America: The Cremator

Chapter 120 Buy a Soul Ring Car? How Many Died?

His gaze returned to the Bible, and he began to examine it, commenting, "This thing—though it's very old, it's been severely contaminated, its spiritual essence greatly diminished—you want to use this mithril coin to strengthen it?"

Hannah nodded: "Yes, is that alright?"

Kurt straightened up and crossed his arms: "It's possible. Mithril can greatly compensate for its lost spirituality and stabilize its current state. However, strengthening a sacred object is no joke; it costs ten thousand US dollars in labor fees."

Hannah's face stiffened upon hearing the price, and she stood frozen, at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, I only brought eight thousand dollars with me today—can I pay on credit?"

Kurt glanced at Hannah, then said, "Little girl, do you think this is some roadside stall?"

Hearing this, Hannah was also speechless at Kurt's words. She could only look to Su Long for help, her lips moved, but she was too embarrassed to ask for money.

Seeing Hannah's embarrassed expression, Su Long chuckled, reached into his jacket pocket, slapped his card on the counter, and said calmly, "Hey, Kurt, don't make things difficult for a young girl. I'll pay for both of them."

Hannah's eyes widened, and she quickly waved her hands: "No, no, Sue, you've already given me mithril coins, I can't let you pay for me anymore."

Su Long turned his head to look at her and smiled slightly: "It's okay. If you really feel bad, then treat me to lunch. There's something I need your help with."

Hannah lowered her head, twisting the hem of her dress with her fingers, and whispered, "Okay, thank you."

Kurt pushed the card aside: "We'll settle the bill later. Since you've covered all the costs, I'll just finish making the finished product first."

Having said that, he picked up the Bible and the mithril coin, then turned and walked toward a forge deep inside the workshop.

"The enhancement process requires melting the mithril at high temperatures and then evenly infusing it into the relic. This will take some time. Please find a place to sit for a while," Kurt's voice came from beside the fire.

Suron pulled over two folding chairs and gestured for Hannah to sit down.

Hannah sat quietly next to Suron, her eyes secretly glancing at his profile.

He is ruthless when facing monsters, but he always shows a reassuring sense of reliability when dealing with friends.

A muffled roar came from the direction of the forging furnace, and a wave of intense heat swept through the entire workshop.

Kurt had already removed his plate armor and was standing bare-armed in front of the furnace. He placed the mithril coin in the crucible and then put it into the furnace. The mithril melted rapidly under the high temperature, turning into a cluster of dazzling silver droplets.

Next, he placed the Bible flat on a specially made workbench, and used iron tongs to pick up the crucible and slowly drip some liquid mithril onto the cross pattern on the Bible cover.

The moment the mithril droplets touched the cover, they seemed to come alive, spreading rapidly along the cover and turning the entire cross into a dazzling silver.

As the silver light gradually seeped into the pages, the entire Bible began to tremble violently, emanating a powerful and sacred aura.

The oppressive aura made Hannah feel a pang of fear, but Su Long merely raised an eyebrow slightly, and the [Overlord Aura] within his body flowed spontaneously, easily dissolving the oppressive aura.

Half an hour later, the fire went out, and Kurt, wearing heavy asbestos gloves, carried the brand-new Bible back to the counter and gently placed it down.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and said excitedly, "It's done. This thing's potential exceeded my expectations. The mithril not only repaired its damage but also activated its latent spiritual power. Little girl, you've really hit the jackpot."

Hannah reached out with anticipation and gently turned the pages. The previously blurry handwriting became crystal clear, and each letter emitted a faint glow.

"How are you feeling?" Su Long asked.

Hannah looked up, her eyes filled with surprise and excitement: "It's so powerful! I can feel that it's in so much better shape than before!"

Upon hearing this, Su Long nodded in satisfaction. The money was well spent; Hannah's survival skills had been greatly improved, and she would be able to play a greater role in the team in the future.

After all, if he wants to challenge higher-level monsters in the future, he will need teammates and helpers, and Hannah and the Bible's abilities are absolutely indispensable to the team!

Surong stood up and said goodbye to Kurt: "Alright, now that everything's done, we should go. Thanks, Kurt, I'll come find you again if I need anything."

Kurt waved his hand impatiently and said, "Hurry up and get out of the way, don't get in my way, and remember to bring plenty of US dollars."

After paying by card, Suron led Hannah out of the underground workshop.

Back in that dirty alley, the glaring sunlight made them both squint.

"Sue, do you have any plans?" Hannah asked, glancing at the time while holding the Bible. "It's almost noon, and we can eat in a little over an hour—of course, if you're hungry, we can go get something to eat now."

"Also, you said you needed my help with something, what is it?"

Su Long waved his hand and said, "Let's not eat first. There's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Do you know where I can buy a cheap used car in Seattle?" Sulong asked bluntly.

Hannah paused for a moment, then asked, "You want to buy a car?"

Su Long nodded: "You know, it's so inconvenient to get around without a car."

Hannah thought for a moment, then asked in return, "What level of cheapness do you need? Regularly cheap, or exceptionally cheap?"

Su Long raised an eyebrow, intrigued: "What do you mean by 'especially cheap'?"

