The horrifying sensation of being observed like a mere item vanished the next second, forcing a grumble out of the cleaver.
"Listen, kid. I hate to beat around the bush, so I'll go straight to the point."
Its trembling lessened as it started with a severe tone.
"I need you, but you need me even more to leave this place. So let it stay a deal between us."
Upon hearing the words, his brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I want nothing to do with a weapon that contaminates its wielder! In the worst case, I can dig the mountain!"
His reluctant voice cut through the offer in a sharp refusal.
"Don't refuse! I can also obliterate you before you start digging."
The blade rumbled, wisps of green flames flaring from its pommel like malicious eyes.
"Don't use the effects requiring demonic energy. I won't actively demonise you, either. I need a hiding place and someone to help me bring Nyxara back."
Feeling the desperation behind the threat, Adam's lips curled into his merchant's smile, and his eyes sparkled with greed.
"You are asking for a lot but give nothing in exchange. I can't be sure about your intentions, either. Remember Picket? You must have seen everything. Once, not twice."
"I'll sign a contract."
The cleaver's dismissive voice resounded for a second, unbothered by the suspicious boy.
"It's a shame you are not a cultivator. I could have helped you grow demonic plants if your soul sea was in your dan tian."
It suddenly added mixing enticement and mockery in its voice.
Meanwhile, his eyes enlarged. He always wanted to become a cultivator, too. Yet, he didn't possess the organs to become one.
'What if I find a mythical dan tian?'
He pondered, his smile turning into a grin.
Of course, he wouldn't touch Julius'. However, there were at least two other individuals.
"The sutras authors!"
It made no sense for these cultivation techniques to appear in their magic world if cultivators didn't write them. So, there was Lin Yao, that Shepard wanted to scold for the Qingming booklet. Nova also mentioned the mysterious L, who gave the dullahan the Nù Míng sutra sixty-one years ago.
A steely glint flashed in his eyes.
'I need to find them or their carcasses and retrieve their dan tian. Then, I'll make a perfect body that can wield both mana and life force!'
The idea sent an excited tremor through his wooden frame as more ideas popped into his mind.
'I'll only need four more materials. I need strong mana circuits. That's non-negotiable... What about strong bones?'
As his mind wandered into a world of possibilities, the cleaver's frustrated whispers forced him out of his trance.
He nodded, eyes narrowed into slits.
"Make the contract. I want your help in growing demonic plants if I ever get some. No demonization, no whispers. I can use you once to get out of the mine. In exchange, you'll hide here, and I'll fix the broken statue in the cave."
"Humph. With how rich in demonic energy I turned this area, I could even grow veritable demons if your soul sea had substance."
The cleaver snorted, confidence dripping from its voice.
"I, the second relic of the demon realm, pledge in the name of Paimon, the demon king of science and secrets, to abide by the mentioned terms. May my consciousness and frame shatter if I break them."
A scarlet pentagram appeared and spun above, taking the shape of a piercing eye. Ethereal chains descended like snakes towards them, ready to bind the two parties.
"Your turn. Swear to bring the statue and not to expose my existence."
However, a pensive frown graced his brows for a moment as he tried to remember his titles. Then, he smirked.
"I, the mighty king of the unseen, according to Alina, the man who can become the best mage, enchanter, alchemist..."
"Shut up and sign the contract, brat!"
The cleaver interrupted his boastful tirade, its voice seething in anger.
With an aggrieved glance, he coughed. Yet, a flame burned in his eyes. An unfair contract he had no choice but to sign? Of course, he would search for ways to shatter it.
The still chains came to life and dug through them, binding his soul and the blade's consciousness.
He shuddered under their pressure, a deep sense of distress flashing in his dimming eyes.
'What kind of existence can bind a tier nine weapon?'
Somehow, he didn't want to meet that demon king Paimon in his life.
Soon, the chains turned invisible, and the eye vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Bring the statue after fixing it. Don't bother speaking with me if you don't have demonic plants to grow."
The cleaver's whisper filled his ears before silence engulfed the place.
"I didn't want to speak with you in the first place," he snorted, closing his eyes to leave the soul sea.
Back in the cave, he sifted through the ground to gather every statue fragment for ten minutes. Then, he went to the fusion pool.
With a smirk, he threw everything into the sparkling water, ignoring the other items undergoing fusion by the side.
"Here, it'll fix your statue."
The water bubbled and rumbled in a horrifying cacophony. Dense currents swirled to gather the smallest marble particle in a forceful embrace. Then, they collided with one another into a roiling water sphere.
His face decomposed as a timer appeared above. Unlike his expectation for a quick process, his expression froze as a panicked yelp escaped his mouth when he noticed the displayed time.
[Time required for the fusion: five years.]
"How can it be this long? What is this statue?!"
Fortunately, the answer eluded him, or he would faint... because it was a tier eight demon petrified fifteen thousand years ago, the previous cleaver's wielder and the demonic invasion armies' commander-in-chief.
Oblivious to everything, he grumbled in annoyance and returned to the blade.
"It'll take five years to fix your statue. I'll move out now, so let me use you to kill Picket."
"Five years, you say?!"
The cleaver rumbled in disbelief as he had expected to hear fifty years or even double that.
"Yeah. I can't make it faster. Trust me, I'm as annoyed as you are."
Meanwhile, he clicked his tongue and swung his arm in annoyance. After all, the statue restoration was part of the contract, and he had no desire to experience what would happen if he broke it.
"Absurd! Go now. I'll answer your call when you face the little rat."
The blade's doubtful whisper echoed before it fell silent again.