Chapter 77: Van Dyke's Loyalty

  "Sir, I haven't been lazy, it's just that I've only recovered today." Vandy Sael hurriedly explained, fearing that Li Xie would get angry over this.

  Li Xie didn't get angry at all. Instead, he walked up to Van Dyke and bowed deeply with his hands clasped together: "Thank you for saving my life!"

  Fan Di Ze didn't expect Li Xie to suddenly bow and thank him, startling him into hastily kneeling: "Your Excellency, protecting Your Excellency is this humble official's duty, this humble official doesn't dare receive such a grand courtesy."

  Li Xie hastily helped him up, laughing: "A life-saving favor is as great as one's parents', how can this be considered a mere courtesy? You also get up. I am not an ungrateful person, so let me say it here, Master Meng is above! As long as Li Xie is wealthy and noble for a day, you Fan Di-Sel will also be wealthy and noble!"

  "Master!" Vandy Sore's body trembled with extreme shock! He knew that Li Xie believed in the great master, and this statement was undoubtedly an oath to the gods. For the people of the mainland of the gods, who regarded their faith as extremely important, making an oath to the gods was an unbreakable vow!

  In Vandisal's view, saving Lixiao by giving him his blood was his duty and a matter of course. In any country, it is only natural for a follower to save the life of their lord, even if it means sacrificing one's own life.

  But unexpectedly Li Ye not only paid his respects but also made such an oath.

  Is there any duke in this world who would treat his attendants with such sincerity?!

  "Lord! Lord treats me like this......" Vandy Sell's expression was firm: "The God of the Earth is above! I, Vandy Sell, must die to follow the Lord!"

  "Haha, good, good!" Li Xie burst out laughing loudly. His move was not to win over Vandy's loyalty, but a sincere gratitude for saving his life, yet he didn't expect it would make Vandy swear an oath.

  Li's mood suddenly improved, having solved the assassin's problem and also made Vandy Zell show his loyalty, it can be said that double happiness came to the door. If Jack could also be loyal, then it would be truly perfect.

  Li Xie patted Vandy Sell's shoulder and walked to the front of the golden-plumed warcock, squatting down. The one-meter-tall golden-plumed warcock stared at Li Xie with a proud and disdainful gaze, yet it allowed Xiao An to touch its feathers with relish.

  Xiao An smiled and said: "Xie Ge, Xiao Ji can remove the bandages and wooden frame from his body tomorrow."

  Li Xie smiled and said: "It seems to like you a lot, just now I heard someone scolding humans, how can it enjoy human touch so much?"

  Jīn Líng's war chicken heard that Li Xiǎo was talking about it, and the chicken glared: "She is not a despicable human being, she truly takes care of me, I can feel it. Hmph, unlike you!"

  "Huh?" Li Xie said with a sneer: "Compared to those who forget kindness and repay it with malice, I'd rather be a despicable human being. At least that's just morally unacceptable, but not like some people who lack integrity altogether! Oh, I mean, chicken integrity!"

  "Who did you say?!" Jin Ling shouted angrily.

  "Who else can be chicken except you?"

  "What are you talking about! Where did I forget gratitude and repay kindness with enmity? Only humans would do such things, we demons wouldn't stoop to that!"

  "Really?" Li Xie's right corner of his mouth slightly rose: "Do you know who saved you?"

  When the Golden Feather War Chicken was seriously injured, it had already lost consciousness. When its consciousness recovered, it only knew that Xia An was taking care of it by its side and thought that Xia An had saved it. But Li Xie's question made the Golden Feather War Chicken reveal a puzzled gaze: "Was it you who saved me?"

  "Who else could it be?" Li Xie shook his head: "Saving a life, but being said to be despicable, alas... this world, thinking that people are like beasts is an insult to beasts. Today, it seems that humans are far from being as good as beasts!"

  "It was indeed Xie Ge who saved you, and also Xie Ge who asked me to take care of you." Xiao An chimed in from the side.

  Jīn Líng's eyes were awkward, and he finally lowered his proud head, saying in a low voice: "Sorry, and thank you for saving my life."

  "Hehe, don't be so hostile to people, not everyone is the same." Li Xie saw Jin Feng's war chicken's eyes soften and thought that this was a chicken with clear likes and dislikes, but somewhat stubborn, just right for tricking!"

  In fact, this Golden Feather War Chicken has already been promised to Jack. As a 9th-level summoner, Jack can forcibly sign a master-slave contract with the heavily injured Golden Feather War Chicken, and there is no need for Li Xie to persuade him.

  However, this Golden-plumed Battlecock may become the super demon beast "Undying Firebird" in the future. Although the Undying Firebird is a tenth-tier demon beast, its strength is almost on par with an eleventh-tier Holy Beast! At that time, even if Jack signs a master-slave contract with it, he might still be forcefully converted by the contract.

  The so-called contract conversion refers to the signing of a master-slave contract between the summoner and the contracted beast. If the contracted beast is much stronger than the summoner, it may be possible for them to switch positions, with the contracted beast becoming the master instead.

  This is also why summoners use their own strength level as their professional level, rather than the level of the magical creatures they possess. In theory, a first-level summoner can have tenth or even twelfth-level magical creatures, but in reality, it's rare to see magical creatures that exceed the summoner's level by more than two levels, because if they do, they are likely to be converted into contracts!

