Chapter 90: The Intimidated Ghost Tamer
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
In the center of the room, the red-lacquered coffin lay undisturbed, its ornate details shimmering faintly in the weak light.
The candles that had previously flickered before the coffin were now snuffed out. Even though there remained a stream of light filtering down from an overhead source, the entirety of the village seemed to be shrouded by a heavy, oppressive haze, emitting a pale, almost sickly yellow glow. This eerie, muted illumination added to the already tense and stifling ambiance of the room.
Adjacent to the coffin, a lifeless body slumped against the wall. It was contorted in such a way that it brought to mind the tortured twists of a wrung-out rope.
A pool of dark crimson surrounded the body, evidence of a violent end.
Despite the grotesque disfigurement, there were telltale signs in the attire and a few discernible features that confirmed their worst fears – it was Tian.
“Is he… truly gone?” Yiming’s voice shook with a mix of shock and sorrow.
Remarkably, they were all gathered in the same room, mere meters away from each other.
The abrupt and brutal demise of a ghost tamer, right before their very eyes and without any semblance of a struggle, presented a chilling tableau.
“The ghost that inhabited him has left,” noted Page, who was positioned nearest to Tian. After a contemplative pause, he added, “If the spirit were still within him, he wouldn’t have been vanquished so effortlessly.”
Yiming remarked gravely, “The disparity in our capabilities is evident. This malevolent spirit’s potency can be ranked as a formidable ‘A’. It’s disconcerting to think that a skilled ghost tamer was taken down as casually as one might dispatch a chicken.”
He further mused, with a sardonic edge, “In fact, it might have been simpler than slaughtering poultry. At least a chicken would vocalize its last moments. This…” His countenance was a haunting blend of trepidation and grim humor.
A heavy pall of dread, grief, and vulnerability settled over the group. Witnessing the sudden, silent end of a colleague was deeply unsettling.
With a creased brow, Miles posed a troubling question, “Is solitude in this village synonymous with doom?”
He continued, trying to make sense of the situation, “We’re at a loss to discern the ghost’s operational pattern or any discernible patterns. It appears the spirit is systematically taking out any potential threats, which might explain its targeting of isolated ghost tamers. However, certain actions are perplexing. Why does it seem like the ghost is also intent on assembling us?”
Yiming recalled, “The deliberate sound of footsteps seemed designed to draw us to specific locations. I remember waking from sleep, not to a direct attack, but to a lure that led me to both Stretch and Tian.”
“Similarly, when we were on the upper level, the distinct sound of footsteps emerged, leading me straight to Yiming and the rest.”
Deep in contemplation, Miles attempted to connect the dots. “Is it possible that the ghost has dual intentions – to assemble us for some reason and yet also single out lone ghost tamers for attacks?” But he quickly added after finding that not plausible, “That doesn’t make sense. Spirits typically have a focused intent. Displaying such contradictory behaviors implies a more complex scenario… Could it be that there are not one but two malevolent entities haunting this village? One ghost seems intent on herding us together, while another aims to disperse us and isolate us.”
Could it be that the ghost with that unsettling cough and the one responsible for the gruesome ends of Sheng and Tian were not the same? Perhaps they were two distinct spirits with diverging agendas.
This sudden epiphany sent a chilling shiver down Miles’s spine. The implications were horrifying.
“Miles, snap out of it! This isn’t the time to get lost in thought. We need to make a swift exit,” Stretch warned urgently.
Returning his focus to the present, Miles observed that Tian’s lifeless body had already been respectfully wrapped and set aside, and his comrades were hurriedly making arrangements to leave.
“What’s the plan?” Miles inquired, trying to grasp their course of action.
Yiming, with a somber tone, responded, “Remaining here any longer spells certain doom. I initially believed that banding together would grant us some semblance of safety. But after witnessing the fall of two of our colleagues under such mysterious and terrifying circumstances, I’ve realized the folly of that assumption. We need to evacuate and abandon this mission immediately.”
“Once we’re out of here, I intend to have a serious conversation with the agency that sent us on this mission,” Yiming vowed with determination. Handing over a set of keys to Miles, he added, “These belong to Tian. I noticed you arrived on foot. Take his car – think of it as lending a hand to a fellow ghost tamer in need. If you want, you can leave with us.”
Miles took the keys, but his expression was contemplative, clearly conflicted about the next course of action.
To Miles, the hasty retreat seemed driven more by fear than rationality. They appeared more like folks who would rather wait for an inevitable doom from the comforts of their safe spaces than face the challenge head-on. He had resolved to stay and face whatever lurked in Yellow Hill Village.
Stretch, noting the resolve in Miles’s demeanor, attempted to persuade him, “Don’t be rash. Join us, get out of here. If you stay, I fear you won’t survive.”
Miles voiced his perspective, “We, the low-tier ghost tamers, lack the protective umbrella of powerful organizations or governmental agencies. Our position in society is already precarious. We’re often kept in the dark about advancements or tactics in handling malevolent spirits while the elite have access to coveted knowledge. The sinister occurrences in Yellow Hill Village present us with a rare opportunity.”
“If I can harness this chance, master the power of this elusive second ghost, and hinder the resurrection of malevolent entities, our fortunes could change dramatically. You all can go, but I’ve made my decision.”
A heavy silence settled as the others exchanged glances, absorbing Miles’s declaration. There was no jest or ridicule in their eyes, just a glint of respect. While they were choosing the path of least resistance, Miles was bravely confronting the unknown. If anyone was deserving of ridicule, it was them, not Miles.
Yiming, with a sincere tone, cautioned, “Tread carefully.” Without further ado, he, along with Page, made their exit.
