Chapter 2: Contracted Servant

Through communicating with his "loyal servant" Harvey and analyzing the gathered information, Kaios quickly gained a preliminary understanding of his current situation.

First, this was indeed an Otherworld. They were in a region called the Holy Protection Alliance, and the nearest major hub was Yulang City.

The original host's ancestor, Disper Li, was one of the earliest powerful nobles to pioneer the area around Yulang City. He had secured and managed a vast territory for the Li family. Though subsequent generations of the Li family lacked his pioneering spirit, their management was stable, allowing for steady development. However, because the estate was divided among numerous heirs in each generation, the main branch's overall assets had shrunk considerably by the time it reached Kaios's father.

Fortunately, Kaios's father only had him as an only son, so there was no need to divide the estate any further.

Kaios had been sickly since childhood. Before he was even a year old, he nearly died from three major illnesses. Later, his health was stabilized through the use of a special Secret Skill. However, because he couldn't afford intense emotional fluctuations or strenuous physical exertion, he had been forbidden from women since his youth.

It wasn't until he turned eighteen and completed the final stage of the Secret Skill that Kaios finally prepared to lose his virginity. Sharvella was the "coming-of-age gift" he had prepared for himself for a decade—an exact phrase straight out of Harvey's mouth.

The original host had fallen into a coma immediately after his first private meeting with Sharvella. It was no wonder Kaios had woken up to see her bound so tightly, and why the long-haired old man had said those things.

Oh, right. He also learned from Harvey that the long-haired old man was Harvey's grandfather, Pete Noke, who had served as the housekeeper for three generations of Li family Lords. However, Kaios wasn't worried that Old Pete would pose a threat to him. Harvey had just informed him of the greatest privilege afforded to Noble Lords in this world.

Noble Lords could sign Soul Subordination Contracts with their servants. Afterward, the life and death of those servants could be dictated by a single thought from the Lord. Even if the Lord died, all servants bound by a Soul Subordination Contract would die instantly alongside him.

In other words, Harvey Noke, Pete Noke, Sharvella Tang, and every servant with Cultivation abilities belonging to the Li family—whether present in this grand manor or not—had their lives held squarely in the palm of his hand. He possessed absolute control over them.

This greatly improved his sense of security, allowing him to consider his next steps far more calmly.

Learning of the Soul Subordination Contract naturally brought a question to Kaios's mind. Since servants would die along with their Lord, what if another Lord faced a situation like the original host's? If they died suddenly without being replaced by a transmigrator, leaving no time to transfer the Subordinate Contracts, wouldn't their servants all be doomed?

He soon discovered that one of the functions of the so-called Holy Protection Alliance was to prevent exactly that. Great Lords typically stored a Soul Mark Will in the Saintly Heart Hall. Should anything unexpected happen to them, the will would automatically transfer all Soul Subordination Contracts to their heirs.

However, for a Lord like the original host—who had only just inherited the position and hadn't yet had time to establish a Soul Mark Will, or for those who refused to make one for other reasons—an accidental death would indeed result in the complete annihilation of their Contracted Servants.

Historical records mentioned a Great Lord without a will who had been assassinated by an enemy. The moment he died, his four hundred-plus highly skilled Contracted Servants died alongside him before they could even attempt to stop the assassin, allowing the killer to flee the scene. Of course, the assassin was eventually captured by the Holy Protection Alliance's Punishment Corps and tortured for three agonizing months before finally dying.

Kaios didn't get all of this information from Harvey. After learning the basics from the servant, he used the excuse that "seeing familiar places from my daily life might help restore my memory" to have Harvey guide him around the areas of the massive manor where the original host usually spent his time. The estate was so sprawling that it was impossible to explore fully in a short period.

Then, he discovered a treasure trove: the study. Ever since the first-generation Lord, Disper Li, constructed the manor, successive generations of Lords had continuously expanded and added to this room.

Inside, Kaios found several books on subjects like the continent's brief history, the Soul Contract system, the history of the Holy Protection Alliance, basic Magic, and theories on Spiritual Energy Cultivation. He skimmed through them to gain a foundational understanding of the world.

However, while flipping through the book *Holy Protection Alliance - Establishment of the Most Holy and Great Organization*, Kaios suddenly furrowed his brows as he read about the Alliance's primary functions.

According to the text, within the Alliance's controlled territories, only the Soul Subordination Contracts provided by the Alliance itself were permitted. The Alliance would actively punish any attempts to undermine these contracts, ensuring the efficacy of every Subordinate Contract. If a Noble Lord violated the Holy Protection Covenant or committed any rebellious acts against the Holy Alliance, the Holy Protection Alliance could strip them of their Soul Subordination Contracts through a joint resolution passed by the nine Elders and the Alliance Leader.

Furthermore, if a Noble Lord's mental or physical condition rendered them incapable of fulfilling their duties, two direct blood relatives within three generations, or five collateral blood relatives within three generations, could petition the Holy Protection Alliance. The Alliance would then dispatch an official to determine whether to revoke and reallocate the Lord's Soul Subordination Contracts.

Kaios immediately thought back to what the robed housekeeper, Old Pete, had just said in the bedroom:

"...The Lord has been in a coma for two whole days. Master Qin and Dominic the Great Mage have both examined him, but neither could do anything..."

With the Lord comatose and seemingly beyond saving, what would his Contracted Servants and relatives be plotting?

He had learned from Harvey that although the original host was an only child and his parents had passed away—making it impossible to find two direct blood relatives within three generations—it would be incredibly easy to scrape together five collateral blood relatives.

He thought back to the original host's bizarre coma. Pondering for a moment, he turned to Harvey, who was currently busy helping him move and organize books. "Have someone bring Sharvella here."

Harvey acknowledged the order but hesitated just as he was about to step out the door. Pausing, he looked back and whispered, "Young Master, with Sharvella's talent, she will definitely become a Martial Saint in the future... it would be a shame to kill her."

"Who told you I was going to kill her?"

"Huh? You're not... Oh! I get it!" Whatever conclusion Harvey had jumped to, he slapped his forehead, threw open the door, and sprinted out.

Before long, Harvey returned to the study, accompanied by the two Silver Armored Female Guards hauling Sharvella between them.

"Take off her chains and leave," Kaios ordered.

The two female guards didn't question the command. They immediately unfastened the heavy chains binding Sharvella. The chains not only immobilized her physical body but also suppressed her Magic Power and Spiritual Qi.

Once the guards stepped out, Kaios jutted his chin at Harvey. "You get out, too."

"Oh, right."

Once Harvey left and the door clicked shut, Kaios finally looked down at Sharvella, who was kneeling on the floor. "Tell me exactly what happened that night. From beginning to end. Don't leave out a single detail."