192: Chapter 192 Even the Gluttonous Demon Needs to Sign a Contract

Black mist churned in the cramped side chamber, the phantom of the Taotie almost pressing against Gu Changan's nose.

Piercing cold seeped through the gaps in his protective suit, and black, vein-like markings on the surrounding stone walls pulsed faster and faster.

The roaring sound from inside the massive tripod was like ten thousand people whispering at once, constantly tempting Gu Changan to let down his guard.

Gu Changan did not move, his right hand remaining pressed against the cold bronze patterns on the tripod's body.

"How many times have you awakened?"

His voice echoed through the tomb chamber via the loudspeaker, sounding deep and powerful.

"Every time you wake up, you are forcibly pressed back down by those alchemists using magic arrays, molten copper, and Talismanic Incantations, right?"

The black mist paused abruptly, the giant phantom swaying in mid-air.

It seemed to be remembering.

It was a darkness so long it drove one mad; the occasional awakening was met only with human screams of terror and various destructive attacks.

In its consciousness, humans were creatures full of fear and greed—its best food and its eternal enemy.

The low humming of the tripod changed slightly, no longer just a mere intimidation, but carrying a hint of agitation.

"You infected those six people because you sensed their desires; that is merely your instinct."

Gu Changan stared directly at the black shadow, the dark golden light in his right eye as steady as a deep pool.

"But in modern society, this instinct of yours is called intentional injury and illegal trespassing."

"According to current laws, this behavior of yours will result in you remaining Sealed underground, or perhaps even being completely erased by us using more high-tech means."

The black mist surged violently, as if venting its dissatisfaction.

It had existed for thousands of years; never had anyone dared to threaten it with the word "erase."

Gu Changan sneered.

"Don't try to intimidate me. An entity of your level is indeed difficult to kill, but the state has plenty of technical means to banish you to a sub-space or disperse you with high-energy particle streams."

"This does you no good. What you want is nothing more than a sense of existence and the maintenance of your energy, right?"

The black mist in the side chamber fluctuated violently.

Gu Changan sensed its confusion.

It was a collection of ancient greed; from the moment it was born, no one had taught it any other way to survive besides devouring.

"So, I am offering you a new choice."

Gu Changan took a document out of his protective suit. Although it could not read, Gu Changan tapped his finger on the paper surface.

"Make a covenant. In other words, sign a contract."

"You stop actively infecting any human consciousness and no longer release this mind-interfering toxin."

"In exchange, the state will list you as a first-class national treasure and provide permanent protection."

"We will build a special exhibition hall for you, with funds allocated by the national treasury, to ensure no one can arbitrarily destroy the integrity of this tripod."

"You will continue to exist permanently as one of the symbols of Chinese civilization."

"This is far better than hiding underground, waking up every few hundred years to eat a few people, and then being Sealed for another thousand years."

The black mist solidified completely.

For a full eleven minutes.

The tomb chamber was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Outside the tomb chamber, Chen Xiaobei stared at the life monitor on the screen, not daring to even breathe hard.

"Director Gu has been inside for twelve minutes; the oxygen levels aren't right." Chen Xiaobei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Old Wei squatted at the entrance of the tomb passage, clutching the deformed amulet tightly in his hand, muttering non-stop.

Just as the twelfth minute passed.

The black mist in the side chamber suddenly began to collapse violently.

The massive tripod suspended in mid-air crashed to the ground, emitting a deafening thud.

The black corrosive markings that had originally spread across the stone walls, as if meeting their nemesis, rapidly retracted into the interior of the tripod.

Those distorted, roaring faces of residual will that had been trapped around the tripod for thousands of years revealed expressions of relief in that instant.

They turned into wisps of white light and dissipated into the air.

This was not devouring, but release.

Gu Changan knew that this old monster had agreed.

"Good, following the rules is the way to longevity."

Gu Changan closed his eyes abruptly, his consciousness connecting to the System.

[Order Maintenance System · Sealing Protocol, initiated.]

Ten thousand rays of golden light erupted from his palm, and the power of order flowed like a rushing torrent through his arm into the bronze tripod.

