Richard was slightly startled but quickly composed himself.
This Nightmare artifact originally belonged to the Pyramid, so it was normal for it to have some marks and contingencies left behind.
However, Richard shook his head and said, "I feel it's not enough."
This Nightmare artifact was already something Richard considered his own. Using it as payment would be like getting something for nothing.
How could Richard agree to that? "Not enough?" The Pyramid was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood Richard's meaning and couldn't help but feel a slight anger. "Wizard, do you really think my things are yours?"
Richard nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, I do. It's what I deserve."
Richard's straightforward answer left the Pyramid momentarily speechless.
He had seen Wizards treat contracts like toilet paper, but he had never seen a Wizard so openly admit to doing so.
Does this Wizard have no shame?
But Richard didn't think so.
The original deal was something the Pyramid had proposed to divert attention and find someone to take the heat.
The Pyramid probably never expected Richard to keep this Nightmare artifact.
For a contract built on such calculations, Richard felt no moral burden in breaking it.
Especially when the other party was an alien.
Although Richard considered himself a pragmatist, the subtle influence of Wizard society had inevitably instilled some racial bias in him.
This made his moral boundaries exceptionally flexible when dealing with other races.
The Pyramid's unusually large eye kept scrutinizing Richard.
Richard's audacious honesty must be backed by substantial power.
The Pyramid had seen Wizards deliberately provoke Nightmare Lords into attacking, only to be killed and sealed away as research material.
These Wizards were inherently greedy and shameless to the core.
But no matter how much he looked, he couldn't figure out the source of Richard's confidence.
Although Richard had some Nightmare rules, they were still too weak compared to the Pyramid's.
As for Richard's abundant Nightmare Power, the Pyramid didn't even consider it a threat.
Wizards could dominate the Nightmare World because they could manipulate the external manifestations of world rules far better than ordinary Nightmare creatures.
But in the Nightmare World, Nightmare rules reign supreme.
Without sufficient rules to back him up, even if Richard could conjure a powerful disintegration cannon, it would be useless against the Pyramid.
Could it be that the Wizard's confidence came from that silly bird on his shoulder?
"Wizard, your so-called contract spirit is truly a joke," the Pyramid said angrily.
Richard retorted without backing down, "Did you really think I didn't see through your initial scheme?"
The atmosphere in the room became tense.
"Wizard, I'm curious where your confidence comes from!"
The Pyramid's voice was like a volcano about to erupt. A cold field centered around the Pyramid spread out, instantly enveloping Richard.
This was the Nightmare Domain, the signature ability of every Nightmare Lord.
He wanted to see what confidence Richard had to act so boldly in front of him.
But soon, the field retreated back into the Pyramid's body.
Richard stood in place, his expression unchanged.
He glanced around the room, then looked at the Pyramid's throne, and finally smiled faintly:
"Your methods don't seem very effective."
The Pyramid looked at Richard with a mix of shock and anger. He had withdrawn the domain because he hadn't been able to pull Richard into it.
He had failed to drag Richard into the Nightmare Domain!
This had never happened since he gained the Nightmare Domain.
The consensus among all Nightmare Lords was that only a domain could counter another domain. But this Wizard had shattered that belief.
Could it be that the Wizards had developed some Magic Equipment that allowed them to avoid being pulled into Nightmare Domains? The Pyramid stared at Richard for a long time, his expression uncertain, before finally speaking:
"Wizard, you truly have some skills. Let me reconsider the terms of our deal."
Richard smiled. "In that case, I'll take my leave. I hope you make the right decision."
…
After leaving the palace, Richard beckoned to Bone and quickly exited the Pyramid's residence.
Only then did Richard show a look of relief.
He glanced back at the palace with a hint of fear, feeling a wave of relief.
Calling Ulysses over had indeed been a wise decision.
The saying "only a domain can counter another domain" was a special expression in the Nightmare World, as Nightmare rules in that world typically developed into domains.
But the true meaning of the phrase was that only rules could counter rules.
A Nightmare Domain was like a torrential current. Ordinary people caught in it would be swept away. But Ulysses, with his abundance of rules, was like a rock in the stream, unmoved no matter how fierce the current.
Of course, all of this was based on Ulysses having sufficiently "dense" rules, which was essentially an indirect display of overwhelming power.
Normally, a Nightmare Lord of Ulysses' level wouldn't be able to prevent Ulysses from being pulled into a Nightmare Domain without actively using his rules.
"Boss, where are we going next?" Bone asked, puzzled.