  If Jinling War Chicken evolves into Undead Firebird and makes a contract with Jack, it won't be a joke.

  So, Li Xie had no choice but to coax this Golden Feathered War Chicken into willingly serving him, even if it was Jack's magical pet, it still had to listen to Li Xie's orders. Even if Jack didn't plan on forcing a master-slave contract, and only signed a contract similar to an alliance agreement, having a willing and obedient magical pet ally who would help each other out was better than one that just followed the contract and occasionally threw its weight around.

  Moreover, the contract of allies is easier to breach, as long as one can afford the penalty for breach. Furthermore, a powerful demon can also forcibly terminate the contract. If we help this Golden Feathered War Chicken advance in rank, it will just fly away with a flick of its wings, won't that be a waste of effort?

  "You saved my life, I will definitely repay you." said Jin Ling, the war chicken.

  Li Xie smiled and said: "I don't need your repayment either. I just have something to discuss with you, one of my subordinates..."

  "Sir." Jack happened to walk over and said: "The officer has already given the order, a thorough search for Carano. Does sir have any other instructions?"

  "You're just in time." Li Xie pointed at Jack and said to Golden Rooster, "This is Jack. I hope you can be his demon pet. Of course, this isn't a repayment for saving your life, but rather a negotiation, so the conditions are up to you."

  After finishing, Li Xie said to Jack again: "I promised Xiao An that I would give the Golden Winged War Chicken to Xiao An. Xiao An planned to give it to you as a demon pet. You should know this matter, right? This time, I'm helping you negotiate the terms."

  Jack hadn't responded yet, when the Golden Plume War Chicken suddenly jumped up, flapping its injured wings loudly and shouting: "No way! I'd rather die than be a human's familiar!"

  Li Xie had long known that the Golden Feathered War Chicken would react this way, as recorded in Skarmory's notes on magical creatures. The Golden Feathered War Chicken was extremely proud and stubborn, and unless a master-slave contract was forcibly signed, it would rather die than become a summoner's familiar. Even an ally contract wouldn't get its agreement.

  Li Xie was confident, but he couldn't even cheat a chicken, wasn't it a waste of the skills he had honed from begging on the streets and getting people to throw him coins?

  "Don't get agitated, I'm not negotiating with you, take a good look at the situation. I want you to be my demonic pet, do you have the ability to resist? This one, Jack, is a 9th-level Sword Saint; this one, Vandy, is a 10th-level Sword Saint; and this one, Zain, well, you can consider him an 11th-level Sword Saint. And then there's this demonic beast on my head, her name is Meow Meow, she's a 9th-level demonic beast! Which one of them isn't more formidable than your 8th-level demonic beast? So, don't get too agitated, we're just negotiating now. I don't like forcing people or demonic beasts, let's discuss the terms. Come on, sit down and talk." Li Xie smiled slyly and directly sat down on the ground.

  The golden-plumed fighting cock looked around, feeling the strong aura surrounding it, just as the person in front of it said. It indeed had no room for resistance, and yet this person was not forcing it either. Its emotions calmed down a bit, it retracted its wings, but its eyes remained firm: "I absolutely refuse to be a human's magical pet!"

  "Heh heh, young chicken, don't talk so big, think carefully, I can do it the hard way and don't need to discuss with you, right? As a human, one must seize opportunities, as a chicken, even more so!"

  Li Xie's words made Jin Feng, the war chicken, fall silent. He didn't believe Li Xie's proposal, but he had to consider a situation where if he didn't agree, would Li Xie force him to sign a master-slave contract?

  Nowadays, Li Xie is really capable! If he can't deceive this fighting cock into serving him willingly, then he'll have to use force. Can't let it leave, can he?

  That's what Li Xie had in mind!

  Jin Ying's fighting chicken didn't make a sound. Li Xie smiled and asked again: "Why don't you want to be a human's magical pet?"

  "Need you ask?" Jin Ling warily said: "I am free and easy, doing whatever I want, why should I be a human's familiar, listening to their beck and call? Humans are despicable and untrustworthy, only using magical beasts as tools, what dignity is there in being a human's familiar?"

  Jīn Líng's war cry was high-pitched and stirring, even the little cat on Li Yē's head looked up at it, then shook its head, jumped to one side, pulled out a wine bottle and started drinking. Its expression seemed to say: What's freedom and dignity? Is there good wine to drink? Can demons brew wine?

  Li Xie smiled: "Freedom and dignity! Humans also regard them as precious things, are inviolable sacredness. There is a poem that says: Life is indeed precious, love is even more valuable, if for the sake of freedom, both can be abandoned! And there is a sage who said: How can I fawn on the powerful, making me unable to show my true face? Let's talk about freedom first!"

  Li Xie took out a bottle of wine, made a toast in the direction of the little cat, and laughed: "What is freedom? Freedom is relative. You think you are free, you can do whatever you want, but dare you go to the Dragon Emperor's head and pull his crap? Who told you that when you became a demon pet, you lost your freedom? Maybe your activity space has become smaller, losing a part of your freedom, but you can do more things, isn't that getting more freedom?"

  Li Xie continued: "Furthermore, I ask you, do you have any dreams? Any aspirations? Any desires? Even a chicken should be a chicken with pursuits, don't you want anything?"