Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 290 Road Trip in the Dungeon!

The third contract Tina produced finally turned out to be the "real" one. As Aster expected, it was packed with enough legal jargon to make his head spin. Still, he carefully read through each line, doing his best to decipher its contents.

"So, basically, I just need to become a Zirroth Family-affiliated adventurer?" he asked, summarizing the bulk of it.

That was the gist. The contract came with some strict conditions, the most notable being that their party would have to offer 10% of their loot to the Zirroth Family until they repaid 10 trillion Tels—the estimated cost of the bracelet-car.

The number sounded astronomical, but Aster wasn't overly concerned. After all, they had already earned 1 trillion Tels in a single night before. Replicating such a windfall might not be easy, but knowing it was possible gave him confidence that they wouldn't be in debt forever.

The contract didn't just bind Aster, though. It included the entire party and even reserved blanks for any future members to sign. After everyone present went through the terms and signed, Aster handed the contract back to Tina. She gave it a quick once-over to confirm everything was in order.

"Hm, looks good!" she said with a nod, slipping the folder back into her spatial ring. Then she sighed. "I didn't want to make you guys sign something so strict, but Father insisted. Even after I beat him to a pulp, he wouldn't back down."

"..."

Aster recalled his first meeting with Tina's father and suppressed a shiver. The man's overprotectiveness was etched into his memory. It wasn't hard to guess the contract's true purpose—providing him with legal leverage if anything happened to Tina while she was adventuring with them.

Liz nodded in silent understanding, her expression one of quiet empathy. Cassy, on the other hand, looked worried and confused, particularly at the mention of Tina beating her father. Kali, as usual, didn't seem to care.

"Anyway," Kali said, abruptly changing the subject, "who wants to go for a ride?"

"Ah! Me, me! I want to ride darlin—ugh!"

"Not THAT ride, you horny vixen!"

Ignoring the squabble between Kali and Tina, Aster turned toward the van, his curiosity piqued. Kali's suggestion to take it for a spin wasn't a bad idea.

Thankfully, the seatbelts had done their job. While everyone had been thrown forward slightly, no one was injured—at least, not seriously enough to warrant a healing potion. Only Argus, alone, was sent flying toward the dashboard, almost flattened like a pancake.

Tina winced as she adjusted her seatbelt, the strap having dug into her chest. "Darling, I'd really appreciate it if you went a bit gentler. It's my first time..."

Aster flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry about that. It's my first time too." He quickly clarified, "Driving a manual levitating car, I mean."

The only upside to their wild start was that the van appeared unscathed, despite having plowed through at least a dozen trees. Its robust design was a testament to the Zirroth R&D Department's craftsmanship.

Determined to avoid another disaster, Aster carefully eased the van into reverse. This time, he kept his foot on the clutch, allowing for more precise control. The vehicle backed up smoothly, and they slowly extricated themselves from the forest they had just bulldozed through.

Once they reached an open clearing, Aster began testing the controls. He experimented with acceleration, braking, and turning, taking note of how the levitating vehicle handled compared to a traditional car.

By the time he had practiced for about half an hour, his confidence had grown. The girls—aside from Tina's occasional "helpful" advice—sat quietly, watching him improve. There were a few close calls, particularly when a couple of passersby narrowly avoided becoming roadkill, but thankfully, no one got hurt.

"Alright," Aster announced, gripping the steering wheel with renewed determination. "Let's head to the other end of the floor!"

Their destination: the Boss Area!

With the basics under his belt, Aster pushed the accelerator. The van responded immediately, gliding forward with a smoothness he had gradually perfected. The girls seemed to relax as the ride evened out, the earlier chaos fading into memory.

"Not bad," Tina said, giving him an approving nod.

"Yeah, I guess you're not totally hopeless," Kali commented, probably half-serious.

The van gradually gained speed, lifting gracefully into the air until it hovered at the height of the forest canopy. It glided forward in a smooth, straight line, unimpeded by any obstacles along the way, the dense treetops stretching out beneath them like a verdant sea.