novelraw Chapter 267: Why does the Fierce Ghost Association have 6 million soldier-level members?
Chapter 267: Why does the Fierce Ghost Association have 6 million soldier-level members?
"Is ’the middle child’ displeased?"
Emperor Kui’s smile only widened at the mention of ’the middle child,’ perhaps a teasing reference to Louis II or something else altogether.
She lowered her hand from her temple and addressed Alexander, "Today, I’ll give you some face. To fend off the invasion from the Endless Abyss, the Rose Apartments will dispatch two ghost kings, ten Ghost Princes, and a hundred ghost generals to assist in defense!"
Everyone in the room turned to Emperor Kui, their faces etched with surprise. Unfazed by their astonished glances, Kui’s slender fingers lightly grazed Alexander’s chin.
"Sis is doing this for you! Remember, you’re always welcome at Rose Apartments. Even more intimate endeavors wouldn’t be frowned upon when you’re a guest in my home."
The atmosphere was electrified. Who knew Alexander had this much sway? Kui was someone not even Louis and Alice dared to offend. Yet, here she was, pledging support for Alexander’s cause.
Two ghost kings and ten Ghost Princes might not seem like a considerable force, but they symbolized something much more significant—an attitude, the attitude of a powerhouse.
Emperor Kui, with her unique abilities, had always been protective of the female ghosts in Rose Apartments. Any male ghost daring to enter those premises would not only be banished but would meet a most dreadful end.
Rumors had it that Emperor Kui was actually of Emperor level, an incredibly fearsome one, who simply distributed her powers through her talents.
A century ago, a lustful ghost named Ezekiel rose to notoriety. He had the kind of talent that allowed him to gain immense power through intimate relations with female ghosts. Within a short time, he rose to the Imperial rank, earning him the reputation as the most likely candidate to become a Ghost Emperor.
Ezekiel, ever the incorrigible lecher, boldly ventured into the Rose Apartments, aiming to have his way with all its female residents.
The moment he stepped into the Rose Apartments, however, he was defeated by an ordinary female ghost, empowered by Emperor Kui’s unique abilities.
And then, something dreadful happened...
The lascivious male ghost, Ezekiel, was imprisoned in a cell within Rose Apartments. Emperor Kui orchestrated an elaborate punishment for him:
Each day, hundreds of sexy and captivating striptease dancers, dressed in alluring lingerie, performed seductive dances in his vicinity. However, Ezekiel found himself incapacitated, his limbs immobilized.
This torment continued for a decade. Rumor has it that Ezekiel was in a state of perpetual arousal, yet he was utterly helpless, capable only of watching the dancers before him. He was even deprived of the simple ability to bend over and use his tongue.
The audacious Emperor Kui, who was not particularly fond of Alice, astonishingly lent her support to the Lord’s Mansion because of Alexander. More astonishingly, she even invited Alexander to Rose Apartments, a place notorious for never accommodating male ghosts.
Her support was symbolic, but the message was potent: if even Kui is standing by the Lord’s Mansion, then anyone who fails to show solidarity risks open conflict.
And so, one after another, commitments were made.
"We from Starlight Apartments will join the fray with six Ghost Kings, forty-five Princes, 560 Generals, and a bare minimum of 500,000 Fierce-tier or higher ghost troops!" declared an Imperial who was clearly a die-hard supporter of the Lord’s Mansion, going all-in without hesitation.
Others were less willing to invest as much. Some sent two or three Ghost Kings as a mere formality. A few even dispatched troops made up solely of lesser spirits, clearly intending to contribute the bare minimum.
Alexander took stock and shook his head. Regardless of personal relationships, the power and status of Alice commanded respect; every neighborhood sent someone, with the least valuable being a Ghost King.
Some factions believed the battle to be a losing proposition, sending disposable armies made up of low-tier ghosts. Others sent more meaningful reinforcements.
All told, the numbers added up to more than a hundred Ghost Kings, two thousand Ghost Princes, fifty thousand Generals, and over five million Fierce-tier or higher ghosts. Among the Imperials, only four clearly expressed their intentions to go. Two were absent but committed, and two more were maybes.
After a round of pleasantries and commitments, the representatives began to take their leave.
Louis, standing beside Alexander, made no move to depart, and neither did Alice. While the others might not understand the dynamics, Louis’ presence clearly indicated that Alexander was bound to stay.
Soon, all the faction representatives departed, one after the other. The last to leave was Kui from Rose Apartments.
