Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Chapter 41: Chapter 40 The Thing You Long For Chapter 41: Chapter 40 The Thing You Long For “So, you’ve never done anything like this before,” Chaoyang thought, feeling both as he had expected and a bit melancholic. There was no one in this world like him; he was still alone. “All your understanding comes from a Fiend’s awakening, yet you’ve never had the chance to verify if it’s correct.”

“I’m not a Fiend—” Ailuodi started to argue but stopped when she saw Chaoyang reach into a bag of flour, swiftly changing her words, “Indeed, I lack experience, but that doesn’t mean other Ange… companions don’t.”

A slight shiver went through Chaoyang.

Other companions?

Was this guy not alone?

This was really quite the news!

His thoughts raced; initially, controlling Ailuodi was just an option, but now the necessity of this option had suddenly increased. After all, he couldn’t always stay in the Netherworld; he had to return to Earth eventually. And if, at that time, a heavenly foe targeted him, he would find himself in considerable danger.

An Angel in a cooperative state might have a chance to dissipate the hostility of other companions.

After a moment of silence, Chaoyang turned to Dane and Judy, “We are about to enter the final phase of the ritual, and as we need to borrow the power of my Lord, I must ask you both to step aside for a while.”

“Um, can’t I meet your divinity…” Judy seemed a bit reluctant.

Dane, however, was good at reading the room, “This is the Divine Envoy’s work. Which church would allow outsiders to casually meet with the divine? We shouldn’t trouble our benefactor.”

Once the two had left the room, Ailuodi couldn’t help but show a mocking expression, “Divinities? What do you think you are? It’s only those with unspeakable motives who sculpt themselves to be so exalted. You really are…”

“Really what?”

Ailuodi stared at the bag of flour beside him but ultimately couldn’t speak her mind.

“If I were you, I would choose my words more cautiously upon arriving in a brand new world,” Chaoyang said as he pulled out a dagger and slowly moved it toward the girl, “because there are some beings in this world that are no different from gods, and you know nothing about them, while I have briefly touched upon them.”

The color drained from her face, but she quickly bit her lip and forcefully closed her eyes.

Though threatened by a bag of flour, she didn’t plead for mercy at this moment.

“Have you ever thought about one thing—why are you still alive? The moment you used your ability, you were utterly drained, and the result of depleting your power is death… In this regard, we are no different.”

Ailuodi couldn’t help but be stunned.

It was then that Chaoyang dropped the dagger, cutting the rope that bound her right hand.

Realizing she had regained her freedom, she couldn’t help asking, “Why?”

“Because I saved you,” Chaoyang said calmly. “I fed you a drop of the Blood of Will.”

Ailuodi’s expression froze.

“I’m not sure if it would work, but it seems to have been effective—that’s why I understand why Angels chase after Demons with such fervor; only by bathing in the most demon blood can you gain the most. In a sense, you’re no different from a bunch of vampires, enslaved by your own desires!”

“It’s not like that… Eradicating Demons is to combat evil…”

“Does that include trying to kill your own savior?” Chaoyang scoffed.

Ailuodi was left speechless.

He pressed on, “By the way, I’ll tell you a secret that’s not so secret. In the past, Demons indeed targeted souls in their contracts, but clearly, that wasn’t a sustainable benefit, and it was rife with risks. Thus, the Awakeners later optimized the contracting process, converting it to collecting wishing power—much like the installment payments of a soul. The immediate profits might have decreased, but so have the costs and risks. Didn’t your companions tell you about this string of changes?”

“Install… installment payments?”

“To survive, one has to keep up with the times,” Chaoyang said as he flipped his hand and the dagger instantly transformed into an A4 sheet of paper, “Now, let’s talk about repayment. In the modest value system of Miss Angel, if someone saves a life, shouldn’t something be given in return to be fair?”

“I never ask for repayment when I save someone.” With this topic, the girl seemed to regain some courage. She looked at Chaoyang directly and said word by word, “Don’t think you can bewitch me with words.”

“Don’t you want to have a look before you talk?”

“No need! The precedents of our elders teach us that any contract with a Demon is a trap. You can kill me, but don’t dream of enslaving my soul!” She paused for a moment before adding, “And installment payments are out of the question, too!”

“No, I don’t feel like killing you, because unlike you, I don’t take lives haphazardly—disrupting this world is all I’d do at most,” Chaoyang feigned taking back the contract, “Of course, the first time I can consider it a mistake born out of ignorance, but there won’t be such courtesy next time.”

“Are you really… going to let me go?” Ailuodi still didn’t quite believe it.

