Chapter 24: Obtaining a New Soul Seed

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“Take care, dear guest! Please come again!” The Wood Sage happily waved her wrinkled hands.

After leaving the Wood Sage’s flower shop, Starshine wandered aimlessly along the main street of the Ghost Market.

Then she suddenly noticed a shop far more luxurious than the others. Its signboard bore the words “Black Gold Chamber of Commerce.”

A chamber of commerce? It sounded like the sort of place that dealt in major business. What could they possibly sell? Curious, Starshine decided to take a look inside.

The moment she entered, two figures—a man and a woman—came forward to greet her.

No, they were not human!

The man had medium-length, wavy purple hair and a thin, angular face. Two short, sharp fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth. His lips were as red as blood, and his eyes gleamed like rubies. His complexion was so pale that he hardly looked alive.

The woman wore long, straight black hair. Her ears were pointed, and her eyes resembled deep purple gemstones. Her skin was unnaturally fair and smooth. A pair of black wings extended from her waist, while a demonic tail swayed casually behind her.

After hesitating for a moment, Starshine finally took out her bestiary compendium and pointed it at them.

She had been willing to show the fox and the Wood Sage respect because it was obvious at a glance that they were powerful. As for creatures that were not strong enough, Starshine generally decided whether to respect them according to the circumstances.

Although her consciousness was primarily Starshine’s, she had ultimately fused with the consciousness of the evil god Taisui. Her conduct was not destined to be overly conventional.

Taisui itself was an evil god and could never have been particularly normal. Moreover, ever since its birth, it had been confined in a mysterious laboratory and subjected to endless research. There was no way it could have been especially upright.

Thus, whenever circumstances allowed, she preferred to follow her instincts rather than obey the rules.

Race: Vampire Thrall
Classification: Fiend Spirit
Attribute: Shadow
Trait: Unawakened
Skills: Sanguine Drain — Absorbs the opponent’s blood, greatly restoring the user’s injuries.
Blood Embrace — Injects the user’s blood into the opponent, controlling them for a short time and forcing them to serve the user.
Rating: E
Role: Speed Attacker
Description: A human transformed into a thrall by a vampire baron.

——————

Race: Evil-Eyed Succubus
Classification: Fiend Spirit
Attribute: Shadow
Trait: Unawakened
Skills: Bewitching Gaze — Releases mesmerizing light from the eyes, controlling the opponent and forcing them to serve the user.
Essence Seizure — Absorbs the vital essence of a male opponent, greatly increasing the user’s strength, speed, and defense.
Rating: E
Role: Power Attacker
Description: The most insignificant variety among the many types of succubi.

Two fiend spirits!

Wasn’t it said that fiend spirits were extremely rare?

And vampire thralls and succubi—Starshine remembered that neither of these spirit species existed in Dragon Xia, nor in any of the eastern nations. The innate conditions required for their birth simply did not exist there.

They could only be found in the western countries.

It seemed that the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce was indeed no ordinary establishment.

The vampire thrall and the succubus completely ignored Starshine’s rude behavior, as though they had long since grown accustomed to such things.

And in truth, they had. As spirit species that were nearly nonexistent in the East, they were often examined with bestiary compendiums by visiting customers.

As shop attendants, they had no right to object to a customer’s behavior. Unless a customer caused trouble, they were forbidden to take action.

The two spirit species smiled and said in unison, “Welcome, dear guest.”

Starshine nodded and stepped into the hall. Only then did she finally understand what kind of business the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce was engaged in.

Spirit species.

They were selling spirit species.

The succubus stepped forward and asked, “What are you looking for, dear guest? All the spirit species we sell have legitimate origins. You may purchase with complete peace of mind.”

“I’ll look around first,” Starshine replied.

The succubus did not press her. She merely smiled and said, “Of course. Please call me whenever you need anything!”

Starshine nodded, then turned her attention to the spirit species displayed throughout the shop.

