novelraw Chapter 257: I’ll take everything in this booklet
Chapter 257: I’ll take everything in this booklet
Right now, Alexander has conjured a plan so audacious it borders on lunacy.
Using his role-play card, he can morph into a hell warrior and go on a frenzy, converting legions of spectral corpses. Should danger arise, a combination of Blink and Ghostly Piercing Vision would allow him to teleport instantly onto an airship.
Up there, money talks. Possessing a staggering amount of ghostly energy, Alexander need not worry about facing any peril.
"This...this plan is utter madness!" Kassadin couldn’t help but express his astonishment.
This was in sharp contrast to their endeavor in Cangshan city, which involved seeking out one corpse after another. Not every cycle offers a corpse, and not every cycle leads to death.
Especially when it comes to Emperor-level ghosts, removing even one would set off a cascade of chaos. Even if Alexander were to employ tens of thousands of indigenous people, the maximum number of Emperor-level ghosts they could secure would barely reach nineteen.
However, the last cycle was an exception. All hell warriors were killing with reckless abandon, leaving behind a multitude of ghost corpses, including those of the Emperor-level.
Alternatively, Alexander could take action against the bloody ocean of ghosts. Even if he manages to convert just one-thousandth of it, the number would be astronomical.
"What’s the point of a crazy plan when we’ve already missed one opportunity?" Alexander lamented, shaking his head in a manner that spoke volumes of his regret for missing out on untold riches.
Ah, Alexander—the very name evokes awe and terror across the three formidable neighborhoods of Fierce Ghost, Undead, and Happy Street. Wherever he sets foot, not a blade of grass remains; such is his destructive force that the very ground is dug up three feet deep.
A man normally defined by frugality and thrift, when did he ever engage in such a wasteful endeavor? Edward, standing beside him, was also shaking his head, infected by Alexander’s air of lamentation.
"Actually, there might be a way," Kassadin’s words electrified Alexander instantly. "On the airship, aside from places to rest, there’s also a shop. This shop specializes in selling various items found within instances. Who knows, they might have something like a Perfect Identity Card."
"What are we waiting for? Take me there now!" Alexander couldn’t contain his impatience. The image of that vast sea of blood, seen through Ghostly Piercing Vision, now dominated his thoughts whenever he closed his eyes.
Soldier-level ghost corpses, lacking the strength to reach the city center, disintegrate into white mist and ghostly energy halfway. It seemed the goal of the hell warriors was to separate these two forms of energy.
Only the blood of higher-ranking ghosts, at least of a General level, breaks down slowly enough to join this sanguine ocean before fully turning into mist and spectral energy. In other words, that blood sea contained, at a minimum, the lifeblood of General-level ghosts.
The thought of converting that sea sent Alexander’s mind reeling—transforming it could yield tens of thousands of Emperor-level Ghost Foods, and the gain would be astronomical.
All that was needed was a Perfect Identity Card. Kassadin’s hint that such a card could be purchased onboard was like music to his ears.
The group followed Kassadin towards the cabin. Behind them, two of the nearest participants drew close.
"Can you hear what they’re saying?"
"No, they’re cautious. Kassadin has used some sort of item and masked their conversation with ghostly energy. But judging by their changing facial expressions, they’ve likely stumbled upon something monumental."
"Do we seize this opportunity and make a move, perhaps extend an olive branch?"
"When did you, known for your explosive Emperor-ghost reputation, become so tame? Why not just overpower them?"
"And let you First Ghost Realm folks enjoy the show and benefit? This is an airship, what can I really do to them here? Deploy troops to the Third Ghost Realm?"
...
The two conversing participants spoke quickly, their discussion abruptly halting as if they’d reached a silent accord. Both then proceeded toward the cabin.
Aboard this airship, the mercenary ethos of shoddy online games was well-preserved: everything had a price. To access the deck cabin alone cost twenty million units of ghostly energy.
Once inside, however, the scene shifted dramatically from the lower levels. Restaurants, bars, markets—anything and everything one could wish for was present.
