All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 58

All along, Zhanyue’s greatest trump card had been the illumination Goddess. Although the Goddess wasn’t by his side, being able to contact her at any time gave Zhanyue a solid sense of security. Now that mysterious connection had suddenly been completely cut off, how could Zhanyue not panic?

“What’s wrong? You look terrible,” Baizhi noticed the change in Zhanyue’s expression.

“Where are we going?” Zhanyue asked the eerie boatman.

The small boat drifted downstream, surrounded by emptiness. The entire sky was a hazy expanse with no sun in sight.

“Ghost Island of the Other Realm. With a Blood Jade Token, you can stay on Ghost Island for one year,” Baizhi explained. “It seems you really don’t know anything. Ghost Island appeared in the world a thousand years ago. No one knows where it came from, nor which force it belongs to. They are extremely mysterious. You need a Blood Jade Token to land on the island, and they only accept people below the Spirit God Realm.”

“So only those below Spirit God are allowed on the island? There’s such a place? Are there any treasures on this island?” Zhanyue asked curiously.

Baizhi continued, “A race called the Ghost Shark Clan lives on the island. They’ve built a market on Ghost Island, selling some rare treasures that you simply can’t buy elsewhere. Lost cultivation methods, lost pill formulas, sealed magical treasures, extinct spirit herbs, rare spirit beast eggs and such all appear in the Ghost Market.”

“There’s such a place? No wonder those Blood Jade Tokens can sell for so much. But… I’m afraid these things aren’t cheap,” Zhanyue sighed. At the auction outside, a seventh-grade Profound Breaking Pill had sold for the sky-high price of 2.3 billion. Who knew if the Ghost Market had any, and how much they would sell for.

“The Ghost Market doesn’t accept Purple Crystal Coins, nor any form of barter. Money and pills are useless here,” Baizhi added.

“Ah? They don’t accept Purple Crystal Coins or barter, then how do you buy those things?” Zhanyue frowned, knowing things weren’t simple.

“We’ve… arrived…” The ghost boatman uttered in a cold, mechanical voice. “Ghost Island. No climbing high, or… face… the consequences.”

The ghost boatman was seen waving his oar, tossing a stone into the air. However, there seemed to be some kind of barrier in the sky. As soon as the stone touched that invisible barrier, it instantly turned to dust.

Ghost Island was large, but Zhanyue had no idea where exactly it was located. Baizhi took out a bamboo hat and veil and handed them to Zhanyue.

“It’s best to hide your identity here. Don’t let yourself be recognized, or you’ll have endless trouble when you return,” Baizhi warned.

Zhanyue nodded and put on the veil and bamboo hat to disguise himself. He had long noticed that Baizhi also had spatial tools, often taking out various items out of thin air.

The two walked towards the interior of the island. Along the way, they encountered people wearing various masks or veils, hiding their identities, staying silent. Until they reached near the center of the island, they finally saw the legendary Ghost Shark people. It was a burly male, two to three meters tall, with green scales all over his body except for the head. The lower half was not a human body but a giant shark tail, with huge fish fins for ears, and a white × symbol carved on his brow.

“Two newcomers?” The Ghost Shark man named Mo Sang saw the two approaching. “I’m Mo Sang, the person in charge here.”

Zhanyue felt this Ghost Shark man exerted tremendous pressure on him, likely possessing extraordinary strength.

“On Ghost Island, I’ll tell you what you need to know on my own. Don’t ask questions randomly, remember that,” Mo Sang said, looking at Zhanyue who was about to open his mouth.

Zhanyue was instantly silenced and spoke no more. He feared the other wouldn’t answer his questions anyway.

“Take out your Blood Jade Tokens,” Mo Sang said.

He first examined Zhanyue’s Blood Jade Token and said, “Room Di-5. For your year on the island, that will be your residence. Someone in the living area will tell you where Di-5 is later.”

Then Mo Sang examined Baizhi’s Blood Jade Token and pointed to an empty space not far away, saying, “That empty space, you can set up a tent there, like the others.” Several tents had already been set up in the empty space.

