"We have been expecting you, Thirteen," Laplace Demon said with a smile.
"Mmm. You guys had me in the first round," Thirteen replied with a smile of his own, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I knew something was off when I was suddenly sent to Solterra despite not being of age.
"Even though my Old Man is a God, he still can't possibly bypass the laws of this world. Doing so would pose extreme harm to him because this world is not under his jurisdiction. The three of you are surely in cahoots with each other. Congratulations, you got me really good."
"Oh, dear me~ I have no idea what you're talking about, Thirteen." Laplace Demon placed his hand over his head, looking hurt. "To think that you would accuse us of such wrongdoing. It breaks my heart to hear you think that way."
"Oh, please~ can we stop this farce?" Thirteen sneered. "Since I'm already here, let's get down to business. I already understand the big picture, and I know you guys are troubled because the Wanderers, who had been sent to the Valbarra Archipelago, have no chance of completing their mission.
"Not to toot my own horn, but aside from me, I doubt that any of those first-timers have any idea about how they are supposed to light the Beacon of Hope. Let me guess—my Old Man told you that as long as you toss me there, the chances of those kids surviving will not be zero, right? Tsk. I will seriously demand heavy compensation if I survive this calamity."
Thirteen knew that Laplace Demon and The One wouldn't come clean and would deny whatever he was going to say, so he didn't plan on continuing this topic any longer.
Just thinking about it infuriated him, but then again, if he wasn't sent to the Houdini Desert, then Cristopher, Rianna, Harry, and the other Wanderers would meet their doom once the Majin Prince arrived.
The System God knew that Thirteen would at least try to save those who happened to cross his path, especially Cannon Fodders like Cristopher.
It should also be for that same reason that the seven-year-old appeared exactly where Cristopher was going to arrive, allowing the chubby boy to meet the System of Cannon Fodders.
"I'll be frank—my current skill set will not be enough to beat a Majin Prince," Thirteen stated. "I need some modifications in the contract."
As if waiting for that cue, Laplace Demon snapped his finger, and a table and chair materialized in front of the boy.
In the center of the table was the hundred-page contract that he had signed, which he planned to modify for this mission.
"I will listen to your suggestions, but there is no guarantee that I will approve them," Laplace Demon stated as he summoned another chair and sat in front of Thirteen with a grin.
Thirteen clicked his tongue, knowing that the Laplace Demon was a tough nut to crack, especially when it came to negotiations.
"First and foremost, I need to add a few people and monsters to the list of those who can receive techniques from me," Thirteen demanded.
"And they are?" Laplace Demon asked, arching his eyebrow.
"Cristopher, Tiona, Brutus, Bruno, Giga, Blacky, Rocky, and Hercules," Thirteen answered. "Also Anwir and Taiga. I will need their help as well."
He wanted to add Hans to the list as well, but he knew that the Laplace Demon would not allow it.
At least, not yet.
Laplace Demon pondered and summoned a piece of paper, which materialized in front of him. He then took a pen from his coat and placed it over the piece of paper, which he pushed toward Thirteen.
"List down the abilities you plan to give them," Laplace Demon ordered. "I believe you're going to use Rune Magic to achieve that, yes? I'll see if what you want to happen is possible. Especially for the Domini Mortis. It's a special creature, so if you were planning to allow it to Rank Up, then I suggest that you scrap that idea. We will not allow it."
"I know that already," Thirteen grumbled as he picked up the pen and pulled the piece of paper toward him. He started scribbling the abilities he wanted to impart to his subordinates.
A few minutes later, he handed the paper back to Laplace Demon, and the latter scrutinized it.
"…This is an interesting lineup of abilities." Laplace Demon eyed the seven-year-old, who was looking back at him as if he owed him billions of gold coins. "Especially the ability you plan to give Tiona. Predation? This basically means that even though she will stay as a Rank 1 Monster, she will gain abilities beyond her race and Rank."
Thirteen shrugged. "I doubt it will be enough against a Majin Prince."
Laplace Demon narrowed his eyes because he clearly knew that Thirteen was going all-out to extort them due to his current situation.
Aside from Tiona's Predation Ability, all the other skills that the seven-year-old planned to give his subordinates were acceptable.
If a Domini Mortis was allowed to devour other monsters and absorb their skills, even if it were to stay a Rank 1 Monster forever, it would still be a very dangerous entity.