As she passed by Alexander, she bent forward provocatively, offering him an unabashed view of her cleavage, before whispering:"Little brother, remember to come find me at Rose Apartments. I’ve got your back. If anyone bullies you, come to your big sister!"
"Hmph!" A faint huff came from beside him. Louis adjusted his glasses and said, "If you have no business, Sister Kui, I would advise you to leave."
"It seems his influence on you is indeed profound," Emperor Kui mused, exhaling deeply before walking away without another word to Alexander.
"What’s with Kui? What does she want?" Alexander frowned, looking at Louis with questioning eyes.
"Don’t worry; she bears no ill will towards you. Let’s talk about the siege of the Endless Abyss," Louis shifted the topic, perhaps sensing Alexander’s concern. "You should not get involved this time. Go to Cangshan City and attend to your own matters. I will handle things here in the Dark Hell."
"Are you sure? This siege isn’t just their doing. They’ve reportedly found strong allies," Alexander said, openly sharing the intel he had gathered from Kevin.
This was part of his intent; the forces assembled by the Endless Abyss this time were formidable. A single Endless Abyss could marshal tens of millions of troops.
Not to mention the other two powers, Nether City and Undead City, each led by a Ghost Emperor of inheritance rank. If they have decided to come, their accompanying forces would undoubtedly be elite.
Added to the forces that the Endless Abyss brings itself, that’s three Ghost Emperors! And that’s without even accounting for their accompanying guard regiments.
"Don’t worry. I’ll handle the matter with the Endless Abyss and drive them away," Louis spoke again.
"That won’t do! As my older brother, I can’t let you face this situation alone. On the day of the Endless Abyss siege, the Fierce Ghost Association will mobilize in full to support Dark Hell!"
Alexander was convinced that Louis could handle it—having witnessed the terrifying power of ’forbidden,’ he had no doubts about that.
But Louis being safe didn’t mean others would be. Even in an army of tens of millions, Louis could probably only ensure his own safety.
"That won’t be necessary," Louis replied, shaking his head. "The Fierce Ghost Association has only been established for a short time. Though it has many members, its power is weak. You’ll only create chaos."
Alexander instinctively looked at Edward. Could this guy be that good at keeping secrets?
If the batch of Ghost Food Alexander brought were all consumed, almost twenty Ghost Emperors and hundreds of Ghost Imperials would be born! Could a Fierce Ghost Association, composed of six million soldier-class members, really be considered weak?
"Well, never mind then," Alexander sighed with a hint of regret. "The Fierce Ghost Association is indeed a bit lacking. Of our older members, we only have ten million; six million are soldier-class, and the rest are of Fierce rank. We are indeed too weak."
"You shouldn’t be too disheartened. The Fierce Ghost Association has only been established for a short while. Having six million soldier-class members is already—wait, did you say six million? Soldier-class?"
Louis interrupted, staring at Alexander in disbelief. "You’re saying the Fierce Ghost Association now has an army of six million soldier-class members? What on earth did you do in the Mist Instance?"
Louis was aware of the existence of the Black Iron Coffin and the Ghost God Spiritual Position within the Fierce Ghost Association, so their rapid development wasn’t shocking to him. However, the fact that even their weakest were of Fierce rank was a surprise.
The hierarchy of Dark Hell’s power structure can be broadly categorized into five levels.
The first tier consists of wandering ghost factions, the very bottom rung of Dark Hell’s ladder. Tony, back when he was a street thug at the Blood Moon School, was at this level. Generally, they are slightly more potent than average ghost citizens, with evil spirit level considered leaders.
The second tier belongs to regular Ghost Lords, like the instances Alexander had raided before. Most Ghost Lords here are not particularly powerful; a few might be at the Fierce level, but their subordinates are mostly standard ghost citizens with only a handful being stronger.
The third tier comprises neighborhood factions, whether it’s the bus Ghost Lord of Ghost Apartment or various associations within neighborhoods. Leaders here are typically at the Ghost General or Ghost Prince level, and the lower-ranking members are usually Evil Spirit.
Being Fierce-level makes one a leader, and occasionally, soldier-level ghosts appear. Stronger factions within this tier, like the previously mentioned Evil Ghost Association, are indeed fearsome.
The fourth tier includes large neighborhood apartments, which hold a unique status. The masters of these apartments usually possess power at or above the Imperial level. Their armies are mostly Fierce-level.
