Adventure World Online (AWO) Chapter 316 316: The Cliff of Death

"Umm... what about the gold coins and the items that a spirit possessor can buy?"

"Oh! Sorry, I tend to ramble off-topic. Mainly, there are Spirit Tablets, Demon Puppets, and Golden Ghost Coins. There are two types of these, you know. The kind you can find commonly in regular shops is made of paper, ant for burning as offerings to the dead. Its value is lower than the ghost coins bought from a Spirit Shop. Because when you order golden ghost coins—" (she bent down to pick sothing up from under the cramped counter) "—you get real gold coins. Whereas if you buy them from regular shops, they're just paper shaped like gold coins."

The dayti clerk spoke while placing down a pure gold coin. One side bore the image of a reaper in a cloak holding a scythe, while the other showed the Castle of Death. It made Chang Long, who had picked up the coin to inspect it, gape in astonishnt.

"This coin, it's..."

Chang Long opened her mouth to ask in curiosity.

"I know. It's a gold coin minted from the Royal Mint in the Land of the Dead. They say that souls granted permission to reincarnate in that land all use this gold coin to trade and exchange goods. And this here is the Spirit Binding Candle. It's really convenient for when a Spirit Tablet or a Demon Puppet gets damaged unexpectedly. Just having this candle on you—if sothing like that happens—it'll light itself and bind the spirit that would otherwise have vanished on the spot, allowing you to put the spirit into a new tablet or puppet."

Chang Long accepted the crystal-clear candle—its wick visible inside—and examined it with fascination. She seed quite taken with this Spirit Binding Candle.

"And this is the incense for offerings. Actually, it's not much more expensive than regular incense that you use, but it enhances the look, presentation, and flavor of any food you offer. As for clothing or household items, it makes them appear shinier, more luxurious, and far more valuable than they normally would."

The dayti clerk explained while handing the offering incense to Chang Long for inspection.

"That's all it does?"

Chang Long asked in disbelief as she looked at the scented incense in her hand, which appeared to co in various scents.

"Well, not just that. Its aroma helps you relax too. Ever heard of aromatherapy?"

The dayti clerk responded seriously.

"What else? Give the full list. That way I can decide what to buy and what not to."

Chang Long sighed and placed the scented offering incense back onto the shop counter.

"Of course. You asked, I shall deliver."

With that, the dayti clerk began placing a pile of various goods onto the counter until it was full, stunning Chang Long. She had not imagined that there could be this many spirit-related products.

"This here, a Gravestone Plaque. Actually, it cos in a larger size, but this is a miniature for selection purposes. There are many styles: Asian, European, simple tribal designs, or extravagant ones like those of the Egyptians."

"And what's it for exactly?"

Chang Long asked, puzzled. She did not understand the utility of a gravestone plaque, especially when Spirit Tablets were lighter and more portable.

"If you've ever entered the Land of the Dead, you've probably seen them. The houses of the dead. Soday, you might just find yourself needing one—who knows."

The dayti clerk replied. She set down the miniature gravestone plaque, then picked up a long iron chain several ters in length. It appeared to be interconnected and had iron spikes at all four corners.

"This is the Resurrection Boundary. If you spread this boundary anywhere and have a spirit step inside it, they will co back to life—but only within this boundary. The downside is, if you use it too often, the spirits in your possession will start to beco confused, unsure whether they are truly human or rely disembodied souls without flesh and blood."

The dayti clerk explained while handing over the Resurrection Boundary for Chang Long to examine.

"Hmm, its properties are pretty similar to the Spirit Realm skill. Too bad the boundary's too small—it can't be used for combat. At most, it's just good for letting Devi-chan hang out with Oliang and Wet Trash Can, that's all."

Chang Long mumbled to herself and set down the Resurrection Boundary.

"And this—Sin-Binding Shackles. If you've ever encountered nasty spirits that won't listen and don't know what to do with them, I recomnd the one and only chain that can restrain and imprison those stubborn spirits until they yield and submit to you alone. Let tell you, these chains have properties similar to the ones Grim Reapers use!"

Chang Long looked at the shackles, over four ters long, with ankle clasps and a heavy iron ball at one end. They were tangible—and incredibly heavy—so much so that she could barely believe sothing like this could actually be used to bind spirits.

