CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 55: UNREINCARNATED, NAMELESS

"Please... don’t... kill... me."

The voice came intermittently, only capturing a few key words, as if pleading for mercy.

Su Mu looked at the Golden Ant at his feet. It was this Golden Ant asking him for help.

Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up. It seemed this Golden Ant had developed sentience and was able to communicate with him. This was not surprising, considering the Little Stone Axe Beast was powerless in front of it, so gaining sentience seemed plausible.

Hearing the plea for help, Su Mu reconsidered. If he forcibly consumed it, it might lead to poisoning or other unexpected incidents.

Moreover, this Golden Ant possessed formidable combat power and considerable potential, making it a suitable candidate for a contract.

After careful consideration, Su Mu decided to form a contract.

.....

Su Mu locked his aura onto the Golden Ant.

[Do you wish to spend 100 Favor Points to contract "Chaos Golden Spirit (Not Reincarnated, Without True Name)"?]

Seeing this, Su Mu was taken aback.

What on earth? Just a simple contract, and it costs 100 Favor Points.

Of course, what surprised Su Mu was not the 100 Favor Points, but the name of the Golden Ant.

Chaos Golden Spirit?

Such a grand and profound name, but... it seriously didn’t match its appearance!

Su Mu also noticed the six words in the parentheses—"Not Reincarnated, Without True Name."

This part was a bit perplexing.

What did "Not Reincarnated, Without True Name" mean?

After thinking about it for a while and failing to figure it out, Su Mu decided not to dwell on it, as it didn’t affect the contract.

"Let’s contract."

With Su Mu’s thought, a beam of Immortal Light burst from his palm and descended onto the Golden Ant.

[Contract Successful!]

[Congratulations, host, the contract was successful. Critical hit triggered, receiving additional feedback reward, Favor Points +8000]

In the next moment, an invisible spiritual bond connected the man and the ant, allowing Su Mu to observe all the life activities of the Golden Ant, including its emotions.

After the successful contract, the Golden Ant’s fear dissipated, replaced by a sense of closeness and submission.

However, what surprised Su Mu was the 8000 Favor Points received as feedback!

Oh my, this transaction was unbelievably worthwhile.

[River Favor Points: 33540]

Now, Su Mu became wealthy once again, with Favor Points reaching over 30,000!

As usual, the bulk should first be used to enhance the River Affinity.

[Favor Points -30000]

[River Affinity: 0.4%] → [River Affinity: 0.7%]

Another 0.3% increase, enhancing Su Mu’s connection with the river a bit more.

One must say, this river is really hard to refine; even after all this time, not even 1% has been refined.

However, as long as progress continues, one day it will be fully refined, and this wretched place can be left.

Additionally, staying here led to significant development, despite not being able to leave and having some restrictions on freedom; at least the cultivation is skyrocketing.

That’s fine; once the river is entirely refined, leaving here will allow for further battles across the ages!

Equivalent to closing the door for cultivation.

...

Having spent 30,000 Favor Points, over 3,000 Favor Points remained.

This time, Su Mu planned to save these Favor Points and refrain from frivolous spending until breaking the 1% threshold.

...

The next morning, Su Mu got out of bed, stretched lazily. Nice, the weather today was perfect for going out to work!

Another day full of hope~

The stranded little fish and turtles by the shore, don’t worry, your rescuer is here!

Thereupon, Su Mu picked up a basket, put on a conical hat, took a sickle, and headed out.

Familiar with the terrain, he arrived at a shallow water area, descended into the water, checked the traps—it was all river sand, small fish, and shrimp!

Yet another fruitless day!

Although Su Mu enjoyed great luck elsewhere during this time, earning several waves of Favor Points, the traps had been empty for over a week.

Indeed, luck is complementary; good fortune here means less elsewhere.

However, Su Mu remained convinced that the traps, fruitless for over a week, were poised for a big catch!

After resetting all ten traps, he continued walking along the riverbank.

The river was extraordinarily long and vast; Su Mu had spent several months here, yet he’d only managed to explore a corner.

[Congratulations! You saved a stranded little fish, Favor Points +20]

....

[Congratulations, the stream’s aquatic plants overgrown; cleared them, Favor Points +300]

...

[Congratulations! You saved a dying shrimp in a low-lying area, Favor Points +50]

...

Though the traps were barren, Su Mu still had remarkable luck. Within less than two hours of setting out, he’d already accumulated over a thousand Favor Points.

As he walked, suddenly, fog arose.

For a moment, Su Mu lost his bearings.

The fog was thick, and even when dispersed, Su Mu could clear only a five-foot radius. Though the fog posed no threat to Su Mu, it severely hampered travel and severely restricted visibility.

Before long, it seemed as though Su Mu had walked a great distance, unsure now of which stretch of the river he had reached.

The next second, he saw a vast expanse of stranded small fish, turtles, and crabs on the sandbank ahead, struggling to reach the shore!

Seeing this, Su Mu’s eyes lit up with delight, and he jogged over.

Picking up the small fish and turtles from the ground, he tossed them back into the river.

You’re crawling in the wrong direction!

So foolish!

Crawling to the shore would just strand you more, wouldn’t it?

Thankfully, you encountered me!

.....

[Congratulations! You saved a stranded little fish, Favor Points +20]

...

[Congratulations! You saved a stranded little fish, Favor Points +10]

...

[Congratulations! You saved a stranded little turtle, Favor Points +30]

...

Thus, Su Mu’s Favor Points steadily increased, and his actions became swifter.

The stranded silly fish and turtles appeared frightened, frantically scrambling forward.

In response, Su Mu picked up and tossed them into the river wherever they could be placed—some landed in low-lying water basins, some in the river’s center, some downstream, some upstream, and others into small rapid waterfalls.

After an hour of rescuing over a hundred stranded small creatures, Master Su, resting on a stone, wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling elated.

At this moment, Su Mu felt enveloped in moral radiance, having saved over a hundred little lives and earned 4000 Favor Points.

.....

After a rest, Su Mu continued onward.

The farther he went, the denser the fog grew.

Walking on, suddenly, something tripped him. Su Mu stumbled, failing to steady himself, and fell forward.

Immediately, his body began to descend into the void, ultimately caught by something.