Throughout the world, the most common way of capturing a wild Ensouled was to fight it and beat it into submission. Each creature was an independent soul, with its own thoughts, dreams, and will to live. Nothing was born with an innate desire to be enslaved by another. It was only when they had no other choice would they finally submit to a person. Both summoning cards and summoning orbs largely depended on this principle. Only then would cards and orbs be effective.
The mysterious turtle’s soul cultivation was only at the peak of the novice rank. It wasn’t high by any means. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have felt threatened by that falling stone and wouldn’t have reacted with that ethereal shield. Even so, Zachary felt that he had no chance and no methods to beat it. Its defensive ability was too abnormal. He had never seen something like that before so he had to think of something else.
Of the other methods to capture summons, one way was to raise an Ensouled from infancy so that the only thing it knew from the beginning was companionship with humans. This worked for summoning cards, summoning orbs, and even direct soul bonds. In the Old World, and especially in the Republic of Adorin, people had perfected the industry of raising a variety of Ensouled and producing ready-to-use summoning cards for the masses. Powerful and unique newborn Ensouled could also be bought for a hefty price from specialized breeders.
This turtle was obviously not a baby. From its size and also its behavior, that much was clear. Zachary could sense that it had already endured in this world for countless years. With so much experience, it wouldn’t fall for childish tricks.
The last way was to try a befriend the wild Ensouled, to try to gain common ground and understanding between two souls so that they could ultimately join together. It was an unreliable method that largely depended on the competence of the summoner as well as the innate characteristics of the creature. The Ensouled might take a long time to come around or maybe it was never possible in the first place. It was a pure gamble.
His initial impression of the turtle was based on his special soul sense. It painted a picture of an indomitable beast that resisted the weight of the ages while wearing the shackles of solitude. Even so, it was able to maintain a healthy spirit filled with liveliness and curiosity.
Now that it was tied up before him, he couldn’t help but feel that it was a helpless glutton and quite silly. Just for a bit of seaweed, it allowed itself to be pulled ashore and strung to a tree. It could have tried to escape at any time but it made no struggle or even an attempt.
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Zachary let out a long sigh. He could only give it a try. He had no other choice and nothing better to do. He could only hope that it would fall for the same old tricks.
With a flash of light, Sugo appeared in his hand. He smiled. There was still hope and it lay in this sad little slug.
“Sugo, it’s all up to you.”
“Gu… gu…”
The slug squirmed as if to protest. Its mane of seaweed drooped down to display its melancholy and its body flattened into a pancake.
“Sugo, don’t worry. As many anima crystals as it takes to regrow your hair. Now, I just need a little bit more for today.”
“Gu…”
Sugo had nowhere to run. Trapped in the hands of its heartless summoner, it could only cry as it lost several more stalks of seaweed. It could only softly complain at the unfairness of life and existence.
Zachary shook his head at the ridiculous creature and recalled it into its summoning orb. He then climbed down and slowly walked up to the turtle with three pieces of seaweed in his hands. He offered one as a test, slowly and gently pushing his hand forward. He was delighted when the beast finally emerged from its shell.
It sniffed the air and turned to him. It stared at him with deep black eyes before turning its head away in an obvious show of discontent. From his soul sense, he felt tinges of anger and indignance. It was understandable as he had attacked it without reason.
For some wild Ensouled, this mistake would already have made friendship and bonding impossible. Even if they didn’t suffer any injuries, it would hurt their pride or trigger their survival instincts. It would mark the summoner as their enemy for life. The turtle didn’t display such negative emotions so he knew he still had a chance.
“I’m sorry.” He said seriously, “It was my fault. I thought you were attacking my friend. I didn’t know you were a peaceful turtle. I hope you can forgive me and my summons.”
It couldn’t comprehend human words but he could convey his intent through his tone and his soul aura. Beasts were more sensitive than humans in these aspects. Even if it did not have the same ability to sense emotions as him, he hoped that it could understand him.
After a while, the turtle turned back toward him. A bit of softness had returned to its eyes.
“Wan! Wan!” It tilted its head toward the seaweed in his hand.
It opened its mouth and closed it several times in expectation.
Zachary smiled and tried not to laugh. It really sounded like a dog. He had never met a turtle like this. But thankfully, he had grasped its weakness, Sugo’s seaweed that was irresistible to it.
This was the same old trick he had used to bond with Yaoyao. She was a newborn when he found her. Despite this, she was rebellious and spirited from the beginning. It was only because he could sense her mood and gauge her reaction toward certain foods that he was able to grasp her favorite which was tri-horn ox steak.
Whenever Yaoyao was in a mood, he would feed her tri-horn ox steak to make her feel better. If she threw too many tantrums or was too naughty, he would not give her steak. He would also reward her with steak if she deserved it and he was never stingy. This was how he tamed her, how she became his first as well as his only soul bond, inseparable partners for life.