"But…"

"You're wondering how it works, right? It's easy. Just hold the chain, point your finger at the rebellious spirit, and say: Bind. That's it. Problem solved."

The dayti clerk explained with great enthusiasm.

"Seriously?"

Chang Long exclaid, looking extrely skeptical.

"Well, they say seeing is believing. Why don't you buy it and try it for yourself? If it doesn't work, I'll gladly refund you double."

Chang Long shrugged at that. She turned her attention to the next item, still curious about what other interesting things might be available.

The dayti clerk then introduced the Spirit Maiden Jar—a glass gourd-shaped jar, palm-sized, with white smoke swirling inside. It was sealed with a wooden cork and a talisman paper. The clerk explained that this was similar to a genie in a magic lamp. Once you remove the cork and the talisman paper, the Spirit Maiden would appear and grant you one wish. But there was a condition: the wish had to be carefully worded and extrely precise. Once the Spirit Maiden fulfills your request, she would imdiately be reborn.

When Chang Long took the jar to examine it closely, she saw a tiny, beautiful woman waving at her with hope—and even winked at her.

"The Spirit Maiden is as cunning as a wood nymph. If you plan to use her, you'd better keep your wits about you. Don't let her trick you into asking for what she wants instead of what you want."

Chang Long nodded and returned the Spirit Maiden Jar to the dayti clerk.

The next item was Black Dog's Tear, a supernatural item native to Thailand. The clerk explained that it ca from a not-fully-black dog (aning it was not entirely black), so its ability to see ghosts only lasted for one hour per application. It had no effect on players who could already see spirits, so Chang Long passed on it.

Then ca the Divination Bone Set, placed right in front of Chang Long. It consisted of five polished animal bones, each about an inch long. One end was carved into a circle, the other into a triangle, along with a bowl made from a skull to catch them in. To divine a result, one would toss all five bones into the bowl. A yes outco required more than two circle sides facing up—the more circles, the better the result. But if more triangles ca up, the negative outco would outweigh the good. And if it ended up half and half, with one bone flipping indecisively between good and bad, then the result could not be determined due to uncontrollable external factors. The person seeking the answer would have to make the final decision themselves.

"Hey... are there any items that help upgrade a spirit's abilities or bring a spirit back from destruction? From what I've seen so far, the things you've recomnded haven't been all that useful to ."

Chang Long cut in as she noticed the dayti clerk was about to introduce another item. She had been standing and listening for quite a while now—long enough that she was starting to feel hungry. The young woman still had not found anything in the Spirit Shop that really made her want to open her wallet.

"Oh, there are. But those are crazy expensive, so I was saving them for later. Want to take a look now?"

.....

The three young n—Siegfried, Aswa, and Captain Hicks—stepped out for so fresh morning air in the city of Cuzca. They were greeted with an unusual sight: a lion cub procession, with townsfolk lining the route to scatter flower petals as part of the parade. Nearby, two of Chang Long's spirits were standing and watching. One looked intrigued, seemingly having never seen such a ceremony before, while the other was rolling his eyes in utter boredom beside him.

"What's going on here? Why are the townsfolk parading Fluffy Head-chan around so grandly, Devi-chan?"

Siegfried approached the two spirits and asked with curiosity.

"I don't know either. But I do have sothing I want him to ask the locals. Still haven't gotten an answer yet. Of course, he's the only one who could speak the local language of these people."

Devi-chan grumbled irritably.

"What about Chang Long? Why don't I see her with you?"

Aswa asked, still clearly a little nervous around Devi-chan and company.

"No idea. When we left, she was still fast asleep, so we didn't bother waking her."

Hisa-chan turned to answer.

"It's this late already. I bet the dayti clerk has shown up by now. How about we go ask them directly? If we wait for Fluffy Head-chan to be free, we might never get anything done today."

Siegfried chuckled as he spoke, glancing over at Fluffy Head-chan—now being revered by the townsfolk like so kind of god.

"Agreed. But I'm not sure if that shop's within the fifty-ter radius around her. Otherwise, we might not be able to reach it."

Devi-chan replied in resignation.

"Well, let's just try going anyway. If you can't get there, I'm guessing Chang Long's probably awake by now. She's just as curious as the rest of us—maybe even more. For all we know, she might already be headed straight to that shop."