Finally, the fifth tier, the city lord’s mansion, governs all of Dark Hell and maintains both Hell’s Legion and the guard army. Both are primarily Fierce-level, but the Legion, with its tens of millions of members, has no more than two million at the soldier level.
But what about the Fierce Ghost Association? A mere neighborhood association in Dark Hell has somehow amassed an army of six million soldier-level members.
"I didn’t do much. I just used a role-playing card to replace a chef in a dining hall. I did some small trading and employed a few natives to help me get some local specialties," Alexander said with a ’shy’ smile.
Both Tony and Edward burst into laughter at his side. Small trading? Local specialties? Did Alexander just call accumulating hundreds of trillions of ghost energy points a ’small business’?
And was that even a business? It was more like scamming people into subscribing before taking off with the money!
As for ’local specialties,’ the Ghost Food could indeed be termed that way, as nowhere else could one find such high-level ghost corpses. But Alexander employed far more than a ’few natives’—he practically disrupted the entire Cangshan City with hundreds of thousands of them.
"Ah, you! You always manage to stir up quite a commotion wherever you go!" Louis cast a sidelong glance at Alexander.
"Cough!"
Just then, Alice, who had been sitting in the main seat with her eyes closed, let out a soft cough.
Louis instantly became serious and inquired, "The Endless Abyss army won’t be fully assembled for at least another twenty days. I plan to have the Fierce Ghost Association participate in the battle as Dark Hell’s trump card. How much can you elevate the Association’s strength in that time?"
"That depends on how much support the city lord’s mansion is willing to provide," Alexander said with a laugh.
"Name your conditions. As I’ve said, what’s mine is yours. The city lord’s mansion will prioritize supplying the Fierce Ghost Association, and that includes my mother and me. You can do as you wish," Louis blurted out without hesitation.
Intrigued, Alexander glanced at Alice, who, surprisingly, showed no resistance this time. Instead, she nodded and said, "Louis’s decision is my decision."
It seems the relationship between Alice and her son Louis isn’t as strained as one might have thought.
Since Louis was so open with his offer and even his mother agreed, Alexander wasted no time.
"The Fierce Ghost Association can quickly bolster its strength through Ghost Food. Our concern is not the level of individual members, but weapons and supportive ghost artifacts, especially weapons. Without adequate armaments, we can’t unleash our full power."
"Dark Hell’s armory holds three hundred thousand soldier-level weapons, two million at the Fierce level, and tens of millions at the Ferocious ghost level. These are standard issue and can be deployed at any time.
While Dark Hell may not be the strongest city, it’s still a significant one, with a dedicated ghost smithery. At full capacity, we can produce ten to twenty thousand weapons a day," Louis stated directly.
It’s not that a soldier-level ghost absolutely needs a soldier-level weapon to maximize its abilities. Weapons at the Fierce or Ferocious level can also be effective. However, the inferior the weapon, the lesser the power a ghost can unleash.
A Fierce-level ghost wielding a soldier-level weapon could very likely defeat an unarmed, talentless, regular soldier-level ghost. On a grander scale, this discrepancy could severely impact the outcome of the entire battlefield.
Weapons at the Ferocious ghost level are already the worst options for soldier-level ghosts. Anything of a lower grade would be outclassed even by makeshift weapons like baseball bats or kitchen knives.
"Transfer all these weapons to the Fierce Ghost Association," Alexander commanded. "Additionally, I’ll be holding an auction tomorrow where an Imperial-level and ten King-level Ghost Foods will be up for sale. I need the city lord’s mansion to vouch for the efficacy of the Ghost Food and to notify all the ghost city merchants."
Ghost city merchants occupy a highly unique profession. When Alexander had first plotted a scheme in the backyard of the Ghost Restaurant, he had disguised Tony’s subordinates as cloak-wearing merchants from another ghost town, successfully luring Manager Charles out of the restaurant. Those merchants were, in fact, ghost city merchants.
The horror world is unimaginably expansive. Let alone the distances between major Ghost Realms, even the astronomical gap between one ghost city and another is mind-boggling.
Just as every district in Dark Hell has its own distinctive features, so too do the ghost cities.
Travel between ghost cities is rife with hazards, including the presence of hell warriors, which leads to an extreme price disparity for local products—sometimes varying by dozens or even hundreds of times their value.
Ghost city merchants have emerged as a profession precisely in this milieu, navigating these long, perilous journeys to exploit the enormous price gaps.
So when Alexander spoke of notifying all the ghost city merchants, both Alice and Louis showed expressions of surprise.