Chapter 603: Defensive Robe
Hearing her question, Axel looked at her curiously. "Why do you ask?"
Lana simply shook her head.
"It’s nothing. I just overheard you talking on the phone this morning. You mentioned that someone needed to prepare a hall for 3 weeks later."
Axel let out a helpless smile before shaking his head.
"Nothing can stay hidden from you, can it?"
He slowed his steps slightly and looked toward the distant Ghost Zone. A complicated smile gradually appeared on his face, though it carried far more sorrow than happiness.
"It’s the third anniversary... The third year since my girlfriend disappeared."
His voice became quieter.
"If she were still alive, we would have been celebrating our third anniversary together."
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "But since she isn’t here... I’ve decided to celebrate it by myself."
Lana looked at Axel’s lonely profile.
For the first time in a while, she genuinely pitied him. "Oh..."
She didn’t know what comforting words to offer. Instead, she quietly changed the topic.
"Uncle, how do I look today?"
Axel blinked before finally giving her a proper look from head to toe.
His eyes slowly scanned her outfit.
She was wearing an elegant crimson dress covered by a flowing silver robe embroidered with intricate patterns.
Combined with her calm demeanor and beautiful face, she almost looked like a sacred priestess descending from the heavens.
Axel smiled.
"You’re wearing a crimson dress beneath a silver robe. You almost look like some kind of holy priest."
Lana chuckled proudly.
"Don’t judge it just by its appearance. This outfit possesses several defensive enchantments."
She gently pinched the edge of her robe.
"As long as I activate them, I can remain safe even if a two-thousand-year-old ghost attacks me here."
Axel frowned. "Then what’s the point of training?"
Lana’s lips curved upward mysteriously. "I’ll show you the magic."
She casually snapped her fingers.
The next instant, a soft flash of spiritual light enveloped her body.
Before Axel could even blink, her clothes completely changed.
The elegant priest-like robes disappeared, replaced by an entirely different outfit.
Axel stopped walking altogether. His eyes widened in surprise.
"How...? How did you do that?"
Lana grinned mischievously.
She took out a yellow talisman covered with tiny crimson inscriptions and waved it in front of him.
"This is a costume-swapping talisman. I’ve linked it directly to my storage talisman. So whenever I want... I can instantly swap into any outfit I’ve stored."
She smiled proudly.
"I don’t even need to move my hands. If I suddenly encounter danger... I’ll immediately switch into my defensive robes. It’s much faster than changing clothes normally."
Axel stared at the talisman for several seconds before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
"Good. It seems my survival training wasn’t completely wasted."
Lana immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"You always keep underestimating me. Others might think I am a country bumpkin or something."
Axel burst into laughter.
"You? A country bumpkin? I doubt that’s possible."
The cheerful atmosphere between them eased the tension surrounding the gloomy Ghost Zone.
.................................
Not long afterward, they finally arrived at the entrance.
Two guards stood there quietly. They appeared completely ordinary.
However, the moment Lana looked at them with her third eye, her expression subtly changed.
She could clearly see faint strands of black aura wrapping around their bodies like invisible chains.
’They’re possessed, both of them.’
One of the guards stepped forward. His expression remained calm. "Who are you? What brings you here?"
Lana immediately smiled warmly. "Hello. We’re just tourists. We came because we wanted to visit this place."
She blinked innocently. "Could you let us enter, big brother?"
The guard suddenly smiled. "Since you’re calling us ’big brother’ with such a sweet voice, how could we possibly refuse?"
With that, both guards stepped aside. Just as Lana was about to enter, one of them suddenly spoke again.
"My surname is Miao. If you’re planning to stay somewhere, walk along Ghost Street. Turn left. Then take the first right. The largest house there belongs to my family. You’re welcome to stay."
Lana smiled politely. "Thank you, Uncle Miao."
With that, she walked inside.
.....................................
Axel’s brows furrowed. Lana noticed his expression and quietly whispered,
"I know. They’re ghosts. Or rather, they’re possessed."
Axel slowly shook his head.
"It’s actually much sadder than that. They haven’t been completely possessed. If you observe them carefully, you’ll realize they’re still desperately fighting for control over their own bodies."
Almost as if to prove his words, the second guard suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Don’t go inside! Don’t come in! Everyone... they’re all..."
Before he could finish speaking... his own hand suddenly rose against his will.
Slap!
He struck himself across the face with tremendous force.
Immediately afterward, his expression returned to normal, as though nothing had happened.
Lana’s heart sank. A wave of sadness silently spread through her chest.
Those people, they were still alive. Yet, the government had abandoned them.
No one had offered them a way out. No one had come to save them. It was truly heartbreaking.
Almost instinctively, Lana reached into her storage talisman.
She wanted to take out one of her exorcism talismans. She could save that uncle immediately.
However, Axel gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
He slowly shook his head. Then he lowered his voice until it was barely a whisper.
"Right now, it may seem like the correct thing to do. You could save one person. But what about everyone else?"
He glanced around carefully before continuing.
"The moment the ghosts realize you possess the power to exorcise them, they’ll immediately surround you. Worst case, they may become enraged. And if they decide they can’t keep these human bodies, they’ll force every possessed person here to commit suicide."
He looked directly into Lana’s eyes. "Do you really want that?"
Lana slowly lowered the talisman back into her storage. After several silent seconds, she finally nodded.
"You’re right. Our main objective is to eliminate whatever is controlling this entire Ghost Zone. As long as we destroy the source, saving everyone afterward will become much easier."