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"Lin Lei, don't be discouraged. I only said you can't forcibly subdue it, not that there's no way to subdue it," Derinkoort said with a self-satisfied smile. "If it were an adult Shadow Mouse, I'd probably be helpless, but... it's just a Shadow Mouse pup. As a Holy Domain Grand Mage, dealing with the pup of a purple Shadow Mouse, I do have a way, and you don't even need to set up the Soul Contract Magic Array."
Lin Lei's cooled heart suddenly warmed up, and his gaze toward Derinkoort brightened.
"Grandpa Derinkoort, hurry up and tell me, what is the method?" Lin Lei transmitted excitedly.
Derinkoort smiled proudly and said, "It's simple, actually the 'Soul Contract' of the Soul Contract Magic Array is a type of Master-Servant Contract. If you can make a magical beast submit, you naturally qualify to become its master. Since we can't set up a 'Master-Servant Contract' right now, we can only take a step back... and establish an 'Equal Contract' with this Shadow Mouse."
"Equal Contract?" Lin Lei asked in confusion. "What's that? I've never heard of it."
"It's normal that you haven't. Even five or six thousand years ago, in my era, very few people knew about the 'Equal Contract'," Derinkoort said with a smile. "An Equal Contract means you and the magical beast are equals in status. It seems inferior to a Master-Servant Contract, but in reality, the 'Equal Contract' will allow you and the beast to communicate more intimately. The beast will help you more sincerely, and your cooperation will be more perfect."
Lin Lei suddenly understood in his heart.
"Oh? Grandpa Derinkoort, listening to you, the Equal Contract has many advantages. Why don't most people use it now?" Lin Lei asked, somewhat puzzled.
Derinkoort laughed and said, "Because the Equal Contract isn't set up by humans, but is formed by the magical beast itself."
"The magical beast forms it itself?" Lin Lei was stunned.
No wonder they didn't need to set up the Soul Contract Magic Array; it turned out the magical beast did it itself. Derinkoort continued, "Every magical beast is born with the ability to form an 'Equal Contract', but each beast can only form one Equal Contract in its lifetime. It's not like the Master-Servant Contract; as long as the master dissolves the Master-Servant Contract, someone else can then use the Master-Servant Contract to subdue that beast again."
Lin Lei nodded.
"However, it's very difficult to make a magical beast willingly form an 'Equal Contract'," Derinkoort said solemnly. "You have to make the beast feel that you are its loved one, that it can't bear to leave you, before it will willingly form an Equal Contract with you."
Lin Lei nodded slightly.
"Adult magical beasts are very intelligent. To move an adult beast and make it feel you are its loved one is almost impossible," Derinkoort sighed. "But magical beast pups are different. Even human children aren't very intelligent and are easily tricked; give them something tasty and they'll like you, not to mention the intelligence of a beast pup. A beast pup's intelligence is even lower than a human child's. As long as you often give it tasty food to make it like you, then play with it, before long, the beast pup will grow fond of you. Especially a lonely beast pup that has left its group is even easier to subdue."
After hearing Derinkoort's words, Lin Lei felt a sudden clarity in his heart.
"So it's just coaxing a child," Lin Lei laughed.
He was very experienced in this. Since childhood, he had played with his younger brother Wotton. He was well-practiced in how to coax children.
"Lin Lei, don't be too confident. Coaxing a beast pup requires paying attention to many things. If you're not careful, that Shadow Mouse might just take a bite out of you," Derinkoort warned.
"Take a bite out of me?"
Lin Lei looked at the black Shadow Mouse in the distance, and the sound of it gnawing on stones, *gechi gechi*, sent a shiver down his spine. It gnawed on stones as easily as he usually ate bread. Lin Lei had no doubt about the sharpness of this magical beast Shadow Mouse's teeth.
"Then what should I do?" Lin Lei immediately felt uncertain.
"Don't worry, just follow my instructions and there will be absolutely no problem. However, this 'foolish method' of mine requires plenty of patience; you absolutely must not rush things," Derinkoort then slowly revealed the 'foolish method'. "Lin Lei, the Shadow Mouse is an omnivorous beast. It eats stones, bones, and even meat, but what it likes best is still meat, especially roasted meat. This is the experience of my predecessors."