1943 Questions For The Axe

"We should try talking to the Flash Cleave Axe. There might be more to its words than we are understanding." Lin Mu suggested to the two elders.

His words were a bit surprising to the two, but they didn't reject it outright. While there was a threat from the Flash Cleave Axe, they didn't let their anger cloud their judgment and calmed down. They thought over it for a few seconds before nodding.

"Very well." Head Elder Heng replied.

"We can see if the Flash Cleave Axe has a proper reason. If not, we'll seal it back." Head Elder Dajian added.

"Mmm, just release its restraints just enough so that it can talk." Lin Mu stated knowing that the Axe couldn't move or talk right now.

"Get ready." Head Elder Heng spoke, controlling the rune chains.

~SHUA~

The chains glowed lightly, before a few of them loosened.

The prism surrounding the Flash Cleave Axe was still present though, as it was containing the power of the Immortal Weapon. Head Elder Dajian wouldn't release it as the prism could still act as a secondary precaution in case the weapon tried to break free.

Even if the chances of this happening were low, it was better to err on the side of caution for them.

There was no way the two Head Elders would allow a weapon of their creation to cause damage to the Serene Glass Valley. They had already lost enough face today. Not to mention, there was Lin Mu who was a guest of the valley here too.

Enough if Lin Mu wasn't injured, just the act of him being attacked was insulting.

Unbeknownst to them, Lin Mu didn't care about anything like that. He knew that it wasn't their fault, and the weapon was acting like that due to some other reason. A reason that he was interested in finding out.

Plus, it would be a shame if a Peak Grade Immortal Weapon was scrapped just because of this. Even if Lin Mu was not going to be its owner, it would be too much of a waste.

~humm~

A few more rune chains were loosened until the Flash Cleave Axe could finally talk again.

"Show me my master!" The Flash Cleave Axe shouted as soon as its restraints were loosed.

~CLANG~ CLANG~

It tried to resist, but the remaining chains were more than enough to keep it contained.

"Release me! Release My master!" The Flash Cleave Axe shouted over and over again.

Seeing its condition, Lin Mu understood something.

'It's too agitated to understand anything right now. Being restrained has only infuriated it further.' Lin Mu thought he needed to calm it down first. 'But will it work on an Immortal weapon?' he had an idea but was doubtful of it.

"Only one way to find out…" Lin Mu muttered before chanting something.

The chants were esoteric and could not be understood by anyone in the room. The two Head Elders were confused, but also felt a sense of calmness spreading in their minds. 

"What is this?" Head Elder Dajian wondered in surprise.

"It feels… peaceful." Head Elder Heng said, his anger dissipating entirely.

It wasn't just them that were getting affected by the chants. Lin Mu's conjecture was correct, and the Flash Cleave Axe also lessened its struggle. Its shouting slowed down first, before stopping entirely. It also didn't try to break free from the chains either now.

'It actually worked!' Lin Mu was very excited in his heart. 'Looks like Calming Heart Sutra reaching the third stage of Internal Resonance improved more than I thought. It even affects beings that aren't exactly creatures. It is affecting weapon spirits too!' 

It was a new discovery that Lin Mu wished to explore further upon. He wanted to know the limits of it, as well as potential applications. But for now, he had a task to focus on first.

"Now that you've calmed down… Can you tell us the reason why you attacked me?" Lin Mu asked the Flash Cleave Axe.

"I… Need my master." The Flash Cleave Axe spoke in a calmer tone. 

While there was still distrust in its voice, Lin Mu could tell that it wouldn't grow violent abruptly.

"Yes, I understand that. But why attack me? I didn't do anything." Lin Mu replied to the Peak Grade Immortal Weapon, trying to show a non-hostile demeanor.

This helped the weapon calm down further and improved Lin Mu's chances of a positive outcome.

"My master… I can sense their traces on you… you've hidden them." The Flash Cleave Axe revealed, confusing everyone.

"I've hidden your master? I certainly haven't." Lin Mu denied it. 

"Yeah, how is that possible?" Head Elder Dajian questioned.

"Look, there is no one else besides us. And there isn't a place to hide anyone, either." Head Elder Heng gestured with his hands.

And it was true.

While the Forge was very big, it actually didn't have any walls. As such, the number of places left to hide was very few. Unless someone jumped inside a furnace to hide, there wasn't any way to stay hidden. 

~humm~

The Flash Cleave Axe went silent and seemed to be taking a look around itself too. After a few seconds, it reached the same conclusion.

"Then… Where is my master?" The Flash Cleave Axe said with a mix of emotions.

It was both lost and distraught.

It was a bit astounding how much emotion a weapon was able to convey. Even if it had only been born very recently, it had surprising emotional capability. From its voice, one could tell that it was really sad about not being able to see its master.

However, the question about how or why it could tell it had a master was still unanswered.

"Hmm, you said you can sense the traces of your master on me, right? Then can you describe them to us? Perhaps it was someone I met that you are perceiving." Lin Mu asked next, hoping to get a better response from the weapon.

"Yes, that could be the case." Head Elder Heng agreed.