Baizhi’s eyes widened. How could there be such a double standard?

“On Ghost Island, every inch of land is worth gold. Rooms are limited, not everyone can be allocated housing. His is a high-grade Blood Jade Token, yours is a low-grade one,” Mo Sang seemed to see Baizhi’s question.

“Pfft,” Zhanyue laughed out loud. So this is what fifty million gets you?

Baizhi glared at Zhanyue angrily, then asked, “Can I stay with him?”

“As long as he doesn’t mind, of course you can,” Mo Sang looked at the two with amusement. “Since it’s your first time on Ghost Island, let me tell you the rules first.”

“Ghost Island is divided into three areas: living area, trading area, and adventure area. The living area is where you live and can move freely; the trading area is where my clansmen set up stalls, and you can exchange points for their treasures; as for points, they are obtained from the adventure area. The adventure area is divided into two secret realms, one for those below the Profound Realm, and one for Profound Beings.”

At this point, Mo Sang took out two fragrant pouches and handed them to the two.

“The spatial laws inside the secret realms are special. Spatial treasures from the outside world cannot contain anything from inside the secret realms. Everything you obtain in the secret realms must be put into these storage fragrant pouches. We will calculate points for everything you bring out of the secret realms. These points can be exchanged for things you want in the trading area. Remember, you must not privately keep anything from the secret realms, nor are you allowed to take those things out of Ghost Island. Violators will face death!” Mo Sang warned.

Zhanyue thought to himself, “So it’s really ‘earn on Ghost Island, spend on Ghost Island, don’t think about taking a cent home.’”

Mo Sang then handed two jade stones and two magnifying glass-like objects to the two, one set each.

“This jade stone is a teleportation jade. You can use it anywhere in the secret realms to teleport out of the realm at any time, but it takes ten breaths to teleport, so it’s best to do it in a safe environment. You can enter and exit the secret realms repeatedly. It’s not recommended to go deep inside at the beginning, it’s better to explore slowly. You have one year. After one year, whether you’re in the secret realm or outside, you’ll be forced to leave the island. You can’t take the storage fragrant pouches with you, and any unused points will be void, so remember to exchange them in time.”

“This lens can assess the point value of items in the secret realms. Each person only gets one, so take good care of it. We won’t replace it if you lose it,” Mo Sang pointed to the magnifying glass-like object.

“Alright, one last reminder. Fighting in any form is prohibited on the island, but we can’t control what happens inside the secret realms. The secret realms are very dangerous, and we’re not responsible if you perish inside,” With that, Mo Sang vanished.

“What a strange place indeed,” Zhanyue looked at the fragrant pouch in his hand. He found that none of his own items could be put inside. This pouch seemed to only store things from inside the secret realms, and those things couldn’t be stored in other spatial treasures. What did Mo Sang mean by different spatial laws?

“Let’s go. Let’s check out the living area first, then the trading area,” Baizhi said.

“Hey, when did I agree to let you stay in my room?” Zhanyue said mischievously.

Baizhi was taken aback, pointing at the empty space, “That place is a mix of all sorts, with absolutely no privacy. You wouldn’t really have the heart to let me set up a tent there, would you?”

“I would, why wouldn’t I? What’s wrong with me living alone? Why do I need a roommate? Besides, it’s not appropriate for an unmarried man and woman to live together,” Zhanyue said.

“I don’t mind, why should you? Come on, what benefit do you want now?” Baizhi had seen through this man.

“Hehe, I only have two requests,” Zhanyue’s gaze made Baizhi shudder.

“Don’t go too far,” Baizhi said angrily. “I’ll just set up a tent outside if I have to.”

“Don’t worry, they’re not unreasonable requests.”

As they were talking, they arrived at the living area with rows of single-story houses. They quickly found room Di-5. The room wasn’t large, but it was more than enough to accommodate two people living there. In fact, it was even possible to refine pills inside.

Seeing the room with excellent soundproofing and privacy, Baizhi naturally wanted to live here even more. She was furious that her fifty million only bought a low-grade token.

“Alright, what are your requests?” Baizhi asked.