Displayed—that was precisely the word.

Countless square transparent glass cases stood throughout the store, each one containing a single spirit species.

Every one of them was asleep.

The spirit species came in all shapes and forms, and Starshine had never seen most of them before.

For example, one glass case contained a black handgun.

A handgun could actually become a spirit? How astonishing.

Another case held an ancient-looking spear. Rust covered its tip, yet it exuded an inexplicable aura of power. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.

Then Starshine saw green seeds, red ribbons, a pair of embroidered shoes, and many other objects.

All of them were artifact spirits.

After that, Starshine reached the beast-spirit section. Lions, tigers, monkeys, crocodiles, wildcats—every kind of creature could be found there.

She even saw dinosaur-type spirit species. She remembered that Teacher Hu possessed one herself.

As far as Starshine knew, dinosaur-type spirit species were naturally powerful and extremely rare. She had not expected the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce to have one.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

Should she buy a spirit species?

She had always wanted a recharging support-type spirit.

Besides, now that she had disguised herself under a new identity, it would not be appropriate to continue using Night Fighter and Princess whenever she went out hunting.

Both Night Fighter and Princess were openly known within the Spiritmaster Alliance. It would be troublesome if someone recognized them.

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With a new spirit species, she would not need to worry at all. She had no contractual bond with the spirit species, so there would be no concerns about contract slots or spiritual-energy burden.

The main reason she did not collect more spirit species was that she could not afford to raise them.

Spirit species had to eat, too.

With that in mind, Starshine began searching for a recharging-type spirit.

Recharging spirits were an exceedingly rare category among support spirits. After looking for some time, Starshine failed to find even one.

She waved to the succubus standing nearby.

The succubus immediately hurried over and asked in a sweet voice, “What do you need, dear guest?”

“I’m looking for a recharging support spirit. Do you have one here?”

“We do, we do!” the succubus said happily. “Please come with me.”

She led Starshine in a certain direction.

When they reached a corner, Starshine saw a glass cylinder more than half-filled with water. Floating quietly inside was a carp-like spirit species.

It was extraordinarily beautiful. Its entire body was as white as jade, yet a golden, dragon-shaped pattern ran along its back.

Starshine did not even need to use her compendium. The cylinder itself displayed the carp spirit’s basic information.

Race: Abyssal Carp
Classification: Divine Spirit
Attributes: Water, Light
Trait: Unawakened
Skill: Radiant Splendor — The entire body shines with dazzling, rainbow-like radiance. Allies bathed in the radiance continuously recover spiritual energy for three minutes. Multiple uses may stack, up to a maximum of three layers.
Rating: F
Role: Recharging Support

A continuously recharging spirit, and its effect could even stack.

Was this not absurdly powerful?

It was practically a divine pet.

And it really was a divine spirit, so the title was entirely fitting.

A spirit species this powerful could not possibly be cheap.

Starshine glanced at the price and was immediately stunned.

An F-rank spirit species cost thirty thousand spiritual-energy gems!

Who could afford something like that?

Seeing Starshine’s tightly knitted brows, the succubus asked cautiously, “Are you dissatisfied, dear guest? This is the finest recharging spirit in the entire shop.”

When Starshine remained silent, the succubus continued, “Perhaps I could show you the next one?”

Starshine hesitated, then nodded.

Under the succubus’s guidance, she arrived at another glass cylinder not far from the Abyssal Carp.

Inside lay a withered branch. Perched on it was a butterfly with a deep-blue body.

Although the butterfly was asleep, its beautiful wings continued to flutter gently.

It was only about the size of a palm. Each wing bore a diamond-shaped pattern whose sheen resembled cathedral glass, glittering with multicolored radiance.

After examining it carefully, Starshine looked at the information displayed on the cylinder.

