Chapter 456: The Toad and the Goat

"Kid, this time you're really dead..."

Gazing at the massive golden soul in the center of the square, the Black Goat sighed deeply, looking at Li Ang with unmistakable regret.

"That damned toad is a sacred spirit worshipped by a secret sect called the Chengjin Cult. Its master is a true god whose power rivals that of the Lord of the Starry Sky, and this toad is one of the three favorite pets of that true god."

"Though this toad is nothing compared to what I once was, because it carries the aura of that true god, its rank is extraordinarily high and its abilities are extremely hard to counter—I truly have no way to save you... Sigh, such a promising soul wasted..."

"..."

Wait—you know the origin of that toad?

Hearing the Black Goat's words, Li Ang's expression froze slightly, then he raised his hand and opened his badge panel.

He was immensely surprised to find the red 【Materialist Soul】 faintly glowing, though the conditions were still insufficient, leaving its light abnormally dim and far from activation level.

Feeling he had found a way out, Li Ang raised his hand and slammed hard on the goat's head.

"Hurry! Tell me more!"

"Huh?"

The Black Goat blinked, then instinctively replied:

"Uh... I'll tell you more then... You're a bit stingy, even unwilling to pay for the ferry ticket, but at least you bought me cigarettes—way better than that red-haired woman. After you die, I'll miss you a few times..."

"I didn't ask you to mourn me! I want information about that toad!"

Looking at the item under 【Materialist Soul (Crimson)】: "When encountering an anomaly, reduce its influence according to your level of understanding," Li Ang exclaimed excitedly:

"Tell me everything you know about that toad! Every last detail! The more detailed, the better!"

"Huh? You're about to die—why do you care?"

"I don't care! Just spit it out! If you dawdle, I'll throw you over to feed the toad!"

"Tch... I guess I just like you..."

Grumbling unhappily, the Black Goat recalled what it knew about the golden toad and began rambling:

"The Chengjin Cult worships wealth, so the three pets of that true god are all tied to money: a money-attracting cat, a money-consuming snake, and a money-spitting toad. Their abilities are: acquiring gold, spending gold to obtain something, and swallowing something to spit out gold."

"The strongest is this damned toad—it can spit out vast quantities of gold and forcibly purchase nearly anything. As long as you're not completely immune to gold's magic, you can't resist its 'Compulsory Purchase.' It can even... Huh? How are you moving?"

"Through the absent-minded rambling of the 'Devil's Horn,' you gained extensive information about the 'Wealth-Swapping Golden Toad.' The anomalous badge 【Materialist Soul (Crimson)】 has activated."

"Having understood the mechanism of the 'Wealth-Swapping Golden Toad's' ability, your resistance to this anomaly has greatly increased—you can now block ordinary-level influence."

"Don't stop! Keep going!"

Testing his legs, still gripped by the toad's paw, Li Ang found they were still slightly sluggish but now fully mobile. A pleased smile curled his lips—he realized he'd underestimated the Black Goat's value.

Regarding this 【Devil's Horn】, the 【Materialist Soul】 badge listed three suffixes after its name: 【Corruption】, 【Knowledge】, and 【Whisper】.

【Corruption】 refers to the Black Goat's identity as a demon; 【Whisper】 likely denotes its ability to incite rage and manipulate minds; and 【Knowledge】 corresponds to its vast lore as a great demon and its mastery of esoteric knowledge.

To others, this lore and knowledge might be nothing more than uncertain, possibly useless information.

But in his hands, the Black Goat's knowledge combined with the 【Materialist Soul】 badge's effect—"the more you understand, the more you resist"—became a reliably triggered anomaly resistance, and perhaps even stronger... Huh? Why's it silent?

Hearing no further information from the Black Goat, Li Ang, eyes fixed on the 【Materialist Soul】's brightness—still capable of rising—urged:

"Done with the ability? What about its weakness? Its traits? The true god's name? Keep talking!"

'...'

Hearing Li Ang's urging, the Black Goat opened its mouth, then closed it, unsure how to respond. Finally, it sighed helplessly:

"Kid, wouldn't you mind looking up?"

Look up? Could it be...

At the Black Goat's words, Li Ang's expression froze.

As he glanced around, he realized the aging of those nearby had stopped. His face stiffened as he slowly raised his head toward the center of the shopping square.

Sure enough, the enormous compound eyes—never meant to exist in a toad's sockets—had locked onto him from six or seven hundred meters away, each of the hundreds of tiny eyes brimming with unmistakably human astonishment.

"..."

No way.

After meeting the gaze of those two horrifying compound eyes, Li Ang inwardly groaned.

He'd barely moved less than five centimeters after regaining freedom, fearing detection—yet among tens of thousands struggling in this square, you spotted me instantly?

Strange... Is this even a person?

Watching the human drenched in demonic aura, the golden toad's mouth slowly curled into a strange, intrigued smile.

It had answered its devotees' prayers, descending into this square brimming with greed and gold, intending only to kill a few people half-heartedly and leave. But now, an unexpected delight had appeared.

If its senses were correct, the cowering creature beside him was the same one who had recklessly descended and been torn into seven pieces before.

The massive compound eyes rotated slightly, focusing on the shopping bag in Li Ang's hand. The toad's grin widened further.

Impressive!

No wonder—the great demon, even in his fallen state, still had enough power to help another resist my control!

With admiration, the golden toad glanced at the Black Goat, then raised its sticky right foreleg, clutching a pile of golden wheels. With a sudden squeeze, the wheels—enough to bury an adult—vanished instantly into dust.

Simultaneously, six or seven hundred meters away, Li Ang felt the world blur. He, along with the floor tiles beneath his feet and the crushed gold wheels, vanished.

When Li Ang reappeared, he was standing right before the golden toad, the tiles still underfoot, just one step from its gaping, enormous mouth.

"O chosen servant of the demon, I ask you."

Observing Li Ang's rigid expression, lingering fear, yet still clutching a broom tightly, the golden toad grinned wider, mocking:

"Why resist? Don't you want to sell your life to me?"

(End of Chapter)