Cooperation and the Cat

"Wait, I'm a Sloth Demon. I shouldn't be this talkative."

"Let me revise that, revise—"

Before he could finish, Bernard Kaka lay on the ground and yawned.

This was how a Sloth Demon ought to behave, and how the real Bernard Kaka should have acted.

Chen Yi continued, "My goal is simple: a large amount of Blood of Slaughter."

"And he needs more Heart of the World fragments."

Chen Yi pointed at Chou Zhongsheng.

Chou Zhongsheng nodded in cooperation.

"As payment, we can help you do one thing."

"So, shall we cooperate?"

Bernard Kaka said nothing. He yawned and gave a slight nod.

It meant they could cooperate.

"To ensure the cooperation proceeds smoothly, let's sign a contract."

Chen Yi took out a blank contract, indicating that they could draft its terms together on the spot.

Bernard Kaka kept his eyes closed, his abdomen rising and falling rhythmically as though he had fallen asleep.

Chen Yi was not embarrassed. He put the contract away.

His gaze swept over the ground, where several crooked Fire Characters had appeared at some point.

Pretending not to see them, Chen Yi continued, "If we don't sign a contract, we can swear by our True Names instead."

"Betrayal is a demon's virtue. Without a foundation of trust, how can we cooperate?"

The True Names of demons and the Dragon Race both possessed power. Once one swore by a True Name, breaking that oath would require paying a tremendous price.

At the mention of trust, the sleeping Bernard Kaka opened his eyes.

"Fine."

The two sides then drafted their respective oaths.

"I, Galen Norton Sulaiman Pospichil, swear here by my True Name to help Bernard Kaka accomplish one thing: provide enemies sufficient to produce three hundred portions of Blood of Slaughter."

"I, Shachen Alessandro Odenel, swear