Subjugation Plan

Although Linley desperately wanted to tame a magical beast, he understood very well that taming an adult magical beast was an incredibly difficult task.

Had he not seen how long it took for Sathius, even after becoming a disciple under Zhao Nan, to finally establish an equal contract with his fellow disciples?

However, taming a magical beast in its infancy was much easier.

Yet, Linley also knew that taming a beast during its infancy depended on the species, as some magical beasts grew quickly while others grew slowly.

Take dragon-type magical beasts, for example; a dragon required a thousand years to reach maturity, and if a human had not yet become a Saint-level powerhouse, they simply could not afford to wait that long.

But this Shadow Mouse belonged to a species that grew relatively quickly.

Therefore, encountering a baby Shadow Mouse was truly a rare opportunity!

Just as Linley was deep in thought, Doehring Cowart smiled and said to him, "Linley, you must understand that as long as you possess a purple Shadow Mouse, you are essentially in possession of an entire army of Shadow Mice.

By then, you will not only have a seventh or eighth-rank magical beast, but you will also have countless Shadow Mice as your subordinates."

Listening to Doehring Cowart's words, the desire to obtain a magical beast that was already in Linley's heart began to grow even further.

"Grandpa Doehring, I also want this little Shadow Mouse, but how do I tame it?" Linley asked Doehring Cowart with a look of longing.

Upon hearing this, Doehring Cowart couldn't help but laugh.

One had to realize that after all this time, he, a grand magus of the earth element, had been feeling quite stifled.

As a grand magus of the earth element, whenever he wanted to teach Linley some knowledge, he would find that the things he taught were not even remotely comparable to the teachings of Zhao Nan.

Even his most prized Flat Blade Style had failed to catch Linley's interest, as the boy claimed it was inferior to the secret techniques taught by Zhao Nan.

Now that Linley finally had a use for him, how could he not be happy?

At the same time, he wanted to help Linley; after all, he was now merely a spiritual soul entity without a shred of magical power, leaving him with no way to assist Linley.

Having spent so much time together, he had come to regard Linley as his own child.

Therefore, being able to help Linley made him truly happy.

After pondering for a long while, Doehring Cowart said to Linley, "Linley, you must know that even a baby Shadow Mouse has speed comparable to a fourth-rank warrior, or perhaps even faster.

Therefore, you likely won't have the chance to set up the magic array for a soul contract."

Upon hearing this, Linley was stunned, and the excitement he had felt about taming a magical beast cooled down instantly.

Then, Linley asked Doehring Cowart with a worried expression, "Then what should I do, Grandpa Doehring?"

"I remember my teacher telling me that to tame a magical beast, one must first make it submit and then set up a soul contract magic array, but this magic array requires at least a seventh-rank magus to construct!

Besides, I can't even catch up to it!"

At this moment, Linley felt deeply disappointed and dejected.

He felt frustrated once again by his own weakness, feeling that with his current strength, he couldn't even set up a simple magic array.

Hearing Linley's dejected words, Doehring Cowart chuckled and said, "Although you cannot forcibly tame the magical beast, there are other methods!

This method might be a bit difficult, but it is very effective."

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Linley's eyes once again.

Seeing Linley's reaction, Doehring Cowart said with a smile, "If it were an adult Shadow Mouse, this method would be completely useless, but since it is only an infant, there is a way."

Listening to Doehring Cowart speaking in his slow, leisurely tone, Linley couldn't help but urge him, "Grandpa Doehring, please tell me quickly!"

Watching the anxious Linley, Doehring Cowart laughed and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?

Have you forgotten about your magical beast senior brother?"

"Magical beast senior brother?

What does this have to do with Senior Brother Sathius?" Linley asked, looking confused.

Doehring Cowart looked at the puzzled Linley and decided to stop teasing him, saying directly, "Haven't you figured it out yet?

You know that a soul contract is a master-servant contract, but have you forgotten the equal contract that Sathius set up?

Although you lack the strength to set up a magic array, the magical beast itself can initiate an equal contract!"

Hearing this, Linley suddenly realized, and he said to Doehring Cowart, "Grandpa Doehring, I understand now. You mean as long as I make this Shadow Mouse grow close to me, it can personally establish an equal contract, right?"

Doehring Cowart nodded in approval and continued, "Adult magical beasts possess high intelligence, as you can see from Sathius.

Therefore, trying to get an adult magical beast to personally establish an equal contract is as difficult as ascending to heaven!

In all my years, I have only seen it happen once, with Sathius."

Then, Doehring Cowart added, "Adult magical beasts are hard to deal with, but magical beast infants are different.

Even human infants have low intelligence and are easily deceived; give them something tasty, and they will like you, let alone the intelligence of a magical beast infant.

The intelligence of a magical beast infant is even lower than that of a human infant. As long as you frequently give it delicious food, make it like you, and then play with it, it won't take long for the infant to grow fond of you.

Especially for an infant magical beast that is lonely and separated from its pack, it is even easier to tame."

Upon hearing this, Linley suddenly understood, and he said to Doehring Cowart with a laugh, "So it's just like coaxing a child!"

After saying that, he added, "This is easy to do!"

"I've been taking care of Wharton since he was little, and later my junior brother Ace as well. Coaxing a child is way too simple!"

Upon hearing Linley's words, Doehring Cowart immediately spoke up to remind him: "Linley, don't be too overconfident. You should know that there are many things to watch out for when coaxing a magical beast infant. If you aren't careful, that Shadow Mouse might just take a bite out of you."

Hearing this from Doehring Cowart, Linley couldn't help but exclaim: "It'll even bite me?"

Linley then took another look at the black Shadow Mouse in the distance, which was continuously gnawing on a stone, and couldn't help but shiver.

He then said to Doehring Cowart: "It's so dangerous, why don't I go find my teacher?

I believe that if my teacher takes action, this Shadow Mouse will surely be captured with ease."

The current Linley was not in the same situation as in the original story, lacking a backer; he now had a Saint-level expert as his teacher!