Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

Note: This fighting style is highly lethal and extremely humiliating. However, one must first study criminal law.

Note: The entire galaxy knows I'm a tailor, so carrying a nuclear-powered pair of scissors is pretty outrageous~

Chapter 231 The Ship of the Dark Dragon

August has passed, and after several years, the Amis have once again experienced the severity of the economic crisis.

The last time was the Great Stagflation in the early 1970s, when economic growth stagnated but prices soared, and only five or six years have passed.

At that time, many people in the lower classes lived on meager relief supplies. It was common to see long lines of Black and white people from the lower classes receiving relief bread.

On supermarket sales days, the crowds are so large they could break down security doors. It's like a herd of wildebeest migrating for survival on the African savanna.

Now, this trend is starting to reappear. Many Black people in the slums are so poor that they will starve to death if they don't commit crimes. In the most bustling area of ​​Manhattan, Wall Street, nearly double-digit numbers of people jump off buildings every day.

I wonder if anyone will pour milk into the river again this time.

September arrived, but the weather remained hot. In fact, the "autumn tiger" heatwave was even more intense. The third semester officially began in Liberty City, and suddenly many celebrities and scholars came to give lectures at the school.

Zhao Hao inquired and found out that it was actually a warm-up for the new election in Liberty City.

Goodness, they really made all sorts of promises!

There are also student representatives organizing activities, with dozens or even hundreds of people discussing policies or social phenomena on campus. Those influential figures are already building their momentum now; they'll all go on to enter politics after graduation.

The air was filled with a burning smell!

However, for the people of the Song Dynasty, this period was not anxious; on the contrary, it was somewhat chilly.

Because September 6th is the traditional Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival).

This festival is very important in Chinese tradition.

It is also known as the "Ghost Festival," and the seventh month of the lunar calendar is said to be the day when the gates of hell open.

Legend has it that those souls who, for various reasons, were not attracted to the Sea of ​​Spiritual Energy and whose souls could not be cleansed, and who could only linger in the underworld, would return to the human world on this day to enjoy offerings.

Of course, in Buddhism, this day is also very unusual and is called the Ullambana Festival.

Legend has it that Maudgalyayana, a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, tried to help his mother, who was suffering in hell, on this day. Later, it gradually evolved into a day for helping the souls of the deceased to be liberated.

This day is also known as "Buddha's Joyful Day." The name has a slightly suggestive connotation.

Zhao Hao had marked this day in his diary half a month ago.

First of all, this is a traditional festival, and there should absolutely be a sign-in reward.

Secondly, this day is extraordinary in terms of zodiacal phenomena, the movement of the psychic sea, and the rules of the underworld.

This day is indeed the day when the rules of the underworld weaken, and its attraction to the souls of the dead is at its lowest. So, something bad is very likely to happen. Especially now that psychic energy is gradually awakening and becoming more and more active.

Extraordinary events were already increasing in the surface world, and with this day approaching, it's hard to guarantee that some ill-intentioned extraordinary individuals won't cause trouble. This day is likely to be difficult.

The Mysterious Bureau had already notified everyone that they needed to work overtime, and even temporary workers like Zhao Hao were required to be on call 24/7.

Last year, there was supposedly a minor hiccup during the Ghost Festival, but it was eventually quelled by the combined efforts of the Bureau of Mysteries, the Congregationalists, the Red Gate, and the Night Watch.

However, it is said that quite a stir has occurred in Japan and South Korea. Like...

It's because the superhumans from South Korea are unreliable; not only have they failed to solve the problem, they've escalated it beyond control.

The local superhumans couldn't handle it, so in the end, they had to ask someone from the Song Dynasty to solve the problem.

They resolved the situation in Japan themselves, supposedly to prove a point. But while they did manage to resolve it, the number of superhumans killed or wounded was extremely high. Almost half of the country's scattered superhumans had gathered in Nara for a grand ritual, only to lose more than half in one fell swoop! They were severely weakened!

That place is said to be inhabited by eight million gods, and is teeming with monsters, ghosts, and various religions and beliefs.

In addition, their pantheon was already chaotic, with the relationships between gods such as Tianjin, Guojin, Fu, and Huojin being intricate and complicated. It would not be an exaggeration to say that demons and monsters roamed freely!

I overheard Nanaya Saki telling me all this during a casual conversation.

She said that back in her hometown, whenever school was out for holidays, she would travel around exorcising demons with her spirit medium. Besides earning extra money, it was also to reduce the occurrence of supernatural events. She never got any rest!

In Japan, there are several organizations dedicated to dealing with the frequent occurrences of supernatural events. They also engage in infighting and buck-passing, which is quite characteristic of their own style.

It's the kind of situation where a trivial matter that's obvious has to be addressed in several meetings, each lasting over ten hours with intervals of one or two weeks, and in the end, the issue still can't be resolved, leaving the person with no choice but to bow down or resign.

Very unique~

……

"September 6, 1979, Ghost Festival, successfully checked in. +9 Fate Points, obtained the card [Paper Boat of the Underworld]."

There really was a reward that day!

Paper Boat of the Underworld

Black Iron 5-Star Item Card

Huang Quan: After consuming spiritual energy to activate the Netherworld Paper Boat, it can drift on any body of water and sail towards the Netherworld.

