Food Poems

Chapter 388: Mammon's Gamble, Demon Contract

In the flickering candlelight study, the flames of the fireplace cast dancing shadows on the wall, and the crackling of the firewood made the night seem especially quiet.

Yeats put down his quill and looked closely at the black cat squatting at the door.

The two of them stared at each other in a particularly weird atmosphere, as if both sides were observing each other, waiting for the other to break the deadlock first.

In the dead of night, a black cat came to the door and spoke in human language.

Seeing this scene, Ye Zhi's heart was filled with surprise.

It is not surprising that cats can speak human language. Whether it is a wizard who transforms into a kitten through transfiguration or a magical beast that has cultivated intelligence, they all have the ability to speak.

The bard's high-level spell "Tongue" can enable the creature being touched to understand and speak a language mastered by the caster, and can also make animals speak.

The strange thing is that the cat was able to approach so quietly that I didn't even notice it.

Ye Zhi was secretly alert, pondering the meaning of Black Cat's words, and pretended to be calm:

"Lucky cat? How does it attract wealth?"

"As long as you sign a contract with me, you will be able to gain countless gold, silver and jewelry. You can stand on a mountain of treasures and be superior to others. You can use money to buy the loyalty and souls of countless people..."

The black cat's words seemed to carry a captivating magic. Its pair of clear amber-like golden eyes shone with gem-like brilliance in the night. Yeats was stunned. He did not expect that he would use the word "staggeringly beautiful" to describe the appearance of a cat.

"I will bring you this wealth that can drive countless people crazy. Look, am I a lucky cat?"

The black cat licked its paws gracefully, narrowed its narrow golden eyes, and glanced at Ye Zhi. The gold ornaments on its body jingled, and it looked very noble.

Yeats's alertness grew stronger.

This lucky cat is not the lucky cat in the legend of Kyoto shrine, whose image of raising its left paw later became the inspiration for the design of the mascot, but it literally means "it can bring wealth".

"You mean..." Ye Zhi shook the check in his hand, "This windfall was also brought to me by you?"

The black cat leaped lightly onto Ye Zhi's desk. It had a slender body, hair as black as night, and a long, agile tail. It stared straight at Ye Zhi, its vertical pupils flickering slightly, and said:

"As long as you want, I can bring you more treasures, provided that -"

"The prerequisite is to sign a contract with you and become a horse..." Ye Zhi forced himself to hold back the line and said with a straight face, "Become a lackey of the devil?"

The word "demon" sounded particularly harsh in the quiet study.

There was a seductive glimmer in the black cat's eyes, and his voice became softer and softer, as if the devil was whispering in Yeats's ear:

"Since you have recognized my identity, you should know why I came to you... I admire you and recognize you. Like the gods, I also want you to be my agent in the world, or in other words-"

"Partner." Black Cat changed to a more important title.

Yeats naturally guessed the other party's origins.

First, the ring became hot, showing the "fortune" of picking up unexpected wealth, and then a black cat covered in gold jewelry like a rich woman came to the door, muttering some strange words "it can bring you great wealth".

Combined with the recent movements of Grand Commander Chandler and the suspicious behavior of the sea witch, it is not difficult to infer that the black cat in front of us is the incarnation of Mammon in the material realm.

Yeats remembered that Mammon could only rely on gold to perform miracles, so the gold jewelry on the cat was the "real body". And this black cat created by magic power also revealed the demonic nature of being an evil god, which was both noble and mysterious.

Yeats had always been wary of Mammon and had long desired the Mammon Ring on His body, but what he did not expect was that Mammon would come to him on his own initiative, as if he did not know that he was chosen by many gods.

"You should know that I am not only a poet chosen by the Muse, but also a newly promoted poet chosen by the Moonlight..."

Yeats was quite surprised by Mammon's self-recommendation and asked:

"If that's the case, why did you come here so late at night and choose me as your so-called partner?"

The black cat wagged its tail and replied calmly:

"Because I am not a belligerent guy. Rather than arguing, I prefer to use peaceful means to turn enemies into friends... In my opinion, you and your friends seem to have had some disputes with my servants. This is not good. I would rather use cooperation to get a satisfactory result for both of us."

The black cat paused and said:
"For example, I help you obtain the Ring of the Nibelung, and you lend it to me so that I can collect ore from the Land of Fire, which is full of blazing fire, to build my palace..."

Ye Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

How did Mammon know that I was looking for the Ring of the Nibelung?

Did He probe me carefully, or was this just His inference?
Yeats remained calm and asked, "The Ring of the Nibelung, what is that?"

The black cat stared at Ye Zhi for a long time, smiling:

"You just need to know that this is a rare treasure. Both heaven and hell want to get this ring—"

"And the way to bring this treasure back to light is to throw the seven magic god ritual vessels into the crater of the eternal fire volcano of the fire giant clan."

"I need that ring, and I also need a partner in the material plane. You are the right person... After all, you are not afraid of conflicts with divinity. In other words, even if you receive my blessing, there will be no negative impact, and you can still gain real wealth."

Compared to chaotic evil demons, devils are more inclined to use contracts and strategies to achieve their goals. Mephistopheles in "Faust" is one of the devils.

