Chapter 522: Control
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Is the Paranormal Pawnshop...collapsing?"
The fortunate Lu Bingqi who did not die looked at the surrounding walls and ceiling. On their surfaces, numerous holes appeared and kept on expanding. It was as though they were pieces of paper being burned as they quickly turned into ashes.
The entire body of the pawnshop was rapidly turning into nothingness.
"Is the curse... gone?"
Similarly, Thomas and his female partner looked at the slowly disappearing pawnshop in awe. They could not help but weep tears of joy.
"Woong! Woong!"
At the next moment.
A ball of light appeared. The surviving traders were then kicked out of this alternate dimension as though they were intruders.
The entire plane of black fog collapsed from its edges and into its core.
Inside the dark hall.
An ice statue stood still and emanated a terrifying spiritual aura.
"Crackle!"
The cracks in space quickly extended like a monster's sharp claw as they came for where the statue stood.
Suddenly, large amounts of cracks appeared on the ice as it exploded violently, revealing Fang Yuan.
"What a close shave..."
As Fang Yuan looked at the cracks in the space around him swarming towards him, he let out a long breath and disappeared in an instant.
Back in reality.
"Amituofo!"
Jiese the Monk placed his palms together.
"Fang Yuan, you are finally out! I heard from Lu Bingqi that you managed to break the curse of the pawnshop! What a magnanimous deed!"
"I was just lucky!"
Fang Yuan let out a long breath. What he said was true.
When he sealed the parchment scroll at the very last moment, it was extremely dangerous. Luckily, the ghost he sealed did not disappoint him after all.
However, after sealing the parchment scroll, Fang Yuan never expected to suffer from the backlash of that Strange Level frozen corpse.
Even though Fang Yuan managed to re-seal the ghost at the very last moment, the extreme sense of chilliness still froze and turn him into an ice statue.
Even with Fang Yuan's original stats, he might not even be able to survive from that extremely icy temperature.
'Luckily, after sealing the curse of the pawnshop, my body's physical property increased tremendously. Else, I'm afraid I would have been really trapped there... After all, that is the full power of a 'Strange' Level curse...'
With a lingering fear inside his heart, Fang Yuan then looked at his stats:
"Name: Fang Yuan (Tantai Mieming)
Essence: 25.0 (100)
Spirit: 25.0 (100)
Magic: 25.0 (100)
Profession: Exorcist
Technique: Exorcism (Peak), Pharmacy (Peak), Eagle Claw Grappling Technique (Peak)
Skill: [Medicine (Level 3)], [Botany (Level 6)], [Fiery Golden Eyes (Level 1)], [Spirit Sealing Body (3rd Grade)]
Spirit Sealing Body (3rd Grade): Your body is a weapon which is able to seal evil ghosts. You will able to seal any ghost that you come into contact with into your body! You have activated the 3rd Grade, and the capacity for sealing evil ghosts: 3! You can choose to release the ghost!"
The pawnshop was indeed a Strange Level curse indeed! After sealing it, his stats increased greatly by 10 points!
Such an increase in stats definitely became harder and harder as time passed.
Furthermore, this was also due to the suppression by the higher-dimensional force on this realm.
Hence, this was why a Strange Level curse was so horrifying!
"If not for this little power, I would have most likely been frozen by the ghost's last resistance before it was sealed. I would then be sucked into the space-time turbulence and who knows what would happen next."
Fang Yuan clenched his fists tightly.
Currently, after Fang Yuan sealed his third evil ghost which was a Strange Level one, he felt his body was full of energy. He felt as though his condition was at its peak and could not be any better.
"From now on... Murderous Level evil ghosts would be nothing to me... By stacking and releasing two Strange Level curses, ghosts below Strange Level would definitely retreat. I wouldn't even be afraid of ghost swarms."
After Fang Yuan pondered, he opened his mouth and asked, "Two of you... why don't we return to the detective agency first?"
"I... I have to go too?"
Lu Bingqi was rather surprised and afraid. However, he did not dare to disobey what Fang Yuan said.
After all, this was the powerful person who destroyed the undefeatable pawnshop!
...
The three ravaged looking people entered the detective corporation. Ma Xiaoling was startled and took the first aid box to bandage Lu Bingqi.
After all, the wound on his eye had to be thoroughly dealt with.
As for Fang Yuan, he immediately went into the room and began to experiment with the abilities he received after sealing his third curse.
"Release!"
He first tried to release 10% of the curse and his entire body changed at once.
A black-coloured magnificent missionary-like robe automatically covered Fang Yuan's body. His skin turned pale and his eyes turned as black as the mysterious universe.
"This is... the might of a Strange Level curse at its prime?"
Fang Yuan's thought about it and black chains appeared on his hands. The chains coiled around his whole body closely and were hidden under his black robe. It was like some sort of secret weapon.
"After sealing the strange pawnshop, the abilities I obtained are largely classified into three areas. The first one is the most important one, the ability to propagate the curse!"
The pawnshop would make use of the traders to allow humans to release or create ghosts. In actual fact, this was the process of propagating the curse.