Following Kassadin, Alexander, Edward, and Selena found themselves in an unassuming shop with barely a hundred square feet of space. The letters on the sign reading ’Instance Items,’ however, spoke volumes of the shop’s significance.
As they traversed the area, they encountered numerous participants of Emperor-ghost level. Unlike the lower level, the Emperors here displayed not just surprise but also an air of indifference, even dismissiveness. Some even nodded and smiled warmly at Alexander.
"What a harmonious environment!" Alexander mused inwardly, only to hear Kassadin’s voice break the reverie: "Don’t mistake these Emperor-ghosts for saints. If we were outside, they wouldn’t hesitate to crush a chosen one like you.
They might even toy with you first, much like some people who, when relieving themselves outdoors, can’t resist crushing an ant that crosses their path. The reason they’re not acting here is simply practicality; if you had the means to come this far, you’d certainly possess various life-saving items. Why stir the pot if they can’t get rid of you?"
It made sense. Nodding to himself, Alexander picked up an item from the shelf and began to examine it.
"Blood Thread"
Description: Mist Instance Item.
Function: After use, one end of the thread will discreetly attach to a target, and the other end will tie to your finger, giving you the general location of the target.
Price: 17 million units of ghost energy.
This must have been the item that Desert initially used to locate Kassadin. Quite useful in specific circumstances, and for just 17 million units of energy, it didn’t seem expensive at all.
"What’s this? Brother, do you have your eyes set on this item?" A voice interrupted Alexander’s thoughts. A young man dressed in black and holding a black folding fan approached, accompanied by an elder with a white beard.
With a congenial smile, the young man introduced himself, "Allow me to introduce us. I am Untold, the Ghost Emperor and lord of the Zero City in the First Ghost Domain. This is my companion, the Ghost Emperor of the Sixth Ghost Domain, ruler of Explode City."
Two inheritance Ghost Emperors!
Alexander was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered. "Your excellencies, how may I assist you?"
In fact, he had encountered these men before. One of them was the individual who had made the jaw-dropping deposit of several hundred billion units in the number 9 dining hall.
"You don’t need to be so formal, nor do you need to worry. We mean well!" Untold continued, his face graced by a warm smile.
"It seems that you’ve been staring at this item for a while. Low on funds after spending too much in the instance, I presume? To have gained entry with soldier-level power and to have an Imperial accompanying you is quite extraordinary! I like to associate with people with potential."
"Fear not, I’ve got a bit of pocket change. Whatever you want in this store, consider it yours—I’ll foot the bill."
Untold’s proclamation left Edward and Kassadin flabbergasted. Did he seriously think that Alexander, a tycoon worth hundreds of billions, was short on money? And now he wanted to pay on Alexander’s behalf?
Alexander was equally stunned. He may not have been known to this individual, but he certainly recognized him. The man had made quite an impression when he deposited those hundreds of billions in the dining hall.
Are city lords typically this wealthy? The man had already deposited hundreds of billions before and was now willing to spend even more to treat guests.
However, Alexander quickly regained his composure.
It appeared that Untold had misunderstood the situation. Seeing Alexander transfixed by an item worth over 17 million units, Untold probably thought he was cash-strapped after spending heavily in the Mist Instance and was now trying to curry favor.
"No need, but thank you, Your Emperor Excellency. I have a rather long shopping list, so I’ll handle it myself," Alexander quickly shook his head and set down the item in his hands.
He wasn’t sure what Untold was up to, but it was highly unlikely that he had approached him merely to be kind.
"Are you looking down on me?" Untold asked, visibly miffed.
"Listen, young man, I don’t just befriend anyone. I see potential in you! To be blunt, this is an investment, as well as an overture of friendship. You may be weak and short on funds now, but I can easily part with a couple of hundred billion units. Just say what you need, and today’s expenses are on me!"
Untold spoke with the exuberance of a magnate eager to pick up the tab for the entire room.
Explode, the other Ghost Emperor, chimed in, "Young man, don’t stand on ceremony! Your a chosen one, may not fully appreciate the depth of us veteran Ghost Emperors. Untold here spent over 300 billion units in Cangshan city recently. If he’s taken a shine to you, don’t hesitate. Pick any item you like!"
