Chapter 466: My Surname is Jiang
The adventurer who had just emerged from the dungeon was exhausted, breathing heavily with every step. During the dungeon battle, he had continuously consumed stamina potions, resulting in a full day’s cooldown period where the potions would have no effect on him.
Carrying his axe, he staggered into a small grove, feeling parched. Having finished all his water in the dungeon, he recalled a nearby stream and soon found it after some searching.
As the adventurer bent down to drink, the axe at his waist accidentally fell into the river. “My axe!” he cried in dismay. This was a gift he’d bought himself when becoming a third-tier adventurer – it held special meaning.
Just as he was about to dive in to retrieve it, golden light shimmered across the water’s surface. A majestic figure holding two axes materialized before him. “Weary adventurer, did you drop this legendary Sky-Cleaving Axe or this fifth-tier Mountain-Splitting Axe?”
The adventurer was dumbfounded, wondering if exhaustion was causing hallucinations. Legendary-grade weapons? Fifth-tier equipment? He couldn’t afford either even if he sold himself. “I lost neither. Just an ordinary third-tier axe.”
The figure smiled approvingly. “Young adventurer, your honesty and integrity move me. I shall gift you all three axes – both these and your own.”
“May I ask who you are?”
“I am the River God.”
Standing dumbstruck with three axes in hand, the adventurer couldn’t believe his luck. A legendary weapon alone could buy him a noble title in the empire – enough to become a minor lord with vast lands and endless provisions. How had such treasures fallen into his hands so inexplicably?
When he finally regained his senses to ask more questions, the River God had already vanished beneath the waters. “The River God… a god!” Only then did he grasp the significance. The “river” mattered little – the “god” was everything.
The Ayla World only had seven deities. How had another appeared so quietly? Testing the legendary axe with a casual swing, the blade split the earth effortlessly without any skill – proof of its authenticity.
After selling the fifth-tier axe for substantial wealth, the adventurer bought a house in town, hiring maids and a steward while keeping the legendary and his original third-tier axes.
His drinking habits soon had familiar tavern patrons curious about his sudden fortune. Normally discreet, his drunken state and desire to boast led him to recount his divine encounter – embellishing the River God’s plain appearance into a cosmic-scale manifestation.
Hearing this, drinkers rushed to the river that very night, throwing valuables into the water. But no god appeared, forcing them to retrieve their offerings.
“You’re doing it wrong,” came a voice from the crowd. “The River God’s divine power discerns truth. Your impure motives earn no response.”
“Who are you?”
“Lance, former mage of the Hero Party.”
As the youngest renowned mage, Lance’s name carried weight among adventurers. A casual display of high-level magic silenced doubters.
“Tell us about this River God’s origins,” someone asked.
Lance’s eyes gleamed with fervor. “You don’t know? Understandable – this deity is both mighty and reclusive. A legendary and fifth-tier axe given freely? This proves the River God can create matter from nothingness!”
The crowd gasped. Even the Light God lacked such power. Indeed, where else could those axes have come from?
Seeing their shock, Lance relaxed. “Knowing His true nature explains everything. You think a mere stream could bear a god’s presence? The River God reigns over the Primordial River!”
“Primordial River?” The term was unfamiliar.
“The Scripture of Light mentions the Light God emerging from chaos, yes? That ‘chaos’ refers to the Primordial River. Thus, while the Light God was born from it, the River God rules over it – comprehend the hierarchy now?”
The realization hit like thunder. “So the River God is the god of all deities? The supreme divinity?”
Lance nodded approvingly. “Precisely. After millennia slumbering in the Primordial River, His appearances to reward virtue signal His awakening.”
Repentant now, the crowd begged: “How can we summon Him?”
Lance shook his head. “By throwing offerings with greedy hearts, you’ve severed your ‘karmic connection’ to Him.”
“Then how may we atone?”
“Sincerity – the purer the better. As the supreme deity, He needs no worship.”
Producing a small statue from his robes, Lance placed it by the riverbank. Miraculously, the rippling waters instantly stilled to glassy smoothness. All attempts to analyze this phenomenon with skills failed – undeniable divine intervention.
The crowd broke into praises of the River God’s greatness, though their true devotion remained questionable.
After they left, the River God Jiang Li appeared. Lance dropped his composed demeanor, sighing. “Lord Jiang Li, why choose ‘River God’? Primordial God, God of Darkness, War, or Victory would sound more imposing.”
He tactfully avoided mentioning how this name lacked the gravitas needed to compete with the seven established deities for followers.
Jiang Li waved dismissively. “Nonsense. My surname is Jiang – of course I’m the River God.”
“…”
Lance had to admit the logic was impeccable.