The giant puppet smells delicious, but it’s not the only thing that has a pleasing scent. Ever since Laoshu Aidami entered Lucia’s life pouch, my stomach has been grumbling. It makes sense. The treasure-sniffing mouse looted a whole treasury, and he’s busy counting his spoils right now.
“Seven swords. Eight swords. Nine—who are you!?” Laoshu Aidami whirled around and stumbled backwards. He was in his humanoid form, but his tail was still present. It swept over the treasures on the ground as he retreated, and they vanished into thin air. “I’m holding onto these treasures for Big Elder Fluffytail and the rest of the beasts! You can snatch them, but I hope you understand the consequences!”
“Calm down.” I’m not a stranger to violence, but I don’t know how strong this mouse is. If he’s the heir of a rich clan, there’s no doubt he has expensive protective measures to guard his life. If I want to obtain the treasures he has, then I’ll have to trick them out of him with words. “I’m Durandal, a weapon spirit belonging to Big Elder Fluffytail.”
“You’re a weapon spirit?” Laoshu Aidami asked, staring at me with a guarded expression. “If that’s the case, what are you doing in here instead of out there? Shouldn’t you be ready to reinforce Big Elder Fluffytail’s weapon at any moment?”
“I’m a sword spirit.” I let out a sigh. Although I don’t think the mouse would be sympathetic to my plight, it doesn’t hurt to try and attack his feelings. “Big Elder Fluffytail mastered the sword, but then, she decided she enjoyed using hammers more because, and I quote, it’s more satisfying to hear a cracking sound when you hit someone with a weapon; it’s like opening nuts.”
Laoshu Aidami didn’t seem to care. He was slowly backing away. “So? What do you want from me?”
“Right now, Big Elder Fluffytail is engaged in a life-or-death battle against the giant puppet. Her weapons aren’t capable of cutting through its armor, so she sent me in here to strengthen myself.”
Laoshu Aidami frowned. “Big Elder Fluffytail is fighting that giant puppet?” he asked. “She doesn’t seem like the type of person willing to risk her own life for a treasure.”
In other words, this mouse doesn’t believe my words. Luckily, I’m not lying. “Stick your head out of the life pouch and check.” I don’t have to do that because I can observe everything that’s happening through my weapon body. It’s quite convenient. I might not have a divine sense, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely blind. “But hurry up; the longer you delay here, the more desperate of a situation she’ll be in. The whole place is rigged to explode, and if the fight is dragged out for too long, you won’t survive the explosion either by hiding in here.”
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The mouse-person frowned before scampering to the side where there was a formation array suspended in midair. He tugged on one corner of the formation and stuck his head outside. It would’ve been a perfect time to rob him, but I didn’t know where he kept his treasures. He wasn’t wearing any jewelry at all. A second later, Laoshu Aidami fell over backwards, knocked down by a cloud of dust combined with spiritual energy that jetted into the life pouch. The mouse-person gulped and sat up, propping himself up with his arms. He turned his head to look at me. “How does Big Elder Fluffytail want me to strengthen you?”
“Simple. As a weapon spirit, I grow stronger by consuming weapons. Although swords taste the best and help me grow the most, I don’t discriminate; I’ll eat everything you give me.”
“I can give you Big Elder Fluffytail’s share of the weapons,” Laoshu Aidami said after a moment of silence. He stood up and dusted off his butt. “Will that be enough?”
Honestly, the puppet Lucia’s fighting outside is terrifyingly strong. Even if I consumed all the weapons the mouse-person had on hand, I don’t think I’d be a match for it. I’m not sure if I can even eat all the weapons before the fight between Lucia and the puppet is over. It takes way too long to digest top-tier swords in the immortal realm. It took forever to digest one that was already broken. However, I don’t have to digest all the weapons. All I have to do is pretend to eat them while transferring them somewhere else like how Sophia dumps her vegetables in the garden to finish her food, so she can eat more meat dishes. “I’m not sure if it’ll be enough. I’ll have to eat them first to evaluate how strong I’ll get.”
Laoshu Aidami frowned, but he slapped his tail against the ground, and several swords appeared in front of me. Was his tail a natural interspatial space? Storing interspatial items within other interspatial items wasn’t supposed to be possible, but perhaps the rules are different in the immortal realm. The space here is supposedly more solid, harder to fracture. Regardless, the most important thing is swindling this mouse out of more of his belongings. As for Lucia being the most important thing…? Nonsense, the ruler is acting as Lucia’s bodyguard, and with such a powerful figure watching over her, it’s impossible for Lucia’s life to be in danger. In fact, by making myself stronger, I’m doing what’s best for Lucia. With a better weapon, her life will be easier.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
“You … just eat them?” Laoshu Aidami asked with wide eyes.
I don’t know what he’s expecting. “It’s not like I can cook them first, right?”
Laoshu Aidami’s brow furrowed. “Why not?” he asked. “People can eat raw food, but it’s very energy inefficient. Eating a cooked meal helps digest it faster. How long do you think it’ll take for you to absorb all the energy from these weapons? The fight will be over by the time you’re done! You absolutely have to cook them first; melt them down and swallow their essence.”
…What have I been doing my whole life? I could’ve been eating cooked weapons this whole time! If I had seasoned them properly, every weapon I’ve eaten—other than swords—would’ve stopped tasting like crap! “You’re a smart mouse. If Big Elder Fluffytail ever gets hungry, I’ll tell her to eat you last.”
“Excuse me, what?”