Final Lord

Chapter 295 Contract
"What?!" Keynes jumped to his feet, his three-meter-tall frame erupting like a volcano, ruby ​​fragments from his gold nose ring scattering with the force of the movement. His gruff voice almost made the stone hall vibrate, "You're taking advantage of our misfortune!"

Wang Bufu remained calm and even leisurely poured himself a glass of wine, the amber liquid swirling in the glass.

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune? What nonsense!"

Chief, it seems you have no idea how terrible these arrows are.

Wang Bufu pointed at the arrow and said, "See the red at the tip of the arrow? That's copper! Copper ore can only be found where the legendary copper dragon dies."

Weapons made of red copper are impossible to stop with ordinary armor.

This arrowhead is further engraved with a special magic array that can draw out the fire poison within the red copper, instantly generating temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees Celsius. Even treasure-grade armor could potentially melt it!
"A suit of armor worth two hundred thousand gold coins isn't just armor; it's something that can save your entire clan's lives!"

Wang Bufu took a sip and said leisurely, "The materials used to forge this armor are extremely rare, and the craftsmanship is even more complex. Two hundred thousand gold coins per piece is already a friendly price."

Keynes' chest heaved violently, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, almost breaking the handle of his battle axe.

"Impossible!" he growled. "Those damned slaves ransacked our supply depots when they escaped. We just suffered heavy losses. Where would we get so many gold coins?"

"You brat, you've probably forgotten, we minotaurs aren't good at buying, but we're good at stealing."

"Humph."

Wang Bufu put down his wine cup and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, making a rhythmic, soft sound.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that.” He shrugged, his tone slightly regretful. “Business is business, Chief.”

As for robbing... robbing a businessman blessed by the god of commerce, do you know what you're talking about?

Besides, even if you kill me, you won't get what you want, will you? Don't make such a foolish decision, Chief Cairns.

Keynes stared intently at him, his bull-like eyes burning with anger and resentment, but in the end, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

“Let’s change the terms,” he said through gritted teeth. “I don’t have any gold coins, but the minotaurs never owe favors.”

Wang Bufu's lips curled up slightly, and a subtle, unspoken meaning flashed in his eyes.

“Since the chief has said so…” He slowly put down his wine glass, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, “I do have a suggestion.”

Keynes narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring slightly: "Speak."

Wang Bufu smiled slightly, his voice deep and magnetic: "My caravan has a shipment of extremely valuable goods that needs to be transported to the distant north. The journey is treacherous, rife with bandits, and there's also the possibility of encountering despicable cultists. I need a strong escort team."

He looked directly at Keynes, his gaze sharp as a knife: "If the chieftain is willing to lead his entire minotaur tribe to accept my employment and escort this shipment safely to its destination, then—"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, tapping the table lightly with his fingertip, "After it's done, I will provide two hundred sets of armor that can withstand Medusa's arrows, free of charge." Keynes' pupils suddenly contracted, and the skull pendant on his golden nose ring jingled in shock.

"Two hundred sets?!" His rough voice was filled with disbelief. "That's equivalent to forty million gold coins!"

Wang Bufu's smile deepened: "Not only that, during the escort period, I will take full responsibility for all the Tauren's food, supplies, and equipment wear and tear."

He leaned slightly forward, lowered his voice, and spoke in a seductive tone: "Moreover, Chieftain, you might want to consider this—the Minotaur race's temporary departure from the labyrinth will allow them to avoid Medusa's period of power. When you return, you will not only have new armor, but Medusa's arrows may no longer be a threat."

Keynes' breathing became heavy, his chest heaving violently. His gaze darted back and forth between Wang Bufu and the arrows, clearly indicating a fierce internal struggle.

"Why...why should I believe you?" he finally asked hoarsely, his eyes still wary.

Wang Bufu calmly took out a badge inlaid with gold coins from his pocket. It was engraved with intricate patterns and emitted a faint magical fluctuation.

“The emblem of the Commercial Church,” he said softly. “The God of Commerce bears witness that my King does not disobey or break the covenant.”

Keynes stared at the badge, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, the golden nose ring swaying slightly as he lowered his head.

"Fine," he said in a deep voice, his tone resolute. "I agree."

Wang Bufu's smile appeared particularly profound under the glow of the fluorescent moss.

"It's a pleasure to cooperate with you, Chief."

Wang Bufu's lips curled slightly, a shrewd glint in his eyes. He calmly took out a roll of parchment from his robes, its surface smooth and delicate, its edges inlaid with intricate dark patterns, and its center branded with a gleaming emblem of the Commercial Church—a gold coin entwined with vines, symbolizing that the contract had been witnessed by the god of commerce and was inviolable.

Wang, dissatisfied, performed some maneuvers, wrote out the terms, and said to Keynes:

"Chief of Cairns, now that we have reached an agreement, let us sign this contract." His voice was gentle yet unquestionable. With a slight flick of his long fingers, the parchment unfolded like flowing water, hovering in mid-air and emitting a faint magical aura.

The terms of the contract were clear and well-structured, written in ancient commercial runes, ensuring that neither party could tamper with or deny them.

Article 1: Chieftain Cairns of the Tauren and all his warriors will be hired by the King to guard his caravans and territories until the caravan escort mission is completed.

Article 2: During the protection period, Wang Bufu will be responsible for all the Tauren's food, supplies, and equipment wear and tear, and will provide necessary medical support.

Article 3: Upon completion of the caravan mission, Wang Bufu will deliver two hundred sets of specially made armor to the Minotaur, sufficient to withstand copper arrows, ensuring that the Minotaur race will no longer be threatened by Medusa's arrows in future battles.

Keynes's rough fingertips traced the paper, the skull pendant on his golden nose ring swaying gently with his movement. His gaze swept quickly across the contract, confirming the core clause—two hundred sets of armor, precisely the lifeline he desperately needed. As for the other details, he didn't delve into them.

"Very good!" Keynes roared, biting his thumb without hesitation and pressing his bloody fingerprint heavily at the end of the contract. The scarlet fingerprint spread across the parchment, and the contract instantly burst forth with a dazzling golden light, then transformed into two streams of light, which entered Wang Bufu and Keynes's foreheads respectively—the contract was complete, witnessed by the God of Commerce, and those who breached it would suffer divine punishment.

(End of this chapter)