Hisa-chan suggested. Everyone agreed, and they set off together toward the Spirit Shop's location.

"Hey! Wait up. Let co too—I'm bored of keeping Fluffy Head-chan company. Let co with you to see Master."

A voice called out from the parade. When everyone turned to look, they saw Brownie—the thieving field mouse and Chang Long's pet—running toward them. Siegfried crouched to let it scramble up onto his shoulder without putting on airs.

Just as they were about to continue on, a sudden commotion erupted from the townsfolk, voices shouting in surprise. When the boys turned to look again, they saw Fluffy Head-chan jumping down from the palanquin and jogging straight toward them.

"Wait up. I'm so fed up with these people. I want to co with you to see Master too."

And with that, Fluffy Head-chan turned to speak in the Incan local dialect to the townsfolk, causing them to stop following and disperse peacefully back to their daily routines.

"So annoying!"

Devi-chan muttered under his breath, unable to hold back his irritation at seeing how much respect the townsfolk gave Fluffy Head-chan.

"Co on. At least we're all together now—that's a good thing."

Hisa-chan said, chuckling to ease the tension. Then the group set off toward the eastern gate of the city, hoping to get so answers from the Spirit Shop's dayti clerk. Maybe they could finally resolve their questions—and who knows, they might even earn Chang Long's praise for bringing back the answers she wanted.

But… little did they know...

While the dayti clerk was preparing to bring out more items, Chang Long had wandered off on her own, exploring deeper into a lonely path. The trail gradually widened and sloped downward, eventually leading to a rocky valley. There, she saw a dense, overgrown jungle, towering stone cliffs, and a wide stone clearing where an AI fortress stood.

There were two clearly visible entrances: one was through the towering stone cleft, and the other was a cleared path that led directly to the gate of the fortress. Behind the stone plaza where the fortress was located lay a beach and a line of jagged rocks.

"That place is..."

Chang Long exclaid in astonishnt, never expecting that her search would end right here.

"The Cursed Cleft and the Cliff of Death... No sane living soul would ever want to go near there, kid."

An old man, who seed to appear out of nowhere, said to Chang Long as he lowered himself to sit comfortably on a large boulder.

"And who are you, gramps? Where did you pop out from? And why are you telling this?"

Chang Long shot back in rapid succession, showing no sign of fear toward the old man who had suddenly appeared.

"The Path Watcher—you can call that. I figured you didn't have any business with the Cliff of Death, right? Rarely does anyone co this way, and I don't think you're soone out looking to throw your life away."

The old man who called himself the Path Watcher replied.

"Wrong, gramps. The Cliff of Death is exactly the place I'm looking for. So why are you trying to stop from going there?"

Chang Long answered, prompting the old man to widen his eyes and examine her more closely—unlike earlier when he had rely glanced at her and assud she was just so clueless passerby.

But now that he looked properly, the old man saw sothing—a radiant aura invisible to ordinary humans. One who could traverse the Cursed Cleft without harm. One who stood above all sinful spirits. One who judged which souls deserved a second chance at life. The master of all spirits, who summoned death to the living and granted new life to the souls that pledged their loyalty.

"Y-You… could it be. You are…"

"Chang Long!"

Siegfried's voice cut off the old man mid-sentence. The young woman turned to look and saw the young n and her companions marching toward her with determined steps.

"Missy, why'd you co all the way out here alone without lighting incense to call and Hisa-chan? Sure, the shop may be within fifty ters, but when you ca here, we all got dragged along with you. Scared us half to death."

Devi-chan grumbled.

"Oh, sorry, Devi-chan. I was so curious I rushed out here and forgot to call you guys. But hey, I found out so really good stuff—including this."

Chang Long replied with a bright smile—so radiant that those not directly in the conversation, like Aswa and Siegfried, could not help but blush without even realizing it. anwhile, Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Fluffy Head-chan, Captain Hicks, and Brownie—who had climbed down to ride on Fluffy Head-chan's back—were all focused on the location Chang Long was now pointing to.

"That place—is it what I think it is, missy!"

Devi-chan asked excitedly. Chang Long gave a small smile and nodded in reply. The ghost of the forr pirate king imdiately broke into a wide grin, his spirits visibly lifted—as if all his previous annoyance and irritation had never happened at all.

-----

Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en