Chapter 53: 53 Toad and Sheep

53 Toad and Sheep

“Kid, this time you’re truly dead…”

Gazing at the massive golden soul at the center of the square, the Black Sheep let out a deep sigh and said to Li Ang with evident regret:

“That damned toad is a sacred spirit worshipped by a secret sect called the Scale Gold 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 exceedingly difficult to counter—I truly have no way to save you… Sigh, such a promising soul wasted…”

“…”

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

Hearing the Black Sheep’s words, Li Ang’s expression flickered in surprise, then he raised his hand and opened his badge panel.

To his immense delight, the red 【Materialist Soul】 had faintly begun to glow—though the conditions were still insufficient, its light was extremely dim and had not yet reached activation level.

Feeling he had found a way out, Li Ang immediately slammed his hand hard onto the sheep’s head.

“Quick! Tell me more!”

“Huh?”

The Black Sheep blinked, then instinctively replied:

“Uh… fine, I’ll tell you more… You’re a bit stingy, even unwilling to pay for a ferry ticket, but at least you bought me cigarettes—way better than that red-haired bitch. After you die, I’ll miss you a few times…”

“I’m not asking you to mourn me! I want details about that toad!”

Looking at the item under 【Materialist Soul (Crimson)】—“When encountering anomalies, reduce their influence according to your level of understanding”—Li Ang exclaimed excitedly:

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

“Huh? You’re about to die, why care so much?”

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

“Tch… guess I just like you…”

Muttering discontentedly, the Black Sheep recalled what it knew about the golden toad and began a long-winded account:

“The Scale Gold Cult worships wealth, so the true god’s three pets 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 Devil’s Horn’s distracted narration, 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 it has greatly increased—you can now block ordinary levels of influence.】

“Don’t stop! Keep going!”

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

Regarding this 【Devil’s Horn】, the 【Materialist Soul】’s name was followed by three suffixes: 【Fallen】, 【Knowledge】, and 【Whisper】.

【Fallen】 refers to the Black Sheep’s identity as a demon; 【Whisper】 likely denotes its ability to incite rage and manipulate minds; as for 【Knowledge】, it corresponds to the great demon’s vast experience

and the extensive occult knowledge it should possess.

To others, this experience and knowledge might be merely uncertain, potentially useless information.

But in his hands, the Black Sheep’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 Sheep, Li Ang, eyes fixed on the 【Materialist Soul】’s brightness—still with room to rise—urged:

“Done with the ability? What about weaknesses? Traits? The true god’s name? Keep talking!”

‘…’

Hearing Li Ang’s urging, the Black Sheep opened its mouth, then hesitated, finally replying with helpless resignation:

‘Kid, why don’t you look up?’

Look up? Could it be…

At the Black Sheep’s words, Li Ang’s expression froze.

As he glanced around, he realized the aging of those nearby had stopped. With stiff face, he lifted his head toward the center of the shopping square.

As expected—the enormous compound eyes, which shouldn't be on a toad’s head, had locked onto him from six or seven hundred meters away. Within those hundreds of tiny eyes burned a distinctly human-like shock.

“…”

No way.

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

He’d moved less than five centimeters after regaining freedom, fearing detection—yet this square held tens of thousands of struggling people, and it spotted him instantly?

…

Strange… this should be a person?

Observing the human drenched in demonic aura, the golden toad’s mouth curled into a strange, intrigued smile.

It had answered its devotees’ prayers, descending into this square brimming with greed and gold, merely intending 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 none other than the 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 it was once a great demon near godhood—even reduced to this state, it still had enough power to help others resist my control!

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

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

When Li Ang reappeared, he and the tiles had been teleported directly before the golden toad—just one step from its gaping, enormous mouth.

“O favored one chosen by the demon, I ask you.”

Watching Li Ang, his face rigid with 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?”