Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

Feeling Zachary's sincerity in his words, Anne couldn't help but shudder with passion. She couldn't deny that his spontaneous outpourings of affection moved her heart. She had always kept her cool at all costs. But at this moment, her usual calm deserted her. She finally let her emotion take over her body. Suddenly, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. Perhaps she did this out of impulse, or she just needed to convey her gratitude by doing so.

In an instant, the two bodies embraced each other as if they were one person. At that moment, time seemed to stop, and it almost felt like they were the only two creatures in existence.

Simultaneously, a red alarm lit up and echoed in the system. Mimi announced excitedly, "Your friendship level with Anne has increased to level 9! The contractual mode is activated!"

Afterward, an enormous marking turned up to form a pattern at the feet of Zachary and Anne, who were both drowning in each other's passionate kisses.

Finally, the two seemed to have snapped out of their fantasy and pulled themselves together. Anne abruptly stepped back with her face blushing. She appeared composed and a little timid, the exact opposite of her haughty demeanor earlier.

"What is this?" Zachary asked out of curiosity.

"It's the system's contractual mode," Anne replied in a seemingly calm tone.

"Contractual mode? But why was it suddenly activated?" Zachary was still in a daze.

"You will learn once you go back and ask Mimi. However, I can't sign this contract with you for the time being," Anne said as she shook her head.

"Why?" Zachary sought at once. Since the contractual mode had turned up, he could confirm and complete the contract with her. But why would she turn him down?

"Because your power is not enough. You should at least reach the Sage Level," Anne rationalized.

"What do you mean?" Zachary was unable to get a word out. Reaching the Sage Level seemed to be a grueling task for him at the moment. He could not just develop his skills in such a brief period.

"But there's no need for you to make an enormous deal out of this, I already have your mark on me. When your strength reaches the Sage Level, I will automatically give my approval and signal. However, I have one condition. You can't let our friendship level go low because once that happens, it would be impossible for us to sign the contract," Anne added.

"Will our friendship level ever decrease?" Zachary was stunned.

"You may return first. I have to stick around here for a little while," Anne urged. Without further explanation, she made Zachary take off first.

Zachary felt giddy instantaneously and thus returned to the ground floor. Then he rushed back to the system doing no stops a

heir cultivation speed would be several times faster than that of the mortals," Anne said as she shook her head.

"In this instance, Katrina might be a descendant of the Long Tribe!" Zachary made special mention of it after hearing her narrative. He was more certain about it because Katrina was rather young, but she had almost broken through to the premium stage of Sage Level. This went against common sense, but if Katrina were a descendant of the Long Tribe, then the entire thing would make matters more logical. Just like Katrina, Sophie was likewise in the same situation. With that taken into consideration, Zachary suspected that Sophie might also be a Long Tribe's descendant.

"However, these descendants have a fatal weakness, especially after they have activated their blood power," Anne continued, suddenly sharing something riveting.

"What kind of fatal weakness?" Zachary asked in a flash.

"There's a payment for the activation of their blood power. And the price is their lifespans. If the level of activation is high, it will reduce more length of life. Typically, the descendants of the Long Tribe who have reached the Holy Level cannot live over forty years, or even shorter," said Anne.

"So what about you?" Zachary asked with hesitation, and he couldn't prevent himself from staring at her.

"Almost, but there are other reasons," Anne replied and nodded.

"Will Katrina live a short life?" Zachary pursed his lips.

"Well, what brings you here, anyway? I forgot to ask," Anne asked sincerely, getting to the point.

"Oh, I just won the free battle of the selection test. Since the final battle is getting nearer, I'm worried it would be challenging for me to fight against the remaining Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage. I came here to ask you for any advice," Zachary stated.