4: Outrageous! This little skeleton can actually refuse to be summoned!

Lu Chen turned his head to look.

Ning Xiwei looked dejected, her star-like eyes seemingly losing their luster.

She sat on the ground, her slender hands cupping her cheeks as she stared blankly at the distant sky for a long time.

"Hey, beautiful, don't be disappointed..."

That Ning Xiwei was being treated as a joke by everyone actually had a lot to do with him.

Lu Chen wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't make a sound at all; only the clacking of his jawbones could be heard.

Ka, ka, ka~

Lu Chen rubbed his forehead. Right, he was just a Little Skeleton without even vocal cords, so how could he speak?

It was also strange; although he couldn't read the script of this world, he could understand the language.

"It seems communication is impossible for now."

"I can only use body language."

The scarlet flames in Lu Chen's eye sockets flickered slightly.

At that moment.

"Xiwei!"

"Ning Xiwei, I'm here!"

A beautiful, fiery red figure came through the dispersing crowd.

"Feifei."

Ning Xiwei lowered her eyes and called out softly.

"Xiwei, I know everything. It's not your fault!"

Sun Feifei put her arm around Ning Xiwei's shoulder and gave it two gentle pats.

She turned to look at Lu Chen.

This was the Little Skeleton that brought shame to Xiwei?

It really was ordinary enough.

Noticing Sun Feifei's gaze, Ning Xiwei quickly said, "Feifei, don't blame him."

From Lu Chen, Ning Xiwei could feel a warm sense of intimacy, just like a real family member.

After all, he was the creature that her Spirit Contractor Origin Point had reacted violently to.

He was also the Fated Contract Creature she had chosen.

Therefore, even though she was being laughed at by everyone, she had never regretted it.

Since she couldn't rely on a spirit creature, she would rely on herself to become stronger!

Ning Xiwei, you can do it!

She clenched her fists to cheer herself up.

Seeing the young girl's pretty and resilient appearance, Lu Chen couldn't help but nod his bare skull.

His upper and lower jawbones vibrated slightly, letting out a friendly clacking laughter.

"Xiwei, look, your Little Skeleton is laughing at you!"

Sun Feifei noticed Lu Chen's movement and quickly reported it.

"My Little Skeleton looks so silly; how could he laugh at people?"

Ning Xiwei was helpless; what nonsense was her Best Friend talking about?

"Hehe."

Sun Feifei giggled, then took Ning Xiwei's hand and whispered into her ear:

"Xiwei, are you feeling better now?"

Ning Xiwei felt her ears and heart warm up. Her Best Friend's clownish behavior earlier was just to make her feel a bit better.

She nodded heavily. "Mm!"

Then she squeezed Sun Feifei's hand back tightly.

"Let's go have a big meal, my treat," Sun Feifei said, patting her chest.

"I should be the one to treat you, Feifei."

Ning Xiwei shook her head and refused.

"No! It's because I was delayed in a Secret Realm and couldn't be by Xiwei's side at her most important moment. I haven't been a good friend at all, so let me treat you to a big meal as an apology!"

Ning Xiwei looked hesitant.

"If you refuse again, I'll be angry!"

Sun Feifei put her hands on her hips.

Ning Xiwei pouted and nodded. "Alright then."

"Yay!"

Sun Feifei cheered, then glanced at Lu Chen. "Xiwei, summon the Little Skeleton back first."

Ning Xiwei nodded, looked at Lu Chen, and smiled. "Whether you can understand me or not, we're going to eat now, so I'll have to trouble you to return to the Summoning Space for a bit."

Ning Xiwei drew a circle in the air with her finger.

A deep, dark space appeared beneath Lu Chen's feet.

This was the Spirit Contractor's exclusive Summoning Space, which could quickly restore a spirit creature's stamina and heal its injuries.

A sudden suction came from this deep, dark space, as if a pair of hands were grabbing Lu Chen's ankles and pulling him down.

Lu Chen glanced down.

The dark space beneath him wasn't large, much like that Purple-Gold Prison in the Necrotic Abyss.

Imprisoned again?

Not going back!

The small flames in Lu Chen's eye sockets trembled slightly as he forcibly resisted the suction, his entire skeleton frame floating above the dark space.

"So slow. Xiwei, hurry up and take the Little Skeleton back."

Sun Feifei muttered and urged.

Ning Xiwei gritted her teeth and continued to increase the power output, but Lu Chen remained steadily suspended over the dark space.

She clearly felt a repulsive force pushing back.

She understood.

"The Little Skeleton doesn't want to go back."

"The Little Skeleton is just your summon. Xiwei, don't spoil him too much. We can't bring a Little Skeleton with us to dinner; it's such a buzzkill! Quick, quick, take him back!"

Sun Feifei glared at Lu Chen.

"I can't do it. I can't take the Little Skeleton back."

Ning Xiwei was starting to doubt herself. Did she not even have the ability to recall a summon?

"You signed a Master-Servant Contract with the Little Skeleton, right?" Sun Feifei suddenly asked.

"That's right." Ning Xiwei nodded certainly; the Master-Servant Contract in her mind was still radiating light.

"The Master-Servant Contract can be said to be the strongest among all contracts!"

"For an ordinary Little Skeleton to be able to refuse a Master-Servant Contract summon is truly ridiculous!"

Sun Feifei was extremely puzzled.

"A Master-Servant Contract... no servant has ever been able to disobey their master's command!

Not to mention that commands through the contract are mandatory and absolute... Even if they weren't, once a servant disobeys, they would be heavily injured at best and dead at worst!

Yet this unremarkable Little Skeleton is completely unharmed!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous!"

"Unless..."

Sun Feifei analyzed in a low voice. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes widened, and her voice trembled.

"Unless it's royalty! Imperial blood!"

"Only royalty or imperial blood among high-level races...

...can resist the restrictions of a Master-Servant Contract!

Making the contract backlash virtually disappear!"

*Gulp*~

"My god!"

"Could this Little Skeleton actually be a Skeleton King or a Skeleton Emperor?!"

Sun Feifei felt it hard to breathe.

If it wasn't royalty or imperial blood, there was simply no way to explain the Little Skeleton refusing the summon.

But if it really was royalty or imperial blood, that would be even more ridiculous!

Did all the instructors at the Supreme Academy misjudge him?

Sun Feifei couldn't accept this result for a moment.

"Enough with the Skeleton King and Skeleton Emperor. Principal Liu already tested him with the Talent Detection Machine; the Little Skeleton is just an ordinary Little Skeleton."

"Could the latest model of the Talent Detection Machine be wrong?"

Ning Xiwei said helplessly to Sun Feifei.

Then, she turned and said gently to Lu Chen,

"If you don't want to go back, then just follow us."

With that, she led Sun Feifei toward the exit of the plaza.

At the same time, she signaled Lu Chen to follow... Second floor of the restaurant.

Seeing Sun Feifei ordering dish after dish, including rare monster meat, Ning Xiwei quickly said:

"Feifei, that's enough. The two of us can't finish all that."

"Don't be so polite with your sister!"

Sun Feifei waved her hand and handed the menu to the waiter, then turned her head and clutched her wallet in heartache.

When she turned back to face Ning Xiwei, she was all smiles.

All of this fell into Lu Chen's eyes.

He couldn't help but nod slightly; this girl was alright.

Then.

The Little Skeleton, Lu Chen, sat down grandly between the two girls.