Stretch lingered momentarily, wrestling with his internal conflict. His desire to stay and confront the mystery battled with the overpowering urge to flee. Ultimately, the weight of fear proved greater, and with a resigned sigh, he too departed.
Two individuals had already lost their lives, and for Miles, the stakes were too high to risk any further mistakes.
“I will use them as a test,” Miles pondered internally. “If this ghost truly controls a ghost domain, those individuals won’t have the ability to depart from this village. But, if they manage to escape its grasp… then it would mean I possess the freedom to exit this place whenever I choose.”
His eyes sharpened with an analytical glint, always seeking, always evaluating.
Although many were paralyzed by the fear of death, Miles wasn’t exempt. However, he held a significant edge. Harnessing the power of the ghost domain meant that even the persistent, knocking ghost from the school incident wouldn’t be able to ensnare him. This potential escape route imbued him with the audacity to take risks.
Understanding his options, Miles swiftly shifted his focus, evaluating the pressing circumstances.
“If the pattern holds true, I might be the next on the vengeful spirit’s hit list. Yet, Tian’s death was a recent event. Having confronted and taken down a ghost tamer, the spirit might require a brief respite before it attempts another kill. After all, even ghostly entities must recuperate. With this understanding, I need to seize this moment to scrutinize this problem in depth.”
His gaze then redirected towards the centerpiece of the room: a red-lacquered coffin.
A realization was dawning upon him, and pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
The idea of surrendering now was utterly inconceivable.
Drawing in a steadying breath and guided by the soft illumination, he gravitated towards the coffin.
Its exterior suggested it was recently crafted with a robust aroma of paint that slightly stung his nostrils.
But did it house a corpse like they assumed?
With bated breath, Miles gingerly rested his palm on the surface of the coffin lid.
He steeled himself for the revelation that might lie beneath.
I highly suspect that this village is either a naturally emergent or artificial “disposal site,” which by nature is pretty much harmless to anyone but ghost tamers. Ghost tamers that are near the end of their lifespan or are too unstable become a liability. At that time, they’re given a mission to investigate the village and are cleaned up after, no one the wiser. A large group was sent this time because they had pretty much used up their usefulness and had been exposed to highly confidential information. If I’m right, returning without having proven themselves by surviving the disposal is a very dangerous choice in of itself. It might seem like a conspiracy theory, but risk management for ghost tamers approaching the end of their lifespans is the biggest potential benefit of a group like the cockroach club, realistically speaking. The structure is better for pulling in tamers who want to scam newbies rather than for getting shit done.
Even if I’m right, there are multiple ways the disposal site could be structured. In general, it’s too risky to feed ghosts other ghosts, even if that reduces the absolute number you need to deal with. It’s possible that the trait of having a more complete ego that I suspect comes from ghosts that “hatched” from a ghost tamer is not absorbed by a naturally emergent ghost that consumes such ghosts, which could make the risk lower overall than letting ghost tamers complete their transformation, provided you have a good understanding of the ghost’s behavior patterns and are able to make use of them. In such a scenario you’re basically allowing the creation of a supernaturally radioactive wasteland, but in a world going to shit, sacrificing some land to protect everywhere else makes sense.
It could also be that the disposal site managers have a grasp on the ghost’s weakness and are confident in sealing it at any time. Or that the situation of seemingly two separate ghosts in the village is the result of placing a cursed object inside the territory of a ghost, with behaviors that synergize in an interesting way. If, for example, the coffin is a cursed object that seals the ghosts of any ghost tamers who die near it inside itself, which isn’t that unlikely considering that the parchment can seal a ghost, then the village is more of a slaughterhouse than a disposal site. It stops the ghost from becoming stronger by absorbing others of its kind, while providing many valuable sealed ghosts for experimenting and ghost tamer enhancement. In a situation where the world is about to come undone from supernatural catastrophe, you need to be at least this calculating to survive.
Ghost assimilation as a means of extending a ghost tamer’s life should require a ghost of nearly equal strength to the ghost you already have. If one party is weaker, the stronger party will simply swallow it and accelerate your demise instead of delaying it. There are also the factors of mental influence, compatibility with a certain ghost, and useful combinations of abilities. If you can afford it, you want your second ghost to be dissimilar enough that their mental influence doesn’t stack to twist your mind. We don’t know much about ghost compatibility, but it likely is important to whether you can even accept a certain ghost, as well as how much power you can bring out and how much rejection your body experiences. Then there’s ability synergy, like Ethan’s power being very useful in conjunction with Miles, but pretty crappy by itself. The combination of these factors means that there’s a high demand for a wide variety of sealed ghosts, and that anyone who can afford it is likely to pick out a suitable ghost that is weaker than their current ghost and “upgrade” it before assimilating it.
My point being that there is probably a tremendous demand for sealed ghosts that will have no indications of weakening as time goes on. Ghost tamers are much easier to harvest ghosts from than wild ghosts in addition to being dangerous when they outlive their usefulness, it’s inevitable that there will be people and organizations that seek to “recycle” them. It would be extremely difficult for Miles to capture a ghost equal to his ghost eyes, although the ghost behind the village stuff would be a suitable opportunity… but not so difficult to leave a ghost mark on Ethan to claim him after death and eventually steal his ghost after raising it. Even if he didn’t betray Ethan, many low level ghost tamers will probably end up taking the “deal with the devil” I envision. In life, a subordinate, who the superior is obligated to provide assistance to in surviving and growing as a ghost tamer; in death, something between a slave and livestock. You’re given a chance at life, but it’ll be beneficial to your master regardless of whether you live or die, unless you surpass them in power.
I swear, the most interesting part of this novel are the social implications of the various systems introduced…
Is this novel dropped?
no, i did a pause because ive been busy editting the older chapters of deep sea ember. afterward i will redo the chapters for this novel and continue on