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"Why couldn’t we bring Dorothy?" Norman wondered, sighing. He had grown much closer to the ghost songstress over the past few weeks and had developed strong feelings for her. "She always sings about wanting to explore the outside world."
"She’s also incredibly noisy..." Shade muttered, fidgeting with his long fingers. "I would rather... not have her around if we need to... work stealthily, okay?"
"I agree. She’s noisy," Sailor nodded.
"Auntie Dorothy’s songs are beautiful. I’m sure she could make good money singing in the streets!" Lisette said brightly.
"I agree, but that would probably attract too much unwanted attention," Elayne replied. "They might even try to kidnap her. People in this Realm have little regard for Undead like us. Unless we’re very strong, we’ll never be respected or treated as people. So everyone, stay careful."
Yaga led them toward White Tooth Village. They soon reached its tall white walls, built from White Tooth Stone quarried from the enormous mountain-sized tooth rising behind the settlent.
White Tooth Stone was among the hardest materials in the Realm. Though it held no magical properties, it was tough and durable, perfect for houses and defensive walls that could protect the inhabitants from wild monsters.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
Two tall guards blocked the gates. Elayne first thought they were skeletons but quickly realized they had pale skin and simply wore skeleton-thed armor.
They belonged to the White Ghost Race—pale as candlewax, with long, ghostly white hair and eyes that glowed faintly with phantasmal flas in shades of gray, white, or blue.
"They’re strong...!"
Elayne imdiately sensed their potent Nether and Ghostly Auras rising into the sky. They had cultivated powerful Ghostly Souls and were overwhelmingly strong. She had no desire to fight a battle she wasn’t certain she could win.
"Ah, good sirs, please excuse us," Granny Yaga said politely. "I am a Noble of the Blue Ghostly Goblin Race. My na is Yaga. I have co with my Undead bodyguards to purchase dicine and food for my travels."
The guards stared at each Undead in turn. Their ghostly auras flared, spreading out and pressing down on the group with heavy, oppressive energy.
After a long mont, they withdrew their auras and nodded.
"Nothing unusual."
"The entrance fee for outsiders is five nether stones."
Nether Coins were the currency used across many regions of the Netherworld. They were crystals harvested from soul mines or nether mines, rich in crystallized energy that both Noble Races and Undead used to cultivate and nourish their souls.
They were rare and valuable enough to serve as money, much like salt had once been used as currency on Earth.
"For Undead slaves, one extra stone each."
"Hm, fair enough..."
Granny Yaga did not complain. She counted out the crystals and handed them over. One guard quickly pocketed half for himself before placing the rest in an official pouch.
"Very well. And who is the child? Did he co with you?" one guard asked.
"This is my grandson, yes," Yaga said, patting Lisette’s head.
"Grandma Yaga, can we go inside already? I’m hungry..." Lisette added, perfectly playing his role.
"Hm. You’re the grandmother of our noble race?" one guard asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It’s none of our business either way. She’s paid for him. You may enter. Do not cause trouble. Get what you need, and if you’re not buying a house, leave soon."
"Yes, thank you, good sirs. Co along, you pile of bones—hurry up!"
Granny Yaga slipped fully into her role, acting like the typical cruel noble who treated Undead poorly.
Elayne and the others kept their eyes dull and expressions vacant to avoid raising suspicion.
Highly intelligent Undead were considered bad ons by the Noble Races and were usually enslaved or destroyed before they could evolve into sothing stronger and more dangerous.
With the rise of the Demon King of Death, however, Undead had beco an increasingly serious problem. Almost his entire army consisted of powerful Undead, steadily shifting the balance of power in the Netherworld.
That was why the Noble Races had grown even more paranoid, eliminating any uncontrolled Undead before they could join the Demon King and beco a greater threat.
As the group walked away, Elayne noticed the second guard still watching them with clear suspicion, perhaps thinking Yaga had kidnapped a child of his own race.
"Huh... it’s peaceful here," Elayne whispered.
She glanced around, taking in White Tooth Village. It was a large settlent built entirely from white stone, with tall houses in a European style, nurous towers, grand mansions, and even two imposing castles that likely belonged to local Noble Race lords.
"This is White Ghost Race territory, right?" Sailor asked quietly.
"That’s right. Keep your mouth shut and only speak if spoken to," Yaga warned, scanning the surroundings.
The streets were paved with smooth, marble-like white stone and kept spotlessly clean. Bone-and-ghost carriages carried passengers from place to place, though many residents still walked.
Roughly seventy percent of the population belonged to the White Ghost Race. Another fifteen percent were Blue Ghostly Goblins, usually employed as cheap labor but not treated quite as poorly as Undead slaves. With enough effort and ti, so could even rise to noble status within the city.
Clothing varied greatly by race and culture. White Ghosts favored white, gray, or silver garnts. n wore formal suits, while won preferred elaborate dresses with wide hats adorned with feathers, always striving to appear as elegant and alluring as possible.
Blue Ghostly Goblins typically wore simple pants—regardless of gender—and white, gray, or brown shirts. Many also wore hats over their bald heads.
Despite the apparent liveliness, sothing deeply unsettling hung over the city.
It was almost completely silent.
The White Ghost Race prized silence above all else and disliked noise of any kind. They walked without making a sound and often communicated through Ghost Language, which produced no audible words.
They were cold and distant. If soone stared too long, they would stare back with open disdain and disgust. They were prideful, silent, and calculating. Won were known to be playful yet slightly sadistic, while n were icy and emotionless.
Lisette was an exception—perhaps because he was still a child and had not fully adopted the culture of his race. He remained lively and talkative instead.
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