Ye Zhi held his forehead, looked at the black cat that was so close, and said:
"I am the chosen one of the gods, but you want the chosen one to sign a contract with the devil... Do you think this is reasonable?"

Black Cat seemed to have guessed what Ye Zhi would say, and said calmly: "There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. As long as you are willing to cooperate, I will provide you with enough help. For example, I will let your industry spread all over the continent and tell you the location of the treasure in the new continent..."

"In the final analysis, the so-called devil is full of lies. This is just your prejudice. I have seen that most of the people whose souls were taken away by the devil because they did not have a sense of contract, but in the end they attributed the fault to the devil." The black cat shook his head and said, "The devil only believes in contracts, not lies."

"But you will tamper with the contract." Ye Zhi retorted. "If you can't see the loopholes in the contract, it's because of your stupidity, not because we lied intentionally." Black Cat looked indifferent.

Yeats could understand Mammon's logic, but cooperating with the devil would ultimately lead to death, as Faust had already witnessed personally.

"Leave here, Mammon." Ye Zhi said coldly, "I have no reason to cooperate with you."

Although Yeats was a polytheist, he could not be said to have faith in any god; he mainly adhered to "pragmatism".

Whether it is heaven or hell, believe in whichever is useful. Isn't this a kind of tolerance?
As long as the price offered by hell is generous enough, it is not a bad idea to cooperate with the devil while ensuring one's own safety.

However, the conditions promised by Mammon were not enough to impress Ye Zhi.

Although they have a common enemy with Mammon, the devil of hell, it does not mean that Mammon is trustworthy. It is safer to refuse for now.

"Then let's make a bet." The black cat's eyes shone with a brighter golden light.

"gambling?"

"As long as you win this bet, the ring of wealth in your hand will be yours, and I will follow you as a familiar and serve you."

Ye Zhi raised his eyebrows slightly: "I am afraid I am not worthy of having the demon god become my familiar."

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"It's nothing." The black cat said calmly, "It's just a clone of my consciousness. If this consciousness can help the multi-god election, it will be an honor for Mammon."

Before the devil gets the soul he wants, his attitude is always humble and he always takes the initiative to show goodwill.

Yeats was not impressed by Mammon's overtures and asked, "What if I lose?"

"If you lose, you have to cooperate with me, collect the parts of the Ring of the Nibelung, and lend me this ring in the future." said the black cat.

Based on this, Yeats inferred that Mammon did not know that he was also collecting the Nibelung Ring.

Of the seven demon god ritual vessels, the Blood King Spear was already in his hand. Including the Ring of Mammon, he only needed to find the remaining five ritual vessels. Besides, he and Lilith were old friends, so it was relatively easy to obtain the ritual vessel of the "Lustful Demon God".

"That sounds like a good condition." Ye Zhi nodded slowly.

"So, what's your answer?"

"I reject."

Yeats said coldly:
"The thing I hate most in my life is gambling. Whether it's the devil or the angel, I will not participate in any gambling game you set up."

There was a glimmer of interest in the black cat's eyes, and he said:
"Because, as someone who possesses the Silver Oak Sword, you already have the ability to be the boss, right?"

Ye Zhi's heart was deeply shaken.

The Silver Oak Sword can be said to be one of his biggest secrets.

How did Mammon know?
Yeats pretended to be calm and didn't change his expression.

But Mammon still saw his inner turmoil and chuckled:

"Lilith and I are friends. I know a lot of what she knows... In the past few hundred years, there are only a few humans who have been recognized by the main artifact. You are one of them. I really admire you."

"No need to be polite," Ye Zhi said, "I have also heard of the devil's rhetoric."

"Even if you don't cooperate with me, my ring has already recognized you and will test you - this is the content of the bet."

The black cat said: "If greed cannot shake your mind, then I will recognize you and accompany you as a demon."

"If you lose, unfortunately, the ring will become your master and lead you to find the Ring of the Nibelung until the moment you bring the Ring of the Nibelung to me."

"What if I lose this ring?"

"You can't lose it, because the ring will find its master...or rather, its servant."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black cat in front of him disappeared. In the silent night, the only sound was the crackling of the burning fireplace.

Ye Zhi frowned slightly and looked down at the glittering golden ring.

Is there any reason why things cannot be thrown away?

What Lord of the Rings?
Yeats stood up and threw the ring out of the window.

After a while, Peren pushed the door open and walked in, holding the Mammon Ring in his hand, and asked curiously:

"Why would you throw it away? I was counting on using it to save Scylla!"

Staring at the faintly flickering runes on the ring, Ye Zhi was certain that the ring possessed some abilities related to the causal system, and he let out a sigh.

"I just want to try out some of its functions..." Yeats said vaguely, changing the subject, "Are there any Scylla movements on the coast?"

"That's what I came to see you for!"

Perron said seriously: "The tide rose at night, and the giant whirlpool monster has appeared. The Grand Master of the Knights Templar is fighting with it!"

Yeats frowned.

How can you let others take advantage of your prey?
"Let's go, we'll go there immediately!"

(End of this chapter)