Chapter 646: Ghost Kings
Lana remained silent. The ghost shopkeeper studied her expression before chuckling.
"All right. Since you have spent so much here, I will give you some useful information."
He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Having a seven-thousand-year-old ghost is actually quite normal in the Ghost Domain. After all, killing one isn’t hard."
Lana listened carefully. The shopkeeper continued.
"Once ghosts complete their cultivation and reach the seven-thousand-year level, they have to cross the Nether River. Once they cross it, they become Ghost Kings. However, during the transformation and after the transformation, the ghost king is in a vulnerable position for the next 5 hours."
He paused before continuing.
"Because of that, other ghosts constantly hunt and kill these newly formed ghost kings for their ghost essence. Over time, this became so common that seven-thousand-year-old ghost essence is no longer particularly rare."
Lana frowned.
The shopkeeper smiled. "Of course, they are still extremely expensive. It is not something that every ghost can afford in the Ghost World."
Lana’s eyes flickered. "It sounds like an interesting idea."
The shopkeeper immediately leaned forward. "So, do you want one?"
Lana chuckled softly. "How much does it cost?"
The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together before answering, "Just ten kilograms of Ethereum Gold."
Lana raised an eyebrow.
"Ten kilograms? I would give you ten kilograms, but I still want two seven-thousand-year-old Ghost Essences. If you can’t, then I will take my leave."
The shopkeeper’s expression immediately changed.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
He hurriedly leaned toward her, looking as though his entire livelihood depended on the next few seconds.
"Ma’am, that price is practically ripping me off and leaving me with no benefit at all. Please have a little mercy on me and let me make at least some profit."
Lana shook her head. "Since you do not want to make the deal, then I will simply leave."
She turned around as though she genuinely intended to walk away. The ghost shopkeeper immediately stamped his foot.
"All right, all right! Buy it!"
Lana stopped and looked back at him.
The shopkeeper sighed helplessly before taking out two crystals filled with dark, swirling energy.
"Here. Take the ghost essence crystal."
Lana accepted it and carefully examined the crystal. A faint chill seeped into her palm, and she could feel the dense negative energy contained inside.
She looked back at the shopkeeper. "Do you have any more?"
The shopkeeper immediately shook his head.
"No. It is too high-risk for me to keep too many of them in stock. I do not hold onto these things for very long."
He hesitated before adding, "However, if you truly want to buy more, I can take you to another shopkeeper who might have some."
Lana shook her head.
"That is secondary. Instead, can you tell me about a place where I can find artifacts that allow someone to inherit power?"
The shopkeeper looked at Lana strangely. "Why would you want something like that? Are you trying to become a ghost king?"
Lana chuckled.
"Even if I wanted to become a ghost king, it would not be your place to judge me."
The shopkeeper immediately smiled awkwardly.
"It is my mistake. It is my mistake. I will not ask you any more questions."
With that, he began walking ahead, gesturing for Lana to follow him toward the place she had asked about.
The place the shopkeeper led Lana to was tucked deep inside a narrow inner alley.
The alley was so cramped that the walls of the old buildings seemed almost close enough to touch, and even Lana began to wonder who would choose to hide in a place so far beyond the main settlement.
The damp, stale smell of the surroundings reminded her strongly of the slums in the real world, exactly as she had imagined they would.
The shopkeeper finally stopped in front of an old, weathered house and turned toward her.
"An old man lives here. He has cards that can help you inherit powers. But remember this: he is extremely temperamental, and he does not sell things to random people unless he approves of them."
Lana glanced at the shabby house before looking back at him.
"Can you even buy things from him?"
"You can try," the shopkeeper replied. "But you should also remember this: every item he owns is magical. Even if you manage to obtain one of them, or even half of one, you should consider yourself lucky."
Lana’s expression became strange when she heard the words ’half of one’.
"Half of an item? Can someone actually give you half of an item?"
Hearing her question, the shopkeeper burst into laughter.
"Young lady, you truly seem to know very little about Ghost Town. This is Ghost Town, after all. Of course, I have a way to make an item into a half. Take the card I gave you, for example. As long as I slice it properly, you can take one portion of it. That portion might work for half a lifetime, or it might only work for fifteen minutes. It all depends on how I cut it."
Lana’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’This Ghost Town really is a bizarre place.’
Just as she was about to ask another question, the door of the house creaked open. The sound scraped against the silence of the alley, and an old man’s irritated voice immediately echoed from inside.
"Who is there? Do you not realize that it is already afternoon? You should not interrupt an old man’s nap."
The shopkeeper’s face immediately changed. Fear flashed across his eyes, and without even saying goodbye, he turned around and hurried away.
Lana watched him disappear down the alley before taking a slow, deep breath. ’So much for having someone accompany me.’
She turned toward the house and raised her voice. "Grandpa, I want to buy something."
A long silence followed. Then the same grumpy voice echoed from inside.
"I am not interested in selling anything. Leave before I lose my temper again."