Chapter 644: Ghost Market
Sophia leaned closer to Lana and whispered breathlessly, "What is this?"
Lana stared at the strange settlement. "The Ghost Town that exists inside the Ghost Domain?"
She nodded slowly.
"If I am not mistaken, there should be a ghost settlement nearby. Anyway, that lumpy mountain must be hiding somewhere around here. Let us continue searching, but do not leave each other’s sight."
Calix and Danny exchanged a glance before finally speaking. "Let us heal first."
Lana gave them a faint look.
"Use your healing energy. It is not as though you do not have hands, right?"
Hearing those words, both Calix and Danny became furious.
However, neither of them dared to argue.
They silently channeled their self-healing energy through their bodies.
A faint glow surrounded them as their wounds gradually began to close.
Within a short period, their injuries had largely recovered.
Lana watched them carefully and nodded.
’Their healing abilities are almost on par with mine.’
Their injuries had been quite serious, yet they had managed to recover remarkably quickly.
Just as Lana was thinking about this, Sophia suddenly spoke.
"Wow, the houses in this ghost town look incredibly realistic. It is almost as if human architecture was used to build them."
Lana turned her head and looked more closely.
Sure enough, the shadowy houses were primarily constructed from wood.
Her eyes narrowed.
’Wood is something humans commonly use for construction.’
A strange feeling settled in Lana’s chest.
This was more than a simple coincidence.
It could be evidence that humans had once been involved in creating this strange civilization inside the Ghost Domain.
Just as Lana was thinking about this, Calix suddenly spoke. "We have some work to do. Can we leave for a while?"
Lana blinked. "Did you already forget about the contract just because I gave you another chance?"
Calix’s expression became serious as he looked directly at Lana.
"Look, things might have gone wrong on our end, but this is the legendary Ghost Town. As long as we reach the Ghost Market, we will be able to buy things such as ghost essences that are worth thousands of years of cultivation. You might even be able to obtain something that could help with your mystical cultivation, so think carefully before deciding."
He paused before continuing.
"Besides, if you stay with us, we might accidentally reveal your location to someone outside. They could end up coming after you and trying to take whatever treasures you obtain here."
Lana blinked. ’A legendary ghost town with a ghost market? I have never heard about this place.’
She suddenly realized that her knowledge was still lacking. At that moment, Mr. Crow’s voice quietly entered her mind.
’Ghost towns are indeed similar to what he described. Not only that, but ghost towns generally regard other humans as ghosts as well. That means you should be able to move around without being discovered. If you want to purchase something, you only need to offer items containing negative energy. However, Ethereum Gold would be the best currency to use here.’
Lana’s eyes flickered with surprise. "Ethereum Gold is the currency here? That expensive gold?"
Sophia heard her and chuckled.
"Indeed. Ethereum Gold is not only useful to humans, but ghosts value it as well. As long as you use it here, you might encounter all kinds of unexpected opportunities."
Lana considered it for a moment before nodding. "All right, then. Let’s go with that."
She looked toward Calix and Danny. "You two can leave, but meet us right back here within the next three hours."
Calix snorted, "We will meet you at night near your tent."
With that, he turned around and walked away with Danny. Lana watched them disappear into the distance before nodding. "All right. I will deal with this."
She then departed in the opposite direction with Sophia. Sophia tugged lightly at Lana’s clothes. "Aren’t you worried that they will run away?"
Lana chuckled. "At most, I will put myself in danger. Once that happens, the contract will force them to come back and help me."
Sophia was speechless for a moment before giving Lana a thumbs-up. "You are a true hero."
Soon, the two of them arrived at the Ghost Market. The moment Lana stepped inside, she was slightly stunned.
The Ghost Market looked almost exactly like an ordinary human marketplace.
The only major difference was that the shopkeepers were ghosts, and every single one of them seemed perfectly accustomed to haggling with customers.
Lana noticed a ghost girl with two ponytails. Her eyes were completely missing, leaving only empty sockets, while her mouth was unnaturally wide.
She was standing in front of a shop and arguing loudly with the shopkeeper.
"If you do not give me that crystal, then forget about me leaving here. I will continue haunting you and all your customers!"
The ghost shopkeeper was even more unhinged. He laughed loudly.
"Little girl, you can stand here all day long. It is not as though I am human and would be frightened by you."
Lana was speechless. ’Are these ghosts actually running businesses and arguing with customers?’
There were also various ghost couples strolling through the streets. Some were holding hands, while others were kissing or behaving intimately without any concern for the people around them.
Lana turned toward Sophia. Sophia was staring at the entire scene with her mouth hanging open.
It was obvious that even she had never known such a place existed, let alone that ghosts could behave so much like ordinary people.
Lana took a deep breath and leaned closer to her. "Stop looking like an incompetent outsider, or they will realize that we are not from here."
Sophia finally came back to her senses. "All right."
The two of them first entered one of the more desolate shops.
The shop was dimly lit, and the faint smell of incense lingered in the air. There were not only crystals displayed throughout the shop but also various cards arranged neatly across a wooden counter.
The moment Lana saw the cards, her curiosity was immediately piqued. She knocked lightly on the table.
"Hello, what are these cards?"
The ghost shopkeeper was a fat, middle-aged man with strange whips wrapped around various parts of his body. He wore an ancient robe, and his pale face carried an expression of complete indifference.
"That will be ten grams of Ethereum Gold."
Sophia immediately pouted. "That is too expensive."
The shopkeeper waved his hand dismissively. "Then just leave."
Lana chuckled. "You did not even look in the direction I was pointing. How did you know that was the item I wanted? And I asked for a description, not a price."
The ghost shopkeeper rolled his eyes and pointed at Lana.
"Little girl, listen carefully. Many people like you come here and constantly try to haggle with me. None of you ever think about the poor souls who run these shops. Do you ever consider how shopkeepers like us survive? If you are only here to haggle, then just leave. Also, I don’t waste my time on telling what each card does. Just read the description."
Lana was speechless. She finally understood why the shop had almost no customers.
’With an attitude like this, it would be a miracle if anyone wanted to buy something from him.’
However, her curiosity about the cards remained. She began looking through them one by one.
Sure enough, there were dozens of different cards.
Each card was platinum-blue with a metallic sheen that reflected the dim light of the shop. The moment Lana touched one, a cold sensation spread through her fingertips and traveled up her arm.
Curious, she picked up a particular card.
It depicted a strange angel-like woman standing in front of a dark background. She had raised one hand as though she were an angel descending from the heavens, yet there was something unmistakably demonic about her appearance.
Under it were some strange gibberish letters written, which she guessed were mostly like the ghost language.
Lana pointed toward the card. "How much is this one?"
The shopkeeper answered without even looking up. "Thirty grams of Ethereum Gold."
Sophia immediately leaned closer to Lana. "Let’s leave it. That is far too expensive."
Sophia was not complaining because she lacked money. She simply understood the value of Ethereum Gold.
It was something that could not easily be purchased, even with enormous amounts of ordinary wealth. Lana, however, smiled.
"Then let’s do one thing. We should separate for a while. I am interested in buying these things, and I do not want my competitor to know what I am purchasing."
Sophia looked at her for a moment before chuckling. "It looks like you really do have Ethereum Gold."
She shrugged. "All right, then. I will not disturb you."