In a hazy trance, I heard a clamor of voices—loud, chaotic. Gradually, my vision cleared, and I realized I was floating above Snowridge Springs, above the bustling town. Night had just fallen; the streets were ablaze with lights, and crowds were gathering for dinner.
I stared curiously at everything below, my consciousness slowly sharpening. The sensation was strange—there was no sense of restraint at all. I could see my body, yet it didn’t feel like my own.
What startled me most was the sudden appearance of so many people in the town. Most looked grim and exhausted. My eyes widened—I saw my mother sitting in a shop, packed with people. Everyone was staring at her as she seemed to be giving instructions.
I swallowed and, with a thought, moved inside. I couldn’t hear anything—only see everything before me. The people surrounding her were all Underworld Denizens.
Soon, my father and Felix Fan entered, both looking equally weary. My mother, her face tense, began to scold my father furiously. He hung his head, silent, while Felix Fan stepped between them, hands raised and smiling, apparently trying to mediate.
I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I was seeing Snowridge Springs in the living world. Outside the town, the parking lot was packed with cars—more chaotic than when I first entered this time-distorted space.
I began to observe the town. Many people looked exhausted; after eating, they returned to their hotels. Without exception, they were Underworld Denizens—each appearing unusually fatigued, while most normal tourists had no idea what was happening.
After dinner, the town’s lively atmosphere quickly faded into calm. In the riverside shops, only a few regular tourists remained; the stores were cold and empty. I followed my mother back to the room I’d stayed in before—and was stunned as soon as I entered.
I saw myself lying motionless on the bed, completely insensible—like I was asleep, but my face was deathly pale. My mother wiped her tears with a towel as she cleaned my body, then began to feed me spoonfuls of rice porridge. My eyes widened in shock.
It was clear now—I couldn’t use my powers because my body hadn’t actually entered this place. On the table, I saw the Dragon and Phoenix Harmony figurine, sitting there quietly. I’d wondered before why this pair of statues had disappeared.
I tried desperately to speak to my mother, but she couldn’t hear or see me at all. Outside, chaos reigned. My father stood on the street below, seemingly calling out to her.
On the highway outside, over a hundred people were gathered, carrying bags and lighting equipment. A temporary bridge had already been set up on the icy surface. After talking with my mother for a while, my father led the group across the bridge.
I didn’t know why my consciousness appeared in the living world’s reality, since I should have been asleep. Soon, my father and Felix Fan led a large number of Underworld Denizens into the mountains.
The whole town seemed to have fallen into silence. I glanced around—all the hotels were full, and some of the arriving Underworld Denizens had nowhere to stay, forced to sleep in their cars. Single rooms were packed with three people. Thousands of Underworld Denizens had come to the town, all searching for me.
I saw my mother making a phone call, her expression grave, nodding repeatedly.
As night deepened, the Underworld Denizens in each hotel came out again, heading toward the outskirts of town. It seemed they had only rested for two or three hours before resuming their search in the mountains, combing the area methodically.
I recalled how my father and Felix Fan kept going back and forth into the woods—clearly searching for this formation. Seeing all this, I felt a surge of emotion. I never expected so many Underworld Denizens would come looking for me, even the Lan Family’s branch and Walter Wu brought people.
I’d never imagined this before. In my memory, many Underworld Denizens had abilities, but rarely bothered with ghost-related problems. But lately, things have changed—the Underworld Denizens have started to get involved with handling ghosts, even taking charge of them.
It’s a positive development, likely related to the arrival of the Four Sacred Realms in the Hades Circle. Now the Underworld Denizens are even stronger, and Hades Circle is the largest sect in the arcane world.
I couldn’t help but think of some amusing things. Smiling, I watched everyone desperately searching for me. In the distance, a helicopter approached rapidly. I stared in surprise as it landed outside town—Jason Su, Lucas Lu, and the childlike Felix Fu all arrived, along with six members of the Thirteen Fates of Hades. I never would have imagined this before.
A crowd made its way to the hotel by the mountainside. My mother was already waiting outside. Soon, three Soul Collectors entered the room to examine my body, each with a grave expression. At that moment, I noticed a flame burst from Jason Su’s shoulder, transforming into a Vermilion Bird that circled my body before shrinking into a small bird and settling nearby, its gaze somber.
My mother brought out a stack of blueprints. In the next room, everyone began to study them. I watched, astonished—they were all formation diagrams I couldn’t understand. Jason Su looked troubled, while Lucas Lu chattered endlessly at the side.
Finally, Felix Fu couldn’t take it anymore and clamped a hand over Lucas Lu’s mouth.
Everyone studied the formation diagrams already recorded. At that moment, I felt my consciousness begin to blur.
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Dazed, I snapped awake, swallowing hard as sunlight struck the glass.
"Roxie, you actually slept so long! Just how late did your discussion with that ghost go last night?"
As soon as I woke up, I saw May Shaw at a small table nearby, reading a novel. I pressed my forehead, feeling groggy—it was already past eleven. May Shaw seemed to be in good spirits.
"I’ve already prepared breakfast, Roxie. After we eat, let’s go fishing by the river."
I responded, but a sudden worry crept in. I didn’t know what was going on with May Shaw—whether she was alive or dead.
Everything I saw in my dream about the living world was real—and I saw my own body, actually in the living world. Right now, I was just a collection of consciousness, so after entering, I couldn’t regain my power. Looking at my hands, I realized my strength was almost gone. But I stood up at once; with so many people from Hades Circle here, they would surely find a way. I just needed to figure things out—there would be a solution.
After lunch, May Shaw and I took the fishing gear she’d found yesterday and two small buckets, heading to the riverside. We drilled two holes in the ice and sat on little stools, starting to fish. This is one of Snowridge Springs’ attractions—ice fishing. The fish here are especially plump.
After an hour, we hadn’t caught a single fish, but we enjoyed the sunlit, leisurely afternoon. May Shaw held a paranormal novel, reading intently, though her expression was a bit tense.
"May, maybe stop reading if it’s making you anxious..."
"It’s fine, Roxie. I know how to separate reality from what’s in the books."
Around three in the afternoon, we finally caught a big fish and headed back, planning to return tomorrow. We quickly marinated the fish and grilled it to eat.
"May, you still haven’t remembered where you lost the sachet?"
I asked again, and May Shaw shook her head. She’d felt terrible and furious at the time, but couldn’t remember at all where she’d lost it.
After that, we headed out along the road outside town, searching as we went. May Shaw told me she’d once run frantically along this highway, but no matter how far she ran, she always ended up back at the town entrance.
Sure enough, after walking a while, we found ourselves back at the town entrance without finding anything. We searched the parking lot again but found nothing there either.
May Shaw knew the sachet was important and tried desperately to remember, while I looked around.
"May, when you get angry, do you go to any particular place, or smash things?"
I asked bluntly. Though she seemed gentle, May Shaw actually had a temper. She thought for a moment.
"Not really. If I feel terrible, I’ll just lie down somewhere no one is around."
I looked around again. We’d just have to check each room one by one.
By evening, we still hadn’t found it. But when we returned to the hotel, I was stunned—there, on the counter, was a sachet completely different from the other three. May Shaw, delighted, started to rush over, but I grabbed her at once.
"Careful."
I scanned the area, unable to use my powers to sense anything—making me feel helpless here. There was no way May Shaw or Chen Yuan had put it there. Something else was in this empty town—besides the manifestations of haunting terror, there must be something more.
I walked to the counter, quietly studying the sachet with its different embroidery. I picked it up—felt nothing unusual, but could smell a trace of blood and something burnt.