"Although it is unlikely that I can create Strange Level curses, I can produce as many Spirit Level and Murderous Level ghosts as I want! I can even control them!"
In other words, as long as Fang Yuan had the time, he could create a 'ghost swarm'.
"The second ability will be the ability to harvest souls. There are two methods for this ability, one is by forcefully harvesting souls while the more passive way is through contracts."
The source of this soul harvesting ability came from this pair of eyes that were like black holes in the universe.
"And the third ability is regarding the manipulation of information in a large area... Although this ability is listed the last, its effects are definitely unbelievably shocking!"
In simpler words, this so-called manipulation of information would be the alteration of collective memories in a large scope! It could potentially be a deadly killer weapon to human societies.
Furthermore, the manipulation of such Strange Level curse was not limited to such.
"Everything destroyed in reality can be restored by the curse. It can also be turned into an accident to make things appear logical and explicable!"
This was the reason why the phenomena caused by the Strange Level curses were never broadcasted by human media!
Even if it were to destruct a street in reality, it could repair the street back to what it was before in an instant. It could then alter all the witnesses' memories and then insert a bunch of false replacements such as images of gas pipeline explosions, a crossfire between villains et cetera. Anyway, it would hide all sorts of paranormal activity under the guise of reasonable things.
"With this ability, my progress in searching for other strange beings would be greatly increased..."
Fang Yuan let out a long sigh.
In actual fact, after Fang Yuan obtained such an ability to manipulate information in such a large scope, the human society would no longer be any threat to him.
"They are all such practical abilities!"
Fang Yuan walked out of the room and saw Jiese the Monk silently chanting scriptures in the living room whereas Lu Bingqi was gone without a trace.
"That guest... said he wants to look for a doctor himself!"
Ma Xiaoling kept her first aid box and was rather indignant, "I even wanted to use those precious and expensive concoctions! He's not even appreciative at all!"
"He's gone?"
Fang Yuan furrowed his brows. This was unexpected but reasonable.
"Rest assured, he can't be too far off."
At that instant, a cold smile appeared on Fang Yuan's face.
The ability to control was not limited to controlling those ghosts!
As a trader of the pawnshop, how could his body not have any traces of the pawnshop left behind?
Now, Fang Yuan was the new Paranormal Pawnshop. Furthermore, he took over all the previous contracts and held the utmost authority over all these souls!
...
A few streets away.
Lu Bingqi escaped wretchedly and entered a dingy alley.
"That person... after he settled the pawnshop, he would definitely be exhausted and that's why he quickly secluded himself. If I don't run away now, when will I ever get the opportunity to run away again?"
Lu Bingqi placed his hand on the wall as he could not stop panting.
"As long as I run far away again, I will be totally carefree! Haha..."
Unfortunately, he could no longer see his family here.
Lu Bingqi clenched his teeth without caring about the immense pain from his right eye as he prepared to leave.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, as though a joke was being played, he suddenly felt a severe pain from his body. It was as though a knife was slicing around inside his body. He fell onto the ground and retched up a pool of fresh blood.
Also, this pool of blood had its own life as it curled about on the ground and formed bloody words.
After Lu Bingqi saw the words clearly, his face turned ashen at once. The words were, "Return to the detective corporation immediately, or else... death!"
"Impossible... when did he..."
Lu Bingqi was scared out of his wits but could only head back unwillingly.
In such a situation where his life was under someone else's hands, he could only obediently obey what Fang Yuan ordered him.
Not before long, Lu Bingqi reached the detective corporation. However, in his eyes, this detective corporation was even more horrifying than any demon lair.
"Eh? You're back, Mr Lu?"
Ma Xiaoling was carrying a water basin and was rather surprised as she looked at the Lu Bingqi who returned, "Is your eye bandaged already?"
"Eh... not yet..."
Lu Bingqi was rather embarrassed. He then saw Fang Yuan who was sitting down and felt his legs go jelly at once, "Mr Fang... please spare me!"
"Are you very surprised that you are cursed?"
Fang Yuan shook his head as he continued, "In actual fact, this curse is not placed by me, it's the pawnshop's method of controlling.... Of course, the control has already been fully handed over to me."
Fang Yuan was totally qualified to say all these.
Moreover, even if Lu Bingqi were to commit suicide now, after death, his soul could only obediently follow Fang Yuan no matter what path it wanted to follow beforehand.
After all, Lu Bingqi already signed the contract from the start and betrayed his own soul!
"What? You don't believe?"
Fang Yuan looked at Lu Bingqi and smiled. Suddenly, Fang Yuan reached out his hand and grabbed Lu Bingqi's chest.
Lu Bingqi's face changed immediately but felt no pain in his chest at all. However, something even more important than his heart was already in Fang Yuan's hand.
"Bang!"
Lu Bingqi's vision turned black and he collapsed. Suddenly, his vision brightened up again and he saw himself on the ground!
"How's this? Can you get used to your soul's visual perspective?"
Fang Yuan's laughter could be heard.
Lu Bingqi finally realised that he had already become much more illusory-looking and was floating in mid-air. His soul was even coiled by a black chain and the other end was held tightly by Fang Yuan!