Emery bribed the Bazaar guard in charge to discreetly take the Sanddune's corpses away. Even though they were supposed to belong to the person who won the auction, the Corvin had no interest in them. Still, Emery gave them some money to make sure the guards would keep the transaction under the radar, ensuring his involvement was not traced back to him.
Yoro, however, couldn't bear the thought of burying the bodies in such a despicable place. With a heavy heart, he took the task upon himself and set the corpses ablaze, He stood still, etching the sight of bodies turning into ashes as the fire licked their skin into his memory. When the flames died down and the ashes settled, Yoro collected their ashes into a jar.
By the time the whole ordeal was done, Emery was called upon to collect his winning products, the two half-bloods.
Despite their current status, both individuals were powerful half-bloods; as such, both of them only needed an hour to recover. The traders spared no expense in ensuring that they were well taken care of. Both were even washed and clothed in fresh garments, a gesture to gain goodwill from the buyer.
As they both stood before Emery, a senior staff member approached with a piece of parchment in hand. Emery took it, unfurled the scroll, and scanned it with a critical eye.
[Blood Pact]
In the magus universe, where [Soul Contract] were commonplace, the [Blood pact] was the equivalent of those in the bloodlines.
Both the [Blood Pact] and the [Soul Contract] were powerful bonds that connected two individuals on a deeper level. Unlike the [Soul Contract], which bound the two parties to specific terms and conditions outlined in the contract, the [Blood Pact] was about accepting oneself into another wolf's service.
There were three different stages of joining one pack, commonly performed by the wolf half-blood.
[Blood Pact], the generally used one was to enter one's outer member; the second one was called the [Bloodmoon Ritual] to enter one's pack becoming an inner member. The last one was the [Beta Oath] to become a Beta member, the closest and most elite of the pack.
Emery himself had experienced two of them; [Bloodmoon Ritual] with the Fey sisters back on Earth and the [Beta Oath] when he became Lucius' Beta wolf. As for the [Blood Pact], this was the first time he encountered it.
"Please put your blood mark on these two scrolls, and they will officially be yours."
As Emery held the [Blood Pact] scroll, a notification along with detailed information about the two half-bloods enters his mind.
Although only a Rank 5 gene, Andrei had good stats, and after seeing them, Emery was not surprised that he had been selected for the Magus Academy.
Emery followed just as requested and as soon as he did, another notification came to his mind
[You just participated in a Blood Pact]
As Emery stared at them, he could see the two wolves in front of him were in some sort of a trance. Their eyes were glazed over, and a strange rune glowed within their foreheads.
Suddenly, Emery felt a jolt of energy surge through and some bits of pieces of their memories were channeled into him. They flickered past Emery's vision for a few seconds before they all returned from their reverie.
"It was a success," the staff member said, breaking the silence.
Now that the deed was done, the staff members left Emery with the two. With him already bound to the two half bloods, he could sense their thoughts.
Emery could sense a fierce determination from Doopa, a readiness to accept any command that Emery might give him. Andrei, on the other hand, was in a state of despair, he was close to having no will to do anything.
As much as Emery wished to tell him who he was, now was not the time or place to reveal his identity. He commanded the two to follow him, and together with Yoro, all four went out into the desert a few miles outside of the town.
"What do you want us to do here, Chief?" Doopa asked.
Emery received a quizzical gaze as he took out his newly acquired [Blood Pact], the one belonging to Doopa, and in front of the huge man, he tore it into pieces.
"What… why!?"
As soon as he did, with a flash of brilliant light, the rune on the man's forehead shattered into a thousand pieces, leaving behind nothing but a faint residue of magic. The man looked up at Emery in disbelief, his eyes wide with astonishment at the unexpected turn of events.
Emery approached him and declared, "I would never accept slavery within my pack, From this moment forward, you are a free man, unshackled by any binding force."
With the connection between them severed, Emery could no longer discern the man's thoughts, but he didn't need mind control to sense an overwhelming sense of gratitude radiating from him. The man, who had introduced himself as Doopa, was insistent on repaying Emery's favor. However, the man was already burdened with other responsibilities he needed to take care of, hence he asked for Emery's identity in case he wished to find him later.
As the man knew nothing of Emery's plans or his past deeds, Emery has no problem mentioning his cover identity, Evan Valerious, and his plan of joining the Royal Hunt.
After expressing his admiration and gratitude one more time, the big man hastily departed.
With no strangers in sight except for his trusted companion, Emery's gaze rested upon Andrei, the Winged Wolf.
"If you are planning to free me as well, don't bother," Andrei said bitterly. "I have no other place to go, might as well let me to die in this desert"
Indifferent to his statements, Emery tore the scroll and the same glowing rune dissipated from Andrei's forehead. Unfortunately, it failed to bring any sort of joy to the man. Calmly, Emery said "No, you cannot give up yet Andrei, not until you help me rebuild the White Fang"
At the mention of the White Fang, Andrie turned sharply, and questioned in disbelief, "Who.. who are you?"
"It's me"
Emery revealed his true identity by dispelling his [Shapeshifting] skill, prompting the towering man to shed a tear of joy and leap into Emery's embrace.