Liens hadn't expected to get the information he wanted in one go; insulting Barton was just a way for him to vent the pressure in his heart.
Every time he was beaten or felt annoyed, he would curse the thugs and Barton in the instance, which was a way for him to relax and unwind.
Although he could only satisfy his craving verbally, it effectively relieved his mental stress.
After all, how could one be in a good mood when stuck in a sunless basement all day, coupled with a life where he didn't know whether tomorrow or an accident would arrive first?
He was just an ordinary person, not some strong individual with an unyielding will; if he didn't have some means of relaxation, he would go crazy sooner or later.
After returning to the white space, Liens immediately chose a time point and re-entered the instance.
This time, he chose the moment when it was his turn to register.
The scene changed.
Liens stood before Barton, listening to him ask his name.
"What is this thing? What is written on the paper?"
Liens didn't immediately answer Barton's question but instead posed his own.
Hearing this, Barton turned his gaze to Liens, his quill stopping its writing and being placed back into the pen holder.
The thug nearby, seeing Liens's behavior, wanted to step forward and beat him into submission, but Barton stopped him.
"I remember now, you're that cheap goods only worth 10 silver. I was just wondering how someone as frail as you was chosen, but it turns out I requested it."
"I originally thought you at least had some talent, a form of waste utilization... but now it seems you lack a bit of discipline."
Barton said to Liens indifferently.
His voice was calm, but the subordinate nearby knew that the master was already angry.
He knew Barton disliked having his work rhythm interrupted, especially by a lowly commoner, a mere piece of goods.
"Whether it's 10 silver or 10 gold, it shouldn't be a large sum to you."
"What you regret, I suppose, is that your subconscious merchant's mindset made you miss the opportunity to befriend a mage."
"Rather than saying you wanted to utilize waste, it's more accurate to say that simply seeing me reminded you of that day, and feeling annoyed, you wanted to get rid of me."
"After all, killing me directly would be a bit wasteful."
"Although you only spent 10 large copper coins to buy me, a qualified 'merchant' naturally wouldn't let even a single copper coin go."
Liens responded to Barton with a slightly mocking tone.
After what happened that day, he had indeed successfully gotten the mysterious mage to buy him in the instance.
But unfortunately, that was just an instance, merely a simulation of the past; in reality, he ultimately missed that step due to hesitation.
Therefore, the mockery in his words was not only directed at Barton but also at himself.
There was once an opportunity before him, but he missed it due to hesitation and cowardice.
Barton's expression darkened upon hearing this. He stared at Liens, suppressing the anger in his heart, and said calmly, "It seems you indeed need some discipline."
"Drag him away and break his bones for me. Start with his hand bones, break them bit by bit, and let him truly experience the pain."
"Oh, and don't let him die easily. I want his wails to last for three days straight."
"Yes!"
Cold words escaped Barton's lips. The thug nearby, hearing this, trembled as he accepted the order, fearing Barton's wrath would be unleashed upon him.
Then, he intended to drag Liens away, but before he could act, Liens made his move first.
With lightning speed, Liens reached out and grabbed the stack of papers on the table.
"Stop, don't come closer, or I'll tear these papers... I think this thing should be more valuable than my life, after all, it contains the power of magic."
Liens made a gesture as if to tear the papers in his hand, using it to threaten Barton and the surrounding thugs.
Barton's expression remained unchanged, but the thug froze, unable to advance or retreat, as he didn't know the true value of the papers in Liens's hand.
"Don't mind him, take him down." Seeing the thug stop, Barton continued to command.
Receiving Barton's instruction, the thug relaxed his expression and immediately swung his massive fist at Liens.
Liens didn't dodge, as it was difficult for him to avoid the thug's fist with the shackles on his body.
He directly tore the papers in his hand, proving to Barton with his actions that he wasn't just talking.
As he tore, Liens kept his gaze fixed on Barton, wanting to see his expression.
He found that Barton merely frowned slightly, seemingly not very concerned about Liens's destructive act.
This, in turn, caused Liens some confusion... Could magical items be common things? But in his memory, such things were supposed to be extremely precious.
Because of his confusion, Liens endured several punches from the thug, watching him knock him down and tremblingly return the torn "magical papers" in his hand to Barton.
Barton merely tossed them aside and then said to the subordinate standing by, "Go, bring me some more 'contract paper' from my room. Hurry up, don't waste time."
"Yes, master." The subordinate accepted the order and immediately turned to leave the hall quickly.
And Liens, who had been beaten to the point of spitting blood, after obtaining the crucial information, exhaled his last breath and left this instance.
...
White space.
"Contract paper... meaning I signed some kind of contract."
"But why does Barton seem genuinely unconcerned, even though this thing clearly contains magical power, and from what he said, there seems to be a lot of it?"
"However, since it's a contract, there should be a big difference between having signed it and not having signed it."
"Let's try."
Liens murmured softly, then selected the same time point and entered the instance.
The scene changed.
Liens stood before the wooden table, listening to Barton ask his name.
"Liens," Liens responded.
Then, while Barton was writing his name, he quickly reached out and took the already signed contract that was placed aside; this was the contract signed by the Slave who was ahead in line.
Seeing Liens's action, Barton's expression slightly changed, while the thug nearby directly questioned, "What are you doing?!"
After speaking, he immediately stepped forward, preparing to teach Liens a good lesson with his fists.
But before he could act, Liens directly tore the contract in his hand.
This time, he didn't say any superfluous words; he just wanted to see Barton's reaction after a signed contract was torn.
But he didn't wait for Barton's reaction; instead, he heard screams.
"Ah! Ah! Ah..."
The miserable screams attracted everyone's attention. They turned their heads and saw that the Slaves who had previously registered suddenly clutched their heads, letting out exceptionally tragic wails.
Then, they quickly fell silent.
This scene made everyone present shudder with fear. Remembering Liens's actions just now, the remaining Slaves looked at Barton with a few more traces of terror.
At this moment, they finally realized what kind of registration they were about to undergo.
Even Liens felt a chill down his spine, knowing that in reality, he had already signed the contract.