"I'll allow it, but there will be limitations," The One spoke before Laplace Demon could even make a decision. "Tiona can only absorb ten abilities max. If you want to give her additional abilities once the limit is reached, you just need to override one of the abilities she already possesses to make way for the ability of your choice."
Thirteen frowned, but in the end, he agreed to this condition. He was already prepared for the Predation ability he wanted for Tiona to be turned down, but fortunately, the Big Boss decided to give them the go signal.
"One more thing, I need to bring some backup with me," Thirteen added. "I need my Gramps, Arthur Leventis, to appear in the Valbarra Archipelago."
""Rejected!""
Laplace Demon and The One didn't even need to consider and outright rejected Thirteen's proposal.
"Although I don't know how you will succeed in this mission, I have a feeling that you plan to use this opportunity to make your Grandpa jump to the rank of a Monarch by facing a Majin Prince, right?" Laplace Demon scoffed. "Not under my watch."
"Fine." Thirteen decided to take a step back and made another proposal. "But, I need Pops to come to Gronar City for me."
The seven-year-old even wanted to bring his mother as well, but if he asked for that, no one would look after Shasha and Remi.
So, he decided to compromise and bring his Father as reinforcements.
"Also, please give him the mission of Lighting the Beacon of Hope as well," Thirteen stated. "That way, if I'm going to kick the bucket, I'm going to bring him with me to the afterlife."
The corner of Laplace Demon's lips twitched as he looked at the no-good son, who planned to bring Gerald to Gronar City.
"Since having your Grandfather come here is impossible, you chose to bring your Father instead, huh?" Laplace Demon rubbed his chin. "Also, you want him to get the quest lighting the Beacon of Hope. It seems that you plan to make him a Champion instantly after clearing the mission, correct?"
"Right." Thirteen nodded. "Originally, I wanted Gramps to jump from Throne to Monarch and make him owe me. But, since that's not possible, I'd like to at least have my Father here to assist me. Let his reward be stepping into the Champion Rank."
Gerald, who could no longer come to Solterra due to the Assassin Organization, Death Wish, had reached a stagnation in his Rank.
Someone wouldn't rise in ranks just because they could absorb countless Jinn and Majin Cores. They had to finish a Ranking Up Mission, which would be given to them to proceed to the next stage.
Fighting against a Majin Prince was enough for a Throne to jump to the Monarch Rank.
Similarly, successfully clearing the mission was more than enough for a Grandmaster to rank up to a Champion.
Thirteen really wanted to bring his mother, Alessia, as well. That way, she and his father could become Champions at the same time.
But he decided not to. There was a chance that they would fail in their mission, and if that happened, Shasha and Remi would be left without both parents.
He didn't want to take such a risk even though he believed that there was a chance to succeed.
"This is really bending the rules," the Laplace Demon frowned. "This is truly unprecedented."
"Well, you started it first by bringing me to Solterra. I'm sure that the moment I return to Pangea, everyone will panic because this is the first time that someone below the age of 13 has been sent to Solterra. Do you even understand the repercussions of your actions?"
Laplace Demon pretended to not hear Thirteen's complaint and pondered if bringing Gerald to the Valbarra Archipelago was acceptable.
Thirteen had the "I will not take no for an answer" gaze, making his stance known.
Finally, after several minutes of negotiation, the seven-year-old added one more condition, and that was allowing him to use Rune Magic to fight against the Majin Prince.
Although reluctant, Laplace Demon and The One agreed to his request because this was already part of the contract that Thirteen had signed long ago.
It was part of Article 100, which stated that Thirteen was allowed to use Rune Magic when he was faced with the situation of fighting someone of the Monarch Rank and above.
But this clause also stated that this condition would only be approved if the Monarch or someone of Higher Rank was actively targeting Thirteen and his Family.
It was a self-defense clause that was included in the Original Contract.
Thirteen was merely exercising his right to invoke the contract, but Laplace Demon still added a few conditions.
The condition was as follows: any items, regardless of shape, size, and form, which Thirteen would imbue with Rune Magic to fight against the Majin Prince would disappear once the threat was gone.
These included the items that would be used to fight against the Prince's subordinates.
Thirteen agreed to the condition and signed the revised contract.
A moment later, the Laplace Demon grabbed the seven-year-
old and temporarily took him back to Pangea, so he could briefly reunite with his family.
