Looking at everyone in the Ghost Burial Squad, I felt deeply moved. But this time, our mission is extremely dangerous. With so many people, if anything happens to any of them—I don't even dare to think further.
"No matter how meticulous the plan is, there will always be a loophole somewhere. So, Ethan, rely on us a little more, won't you?"
Hugh Thompson said this as he patted my shoulder. In the end, I nodded and agreed.
There's no other way now. We have to go to the Ghostrealm ourselves and reach Lord Wraith's territory.
But none of us are familiar with the Ghostrealm, so we all turned to Evan Zhao.
"Don't ask me. I'm not all that clear about it, either."
"Seriously? You're the Blue Wraith, aren't you?"
Miles Mao asked, and Hugh Thompson adjusted his glasses and walked over.
"It's all because of you guys in the Ghost Burial Squad, locking me up for so long. Besides, I spent most of my time in the human world—how could I possibly know much about the Ghostrealm?"
"How did you manage to capture the Ghost Burial Squad members?" I asked. Evan Zhao just smiled.
"Ah, let’s not talk about the past, Ethan. I had quite a few run-ins with the Ghost Burial Squad back then. But now—well, forget it, haha."
"Right, let’s ask the female ghost Lord Wraith used to enslave."
As I spoke, everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, I remembered—I actually had a map of the Ghostrealm. I hurried upstairs to my room, found it in my drawer, and brought it back down.
Hugh Thompson took the map. We found a spot with some space, and Dalton Fang brought over a chair. Hugh spread out the map and studied it carefully.
"Didn't expect this map to be this good. Here."
Hugh pointed to the north, at the place marked 'Lord Wraith.' Then I told everyone about my experiences in the Ghostrealm.
"Midway Town is off-limits now, Ethan. Since you stirred up trouble there, they must know who you are. We’ll have to enter Lord Wraith’s territory from somewhere else."
Hugh said this, and Mason Yu leaned in, pointing at Circle City.
"This is the closest spot to Lord Wraith’s territory, and it seems to be just a desert. We can bypass Starvation Ridge, but I’m not sure how we’ll actually enter the Ghostrealm." Hugh glanced at me. "Ethan, let’s pay a visit to Old Man Naylor and Damian Chen from the Nether Syndicate—they should know something."
I nodded, and the others decided to head back and prepare. My cousin led them out to buy food supplies.
Outside the door, several vehicles were parked. Hugh Thompson and I climbed into a black Ghost Burial Squad van and headed for Fortune Teller’s Row.
As soon as we arrived, I was surprised to find that the crowds here had grown. The entire street was packed, even the shops that used to be quiet now had long lines, and the popular ones had throngs of people waiting for a reading.
Hugh and I squeezed through the crowd, struggling to make our way. Finally, we arrived at the shop where Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Blake were. Oddly enough, the alley in front of us was empty, while every other alley nearby was full of people.
"They can’t see it. That’s a technique from the Nether Syndicate. Come on, Ethan."
I responded and walked with Hugh into the alley. At a certain spot by the wall, we stepped over and entered Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Blake’s shop.
"Hey, the God of Wealth is here!"
As soon as we entered, Mr. Cooper jumped up in excitement. I gave him a resentful look, but he just glanced at me with disdain.
"I wasn’t talking about you. I meant the one behind you."
Hugh Thompson smiled, walked over, and handed Mr. Cooper a bulging bag.
"Not bad. So, what’s the matter this time?"
"Ethan, come here. Let Granny take a look at you."
I responded and sat down next to Mrs. Blake. She placed her hand on my forehead, her white eyes shifting slightly.
"You need to be careful lately. I told you before—you bear the Sevenfold Curse. Do you remember?"
I nodded.
"What is it, Granny?"
"I sense that the second calamity of the Sevenfold Curse may be approaching. So, be extra careful."
I nodded again. By now, nothing Mrs. Blake said surprised me; whatever is meant to come will come. I wasn't worried—I just accepted it calmly.
"Kid, aren't you scared? Last time, you almost lost your life."
I smiled.
"Whatever's coming will come, and there's no stopping it. But can you tell us how to get to the Ghostrealm first?"