"You don't need to tell me. I already know."
Impatience flickered in Lan Yin's eyes.
"You should still have the power of the other Three Symbols, right? The Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger."
Lan Yin shook his head.
"The power of the Four Symbols complements each other. None can be missing."
At that moment, Poison Dreadstar let out a cackling laugh.
"From what I know, the people of the Nether Syndicate can use the power of the Four Symbols without needing them to complement each other."
Lan Yin looked a bit embarrassed. At that moment, Rachel Lan walked over.
"We Hades Circle Born are protected by the Four Symbols from birth, so we can't use a single power alone."
"Alright, alright, enough. You're not my mother, so why nag me? I know very well that the Hades Circle must change. If I survive this, I plan to move Hades Village into the world of the living."
Poison Dreadstar chuckled and stood up. Lan Yin patted Rachel Lan on the shoulder.
"Kid, that's just how it is. Over the years, I've neglected to communicate with other Soul Collectors—or rather, I've refused to. Deep down, part of me still resents the Hades Circle. All changes in this world come after disasters. The Hades Circle hasn't faced anything major for years. Comfort always brings death. Without a sense of crisis, the Hades Circle has become stagnant."
We kept walking in silence. Lan Yin's words stirred something in Hugh Thompson's heart. He was deep in thought, and so was the Ghost Burial Squad. After suffering a major setback, they'd grown despondent. In just a few short years, the death rate kept rising.
As for myself, I never had much sense of crisis either. Only now am I gradually understanding why Yin Choujian did all those things for me in the past.
Gradually, after a few hours, we could see it clearly—the mountain ahead was lit up. We had reached the foot of the mountain. Along the way, we encountered several ghosts and had to stop and wait for them to disappear.
According to Poison Dreadstar, the Ghost Tomb Forest is saturated with Yin Energy. People from the Ghost Syndicate only come here to capture ghosts when their own numbers are low. Most of the time, they avoid this place.
It's not like in ancient times, when the ghosts they raised had no offerings and could only eat wandering spirits to stave off hunger. But now, with plenty of offerings, the ghosts raised by the Ghost Syndicate won't turn hostile toward their keepers just because offerings run out.
In the past, sometimes they had to use living people as feed. But ghosts raised that way were especially violent and prone to losing control. Those fed with wandering spirits were heavy with Yin Energy and hard to manage. If your own strength was weak, even refined ghosts could turn on you.
The Ghost Syndicate mainly makes money by selling ghosts to wealthy clients, who use them to draw luck or ward off disaster. Nowadays, Syndicate members regularly visit clients for aftercare, preventing the ghosts from turning on their owners. This is their main source of income. There's a darker side—using ghosts to harm people—but unless there's a huge payout, they rarely do it anymore.
Doing so shortens your own lifespan. Most members of the Ghost Syndicate aren't willing to do it anymore—unless it's for money. They'll do it once or twice, but not again.
"What about you? Don't you need to eat?"
Lan Yin asked, and Poison Dreadstar shook her head.
"Don't be fooled by my appearance. I own some shops and companies in the living world. Heh, I've long since moved past these crude ways of making money. Too much effort for too little reward—I'm not interested."
At last, we could see the whole Ghost Tomb Forest before us. It looked like a massive fortress. At the foot of the mountain, rows of black fences bristled with spikes. There were several entrances; the central one was the largest. It was brightly lit, bustling like a night market.
"What's going on here?"
"You'll find out once we're inside."
We followed Poison Dreadstar forward. A massive gate stood closed, guarded by many people wearing conical hats, patrolling the area.
"Open the gate."
Poison Dreadstar called out loudly. Instantly, the gatekeepers looked down, floodlights snapped on, and our surroundings turned bright as day.