Race: Prism Dream Butterfly
Classification: Fairy Spirit
Attributes: Metal, Wood
Trait: Unawakened
Skill: Dreamscape — Creates an illusionary dream realm. Allies within the dream continuously recover a small amount of spiritual energy and become immune to abnormal conditions.
Rating: F
Role: Recharging and Crowd-Control-Immunity Support

Another divine pet capable of continuously restoring spiritual energy!

Its recovery was weaker than the Abyssal Carp’s and could not stack, but it granted allies immunity to abnormal conditions.

Starshine found the situation unbearably painful. A divine pet was right before her eyes, yet she had no money.

The Prism Dream Butterfly was only slightly cheaper than the Abyssal Carp—twenty-five thousand spiritual-energy gems.

“Too expensive.” Starshine shook her head.

The succubus immediately understood.

So she was simply short of money.

The succubus had been wondering how anyone could possibly fail to appreciate an Abyssal Carp. That was a treasure among treasures!

Yet she showed no displeasure at all. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Dear guest, if you truly want a recharging spirit, there is actually one more in our shop.”

“Is that one cheaper?” Starshine asked.

The succubus nodded. “It is cheaper, but… there is a slight problem.”

“What problem?” Starshine asked curiously.

“Why don’t you come and see for yourself? You’ll understand once you do.”

Starshine nodded. “All right.”

Following the succubus, Starshine arrived in front of an iron cage.

That was right—an iron cage.

Unlike the other spirit species sleeping inside glass cylinders and cases, this one was locked in an iron cage, and it was awake.

It was a child-shaped spirit species, appearing to be about four or five years old. She was still a tiny little thing, but her features were extraordinarily delicate.

Her appearance was strange, however. Her skin was dark blue-green, her lips were black, and her short white hair barely reached her ears. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were white as well.

She wore a black dress decorated with red bows at the neck and hem. Black stockings trimmed with lace covered her legs, while a pair of gleaming red leather shoes stood out vividly.

In her hands, she toyed with a small, old-fashioned dagger. It was bronze-colored and covered in eerie patterns.

Most importantly, the child spirit looked at Starshine and the succubus with intense resentment.

Starshine examined the information belonging to the child spirit.

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Race: Grudge-Cursed Witch Child
Classification: Undead Spirit
Attribute: Shadow
Trait: Unawakened
Skills: Grudge Shadow — Transforms into a shadow of resentment and conceals the user’s form.
Cursed Thorn — Attacks the opponent with a dagger filled with curse power. Upon striking and dealing damage, it drains a large amount of the opponent’s spiritual energy and randomly seals one of the opponent’s skills.
Witchblade — Stabs an ally with a dagger filled with witch power, greatly restoring the ally’s spiritual energy.
Rating: D
Role: Recharging and Debuff Support
Description: A child with albinism who was transformed into a spirit after being killed by her own mother through special means. Her heart is filled with resentment, yet she is exceptionally obedient.

After seeing the Witch Child’s skills, Starshine thought, What a bizarre way to recharge spiritual energy.

She had three skills, and her rank was also higher than those of the Abyssal Carp and the Prism Dream Butterfly.

Clearly, the Grudge-Cursed Witch Child had been exceptionally lucky. She had successfully awakened a skill both when advancing from F-rank to E-rank and when advancing from E-rank to D-rank.

The succubus explained, “This Grudge-Cursed Witch Child is rebellious and refuses to obey spiritmasters. Even a contract would have difficulty restraining her.”

That isn’t a problem, Starshine thought.

She did not control spirit species through contracts.

As long as the creature consumed her flesh and blood, even the most rebellious spirit species would become obedient.

The succubus continued, “That is only a minor issue. The real problem is that she fought fiercely when our people captured her and was gravely injured as a result. Her spiritual source was damaged, and treating it would cost a fortune. For a D-rank spirit species, that simply would not be worthwhile.

“She probably does not have much longer to live. Our proprietor is currently considering whether to dispose of her.”

