Chapter 2045 - 549: Another Use for Souls

Great Graveyard, Resurrection Square.

As the ghostly green Soul Fire reassembled beneath the massive Obsidian statue, a Skeleton draped in a tattered Magic Robe slowly stepped out of the Void.

Yiye Zhiqu flexed his freshly reassembled finger bones, producing a crisp crackling sound.

That dizzying sensation of his Soul being forcibly yanked out of his body and then stuffed back in made the Soul Fire in his eye sockets sway uncontrollably a few times.

"Damn... did the pain reduction in this game stop working or what? For a second there I felt like my skull got pried open."

A complaint came from nearby.

In the distance, white light flashed repeatedly at the resurrection point; Hu Wan, the Minotaur Knight, and the Pig-headed Warrior also walked out of the resurrection chamber one after another.

The two Lizardman Players were baring their teeth and rubbing their own necks, clearly still traumatized by that instant-kill experience.

"Don't even mention it, I didn't even see what the boss looked like, just straight to black screen."

Hu Wan flicked his now-all-bone tail in frustration. As one of the top Thieves on the entire server, getting one-shot without even having a chance to enter Stealth was definitely a disgrace.

Yiye Zhiqu sighed and habitually reached for the Magic Wand stuck in his ribs, only to grab at empty air. Only then did he remember his Magic Wand was still lying in that damned cave, along with the ring on his hand.

At that moment, even though he was a fleshless Skeleton, everyone could read a hint of heartache from his stiff movements.

"Brother Leaf, what's the plan?" The Pig-headed Knight sidled up, looking shamelessly eager. "The forum's all laughing that we went there just to do a delivery run. You can stomach that?"

"Let them talk, you think I'd take that seriously?"

Yiye Zhiqu smiled faintly, wearing an expression of total indifference. But anyone familiar with him knew this guy actually cared like hell inside.

Those dogshit NPCs have no sense of honor!

And of course—

Even more outrageous are the dogshit devs, actually scripting ambushes!

This grudge has to be settled!

The more he thought about it, the more pissed he got. Yiye Zhiqu paused for a moment, then continued.

"We'll go to the shop, buy some supplies and basic white gear, and we're heading back right now! While nobody's explored that cave yet, we might even pick our gear back up. We're not short on Joss Paper, but we're not about to let those rats profit off us either."

The Pig-headed Knight's face lit up.

"Boss, that's brilliant!"

The four of them marched toward the shop, morale blazing.

Right now the Great Graveyard commercial district was bustling, countless Players setting up stalls and trading.

Yiye Zhiqu headed straight to the officially operated "Logistics Supply Station," planning to buy a few sets of transitional whiteboard gear first.

However, the moment he stepped through the door, that Nobula Store Manager—who usually couldn't be bothered to answer anyone—suddenly brightened up, jumped down from behind the tall counter, and rubbed his hands together.

"Yo! Isn't this [Yiye Zhiqu]? You finally came!"

Yiye Zhiqu froze for a second, the Soul Fire in his skull flickering oddly. He didn't remember Nobula ever being this polite.

"What, is there a discount today?"

"Discount? No no no, today there's something even better than a discount!"

Nobula Store Manager chuckled slyly, then turned around and dragged out a tightly wrapped package from under the counter, pushing it to Yiye Zhiqu with some effort.

"This is an 'express delivery' just shipped back from the front line. General Alakdo specifically instructed us, said you brave souls worked hard scouting to the north! You offered your hearts to the Demon King Army, and the Demon King Army can't let you suffer losses for nothing. These pieces of equipment are now returned to their rightful owners! Please check and accept!"

Whether this guy had a heart or not, at least the lines the Demon King taught him were recited word for word.

Thanks to the Translation Crystal placed on the counter, all of this was converted into language the Players could understand.

He hadn't expected something this good.

Yiye Zhiqu's Soul Fire flared suddenly; he reached out with his finger bones, incredulous, and sliced through the cobwebs on the package.

Rustle—

With a crisp clatter of metal, several familiar pieces of gear slid out.

Lying on top, unmistakable, was the Magic Wand he'd been pining for—the one he'd named "Abyssal Grip"!

And his Golden Diamond Ring!

Not only that, Hu Wan's Dagger, the Minotaur's long spear, the Pig-headed's Battle Axe… even the potions that had dropped from their backpacks were all neatly stacked inside without missing a single bottle!

In the gaps between the equipment, he even found a note to his surprise, with one line of messy handwriting on it:

[Nice fight.

—Demon King]

...

The oppressive heat at the end of June lay over the temporary camp outside Cold Crow City like a shroud, the air thick with the stench of rot and the smell of boiling grain.

Flies circling low droned an irritating buzz, like Ghouls impatiently rubbing their hands, waiting for the feast to start.

The refugees of the Ryan Kingdom who had fled Burial Peak were sprawled all over, lying crookedly under the trees or in shabby tents.

Most of them were barely clothed, missing limbs, their empty eyes fixed on some point in space, their Spirit clearly on the verge of collapse.

For these people who had just clawed their way back from the edge of Hell, the past few months had been one long nightmare.

The soldiers at the northern outpost of Cold Crow City had no idea how to deal with what lay before them. After all, they were not patrolmen from Campbell Castle; they were used to dealing with bandits, not waves of refugees.

The only consolation was that Cold Crow City's response had been relatively swift.

The City Lord had brought local officials and Priests from the Church, while the local Baron had arrived with his manor servants and several carts of supplies.