“Why not? You’re incapable of anything anyway. Even when faced with people genuinely in need of help, all you can do is watch from afar, ultimately tasting only the bitterness of failure.”

“What are you talking about?” she frowned.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Chaoyang smiled, “Without the demons’ wishing power, you ultimately achieve nothing—because good intentions without power can only exist as lip service, right?”

Ailuodi’s eyes suddenly became as sharp as spikes.

Chaoyang knew he had guessed correctly.

This was the source of the dark mood in her heart.

In fact, the vulnerability was not hard to detect, given her age of sixteen, she was involved in too many organizations and activities, which could only mean one thing: she did not stay long in any organization. She kept trying but kept failing, simply because she lacked “power.”

In an era where demons were nearly extinct, how much better could angels fare? Deprived of the source of wishing power, people like Ailuodi were just ordinary humans after all. An ordinary person might manage to help an old lady cross the street, but facing anything more challenging, they would find their abilities considerably limited.

And this frustration would become more and more common as they aged.

“Now you finally had a chance to change, yet you have given up because of your shortsightedness.” Chaoyang stood up and said with a tone of regret, “What difference does it make to let a good-for-nothing person go?”

“…Wait.” Seeing him about to leave, Ailuodi couldn’t help but speak up, “Are you saying you want to continue providing me with wishing power?”

Chaoyang didn’t speak, but flicked the contract in his hand.

“Fine, hand it over…”

“Is this how you usually talk to your savior? I think you should be more polite.”

Ailuodi hesitated for a moment, then repeated, “Please let me see it.”

Chaoyang took his chance and passed the contract back to her, “I believe the most important part of a contract is fairness—considering your concerns, I will not take a compensation such as a soul or wishing power; on the contrary, I will even pay you Blood of Will, for your use in another world. You should know better than me what the power granted by the Gift of Awakening represents.”

This time, Ailuodi looked over the entire contract carefully, “And what I need to do… is to ensure your safety? To act in accordance with the identity you’ve given me, and to provide assistance when necessary? It’s utterly ridiculous…”

“But isn’t the essence of it in the termination clause?” Chaoyang said indifferently, “Your real concern is not being able to stop me from doing evil or becoming my accomplice, so I specifically outlined the termination conditions. Once what I do leans towards evil and is no longer for good deeds, the contract will automatically terminate.”

“…Who determines that?”

“Of course, the contractee.” Chaoyang chuckled, “That would be you—Miss Ailuodi. But there’s one thing you should note, a contract is not decided by words, once signed, it is the world’s firmest guarantee. Even if you regret it immediately and verbally call me evil, the contract won’t break—because it measures your heart.”

“If what you’re doing isn’t related to good deeds, can I just ignore it?”

“Correct.”

Ailuodi was silent for a while, “What if I attack you without terminating the contract?”

“Your soul would scatter, the moment you act.” Chaoyang spread his hands, “Believe me, the power of the contract is unmatched. In fact, you can’t attack me, nor can you conspire with others to harm me. Likewise, I cannot harm you either, the restriction is equally valid for me.”

Seeing the flicker in her eyes, Chaoyang knew he was only one step away from success, “I don’t need you to believe me, just as I don’t trust angels either, the contract is the only reliable guarantee. Think about it from a different perspective, even if I hadn’t saved you, and you hadn’t come here, couldn’t we form such a mutually beneficial relationship? It’s precisely because both parties have something to gain that cooperation can transcend identities and exist.”

Chaoyang lowered his voice, enticing her softly, “You need power too, right? On Earth, although you’ve used various good deeds to preserve your life, that’s all you’ve managed, the scarcity of wishing power limits your capabilities, and without the ability to use your gifts against real evil, you stand no chance at all.”

This time, Ailuodi fell silent for a long time.

Through the subtle changes in her facial expressions, Chaoyang could feel the struggle within her, as if the haze under the sun had become a bit more noticeable.

After a long while, she finally asked slowly, “Wishing power… how much?”

“Of course, it is calculated based on the amount of wishing power I obtain. The more people I help, the more wishing power I will receive.”

“I can’t stay here all the time.”

Hearing this, Chaoyang knew the deal was sealed, “You don’t have to worry about the time issue, even if you stay in the Netherworld for three or four days, only a few minutes will have passed here… hold on, this time might be a bit of an exception.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, it’s just an accident this time, in the future, I’ll try to minimize the impact of the time difference.” He quickly moved past the topic, “Besides… if you don’t act with me, how can you judge whether what I do is evil or not? Don’t forget, this is the key for the contract to be established.”

After staring at him for a long time, Ailuodi took a deep breath, “If you cross the line, I will not let you off easily.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Chaoyang handed her the pen, “I look forward to that day.”