In truth, the spirit was not even meant to be sold. Perhaps because she felt a sense of kinship with her kind, the succubus pitied her and had made an exception by bringing Starshine to see her.

If Starshine could take the child away, then even if she died, at least she could die with some dignity.

Injured?

Looking more closely, Starshine indeed saw that something was wrong with the Witch Child’s expression.

But this was only a minor problem for her. No matter how serious the injury, as long as the child still drew breath, Starshine could restore her to perfect health.

“I’ll take this spirit. How much?” Starshine asked with a grand wave of her hand.

A spirit with so many problems ought to be cheap, right?

The succubus’s face brightened immediately. “Certainly, dear guest. The price is three thousand spiritual-energy gems.”

Starshine: …

Three thousand?

She could not afford three hundred, or even thirty.

It seemed that spiritual-energy gems were scarce treasures in the eyes of the academy’s novices, but once one stepped into the outside world, they were merely something that vanished at an alarming rate.

Still, there was another way.

Starshine took a great axe from her black bracelet and asked, “Will you accept barter?”

She had already inquired about it. Most shops in the Ghost Market accepted payment in goods.

The reason was that most ordinary spiritmasters, whenever they managed to save up some spiritual-energy gems, could not resist immediately spending them on cultivation.

The succubus hesitated. “That… is not something I can decide. Please wait a moment while I fetch our proprietor.”

Starshine nodded and watched as the succubus departed.

Before long, she saw the succubus returning with a middle-aged man dressed in a suit.

The man wore gray clothes, had his hair combed straight back, and sported a small mustache.

“I am Jia Kui, the proprietor of this establishment. You wish to barter for goods?”

“Yes.” Starshine nodded. “Is that all right?”

Jia Kui stroked his mustache and smiled. “Of course. As long as it is something valuable, the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce has no reason to refuse it!”

“Then take a look at this.”

Starshine handed the great axe to Jia Kui.

Well-traveled and knowledgeable, Jia Kui recognized its origin at a glance.

“This is… a Butcher’s Great Axe?”

Pig Butchers, Savage Bull Butchers, and Wicked Ram Butchers were all types of spirit species generally known as Butchers.

Starshine nodded. “That’s right.”

She was not afraid of the axe’s origin being exposed. After all, she was operating under a false identity.

If that identity was exposed, she could simply abandon it.

She had no backing in the hidden world and was short of funds. Sooner or later, she would have to sell the things in her possession.

Jia Kui tapped the great axe with his fingers. A deep, muffled sound rang out.

“Not a bad axe. I can value it at two thousand spiritual-energy gems.”

Two thousand?

It was worth more than Starshine had expected. She had originally thought she would be lucky to get a few dozen, or perhaps a few hundred, at most.

But then again, this was a weapon belonging to a C-rank spirit species.

Jia Kui continued, “If you wish to exchange this one axe for our Grudge-Cursed Witch Child, I’m afraid it will not be enough.”

At that, Starshine casually tossed down another great axe.

“What if I add this one?”

Jia Kui’s face lit up with delight. “Then it will be enough—and more than enough!”

He waved to the vampire thrall in the distance. “Quickly, take these away and return the surplus value to the lady.”

“Yes!”

The vampire thrall respectfully came forward, picked up the two great axes, and carried them away.

Jia Kui then took out a blue spiritual-energy card. After storing the Grudge-Cursed Witch Child inside it, he handed the card to Starshine.

“Dear guest, this Grudge-Cursed Witch Child now belongs to you.”

Starshine accepted the spiritual-energy card. Jia Kui then added with a beaming smile, “All our spiritual-energy cards are purchased through the Alliance’s official channels. You may use them without concern. If you remain uneasy, you may replace the card yourself.”

Starshine nodded to show that she understood.

A moment later, the vampire thrall returned carrying a bag and handed it to Starshine.

Inside were the one thousand spiritual-energy gems left over from the purchase of the Grudge-Cursed Witch Child.

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