Chapter 61: Absolute Neutral Unit
After a brutal struggle, the situation in the fungal wetland began to clear. With 295 cursed men fallen, only seven giant crocodiles remained.
These giant crocodiles possessed immense strength. With a single bite, a cursed man was either dead or crippled, and injuries were further eroded by fungal infection, which proved even more lethal. Now, large patches of mushrooms floated on the water's surface.
This result was achieved only because Su Xiao had eliminated the giant crocodile leader; otherwise, a much greater price would have been paid to clear the fungal wetland.
By killing these giant crocodiles, Su Xiao obtained a total of 1,665 Soul Coins. Each kill yielded 35 to 38 Soul Coins—generous rewards—but there was a catch: no treasure chests dropped. This was a major drawback of the swarm tactics.
If the swarm tactics had been executed through Bug Sister Jila, the situation might have been better, with treasure chest drop rates not being so abysmal. Unfortunately, most worlds were unsuitable for Bug Sister Jila. The Demon Insect Race was "too hungry"; without sufficient bio-energy, they couldn't develop and would instead be drained by the main nest's consumption.
The cursed men surrounded the seven giant crocodiles. A strange scene unfolded: these crocodiles had stopped attacking. Judging by their still-ferocious gazes, they hadn't surrendered.
Su Xiao stepped forward. As he approached within a few meters of one crocodile, it lowered its head—not out of fear or terror, but more like reverence.
Su Xiao sidestepped a few paces, and the crocodile in front of him turned its body, then lowered its head to him again.
Bang.
Su Xiao delivered a straight kick, sending the crocodile tumbling far through the muddy water. It turned back, glaring angrily at Su Xiao, but after a moment, it came before him again and lowered its head.
This reminded Su Xiao of a notification he had received after killing the crocodile leader: "You have achieved the world accomplishment: Crocodile's Reverence."
This was the first time Su Xiao had encountered such a situation. These giant crocodiles hadn't submitted, nor had they become temporary summons. Their attitude was: kill us if you must, but that doesn't stop us from respecting the one who defeated our leader.
Two options lay before him: kill them all for Soul Coins, or spare them for now to see if they might serve another purpose later.
As Su Xiao pondered, one crocodile used its tail to snap a dead tree, as if expressing something, then crawled deeper into the swamp.
"Bubu, what is it expressing?"
"Woof."
Bubu Wang understood the crocodile's meaning. Bubu could communicate with most animals; even ordinary little birds were willing to approach Bubu Wang.
Every time they entered a world with vast forests, Bubu Wang made many animal friends, including proud camels, "chatterbox" swans, Brother Frog, and others.
Of course, Bubu also had enemies in the forest—his lifelong nemesis: wasps.
"Mushroom Prophet?"
After grasping what Bubu Wang conveyed, Su Xiao realized that Eternal Life Island wasn't entirely barbaric.
Following the crocodile ahead, Su Xiao gradually ventured deeper into the fungal wetland. The murky water beneath his feet grew shallower, revealing tangled tree roots and moss. The trees grew taller, the shortest dozens of meters high, the tallest over a hundred meters. Their canopies tightly interlocked, completely blocking out the sunlight.
The depths of the fungal wetland weren't dark. Many luminous plants grew here, emitting faint fluorescent green or blue glows. Fireflies flitted about, and glowing butterflies danced gracefully—a scene like a forest fairyland.
"Gugu gugu."
A faint sound emerged from a pale green mushroom. It seemed that Su Xiao's arrival had disturbed the "residents" here. One by one, mushrooms pushed up from the soil. They couldn't move but made gugu gugu sounds.
"Travelers of the forest, welcome to Spore Forest."
A door opened on a tree trunk nearly ten meters thick. A mushroom person emerged, with a mushroom cap for a head and green beard. It had hands and feet and walked with a trembling gait.
"The Scaly Scale Crocodiles mean no harm; it's simply their nature. That is our instinct."
The Mushroom Prophet leaned on a fluorescent green branch staff, which was taller than itself.
[Notification: The Hunter has located the Mushroom Prophet. This is an absolute neutral unit.]
[This neutral unit has signed a contract with the Void Tree. The Hunter must not harm or kill this target.]
[The Hunter may consume Soul Coins or Soul Crystals to conduct transactions with the Mushroom Prophet, or refuse this transaction. After passing through Spore Forest, the Hunter will arrive at the Eternal Life Island Central Area.]
"Travelers, have you come seeking the Primordial Water? Be sure not to drink too much; greed brings misfortune. Come inside. I have some fine things to sell you, but please don't rob this poor old mushroom man."
The Mushroom Prophet waved its hand at a very slow pace and entered the tree-hole dwelling.
Seeing this, Su Xiao stepped forward. The door was low; he had to stoop to enter. Inside, the tree-hole dwelling was spacious, with a ceiling over two meters high—no risk of bumping his head. The walls were covered in luminous plants.
The Mushroom Prophet sat at the innermost part of the small hut. It was a native of the Demon Sea World but had signed a contract with the Void Tree.
Under normal circumstances, the Mushroom Prophet should have left this world long ago. It seemed reluctant to part with the little mushrooms of Spore Forest. Perhaps it occasionally left for other worlds to trade with Contractors, Hunters, Battle Angels, and the like, and was now resting at home.
"Feel free to look around. I have good things from other worlds too. Soul Coins and Soul Crystals—I accept both. Traveler, are you from Reincarnation Paradise?"
The Mushroom Prophet was very kind, exuding a sense of detachment from worldly affairs.
Su Xiao had encountered such beings once each in the Moon God Underground Palace and God's Homeland—the old woman selling water in the Moon God Underground Palace and the blind old man in God's Homeland.
Compared to those two, the Mushroom Prophet before him was likely far inferior in combat power. It belonged to the type of ancient but not powerful existence, though killing it would probably be extremely difficult.
The Mushroom Prophet reached beside it and pulled out several shelves from thin air, displaying various items.
[Purchase List Activated. You may purchase the following items (107 total).]
[Note: The prices of items sold in this list are significantly lower than transaction prices between Contractors.]