The system offered a dizzying array of possible contingencies and safeguards. Solomon skimmed through them, making a mental note of the ones that looked useful. When he hit the bottom of the list, he noticed something that every option had in common.

"These are all on a time limit?" he asked, half to himself.

Kanmi had picked up his flexible sword and was fastening it around his midsection, but paused to answer. "The System's more about opening up possibilities than building fences."

Solomon grunted in acknowledgement as he read over the list more carefully. The system could impose penalties that lasted for a long time. One suggested proviso would have Kanmi suffer fifty years' imprisonment if he killed or helped to kill Solomon. It was the protection itself that was limited. None of the options would directly restrain Kanmi's behavior. And none of the protections would remain in effect for longer than six months.

The arrival of the system had to have torn down most of the old laws, and the system itself was designed to make it hard to impose new laws. Was that freedom? Solomon's only personal experience with police officers had come when he'd been hit with tickets for speeding, but he had still liked the laws that kept people from attacking him and taking his stuff.

Maybe somebody else would get that working even in the face of the system. Maybe Solomon would have to do it himself. He'd put it on the to do list.

"I want this standard protection package."

Just as the system wasn't in the business of enforcing a legal code, it seemed it took pity on non-lawyers who had to craft agreements. The standard protection package provided for harsh punishments should Solomon die or suffer grievous physical harm, with a sliding scale based on the system's opinion of Kanmi's culpability. If they were going to work together, it was the minimum Solomon needed to keep his peace of mind.

"That's fair," Kanmi replied.

"Either one of us can end the agreement any time, you'll just cool your heels off Earth for a while," Solomon said. "But if you're leaving because you screwed me over, I want some teeth in it."

Assuming he didn't have to worry about his physical safety, Solomon's next biggest fear was that he was shackling himself to an asshole. Or, to be fair, that he'd be creating a lot of resentment by shackling somebody to him who thought that he was an asshole. It was better if they both had the option of walking away.

"All right, all right," Kanmi said, "Don't just focus on the downsides, man. Look at the possibilities, here."

Most of the possibilities that came to mind were various flavors of disaster. His view of the future was being colored by his experience with the system so far. Solomon shook his head.

"What possibilities?"

"You're off to a good start, but you can't do everything alone. With the support of an advisor who knows the system, another fighter to help you tackle other zones, the sky's the limit! I can be your strong right hand," Kanmi said, before glancing down at Solomon's stump. "Or left hand. Whichever."

Solomon knew he could use the help. With the system providing a safety net, they could build up trust over time. That left the question of what it was going to cost him.

"What do you want out of all this?" he asked. "It was power, money, and women, right?"

"You know me so well," Kanmi said. "The power will take care of itself. Once you see what you can do you won't want to waste my talents."

He was pretty confident for somebody who had suffered such an ignominious defeat. Living with the system must encourage a sort of never say die attitude. Solomon tended to err on the side of caution when he could, but he wouldn't mind working with an optimist.

"Talking money, I'd say we each keep what we earn, with an even split when we work together," Kanmi continued. "For the land income, I'll take forty in a forty-sixty split."

"You want forty percent?" Solomon asked. He hadn't even known owning land entitled him to income, but he wasn't ready to watch almost half of it fly away just like that.

"Anything you reinvest in the land wouldn't count," Kanmi replied. "I just want a share of the money you take out to use for yourself."

That was a little more reasonable. Solomon did want Kanmi to have a stake in his success. The system would make sure he couldn't get away with murder, but it wouldn't do anything if he just decided to slack off. Solomon wasn't confident enough in his own expertise to be sure he would spot it if Kanmi started sandbagging.

"Let's say thirty percent."

"Deal!"

Kanmi had his hand out to shake on it so quickly that it was obvious he thought he was getting one over on Solomon. For his part, Solomon kept his face blank as he clasped hands with his new partner. He had a feeling Kanmi's cheer would evaporate when he discovered that Solomon would be building his own firearms instead of drawing huge sums of money to buy upgraded gear.

Formalizing their agreement with the system was quick and easy. A moment later they went through the experience of teleportation together and arrived at the antechamber.

"The timer for Second Grace, right in front of me," Kanmi said, his eyes darting around as he checked the system UI. "Never thought I'd see it outside of the history videos."

Solomon nodded. He couldn't help but bristle a little bit at Kanmi playing the excited tourist for what was, after all, the complete collapse of the society in which Solomon had been born and raised, but he held his tongue. No need to pick a fight.

"It's a whole virgin world out there, man, spreading her legs for us," Kanmi continued. "We could conquer the whole local grid. Get this zone upgraded by the end of the week!"

Solomon shook his head. Apparently the system didn't come with an HR department. Well, he wasn't going to pitch a fit at his new monster fighting buddy over a little salty language. He did need to correct one mistaken assumption though.

"Maybe we could," Solomon said, "but we're not going to. Our first order of business is a road trip."

"What?"

"My family's a little ways away," Solomon said. "I'm not just leaving them at the mercy of the system."

He also wanted to see how the populated parts of the country were holding up with his own eyes. He had a bad feeling about what was happening out there in the shadow of the system, but he wasn't quite ready to just give up on civilization just yet.