Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 289 - 280: Underworld, Reincarnation Bridge, Cultivating Reincarnation
"Elder, come aboard."
The skinny old man leaped onto a Blackwood Ship docked at the riverbank.
This boat was three meters long, completely black, with a faint purple hue. Upon closer inspection, one could notice black Crystal Stones embedded on its hull, giving it an appearance of luxury, while still maintaining a sense of restraint and subtlety.
After Su Mu jumped on the boat, he touched the Blackwood with his hand and asked, "This boat of yours is quite impressive."
Hearing this, the skinny old man waved with a smile and said, "You’re making fun of me, Elder. It’s just an everyday means of transport."
"What kind of material is this Blackwood?" Su Mu noticed that the black wood used to make the boat was quite extraordinary. Although it didn’t surpass his Golden Silk Nanmu, it was still of high grade and seemed to be a very rare wood.
"This wood... It’s just an average material called ’Yincao Wood.’ Nothing special really."
"This boat is communal property where we come from; it’s what we usually use when we’re out on business."
The skinny old man explained.
Hearing this, Su Mu understood.
So, this old man hailed from a rather significant power. In layman’s terms, this Blackwood Ship was akin to a ’company vehicle,’ just a common communal transport.
To use such materials to build a boat, it seems the scale is quite considerable.
"Lead the way then," Su Mu said slowly.
"Elder, hold on tight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the skinny old man patted the Blackwood Ship, and in the next moment, it automatically set off in a certain direction.
Moreover, it was fast and fully automated.
Su Mu used his Divine Sense to examine the boat and discovered that the propulsion system of this wooden boat relied on two rotating screws under the boat for movement.
This was quite normal; most motorized boats operated on this principle.
However, what puzzled Su Mu was that the boat didn’t even have a Micro Array set up, nor was there any other energy input. So how were the screws functioning?
Intrigued, Su Mu asked.
In response, the skinny old man went to the rear of the deck and opened a wooden hatch on the deck.
Once the hatch was open, there was a space below resembling an engine room, where about a hundred bizarre creatures were pedaling wheels, and the screws were being driven up forcefully.
These creatures were very small in size, the largest not even reaching fifty centimeters, and they were oddly shaped. Some looked like dogs, but with pig-like heads, while others had pig-like bodies but monkey-like heads.
The only commonality was that these creatures showed no signs of life, as if they were inanimate objects, which was why Su Mu hadn’t noticed the hundred strange creatures under the boat initially.
"Elder, as you can see, these are what power the boat."
The skinny old man smiled, his black teeth gleaming.
"Are these your Spirit Pets?" Su Mu inquired.
"They’re not really Spirit Pets. To be accurate, they’re working to repay a debt." The skinny old man chuckled.
After hearing this, Su Mu understood.
He didn’t inquire further; perhaps this was the legendary workforce of ’beasts of burden.’ Who would’ve thought this old man turned out to be a foreman with so much free labor under him?
Su Mu had thought the boat’s propulsion might be operated by advanced Micro Arrays or exquisite mechanical systems, but it turned out to be the most traditional manpower!
"I’m sorry for the laugh, Elder," said the skinny old man as he closed the wooden cover on the deck.
.....
During the journey, Su Mu also asked for the old man’s name.
He replied that he was ranked tenth in his family, so Su Mu could call him "Old Ten."
"It seems like you’re with a family power?" Su Mu asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Old Ten gave a bitter smile and replied, "Not really. The family situation is complicated. It’s chaotic outside these years, and things at home are a mess, with various troublesome matters piling up." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Luckily, we have you, Elder, to oversee things; otherwise... it would have been a disaster."
Hearing this, Su Mu was bewildered, thinking, what does this have to do with me?!
"I’m just an ordinary River Guardian; how could I impact your family’s dynamics?"
The old man also smiled faintly, "You are the most powerful and humble person I’ve ever met, Elder."
"Our power depends on the river you’ve governed, Elder. By maintaining order, you’ve helped us greatly."
Listening to these unexpected flatteries, Su Mu was taken aback. It seems the phrase "rely on the mountain, eat from the mountain; rely on the river, eat from the river" applies even in this Mystical World.
But it must be said, this river is indeed vast and long; Su Mu has guarded this river for almost five years and still hasn’t seen its end.
"How far is it?" Su Mu asked.
"About two or three more days’ journey; this is already the fastest speed," the old man replied.
Hearing this, Su Mu was at a loss for words.
Two or three days.....
Such a waste of time.
"You point the way; I’ll increase the speed."
With that, the skinny old man was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding.
In the next second, Su Mu waved his hand, performed the Water Control Divine Technique, and directly changed the direction of the water flow, starting a reverse current.
Originally, their direction was against the current, moving upstream, but now, with the aid of the downstream current, their speed increased significantly!
Moreover, Su Mu still felt it was too slow; he not only changed the water’s direction but also increased the flow rate tenfold!
Witnessing this, the skinny old man was also frightened.
With just a wave of his hand, he directly caused the River of Time’s water flow to retreat, and that’s not all; he even accelerated the retreat!
Scared of major consequences, the skinny old man urgently advised, "Elder, Elder!"
"This is inadvisable, inadvisable indeed!"
To speed up the journey by making the River of Time retreat... Such a defying act is something only this man could achieve!
If the River of Time retreats, it means all worlds within this journey’s path will have their time start retreating!
What kind of causality would that create!
"What’s the matter?"
Seeing the old man so startled, Su Mu looked puzzled.
"Elder, are you sure this won’t be a problem?" the skinny old man cautiously asked, "Isn’t there a risk of causing trouble?"
....
"So what?"
"I do this all the time." Su Mu shrugged.
"You seem quite scared?" Su Mu furrowed his brows.
Seeing this expression, the skinny old man waved his hands, "No, no, Elder’s ways are always careful; I was just being talkative."
The skinny old man said no more and began guiding the way obediently.
To say he wasn’t scared would be a lie.
The causality, Elder could surely bear, but... he wasn’t so sure about himself!
There’s a saying, a snowflake falling on a giant falls lightly, but on a common person, it’s as heavy as Mount Tai.
In front of this Elder, he was the giant, while he himself was just a small person!
