"I want to cooperate with you, and it's not limited to exchanging this intelligence for my freedom."
Snow began to fall from the sky again. Ultear stood up, her words concise.
Shane raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a trace of interest. "Tell me, how do you plan to cooperate?"
"Every once in a while, I will pass some intelligence from my side to you."
Ultear's tone was steady. The reminiscence and fragility on her face dissipated like thin mist blown away by the snowy wind, gradually restoring the confidence she had when Shane first met her. "Correspondingly, you need to set me free, and to a certain extent, help me achieve my goal."
It had to be said that Ultear's proposal was extremely tempting. The intelligence that "Zeref is still alive" alone was invaluable.
If they could maintain contact, there would indeed be many benefits.
Shane was indeed moved.
But since it was cooperation, the dominance between the two sides must be clearly divided in advance.
"Okay." Shane nodded, his tone steady. "If it's a reasonable request, I can help you with some things. However, there are three prerequisites for cooperation."
He extended his index finger. "First, during the cooperation period, you must actively contact me once a month. If contact is lost, it will be regarded as you unilaterally terminating the cooperation."
Next was the middle finger. "Second, if my 'Eyes of Karma' see your 'karma' exceeding the limit I can tolerate, I will personally take action to clean it up."
His gaze was calm but carried unquestionable weight. "I hope before you make any decision, think clearly whether that matter is worth making an enemy of me."
Finally, he raised his ring finger. "Third, and the most important point. The basis of cooperation lies in the equality of strength between both sides. Does the force behind you possess the volume to contend with Fairy Tail?"
The moment his voice fell, a furnace-like momentum quietly spread from Shane's body. Invisible heat waves erupted, causing visible distortion in the air.
Sensing this oppressive pressure, Ultear snorted lightly, not showing weakness, but instead carrying a trace of arrogance. "Then consider it a bonus intelligence. The force—guild I am in has two 'monsters'. One of them is easier to talk about, but the man who taught me the Arc of Time is an existence you absolutely cannot defeat right now."
"Not even the Master, one of the Ten Wizard Saints?" She said it too decisively, so Shane couldn't help pressing.
Ultear just raised the corners of her mouth, smiling without speaking.
Seeing this, Shane was silent for a moment, seeming to weigh something.
After a few breaths, he retracted his outward momentum and extended his right hand. "Then, hope we cooperate happily."
Ultear lowered her gaze, glancing somewhat disdainfully at Shane's distinctly disjointed hand, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly reached out to shake it.
The touch was exactly as she imagined.
Warm, stable, and solid, as if containing some calm power—precisely the temperature she hated the most. Not cold enough, nor hot enough, lukewarm to the point of discomfort.
"Hating both ice and heat, you are really hard to please." Watching her undisguised expression, Shane couldn't help roasting.
At the same time, he snapped his fingers.
The dark shackle bound to Ultear's ankle shattered at the sound, turning into specks of light dust dissipating in the night.
"You—" A trace of surprise flashed in Ultear's eyes. She originally thought the other party would at least leave some restraining means.
"Since we decided to cooperate, basic trust should be there." Shane's tone was flat. "Next, act as you wish; just don't forget my requirements."
After speaking, he yawned and neatly flipped through the window back into the room.
Lying back on the bed, although Shane felt physically exhausted, his spirit was inexplicably excited.
Zeref is still alive—
That most evil Black Mage living in legends and history, which corner of the world is he in right now? And what is he doing?
His mind couldn't help outlining the image of this "most evil" and "strongest" Black Mage. What surged in his heart wasn't fear, but a curiosity so strong it was hard to suppress.
From the moment he knew the other party's intelligence, he became very interested in this person.
"If he really lived for more than four hundred years, isn't that equivalent to a walking history book?" Shane looked at the ceiling, muttering to himself. "Really want to see him with my own eyes."
This strong desire was like a stone thrown into a still lake, stirring ripples in his consciousness.
The Book of Heroic Spirits, which had been silent all along, vibrated abruptly, pages turning rustlingly without wind.
[Trial: Pursuing the Shadow of the Abyss]
[Desired to become a Heroic Spirit, why not see the face of legends personally? Witness the "Living Legend," confirm the existence of the Black Mage Zeref.]
Shane's spirit shook, sleepiness gone.
It's actually a trial mission not seen for a long time!
This completely confirmed his guess: the trigger of the trial originated from the book holder's strong inner will.
"Good, then the next goal is clear." Light flashed in Shane's eyes. "First pass the guild's S-Class Mage Trial, and at the same time use this period to collect all clues about Zeref."
"Mhm, in this aspect, I can also leverage Ultear's intelligence network!"
He lay on the bed, extended his hand, looking at the blurry outline of his five fingers in the dim light, feeling a long-lost surge of emotion.
Early the next morning, Shane, who had regained his calm, walked into the dining room. Seeing Ultear sitting calmly at the dining table drinking porridge, he blurted out subconsciously, "Why haven't you left yet?"
He had already set the other party free last night.
Shane didn't expect that waking up this morning, he could still see Ultear, and she even sat at the dining table as a matter of course.
One must know, his house had completely run out of food and ammunition. Today's breakfast was thin rice porridge boiled by Erza waking up early; really couldn't afford to feed a third mouth.
Ultear drank the porridge in small sips with an elegant posture. This wasn't her striking a pose; from being captured yesterday until now, she indeed hadn't eaten anything, her stomach long hungry.
"I still want to observe the situation here," she raised her eyes, her tone calm. "If you're worried, you can continue using yesterday's shackles."
Speaking of shackles, her face showed no trace of yesterday's humiliation, as if talking about a small matter unrelated to herself.
Shane thought for a moment and felt this made sense.
In case there really were some secrets in Fairy Tail that couldn't be known to others, it wouldn't be good if Ultear ran around and discovered them.
So he nodded, with an expression of "this is what you asked for." "Since you said so, fine then."
Saying this, light flashed slightly at his fingertips. That familiar dark shackle emerged again, landing by Ultear's feet.
"Remember to put it on yourself after finishing the meal."
Ultear's composed expression broke instantly, her fingers holding the spoon tightening slightly.
Any normal person wouldn't treat an important partner who just reached an agreement like this, right?
She squeezed out a few words almost through her teeth: "Fine—I got it."
Beside them, Erza, sitting in the center of the dining table, was still wearing a home apron printed with cartoon patterns.
She looked at the unhappy Ultear, then at the matter-of-fact Shane, put down the spoon in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why do I feel the atmosphere between you two—got better?"