Chapter 53

Glancing at the gigantic soul shimmering with golden light in the Central Plaza, the Black Goat couldn’t help but sigh deeply, full of regret as it spoke to Leon:

“That damn frog is a Holy Spirit worshipped by a secretive sect called the Scale Gold Religion. Its master is a True God whose power rivals that of the Master of Stars, and this frog is one of the three heads among its favorite pets.

Though compared to the old me, this frog ain’t worth squat, but because it carries the aura of that True God, its own rank is extremely high, and its abilities are quite troublesome. I truly have no way to save you… alas, what a waste of a good seedling…”

“…”

Wait a second? You know the origin of that toad?

After hearing the Black Goat’s words, Leon’s expression couldn’t help but slightly falter, then immediately raised his hand to open his badge interface.

He was filled with joy upon discovering that the red [Materialist Soul] had faintly lit up, though due to seemingly insufficient conditions, the brightness was abnormally dim, not yet reaching activation level.

Feeling like he’d already found a way out of his predicament, Leon couldn’t help but forcefully slap the goat’s head.

“Hurry! Tell me more!”

“Huh?”

The Black Goat blinked in confusion before instinctively saying: “Uh… well, let me tell you more… although you’re a bit stingy, unwilling even to pay for boat tickets, at least you buy me cigarettes. That’s much better than that Red-haired Woman. After you die, I’ll definitely think of you a few more times…”

“I didn’t ask you to continue mourning me! Tell me about the intelligence on that toad!”

Looking at the entry below the [Materialist Soul (Bright Red)] that read “In case of encountering anomalous objects, reduce the influence from the other side based on your understanding,” Leon couldn’t help but excitedly say: “Tell me everything you know about that toad! All of it! The more detailed, the better!”

“Ahh? You’re about to die anyway, why bother asking these things?”

“Don’t question me! Quickly spill the intel! If you delay any longer, I’ll throw you over to feed the toad!”

“Tch… it’s just because you look alright to me…”

After grumbling unhappily for a moment, the Black Goat recalled some information about the golden toad and began rambling: “People of the Scale Gold Religion love wealth, so the three pets raised by that True God all have some connection to money. They are the money-attracting cat, the money-devouring snake, and the money-spitting toad. Their abilities are respectively gaining money, consuming money to obtain something, and swallowing something to spit out money.

Among them, the strongest is this dead frog. It can spit out an ocean of money and forcibly purchase almost anything. As long as you cannot be completely immune to the magic of money, you cannot avoid its ‘forced purchase.’ It can even… Hmm? How are you able to move?”

[Through the distracted explanation of the “Demon Horn,” you’ve obtained a large amount of intelligence regarding the “Money-Spitting Golden Toad.” The anomalous badge “Materialist Soul (Bright Red)” has been activated.

Due to understanding the effectiveness rules of the “Money-Spitting Golden Toad’s” ability, your resistance against this anomalous object has significantly increased, allowing you to shield yourself from general levels of influence.]

“Don’t stop! Keep talking!”

Trying to move his legs caught by the frog’s hand, realizing that although there was still some slight discomfort, he could now move freely, Leon couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curve upward in delight, realizing he might have underestimated the role of the Black Goat.

Regarding the intelligence of this [Demon Horn], after the name given by the [Materialist Soul], there were also the suffixes [Corruption], [Scholarship], and [Whisper].

Among them, [Corruption] refers to the demon identity of the Black Goat, [Whisper] should be the ability to tempt people and incite anger, and the final [Scholarship] corresponds to its extensive knowledge as a Great Demon and the vast esoteric knowledge it should possess.

This knowledge and insight might only be some potentially useful intelligence in others’ hands, without much significance.

But in my hands, the Black Goat’s scholarship combined with the effect of the [Materialist Soul] badge—”the more you understand, the more resistant you become”—directly becomes a stably triggered “anomalous” resistance, and it seems the effect could be even stronger…

Having waited for a while without hearing the Black Goat provide further intelligence, Leon couldn’t help but urge while closely monitoring the brightness of the [Materialist Soul], feeling there was still room for improvement:

“Are you done explaining the abilities? What about weaknesses? Characteristics? And the name of that True God? Hurry up and keep going!”

“…”

Hearing Leon’s urging, the Black Goat couldn’t help but open its mouth, unsure how to respond for a moment, finally reminding with a helpless look: “Kid, don’t you want to look up first?”

Look up? Could it be…

Hearing the Black Goat’s words, Leon’s expression couldn’t help but momentarily pause.

When he glanced around, he discovered that the aging process around him had stopped sometime ago. His face stiffened as he looked up toward the center of the Shopping Plaza.

Sure enough, those huge compound eyes that shouldn’t belong to a toad had already locked onto him from six or seven hundred meters away. In those hundreds of densely packed strange eyes, they were brimming with human-like astonishment.

“…”

Not again, right? Sharing a glance with those terrifying compound eyes, Leon couldn’t help but secretly lament in his heart.

Since worrying about being discovered, after regaining freedom, he had only moved a tiny distance less than five centimeters. With tens of thousands of people struggling in this plaza, how could it spot me so easily?…

Strange… Is this person?

Looking at the human covered in demonic aura, the Golden Toad couldn’t help but crack a smile, showing an odd and interested grin.

After responding to the prayers of its believers and descending into this square full of greed and money, it originally planned to kill some random people, half-heartedly fulfilling its duty before leaving. Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected surprise.

If I’m not mistaken, the timid guy beside him should be the one who rashly descended earlier and ended up getting torn into seven pieces.

The huge compound eyes slightly rotated, focusing on the shopping bag in Leon’s hand, causing the Golden Toad’s grin to widen even more.

Impressive!

No wonder you were nearly godlike during your peak period, despite falling to such a low point, you still have the strength to help others resist my control! Admiringly looking at the Black Goat, the Golden Toad lifted its sticky front right leg, picked up a heap of golden wheels, and suddenly squeezed hard. These golden wheels, enough to bury an adult, instantly shattered and disappeared without a trace.

At the same time, Leon, standing several hundred meters away, felt the world blur slightly. He, along with the bricks under his feet and the crushed golden wheels, vanished without a trace.

When Leon reappeared, he had already been teleported directly in front of the Golden Toad, just a step away from its gaping mouth! “O chosen servant of demons, I ask you.”

Looking at Leon, whose expression was unnaturally stiff, eyes filled with lingering fear but still stubbornly holding onto a broomstick, the massive Golden Toad smiled and widened its grin mockingly.

“Why resist? Don’t you want to sell your life to me?”

(End of Chapter)