The five of them tried every method they could think of, but nothing worked, leaving them feeling a bit uneasy.

Ye Fan stepped forward and said to Su Mu, "Senior, I currently don't have the treasure you want."

"If you trust me, I can sign a debt contract with you and return it as soon as I find it."

Hearing this, Su Mu raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up.

Sensible indeed!

He hadn't even mentioned signing a contract or loan agreement yet, but Ye Fan had brought it up first.

He looked the young man up and down, noting how different he was from the other four; he remained calm throughout the process, thinking quickly and clearly.

"What's your name?"

Su Mu asked.

"Ye Fan."

Hearing the surname "Ye," Su Mu understood. This must be the true protagonist, while the other four were mere supporting characters.

However, these protagonists often had one problem: they liked to outsmart themselves.

How could Su Mu not see through Ye Fan's little schemes?

With his current cultivation, he could perceive what others were thinking. So Ye Fan's seemingly rational and clever behavior was just child's play in his eyes.

In truth, a truly powerful antagonist, with just a bit of cunning, could easily suppress those fiery protagonists.

In the past, when he enjoyed reading novels, he thought the protagonists were so smart and skilled, playing the antagonists like fools.

But now he understood, it was the authors who wrote the antagonists as foolish and idiotic.

To eliminate this protagonist Ye Fan, he only needed to lift a finger.

A truly powerful antagonist should be cautious, suspicious by nature, ruthlessly thorough, never disdainful of an opponent's weakness, and always ensuring every action is complete.

Nonetheless, Su Mu did not want to be an antagonist. From the beginning to the end, he was simply collecting a toll.

....

Although Su Mu initially intended for them to sign a loan agreement, he didn't like being led by others.

If it was to be mentioned, it should be him who brought it up first.

You started off with all sorts of flashy maneuvers, didn't you? So you're Ye Fan, right? Well, well, well, I'll add a little something extra to your loan!!

Let this be a lesson for you, so you learn from experience, and won't get smacked to death so easily when you encounter another antagonist like me in the future!

Su Mu ignored Ye Fan's request at first.

Instead, he took out four pre-drafted contract agreements and handed them to the other four people.

Even though Ye Fan was the true protagonist, the crossing fee was charged per person, regardless of whether one was the main character or a supporting one. Everyone had to pay to cross.

The other four, upon receiving the contract agreements, signed their names without hesitation.

"Bite your finger and stamp a blood print."

Su Mu instructed, and the four immediately complied.

Standing next to Pang Bo, Ye Fan glanced at the debt amount on the contract.

Ten treasures, ten billion Spirit Stones.

What??

Even though Ye Fan didn't know what ten billion Spirit Stones meant, the name itself suggested they were extraordinary. A simple conversion showed that even if just one Spirit Stone equaled one dollar on Blue Star, this would still be ten billion dollars!

Moreover, this was the most conservative estimate.

Was this river guardian really this harsh???

But why didn't this senior want him to sign?

He must be letting him off, right?

It seems speaking up and staying calm does have its benefits.

.....

After the agreements were signed, Su Mu carefully checked them, confirmed there were no issues, and collected them.

At this moment, Ye Fan asked, "Senior, may we leave now?"

....

"Wait, you too."

"This is prepared for you."

Su Mu returned with a specially tailored loan agreement for Ye Fan and handed it to him.

Upon receiving the agreement, and after clearly seeing the crucial "loan amount," Ye Fan was stunned. Blinking his eyes, confirming he hadn't misread, he looked up at Su Mu and asked, "Senior... Did you give me the wrong one?"

"Why is the one I sign different from theirs?"

...

Ye Fan was dumbfounded.

Why do they have ten treasures, but I have a thousand?

They have ten billion Spirit Stones, and I have ten trillion??

And why is this thousand treasures so vague?

What counts as a 'treasure'?

How is it defined?

Moreover, the contract ended with the statement: "The final interpretation of this contract rests with me."

This is clearly a shady contract!

What is considered a treasure is up to him!

He couldn't understand why he was being targeted?

Besides, he was the one who first proposed to sign the contract, even though it was just a temporary plan with no intention to repay. He didn't know Ye Fan's thoughts, so why target him?

Unfair!

This is totally unfair!

.....

"Is there a problem?"

Su Mu asked with a frown, as a trace of aura escaping from him made Ye Fan feel as if his entire body's blood was about to solidify.

"No... no problem."

Ye Fan tried his best to remain calm, repeatedly telling himself to keep calm and not lose composure.

After all, it was just a temporary measure. He could sign it as he had no intention to repay it anyway; the priority was to get past this step first.

Then Ye Fan quickly signed his name, and like the other four, bit open his thumb and stamped a blood mark on his name.

Taking the contract and inspecting it closely to confirm there were no problems, Su Mu finally showed a smile.

"Signing the contract is equivalent to prepaying the crossing fee."

"Congratulations to you all, and I wish you a pleasant journey."

"But don't forget, these loan contracts come with interest and have a set time limit."

"Don't think you can get lucky, don't delay, and definitely don't think of not paying back."

"Go over there, develop yourselves well, and when you've made it, I'll come to find you."

Su Mu displayed his trademark polite smile and customary speech.

He said this to every transmigrator, it had become a production line script.

As long as the contract was signed and the crossing fee was paid, everything was negotiable.

Seeing this terrifying man change his attitude, the four breathed a sigh of relief, but Ye Fan held his breath.

...

Su Mu cleared a path and lifted the domain's static state.

"I wish you all a pleasant journey."

Su Mu waved with a smile.

However, as the path was cleared, the nine little black snakes pulling the boat seemed scared stiff, rooted still, not daring to move.

"Go on."

"Keep pulling!"

"Or I'll have Little Mahi and Little Kong Yao come for an extra meal!"

Upon saying this, he could sense Little Mahi and Kong Yao rushing toward his domain, as if to rescue him.

The nine little black snakes, sensing something, got scared witless and pulled the boat with the five aboard, escaping wildly toward the front.

Seeing the receding figure, Su Mu suddenly noticed some words written at the stern of the boat, frowning.

The next second, he appeared in front of the small boat again, stopping it once more.

Seeing this, the five were dumbfounded.

What was this?

Again?!!

Ye Fan felt a wave of anger rush straight to the top of his head, almost causing him to faint.

"This senior, what is it now?" Ye Fan asked, suppressing his anger.

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