Richard watched the motionless chain, a cold glint flashing through his eyes as killing intent instantly shrouded it.
"If you don't move, I'll destroy you."
The moment those words left his mouth—before Richard had even finished speaking—the chain sprang into motion, giving off a faint ripple of energy.
The energy ripple formed a line of Abyssal text in the air.
[Don't attack, don't attack.]
Richard said nothing. The hand gripping the chain slowly tightened. The chain could feel the surging, overwhelming power in that hand.
That power could scatter its insignificant consciousness at any moment.
[Master! Master! My master, please spare this little thing that was just born.]
Only when the chain changed its tune did the power in Richard's hand dissipate.
"This is your first lesson, Shanhai."
[Yes, yes, my name is Shanhai. Thank you, Master, for bestowing this name upon me.]
Having subdued Shanhai, Richard began testing the intelligence of this Abyss magic armor.
The Abyss Will contained no records concerning the intelligence of magic armor at this level. It was not that no such magic armor existed—Beelzebub's staff, modified from the World Tree, was on the same level as Shanhai.
It was simply that Beelzebub had never tested the intelligence of a magic armor spirit.
To a Sovereign, a magic armor spirit was far too weak to warrant any concern at all.
After a round of tests, Richard discovered in surprise that this magic armor spirit possessed intelligence roughly equal to that of an ordinary human. It counted as an advanced intelligent life-form.
Moreover, it was born knowing Abyssal writing and could use the Abyssal Incantations carved into its body.
Yet its existence was strange.
A magic armor spirit possessed no soul, yet it had consciousness. It was somewhat like the