Hannah lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "I used to work as a temporary worker at Waynewood Used Car Dealership in the southern suburbs. They have a special kind of car there that's much better quality than regular used cars and overhauled cars on the market, and it's much cheaper."

"Then—what is the price?" Su Long keenly grasped the key point.

Hannah swallowed hard and explained, "Those cars have been the sites of deaths, and the vast majority of those deaths were caused by bizarre attacks."

"Some supernatural beings with sentience and intelligence will mark the cars they have killed as hunting grounds. Ordinary people who drive such cars are likely to attract these supernatural beings again. Therefore, the prices of all supernatural cars are extremely low."

After hearing this, Su Long smiled and said, "Let's go take a look."

Hannah nodded upon hearing this: "Okay, I'll drive you there."

The two walked out of the alley and came to the main road. Hannah walked to a white Toyota Camry parked on the side of the road, took out her key and unlocked it.

Su Long opened the passenger door and got in. The car was an old model, but the interior had been repaired and decorated. The seats were covered with clean beige cloth covers, and there were a few small plastic ornaments on the center console. Everything was very neat and tidy.

Su Long looked around and casually asked, "Your car isn't some kind of weird car either, is it?"

Hannah started the engine, skillfully shifted gears, and nodded naturally: "Yes."

Su Long looked at her matter-of-fact attitude and felt quite moved.

Indeed, when people are poor to a certain extent, all they fear is poverty itself; everything else becomes irrelevant.

The white Camry drove smoothly on the road, heading south.

More than half an hour later, the car drove into the southern suburbs of Seattle and stopped in front of a very large car dealership.

Su Long got out of the car and looked around at the Waynewood used car dealership.

A single-story, open-plan, large-span exhibition hall stands directly in front, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows that are spotless, making the interior bright and airy. In front of it is a huge open-air parking lot, densely packed with hundreds of cars of various colors.

On the side closest to the main road, there is a highly visible LED signboard displaying promotional information. At the back of the showroom, the metal roller shutter door of the repair and maintenance workshop can be vaguely seen.

As soon as the two entered the open-air parking lot, a middle-aged Asian man in his forties came to greet them.

The man wore a thin black suit jacket that was stiff from washing and slightly worn at the cuffs, over which he wore a plain gray polka doll.

o-shirt.

He wore a string of patina-covered Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist and a pair of shiny black leather shoes on his feet. In his right hand, he held a muscular black dog with glossy fur and fierce eyes.

"Hannah! Long time no see!"

The man waved from afar, his gaze then landing on Su Long. He enthusiastically extended his left hand: "This friend is here to look at cars, right? What kind of car are you looking for?"

Su Long reached out and shook his hand, getting straight to the point: "No need for formalities, just show me the car right now. If the price is right, we can sign the contract on the spot."

The boss's eyes lit up, and his smile became even brighter: "Great! Just call me Old Chen. Come with me, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Old Chen, leading the black dog, led Su Long and Hannah into the dense matrix of vehicles.

This place is full of used cars, and the vast majority of them are in excellent condition, with the paint shining brightly in the sunlight.

"This Ford F150 was previously owned by a farmer. It's in excellent condition and has a very stable chassis," Old Chen said, patting the hood of a red pickup truck.

Su Long glanced at it but didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Old Chen immediately walked over to a white Audi Q5 parked nearby and introduced it, saying, "Take a look at this one. The interior is 90% new, and the mileage is less than 30,000 miles. It's perfect for city driving."

To prove the car was clean, Old Chen opened the Audi's door and simultaneously released the tow rope.

The black dog jumped into the back seat with practiced ease, circled the car, sniffed every corner, and then jumped down lightly, wagging its tail.

Old Chen patted the black dog's head proudly and said to Su Long, "See? All the cars here have been cleaned by professional exorcists. They're absolutely clean. This dog is very clever; it will never get into a car if there's anything dirty on it."

Su Long wasn't very interested in the two cars and kept walking along the road without stopping, so Old Chen quickly followed with his dog.

After walking past two rows of cars, Su Long's gaze was suddenly drawn to a huge vehicle parked in the corner.

It was an extremely large, full-size black SUV with sharp, powerful lines.

It was parked among a group of ordinary sedans and compact SUVs, towering high and extremely conspicuous.

A distinctive seven-colored shield emblem is embedded in the center of the front grille.

Su Long stopped and pointed at the car: "How much for that Cadillac Escalade?"

Old Chen followed Su Long's finger and his expression changed slightly: "Dude, have you got your eye on this one?"

"This one is really good. It's powerful and has a lot of space. It's $30,000, and you can drive it away today."

Su Long turned his head and stared into Old Chen's eyes: "A nearly new car with a market value of at least seventy or eighty thousand can be driven away for thirty thousand US dollars."

"Old Chen, isn't this car a bit too cheap?"

Old Chen coughed lightly, rubbed the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, and confessed, "To be honest, this car has been sitting in the back of my trunk for a whole year, and I still can't sell it."

"It was so ferocious! You have no idea—before—"

Su Long smiled slightly and interrupted Old Chen directly: "Just tell me, how many people have died on this bus?"

"17 of them, died in 5 separate incidents."