The moment the ancient, twisted Taotie patterns touched the power of order, they were tinged with a faint golden edge.

Inside the tripod, an extremely ancient and vast consciousness collided with the golden light.

Gu Changan felt a heaviness like Mount Tai pressing down on him.

He gritted his teeth, his will driving into the core of the other's consciousness like a nail.

Using order as ink and national destiny as a brush.

An invisible, unbreakable contract was forcibly carved into the internal structure of this Shang-Zhou bronze artifact.

Hum!

A grand bell toll exploded in Gu Changan's mind.

Pale golden light patterns circled the tripod once, then hid inside the bronze and disappeared completely.

The cold air in the side chamber dissipated within five short minutes, and the temperature quickly rose back to normal surface levels.

"Director Gu! Director Gu!" Chen Xiaobei's voice rang out frantically in the earpiece, "A miracle happened in the isolation ward upstairs!"

"Those six archaeological team members woke up at the same time, and their heartbeats and breathing have all returned to normal!"

"They said... they said it was like they had a long, hungry dream, dreaming that they were running after an invisible beast, running for a very, very long time, and then someone pushed them."

Gu Changan released his hand from the tripod.

He felt his body was somewhat drained, but the heavy protective suit was still supporting his spine.

He turned around slowly and dragged his heavy footsteps out of the small side chamber.

Arriving at the exit of the tomb passage, Old Wei and the head of the archaeological team, Old Li, rushed up to him.

Gu Changan took off his heavy sealed helmet and took deep breaths of the dry air outside, which tasted of yellow sand.

His face was a bit pale, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

"It's handled."

Gu Changan handed the helmet to Old Wei, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"The tripod is to be transferred immediately according to national treasure-level artifact standards. Dedicate a separate exhibition hall, and the location must be within the designated secure area of the Bureau of Anomalies."

"The entire hall is closed to the public; only internal research personnel are allowed to enter."

"Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to scrape the tripod body or collect metal samples; the absolute integrity of the tripod must be guaranteed."

"This is the bottom line of the conditions, understand?"

Old Li, the head of the Cultural Relics Bureau, trembled as he adjusted his glasses, looking at the bottomless tomb passage with lingering fear.

"Then... Director Gu, is that... that ancient thing inside still in there?"

"It is." Gu Changan replied coldly, "As long as we keep our agreement and give it the respect and protection it deserves, it will not make any more moves."

"It is a Great Demon, and also a living fossil that has witnessed thousands of years of our civilization. Since it has awakened in this era, it must learn how to be a legitimate 'artifact'."

[Ding! Successfully contained the ancient Taotie consciousness, maintaining social order.]

[System reward being issued...]

[Will Anchoring (Passive) upgraded: Mental attack reduction increased from 90% to 99%.]

[Remaining 1% System Note: Retained for your basic perception, so you do not completely lose human emotions.]

Gu Changan felt the mental defense in his mind, which was as solid as a copper wall and iron bastion, and stepped onto the helicopter.

The helicopter took off, and the Qinling Mountains below receded rapidly from his view.

Chen Xiaobei was recording data while whispering: "Director Gu, what if this thing goes back on its word later?"

"It won't have the chance to go back on its word."

Gu Changan leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

"The protection given to it by the state apparatus is a power that an old antique living in the old era like it has never seen before."

"Once it tastes what it is like to be worshipped by the will of over a billion people and the national destiny, it will never be able to go back to the days of living like a savage."

Just then, the special phone in Gu Changan's pocket vibrated.

It was from Captain Chen, who was in charge of the escort convoy.

"Director Gu, there's a small situation."

"When the tripod passed through the old forest area south of the city, the dashcam went black for five minutes for no reason."

Gu Changan opened his eyes abruptly.

"What about the people in the car?"

"Everyone is fine, they just all yawned collectively, like they had fallen asleep. The tripod is not lost, the golden patterns are still there, but I always feel that someone moved the car during those five minutes."

Gu Changan's eyes darkened.

"Immediately pull the satellite surveillance within a ten-kilometer radius and see if any vehicles approached the escort team during those five minutes."

"Daring to touch my tripod, I think these people are tired of living."