s life from the other end, was like a hypnotic rhythm.

Outside the corridor, was the rustling sound of Maria flipping through the pages of the book.

These sounds, accompanied by a heavy sense of fatigue, like a warm tide, instantly submerged Bai Jin’s consciousness completely…