Alexander, Edward, Kassadin, and Selena all looked perplexed. The duo had laid it on so thick, approaching them like high-rolling patrons eager to invest in a promising start-up.
It was as if an ordinary person were window-shopping at a car show only to be approached by Bill Gates and Elon Musk, with Musk declaring his intention to invest, offering any luxury car in the exhibit. Who could refuse that?
But the catch was that Alexander wasn’t just some ordinary person wandering the car show. Through the 9th dining hall, he’d essentially drained the accounts of all the wealthy individuals—including these two!
Feeling rather helpless but amused, Alexander thought, "Well, if they’re keen on throwing money my way, who am I to refuse?"
"But these ghost energy units don’t mean much to me. I’m prepared to spend whatever amount is needed," Alexander contemplated. "It wouldn’t be quite right to accept their investment of a few billion and then immediately splurge hundreds of billions, would it?"
Finally, after some hesitation, Alexander spoke, "How about this? I appreciate the good intentions from both of you Ghost Emperors. Let me first pick out the items I want. If my ghost energy units fall short, I’ll turn to you for help. How does that sound?"
"Agreed, it’s settled then," Untold and Explode glanced at each other and nodded in unison.
Their primary goal was to strike up a conversation with Alexander, gathering intel and discovering what secrets he might have uncovered. Investing in him wasn’t entirely a ruse either. To them, Alexander was already a worthy candidate for investment, given his potential.
In their eyes, Alexander probably exhausted his stock of ghostly units upon boarding the ship and entering the cabin. Even if Kassadin were willing to assist, how much could he offer? A few billion? A dozen billion?
They each had hundreds of billions in assets, more than enough to impress Alexander with the staggering resources that veteran Ghost Emperors could command.
"Many thanks to both Ghost Emperors," Alexander said with a grateful smile, leading Edward and the others toward the checkout counter.
"What are you doing heading to the checkout, young man? Don’t tell me you’re planning to buy just this one item? There are plenty of useful things here, and the right item could save your life in a crunch," Untold said, thinking Alexander was about to make a single purchase.
Alexander nodded, casting his eyes toward the checkout counter. There stood another young girl, dressed in a maid outfit, her face emotionless.
"Do you have a list of available items?" Alexander inquired, addressing the expressionless maid at the checkout counter.
"Certainly, sir. All the items in our store are listed here," she responded calmly, handing him a thick booklet. "This is a comprehensive list of all items, including their names, effects, and prices."
Taking the hefty tome, Alexander skimmed through its pages. It was a voluminous catalog, at least five hundred pages thick, densely packed with a myriad of items. A cursory scan revealed at least ten thousand different kinds of artifacts.
After flipping through the entire catalog, Alexander did indeed find numerous exceptional items, some even carrying astronomical price tags in the hundreds of billions.
To his disappointment, however, he found no trace of the Perfect Identity Card or even the Dimensional Imprisonment Card. Clearly, these were not ordinary items.
"What are you looking for, buddy? Maybe I can help," Untold offered, noticing Alexander’s evident disappointment.
"Do you know anything about the Perfect Identity Card?" Alexander asked.
To his surprise, Untold nodded.
"I’ve seen it here before, but it was priced at a staggering 150 billion and vanished within a few days. If you’re looking to break a cycle with the Perfect Identity Card, there are other items here that can accomplish the same feat. There are plenty of similar items."
Alexander had just perused the catalog and knew this to be true. However, those items were mostly designed for the natives, while he would be facing an endless horde of hell warriors.
Picking up that bell had given him an inkling that things were far from simple. He couldn’t afford to risk whether the hell warriors would attack him or not.
Shaking his head, Alexander turned back to the cashier, clinging to a final sliver of hope. "The Perfect Identity Card was here? Who bought it in the end?"
"Sir, would you like to make a purchase?" The cashier maintained her static smile, wholly ignoring Alexander’s query.
"Yes, I want to make a purchase," Alexander confirmed.
The smile on the cashier’s face brightened. "Please select the items you wish to purchase."
"No need," Alexander declared, tossing the catalog onto the counter. "I’ll take everything in this booklet!"