"Still not working, Ethan Zhang?"
I nodded, busy roasting food. Poison Dreadstar came again—she's been here every night for seven days straight. Ghost Fiend Star sat there, looking tired as she drank, already a bit drunk.
"There's nothing wrong with this place except you can only play single-player games, no online games. But it's fine for now. When those Dark Banquet guys come back, I'll ask them to help figure out how to bring games from the Living World here and set up the internet."
Ghost Fiend Star still had games on her mind, while Poison Dreadstar had only one request: she wanted me to help find the scattered fragments of Wraithshade. In this darkness, only I have the instinct to coexist, so only I can do it. That's why she comes every night to ask the same question, then drinks alone until I close the shop, completely drunk, and Ghost Fiend Star helps her home.
The shop was still full. The Replicator didn't come to help today, and I was struggling to keep up. Everything now feels much lighter than before—no more oppressive weight. These days are supposed to last ten years. In this place where time stands still, ten years might be just one second in the Living World, gone in the blink of an eye.
Gradually, it was late at night again. Poison Dreadstar wasn't drunk tonight—she drank slowly, not like the previous days. After a busy evening, I made a few dishes for myself and sat at their table. Ghost Fiend Star looked bored.
"Let it go, Poison Aunt. About the Old Boss..."
Whenever Wraithshade was mentioned, Poison Dreadstar's mood soured and she downed several gulps of liquor.
"Sorry, Poison Aunt. I won't bring it up again. Time will pass quickly—you should be able to..."
"I can't forget."
Poison Dreadstar slowly raised her glass, her eyes filled with sadness as she took a sip.
"He was like a father to me. That's why I want to see him again. I can't let go."
Ghost Fiend Star let out a heavy sigh. Poison Dreadstar slumped over the table, her eyes glazed, staring quietly into the distance. Ghost Fiend Star shot me a look, and I got up to leave with her.
"Sigh, Ethan Zhang, you need to think of something. Maybe you should disappear for a while, leave the shop. If Poison Aunt can't find you, maybe she'll calm down eventually."
"Aren't you upset? Wraithshade was your Old Boss, after all."
Ghost Fiend Star sighed.
"It's true he taught me a lot, but honestly, I don't feel much about him. Poison Aunt raised me from childhood—she took care of everything for me. As for Wraithshade, I might've met him less than ten times in my whole life. Do you think I'd be sad?"
"You're really heartless."
I chuckled.
"What about Dreadstar? He's Wraithshade's son, right?"
Ghost Fiend Star nodded. I remembered that guy was still locked up in the Hall of Malice—the Immortality Society's negotiations hadn't managed to get him out.
"We're all the same. As members of the Ghost Syndicate, we don't have much feeling for our Old Boss, Wraithshade—not even his own son. Most of the big things in the Ghost Syndicate were always passed down to us by Poison Aunt herself. Later, when the Syndicate split, Poison Aunt just left Ghost Tomb Forest and went to the Living World. As for me, I was still useful to Dreadstar, and since Poison Aunt would always teach me a lesson now and then, I just stayed. Besides, the food's good in the Syndicate, so why not?"
I quietly tilted my head back, glanced at the sky, and chuckled.
"Sorry, but I don't want to leave here. Some things you have to face yourself—if you just run away, sooner or later you'll have to deal with it anyway. I've been there more than once, and the only way out is to go through it yourself. Otherwise, it's all pointless. Even if I leave, when I come back, Poison Dreadstar will still come looking for me for help. Ten years isn't so easy to get through."
"Is that so."
Ghost Fiend Star sighed helplessly.
"I really don't know what our Old Boss wants. Honestly, he founded the Ghost Syndicate, but he always felt like an outsider. Besides his strength, we know nothing about him. Poison Aunt might be the one who understands him best—she was picked up from a brothel and adopted by him, so she's basically his foster daughter."
"Are you done yet?"
A gloomy voice drifted over—Poison Dreadstar, angry and looking drunk, walked over and grabbed Ghost Fiend Star by the ear.
"Poison Aunt, what are you doing? If you're drunk, just go home."
"Will you have a few drinks with me, Ethan Zhang?"
I agreed and went back into the shop. Poison Dreadstar and I clinked glasses and drank it all in one go.
"Back when the Ghost Syndicate was in danger, when Old Boss was up against Yuna Ji and John Chou, I was really reluctant to let him go. But he told me he wouldn't die—and he survived. This time, too, when he went to Emperor Huang's Domain, I tried to talk him out of it, but he said the same thing. Now look at what happened."
I stayed silent, watching Poison Dreadstar. I didn't know what to say—Wraithshade had tried to kill me more than once, so I couldn't help but feel repulsed by him.
"He's always been a strict person, especially with me. Whenever I made a mistake, he'd punish me, teaching me everything with harsh discipline. Maybe that's why I'm so tough on everyone in the Syndicate now—because of him. You probably know what that's like, Ethan Zhang."
I grunted, poured another glass, and took a sip.
"Sorry, I need to go practice now, Poison Dreadstar. As someone who's been through it, here's my advice: if he's truly that important to you, find a way to save him yourself. No matter how much time passes, relying on others won't get him back. You have to earn the darkness's approval."
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As I spoke, I floated up, instantly turning into a shadow. By now, I could control the power of darkness with ease, moving through it was simple. In a blink, I was at the outskirts of the city, among the scattered rocks, quietly watching the distance.
I noticed Ghost Fiend Star had followed me. I looked back in confusion, and after a while, she finally caught up.
"Poison Aunt said I should come help you, Ethan Zhang."
I looked at Ghost Fiend Star, puzzled.
"You should be stronger now, but you're still not my match."
I nodded slightly.
"I've been stuck in this darkness for a long time. How about a fight?"
I shook my head and said,
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood right now."
I sat on a large rock. Ghost Fiend Star landed on the rock across from me, propping herself up and sitting comfortably.
"Honestly, I'm tired of everything in the Living World. Not planning to go back—I'm much older than you, after all."
I smiled. Even though she was much older than me, Ghost Fiend Star was still like a child who'd never grown up.
"Aren't you tired of it? All the fighting in the Living World."
"Sometimes I feel that way, but I still have too much unfinished business. No matter how tired I get, I have to go back and deal with things myself."
Ghost Fiend Star nodded.
"Since I first learned to talk and walk, I've been in the Ghost Syndicate. Old Boss picked me up, so as soon as I could run, I was dealing with ghosts, practicing techniques. The best thing about being a ghost is how free it feels—no suffering from a human body."
I looked at Ghost Fiend Star in surprise; her face showed helplessness.
"But ghosts are scary too. Everyone in the Ghost Syndicate has to deal with ghosts and master everything about them, using their power—it's always been that way. But I often wonder why the relationship is always master and servant, never friends."
I chuckled.
"Why tell me all this?"
"You know, Ethan Zhang, you're easy to talk to. Especially when you were just leaving, what you said to Poison Aunt really woke her up—her sadness vanished, and I saw hope. Thank you, Ethan Zhang."
As Ghost Fiend Star spoke, she stood up and slowly floated into the air.