The man: "???"
I was just being polite, you actually want it?!
And you're really getting into character, calling it your mount already?!
Despite a hundred refusals in his heart, the man couldn't defeat Zhang Chen and could only reluctantly nod, letting out a whistle.
The Flame Monarch descended from the sky, flapping its wings, and landed by the roadside at the entrance of the alley.
The alley was too narrow for it to enter.
Even stopping by the roadside was a considerable inconvenience.
The entire road was blocked, and passing pedestrians gazed at the mount with astonishment and envy.
"Not bad, it suits me quite well!"
Zhang Chen smiled slightly and then hopped directly onto the mount.
He then turned to the man and said:
"Here, do you need me to give you a lift?"
"I can manage myself!"
The man was furious. It was clearly his mount, yet Zhang Chen was acting as if he needed permission to board.
But... Zhang Chen's actions seemed reasonable, after all, the mount was his now... He was the one who carelessly offered it to Zhang Chen...
Thinking this, the man wished he could just disappear.
"Whoosh!"
The Flame Monarch gently flapped its wings a few times, its massive body rapidly ascending and hovering in mid-air.
Such swift ascent speed, coupled with its dazzling, scorching fiery skin, once again drew exclamations from the crowd.
Many female adventurers even struck poses and winked at Zhang Chen.
And all of this should have belonged to the man behind him.
"Speak, where did you bury the traps? Now, let's find them one by one!"
Zhang Chen said.
"Alright, the first trap is near the monument on the outskirts of the ancient battlefield..."
The man replied.
"Let's go, to the monument!"
Zhang Chen reached out and gently patted the Flame Monarch's neck.
However, the creature showed no reaction.
Perhaps due to the contract binding it to the man behind him, such a verbal gift couldn't alter the mount's recognition of its owner.
"Let's go, to the monument!"
The man said triumphantly.
The moment he issued the command, Zhang Chen could see a flow of spiritual energy forming on the Flame Monarch.
This so-called contract was akin to a password and a password lock.
The mount was the password lock; only the correct password could activate it.
Signing the contract meant the owner possessed a unique password, and only they could command the mount.
Zhang Chen saw all of this clearly through his absolute vision.
Once he understood the principle, the rest of the matter became simpler.
Simply put, it was about resetting the password lock and matching it with his own password.
While the principle sounded simple, the operation was not easy.
But before Zhang Chen, who possessed absolute, immense spiritual power...
"Done!"
Zhang Chen said with a smile, only a few seconds later.
"What did you say?"
The man asked in surprise.
Just moments ago, the mount had only obeyed his commands, allowing him to assert himself before Zhang Chen. He was still basking in his triumph.
"Tell the mount to land!"
Zhang Chen said again.
"No problem, I'll do as you say!"
"Flame Monarch, descend!"
The man declared proudly.
However, the Flame Monarch showed no reaction at all, continuing to fly in the sky.
"Huh? Flame Monarch? Descend?!"
The man panicked and shouted, hitting the Flame Monarch's back forcefully.
"Alright, if you hit my mount again, I'll have it throw you down from the sky!"
"Little Fire, descend now!"
Zhang Chen said softly, stroking the Flame Monarch's neck.
"Roar!"
The Flame Monarch roared, retracted its wings, and swooped down towards the ground.
Just before reaching the ground, it abruptly spread its wings.
Its massive body landed steadily on the ground.
"Very good, the monument is not far ahead. Stay airborne, and I'll call you if needed!"
Zhang Chen said, clapping his hands.
"Roar!"
The Flame Monarch soared upwards, becoming a small black dot in the sky, darting back and forth near the clouds.
"This... how is this possible? The Flame Monarch is my mount, how can it listen to you?!"
"And its command was a whistle, how did it become a clap?!"
The man exclaimed in astonishment.
"Nothing much, I just changed the contract details."
"By the way, it doesn't remember you anymore, so you don't need to feel guilty about anything. Let's happily go and disarm the traps!"
Zhang Chen said, patting the man's shoulder.