novelraw Chapter 331: If you want my city, let’s see if you have the chops to take it!
Chapter 331: If you want my city, let’s see if you have the chops to take it!
The decor in top-floor hall was rather simple, making Alexander initially assume that this first Ghost Realm wasn’t particularly wealthy. However, the hall seemed to employ some sort of spatial manipulation; it was larger inside than the entire building.
Evidently, the space was akin to a gladiatorial arena.
The walls were made up of blood-red bricks, one of the most valuable plug-ins available in the Instance store. While these bricks didn’t significantly increase the fear factor, they were incredibly durable—resistant even to the might of a Ghost Emperor.
Apart from the ubiquitous red bricks, there were various activated Ghost Treasures and mystical artifacts scattered throughout the hall.
"Untold, what is this? A robbery?" Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Untold.
"Let’s not use such unpleasant terms," Untold retorted. Now in the room, he seemed to have everything figured out and his demeanor was far less courteous than before. "I simply want you to share some things. I believe you won’t refuse."
As Untold spoke, the dozen or so Ghost Emperors who had come with him began to circle around Alexander, their faces stern.
"How serendipitous!" Alexander exclaimed, "Untold, my man, as it happens, I’d also like you to share something. It seems we’ve really missed out by not meeting sooner."
It never occurred to Alexander that Untold might rob him. He attributed this to the inertia of his thought process.
Imagine one day you fancy your neighbor’s wife and plan on borrowing her for a bit.
When you’re caught having an affair with your neighbor’s wife, you don’t expect the neighbor to suddenly become enthusiastic. At most, you’d think he must have some request for you.
What you wouldn’t consider is that your neighbor has erectile dysfunction and has actually been hoping you would come to satisfy his wife’s sexual needs.
Stunned, Untold asked, "What do you want me to share?"
"This Lake City of yours looks pretty good. How about sharing it with me?" Alexander responded with an equanimous smile, as if he were asking for something trivial.
For a moment, Untold felt like he was back in an afternoon many years ago—a tall grade-schooler was asking to borrow his cherished eraser, one he was reluctant to use himself.
Furious, Untold glared at Alexander, "You are rather ambitious, aren’t you? I was merely interested in some intelligence from you, but you, you want Lake City! If you want my city, let’s see if you have the chops to take it!"
"Likewise! The intelligence you’re after can’t be exchanged for a mere Lake City, nor can your little Lake City handle it!" Alexander said.
"What we want to know is how you ascended to the rank of Ghost Emperor so quickly, how you acquired so much Ghost Energy, and how you established relationships with several Guardians!"
At Untold’s side, Penelope fixed her gaze on Alexander. Her body surged with Ghost Energy as she spoke ominously, "Don’t think that possessing forbidden powers makes you invincible. There are ways to counter such powers in this world, like this Abandoned Emperor Stone I hold."
As she spoke, Penelope opened her palm to reveal a luminescent stone. Intricate patterns were carved around the stone, and at its center was a piece of gray, diamond-shaped crystal.
"Can this thing really counter forbidden powers?" Alexander curiously asked.
He had Abandoned Emperor Stones too—albeit only a ’tiny’ amount, just over a million pieces!
"You wouldn’t understand," Penelope scoffed. "I’ve obtained three of these stones in the past. There probably aren’t more than five Abandoned Emperor Stones in the entire Horror World."
"We discovered it by accident," Untold interjected. "During a skirmish in a Mist Instance, we encountered natives in a Rampage State. To escape, we threw an Abandoned Emperor Stone. To our surprise, when the stone shattered, its forbidden effect was overwhelmingly domineering.
It stripped the natives of their forbidden powers and even nullified their Ghost Energy. We used another stone later to confirm its abilities, even breaking an Emperor-level cycle. Now, whether or not any Abandoned Emperor Stones still exist out there is debatable."
Untold’s tone was tinged with triumph as he looked at Alexander. "I’ll give you one last chance. Either hand over the information or experience the power of this Abandoned Emperor Stone."
"Boss, why waste an Abandoned Emperor Stone on this nobody? Leave it to me; I’ll turn him into pulp in three seconds," jeered one of Untold’s subordinate Ghost Emperors, flashing a menacing grin.
Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces as if victory was assured. They were convinced that Alexander would have no choice but to capitulate under these circumstances.
A smile also spread across Alexander’s face, but its meaning was far from clear.
"What are you smiling about?" Untold frowned slightly. While he didn’t think Alexander had any chances of gaining the upper hand at this point, he was still slightly taken aback, recalling the instances when he had spotted Guardians in Alexander’s room.
"Nothing much, I just find that object familiar. Seems like I have something similar in my possession," Alexander said, eyes on the Abandoned Emperor Stone in Penelope’s hand.
"You must be joking. Do you think this is a potato? Do you know how incredibly rare this item is?" Penelope looked disdainful.
"Rare, you say?"
A voice suddenly resonated in everyone’s ears. Instinctively, they all looked towards Alexander, but the speaker wasn’t him. From a distance, a figure wearing a digital band labeled ’27’ walked forward.
"Boss, the others are busy handling the ghost corpses we got from the Instance. So, I had to come first," he said. With a flicker of white light, the hall was suddenly filled with numerous figures.
"Duplicates?" Penelope was startled, her complexion changed dramatically upon sensing the strength of these duplicates—over twenty Ghost Emperors and the rest were all of Imperial level!
Using his talent, Alexander summoned thousands of duplicates and then halted. He produced a black iron box and smacked it open to reveal its contents: another Abandoned Emperor Stones.
Untold, Penelope, and the others were visibly shocked.
After a moment, Untold gritted his teeth and said, "I didn’t expect you to actually have Abandoned Emperor Stones, and so many duplicates. But you shouldn’t have come to Lake City, shouldn’t have entered this place! I designed it to be a trap capable of burying twenty Ghost Emperors. How much power can your duplicates muster compared to your original self?"
"Twenty Ghost Emperors? Easy, let’s add another twenty!"
Without another word, Alexander started summoning more duplicates. The arena was already filled, effectively surrounding Untold and his party.
Untold’s face went pale at the sight of Alexander summoning thousands of Imperials and dozens of Ghost Emperors in an instant. Beside him, Penelope’s face was equally ashen, gripping her Abandoned Emperor Stone as if it were her only lifeline.
A smirk crept on Alexander’s face, in their eyes of desperation and horror, each duplicate produced a black iron box.