Clan Leader Nerissa opened the portal to the Hyperion Sect's compound, and led the group through immediately, eager to finish this and get home for the evening.

Only, when she arrived, the place was essentially abandoned.

There were a few dozen bunnies, and a crippled Immortal whose legs had been severed by Divine Power, which none of the local healers could mitigate enough to regenerate his limbs.

Allie smiled and patted the nearest bunny on the head, while the girl stared at her in confusion.

"Uhm, may I help you? As you can see, everyone left. We don't have anything to take if you're here for money. You will have to find the actual Sect members to collect any outstanding debts."

Nerissa sighed. "We're the New Home Merchant Clan. The Hyperion Sect was disbanded by the System after their Guild Leader was killed in single combat during the attack on our Clan."

"Oh, that's helpful. We've got System Contracts that changed to whoever killed him. Do you know who it was?"

"That would be Karl. What sort of contract do you have?" Nerissa asked.

"Oh, our slave contracts. They were to the leader personally, not the Sect, so they didn't dissolve, they transferred."

Dana poked Karl in the side. "Take care of that. No matter how much you want bunnies, you can't keep slave girls."

Karl stepped forward, and when he patted the bunny's head, a flood of System messages came to him, ending with one simple message.

{Contracts Transferred) 32 slave contracts gained. Process now?

{Contracts Processing) Please select an option.

Karl frowned, then opened his interface to see what the options were. {Enforce Contract}

{Refresh Full Contract Duration} 999 years, 985 years currently remaining {Nullify Contract With Penalty}

{Nullify Contract Without Penalty}

What sort of contract had they signed that allowed him to refresh it at will?

Never mind, he didn't need to think about that, it obviously wasn't voluntary, the bunnies were just too tender-hearted to hold it against him.

{Contracts Nullified Without Penalty)

The bunnies all looked shocked as they got the System Message, but Karl was already speaking.

"As the Hyperion Sect has been disbanded, and there is no longer a proper protector for you, you can come back to the New Home Merchant Clan with me. I have work and accommodations for you."

Nerissa frowned, as they already had all the bunnies they needed. Then, Karl looked at Yewan, and the Clan Leader smiled gently.

Letting the hatchlings loose on the bunnies would a fitting job for them.

Few other species had the energy to keep up with a dragon hatchling, so it was the perfect assignment for them, and Karl had plenty of room in his Tiny World for new arrivals.

"Perhaps now that he has bunnies, he will leave the hatchlings alone." Merrick muttered as the excited bunnies ran off to go pack their stuff.

They had already decided that Karl was a good guy, as he had freed them from their contract, so they could leave any time that they wanted to. That alone was priceless to the bunnies of this world, but Allie was doing her very best not to say something that might cause a misunderstanding.

Only once they were all gone did she finally speak.

"The Karl really is one of us. Just smoothly obtained all the fluffy things, and now he's building up his pet menagerie," she joked.

Dana frowned. "At least he can't bond with the bunnies, they might be furry, but they're not beasts, according to the System."

"That is true, and while dragons do count before they awaken a System Interface, Beast Master type classes bonding them has always caused issues with the dragon gods.

Only the Green Dragon doesn't mind, but I think that her children actually drive her insane too, and she's happy to foist them off on someone else," the Elf explained.

"I don't know why they get such a bad reputation, they're really not all that bad. At least, as long as you monitor their caffeine intake and keep them occupied."

That made both the Elf and the Clan Leader smile.

"And that's why you're the beast master, and I'm just a ranger. I couldn't do it. Not at all. I like nature, but I like to relax in nature, and with a green dragon around, there isn't a single moment of silence.

I swear for a nature attuned species, they are the worst hunters in the world, completely incapable of sneaking up on anything unless it's fluffy."

"They can't sneak up on fluffy things either, they just aren't threatening enough for most of them to run away. The bunnies are actually remarkably good at dodging them, I have noticed." Karl noted.

The Clan Leader laughed and shook her head. "It's almost like it's a special racial ability at this point. They're the masters of vanishing without actually turning invisible.

Are you sure that you can keep them properly housed?

The bunnies are used to the living conditions in the Immortal World, so it might be a harsh adjustment to living wherever you're planning to send them." Karl shook his head. "No, it shouldn't be an issue. The pocket dimension that they'll be working with the hatchlings in has both Mortal and Immortal energy. They'll have the same sort of living conditions that they're used to, perhaps a bit better, given that they're not going to be under a contract restriction." Allie nodded. "I can agree with that. His space is quite suitable for them, and it has access to the mortal world. Having other mortals around will be good for the mental health of the bunnies, and the Darklight Host has always been kind to their employees and mortal members."

Nerissa smiled, then got a suspicious expression. "Why am I getting a premonition of Immortal bunnies loaded up with the strangest of crafting skills?"

Merrick patted her gently on the shoulder, careful not to dislodge Yewan.

"Because it's going to happen. Anything that the Darklight Host takes in eventually ends up with abnormal skills, it's just part of being in the Guild.

You might as well take in the cripple as well. There's not much left for him with the bunnies gone."