Chapter 30: Return to the City
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Standing before the open, mottled door of the Graveyard Demon, Gu Su instinctively paused. He raised his gaze and slowly scanned the interior. The moment he saw what was inside, he couldn’t help but freeze in surprise.
’How long has it been?’ The graveyard before him had undergone a drastic transformation.
The most obvious change was its size. The graveyard had visibly expanded by at least half, making the once-cramped layout feel much more spacious.
The sparse, messy, and long-withered trees that had once clung to the dilapidated perimeter walls were now neatly gathered in an area at the rear of the graveyard.
Their intertwined branches and dancing, withered shadows had gradually formed a small Withered Wood Forest. A faint Yin Qi lingered among the leaves. A soft rustle echoed as the wind blew through the branches, yet the arrangement felt orderly and deliberate.
Beneath the dense canopy of the Withered Wood Forest, two new Empty Tombs had been dug. These were clearly different from the previous ones.
Though their simple stone tablets were blank, they had already been erected. This meant the Empty Tombs were already designated for a purpose.
These were clearly a product of the territory’s expansion. Along with the original Empty Tombs, they formed a distinct burial zone within the graveyard.
Gu Su’s gaze drifted from the Withered Wood Forest and the new Empty Tombs, finally settling on a spot near the gate, by the dilapidated perimeter wall.
On the ground lay a faded, yellowed piece of tattered cloth. Its surface was coarse, and a few small items were arranged haphazardly upon it.
He only needed a single glance to recognize it: this was the Level 1 Yin Soul Shop he had chosen to create back at the gas station. He just never imagined it would be this rudimentary.
Its appearance was so crude it was almost pathetic. There wasn’t even a proper counter or shelf, let alone a shopkeeper.
It was a far cry from what he had envisioned—he’d at least expected a simple counter. A flicker of surprise passed through him.
’But this isn’t the time to worry about that.’
Gu Su turned to the Skeletons behind him, who were busy carrying and pushing various supplies, and commanded in a low voice, "Move everything inside and sort it properly. Don’t just pile it up. Place the Wood and Metal by the wall, and put the corpses separately next to the Empty Tombs."
The Skeletons nodded in unison and began their work. They methodically pushed shopping carts filled with Gold Coins and assorted items, carried bundles of branches and wooden planks, and followed Gu Su into the Graveyard Demon.
After instructing the Skeletons to move the supplies, Gu Su didn’t leave. Instead, he walked straight over to the humble Yin Soul Shop.
He slowly crouched, his gaze carefully sweeping over each item on the tattered cloth. His fingertips subconsciously brushed across them.
Just as the system had indicated, all the items in the shop were affected by the Corroding Mycelium. They radiated a potent aura of Undead Transformation and Yin Qi. Their dark colors and strange patterns were a perfect match for the Graveyard Demon’s overall aesthetic, feeling completely at home.
Three items were laid out on the cloth, and each one was bizarre.
First, a box of six white candles. Their bodies gave off a faint Yin Qi, and a cool chill could be felt just by getting close.
Next, a fragmented thigh bone. Its surface was covered in fine teeth marks, and its edges still bore blackened traces. It faintly radiated a heavy, unsettling aura.
Finally, there was a Rusted Longsword. The blade was dull and coated in dark red rust, yet one could still faintly sense a residual killing intent, a clear sign it had shed much blood.
Gu Su reached out and prodded each item, and in turn, system prompts appeared before him.
All three items were White Quality, just as he had expected.
[Soul-Gathering Candle (White): A candle used in rituals for the dead. It provides Guiding for the Undead and gathers Yin Qi. Its effect is more pronounced at night. (Price: 6 Gold Coins)]
[Chewed Leg Bone (White): A leg bone that has been gnawed on by something. Though it lacks much Blood Qi, it carries a heavy Resentment. (Price: 2 Gold Coins)]
[Rusted Longsword (White): A longsword that has killed many people. After its owner fell in battle, it was left to slowly rust into its current state. (Price: 2 Gold Coins)]
After quickly reading the description for each item, Gu Su already knew what to do.
The Soul-Gathering Candle could help the Yin Fire Heap gather Yin Qi, accelerating its accumulation, especially at night.
The Chewed Leg Bone, with its heavy Resentment, was perfect for feeding the Deceitful Tree and speeding up its repairs.
Though the Rusted Longsword was in poor condition, it could serve as a temporary weapon for the unarmed Ordinary Skeletons—better than nothing. And when it was no longer useful, it could be fed to the Deceitful Tree as energy for its repairs. One item, two uses.
They were all White Quality, but each had a clever use. They were a great value.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he took out ten glistening Gold Coins and placed them gently on the tattered cloth. Then, he gathered all three items into his arms.
With that done, Gu Su slowly stood and headed for his own humble Old Tent.
As he walked, he turned his head towards the Skeletons busy moving supplies behind him and clearly issued a command: "Carefully move the Harpies Leader’s corpse to Empty Tomb Number Three, don’t damage the body. As for that Oil Centipede’s..."
Before he could finish, a bizarre scene unfolded before his eyes.
The remains of the Oil Centipede, carried by two Elite Skeletons, had just been dragged through the Graveyard Demon’s main gate. Before they could even set it down, it seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, rapidly melting into the black soil beneath it.
In the blink of an eye, the massive creature—over ten meters long—vanished without a trace. Not a single drop of black oil or fragment of burnt wreckage remained. It was as if it had never existed.
Gu Su froze. He stopped walking, a brief flicker of shock in his eyes. He quickly recovered, a look of understanding dawning.
’The Graveyard Demon has taken a liking to my haul again.’
Gu Su ignored the Skeletons and issued a direct command: "Process all the supplies from this haul immediately. Set aside all materials that can be handled separately and await my next instructions. Do not process them without authorization."
This was a command for the Graveyard Demon.
As his voice fell, a rapid-fire series of system prompts chimed in his ear, clearly reporting the conversion status of the supplies. He heard every single one:
[Collected a large quantity of branches. Can be converted to 8 units of Wood.]
[Collected a large quantity of intact wooden planks. Can be converted to 6 units of Wood.]
[Collected intact Angle Iron. Can be converted to 5 units of Metal.]
[Collected a large quantity of thatch. Can be converted to 3 units of Wood.]
[...]
[Collected a large quantity of feathers. Can be converted to 9 Gold Coins, or set aside for other uses.]
[...]