Rayder had not expected that the spot he had just been standing on was directly in front of this giant octopus!
He had completely failed to notice its existence before, which was truly incredible.
However, when he considered that octopuses typically possess camouflage abilities, he suddenly understood—how could such an enormous octopus not have such a capability?
Despite being tightly bound by the octopus's tentacles, Rayder didn't feel his life was in any danger.
His curiosity was fully piqued, and he eagerly wanted to know if the giant octopus before him was the one who had pulled him into this unique environment.
Rayder's lips curved into a smile, and he greeted the octopus amiably, "Hey, Mr. Octopus, did you bring me here?"
However, the giant grey octopus was unresponsive to Rayder's greeting. It merely slowly raised the tentacles wrapped around Rayder above its head, as if displaying something.
Just then, Rayder's gaze followed the octopus's tentacles and finally saw a figure standing atop the giant octopus's head.
It was a short elderly man with long black hair and a long beard, clad in a tattered black robe, holding a trident heavily encrusted with coral.
Although the old man's face was somewhat aged, his eyes were exceptionally bright and sharp, revealing a wisdom that had seen much of the world.
Overall, he looked more like an experienced old fisherman, even appearing somewhat benevolent, giving off no sense of malice.
Rayder mused to himself that he had finally met the main person, but he had no idea who this fellow was; there was no impression of him in his mind.
Despite their somewhat unfriendly meeting, Rayder decided to initiate a greeting.
Rayder smiled and spoke in a relaxed tone, "You must be the one who led me here, esteemed sir? May I ask what you wish to discuss with me?"
His words were as calm as still water, completely devoid of any sense of crisis from being bound or imprisoned, as if this were just an ordinary meeting, like two strangers coincidentally encountering each other.
However, in stark contrast to Rayder's composure, the old man's tone was rather arrogant.
He slowly spoke, "I am the God of Drowning, the ruler of the ocean, governing the ocean, darkness, and death."
His voice was deep and majestic, seemingly full of confidence in his identity and abilities.
Upon hearing this, Rayder understood who this person, who called himself the God of Drowning, truly was.
He secretly thought that the God of Drowning's self-introduction was truly exaggerated; being the ruler of the ocean was one thing, but darkness and death were clearly the Authority of Death of the Cold God, yet he dared to boast so shamelessly.
Rayder's lips curved into a half-smile, and he responded with a hint of teasing, "Oh? So you are the God of Drowning, a pleasure to meet you. However, when you introduce yourself like this, does the Cold God know about it?"
The God of Drowning had originally intended to show off his strength and status to this human, but he hadn't expected Rayder to mention the Cold God so directly.
This question was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, leaving the God of Drowning momentarily at a loss.
He widened his eyes, his face full of astonishment, clearly not expecting Rayder to retort like that.
One must know that the God of Drowning had only acquired a tiny bit of the Authority of Death of darkness and death; he held the Cold God in great awe, normally avoiding her, so how could he dare to show off in front of her like this?
At this moment, the God of Drowning felt as if his bluff had been called by Rayder, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward, making it difficult for him to save face.
Hearing Rayder's challenge, the God of Drowning's face flushed slightly. He quickly coughed, trying to cover his embarrassment.
Then, he swiftly composed himself, putting on a nonchalant expression.
He no longer concealed his true appearance, reaching up to smooth his already disheveled hair, and even hitching up his slightly sagging pants.
This series of actions instantly shattered his once majestic image, directly tossing it into the trash.
At this moment, the God of Drowning's entire demeanor underwent a drastic change, transforming from a seemingly dignified deity into an outright scoundrel.
And Rayder, as someone who had frequented taverns, was all too familiar with people of this temperament.
He knew in his heart that anyone with this kind of demeanor was definitely an old rascal.
The God of Drowning seemed unaware of Rayder's perception of him. He nonchalantly scratched his face, then feigned a somewhat embarrassed expression, and said to Rayder, "Um... I seem to have lost something, and it's on you right now. Could you please return it to me?"
Rayder didn't believe a single punctuation mark of the God of Drowning's words.
He widened his eyes and unreservedly retorted to the God of Drowning, "Aren't you a god? How could you lose something?"
The God of Drowning naturally saw that Rayder didn't believe him, but he didn't give up and continued to explain, "Oh, you know, even gods have their moments of napping; it's quite normal to occasionally lose things."
Rayder hadn't expected this so-called God of Drowning to be of such character.
He couldn't help but be curious about what the God of Drowning had lost, so he followed up on the God of Drowning's words, "Oh? What did you lose then? Tell me, maybe I really do have it."
Upon hearing Rayder's words, the God of Drowning's face showed an eager expression. He quickly rubbed his hands together, his face full of fawning, and said, "Just a tiny bit of the Authority of Death, it's on you! I can clearly feel its presence! Please return it to me quickly; if you do, I will definitely repay you handsomely!"
Rayder was surprised by the God of Drowning's answer.
He had never expected that the bit of the Authority of Death that the Red God had deliberately placed within him would be so tempting; not only had the Cold God been coveting it before, but now even the God of Drowning had personally come looking for it.
It seemed that that bit of the Authority of Death was very important, perhaps containing considerable power!
However, despite Rayder realizing this, he had no idea how to use this Authority of Death.
So, he decided to test the God of Drowning first, and spoke with feigned composure, "I don't feel anything like what you're describing on me. You must have the wrong person, right? And what exactly is that thing used for anyway?"
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