Crossing the Underworld: Able to navigate on rivers of the underworld such as the River of Three Crossings, the River of Oblivion, the Yellow Springs, and the River Styx.

Suppression: The Netherworld Paper Boat can suppress the souls of the dead, ghosts, and other terrifying beings in the underworld.

Note: We cannot guarantee 100% suppression.

Note: Where does the dead go? Paper boats and bright candles burn, illuminating the sky.

I didn't expect the cards in the sign-in rewards to be of such high level. It seems that the sign-in rewards really do have some good stuff!

This thing doesn't seem to work very well. Why would I go to the underworld? Am I just wasting my time?!

This thing looks like an unremarkable paper boat in your hand, with nothing particularly special about it. However, the faint, chilling spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from it tell you that it is no ordinary object.

"Wait, I remember I drew a ship before, right?"

Zhao Hao searched through the card pool and found a [Dragon Boat] card.

Dragon boat

Black Iron 4-Star Item Card

Sailing: Dragon boats can travel on waters that are insurmountable by many ordinary objects.

Riding the Dragon Through the Waves: The dragon boat is brought to life, suppressing the wind and waves of the water, and possesses a certain degree of combat capability.

Note: You're better off using it in a larger space.

This was a sign-in reward for the Dragon Boat Festival. I didn't expect to get another one!

At this rate, when we send the Kitchen God to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month (the Little New Year), won't we be giving him a spaceship?

"Having more ships is useless, so why don't we just merge them?"

The main issue is that I haven't really used the boat much. How about we combine them and see?

He's gotten arrogant, Zhao Hao's gotten arrogant!

Synthesize using the Black Iron 4-star [Dragon Boat] as the core and the Black Iron 5-star [Netherworld Paper Boat] as the material!

Zhao Hao figured the chances of him going to the Underworld were slim, so he used the Dragon Boat as the core to synthesize a ship that might be useful in both the real and virtual worlds.

【The Ship of the Nether Dragon】

Bronze 1-star item card

Dragon Roams the Four Seas: The Nether Dragon Ship comes to life, traversing extraordinary waters, suppressing water veins and storms, and possessing considerable combat power.

Sailing to the Underworld: After raising the Black Sail of the Underworld, you can sail to the Underworld on any body of water.

Crossing the Underworld: Able to navigate on rivers of the underworld such as the River of Three Crossings, the River of Oblivion, the Yellow Springs, and the River Styx.

Suppression: The Netherworld Paper Boat can suppress the souls of the dead, ghosts, and other terrifying beings in the underworld.

Drowned Souls: The Nether Dragon Ship can carry drowned souls as servant sailors and warriors.

Note: Be extra careful when traveling on the rivers of the underworld.

"Wow! That's a steal! I leveled up a whole new level! But it seems like I still don't have many uses for it..."

Why not take advantage of it? You never know when you might need it.

……

Zhao Hao had been preparing for the Ghost Festival for several days.

The first priority is to find a way to keep the Adams family at home and enjoy quality time together, and absolutely prevent them from wandering off.

In particular, it frightened little Hughman, saying that there was a monster that ate children on this day.

Even Gou Quan was given a dozen talismans by Zhao Hao, telling him to stay home obediently and not to go out and cause trouble. With his level of spiritual vision, if he went out and caused trouble, the people he was with would definitely not be human.

As for the fat man, he had been asked by a friend a week ago to take on a well-paid bodyguard job.

Nanaya Saki stayed at school and didn't go out. Sylvia and Winston remained at the Bureau of Mysteries as office workers. Alan was captured and put in solitary confinement by his cousin and fiancée, and wouldn't be released for a few days.

Even Uncle Iron and Malone have things to do.

The big shots in the Songren community pooled their money to organize a grand event—a ritual to save the souls of the dead by water and land. Several bronze-level big shots were invited to attend.

At this rate, it would be unreasonable not to perform rituals to help several ghost kings find peace.

Zhao Hao himself didn't want to cause any trouble. He just wanted to stay home, watch TV, and relax. The day would pass by in no time.

He had already asked Uncle Tie to check on his mother, whom he had never met, and she should have severed her ties with this world and been reincarnated. He no longer needed to burn paper money or anything like that.

As a result, after lying at home for less than two hours, I learned through a small item that the alchemists' Silver Secrets Gathering had decided to add an extra session.

This has never happened before. Usually, people exchange information on Sundays, and the meetings usually last an hour to two hours. There have only been last-minute cancellations of meetings, never last-minute additions.

That's why it's called a Sunday assembly!

Zhao Hao became a little curious.

Chapter 232 The Ghost Festival Feast

Since his new identity as Channem was changed, he hasn't shown his face yet, so he might as well go and see their reaction.

Zhao Hao donned his black cloak and hurried to the temporary meeting place. The cloak was made of black cloth obtained from a magician, effectively blocking all forms of detection. Moreover, when combined with Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu, the effect was excellent.

The gathering took place in an abandoned factory.

After the economic downturn, large abandoned factory areas and warehouses have sprung up in some of the less desirable parts of Liberty City.

Many of them have already been abandoned because they cannot generate profits and even lose money every month.

As a cautious extraordinary being, Zhao Hao naturally could not go in his physical form.