Richard didn't seem to intend to stay in the inner city. After leaving the palace, he had been walking straight toward the outskirts of the cemetery city.
Richard casually replied, "We're leaving the city. This cemetery city isn't very safe."
The cemetery city had once been a Nightmare territory. Although the previous Nightmare Lord had abandoned it, not everything he left behind had been removed.
When the Pyramid activated his Nightmare Domain, Richard had opened his energy vision.
In Richard's energy vision, the inner city of the cemetery city was crisscrossed with a network of Nightmare Power.
Richard wasn't sure what these networks did, but he was certain they could be activated by the Pyramid.
Because in that room, he had clearly seen a massive network node, and that node was located right under the Pyramid's throne.
If this was a coincidence, Richard didn't believe it.
So for safety's sake, Richard decided to leave this cursed place for now.
…
Inside the palace, the Pyramid sat on his throne, deep in thought.
Richard's performance had been somewhat terrifying. For a Nightmare Lord, the Nightmare Domain was their greatest weapon.
And now, he had failed to pull an otherworldly creature disguised as a Nightmare into his domain.
This made the Pyramid feel uneasy.
Over the years, what had these Wizards developed? After much deliberation, a black humanoid figure emerged from the Pyramid's body.
"Go to the Seekers' Tavern," the Pyramid ordered.
The black figure knelt briefly, then quickly left the palace.
Every lawless land had a Seekers' Tavern, and the cemetery city was no exception.
Inside the Seekers' Tavern, the usual noisy atmosphere prevailed. Nightmare creatures drank and loudly discussed the two newcomers.
"What's the deal with these two? They seem to have connections with the Tax Collector."
"Who knows? Just stay out of their way. Anyone who can get involved with that skinner and still be alive must be powerful."
"Skinner? Hahaha, good name. Be careful, or he might skin you…"
Creak!
The tavern door opened, and a black humanoid figure entered.
The Nightmare creatures who saw him immediately fell silent.
"Why is the Tax Collector's minion here?" whispered the Nightmare creature who had just called the Pyramid the Skinner.
"How should I know?"
The black figure walked to the counter, and the Pyramid's voice suddenly emanated from it.
"I need all major intelligence on Wizards from the last ten thousand years."
The bartender's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Sure thing. That'll be 500,000 units of Nightmare Power. I'll deliver it to you directly."
"Too much. 100,000."
The bartender's smile froze, then he awkwardly chuckled, "That's a bit too low. How about 400,000?"
"200,000. Not a penny more."
"300,000, and I'll throw in some fresh intel we just received. Our boss personally handled this one."
"…Deal."
With that, the black figure's smooth face suddenly split open into a large mouth. Nightmare crystals poured out like a fountain.
The demon bartender gleefully collected the crystals, then handed the black figure a scroll.
The black figure swallowed the scroll, and soon his body trembled slightly.
In the palace, the Pyramid looked at the information on the scroll, his mind reeling.
Over the past ten thousand years, Wizards had almost completely disappeared from the Nightmare World. Even the most well-informed Seekers' Tavern had only recently encountered a single Wizard.
And this Wizard had brought shocking news.
The Wizards had begun exploring the starry seas and were no longer interested in the Nightmare World, a realm of illusion.
After all, apart from producing Nightmare rules and serving as a testing ground, the Nightmare World had little to offer.
In the past, when Wizards hadn't started their expansion, every resource was precious.
But now, with more resources in the material world than they could handle, the Wizards had no reason to care about the Nightmare World, which yielded almost nothing.
The Pyramid absorbed the scroll into his body and quickly began planning his next move.
Times had changed.
This was no longer an era where Wizards could be easily found.
The Richard he was dealing with might be the only active Wizard in the Nightmare World right now.
If he didn't seize this opportunity, all his plans would likely fall apart.
After some thought, another black figure emerged from the Pyramid's body.
Although he was somewhat displeased, as a Nightmare Lord who had lived for countless years, he wouldn't let such emotions affect him.
Compared to what he stood to gain, the benefits he was giving up were insignificant.
…
The arrival of the black figure was faster than Richard had expected.
Outside the cemetery city, the black figure began final negotiations with Richard as a messenger.
"Wizard, I can offer you more, but this time we need a real contract, a genuine one."
Richard smiled. "That's acceptable. So, what's your offer?"
The black figure paused for a moment, then slowly said:
"Wizard, do you want to know the secret to becoming a Nightmare Lord?"
(End of Chapter)