As long as you have the courage, fierce ghosts go on maternity leave.

Dark Relic · Voodoo Doll

Introduction: In the grand "loving and harmonious" family of the Lord’s Manor, where maternal affection and fraternal respect ostensibly reign, the mischievous elder brother seized the cover of darkness to open up his sister’s chest, gouging out half of her heart. With avuncular warmth, he warned her that if she disobeyed him, he’d use her heart in a spell to scatter her soul to the winds.

The obedient little sister listened closely to her brother, surreptitiously keeping strands of his hair with the intent of gifting him an unexpected surprise. Over a span of more than a decade, these hairs were twisted into thread and sewn into an exquisite doll through the dark arts of voodoo.

It is said that upon laying eyes on this doll, the elder brother will undoubtedly be touched by his sister’s genuine feelings, piercing the softest corners of his heart.

Function: When presented to Prince Hurricane, the heir apparent, the doll’s cursed power will activate the moment he sees it. The spell will seal away his ghost energy, reducing him to a shadow of his former self.

Ah, what a splendidly "loving" family! The brother rips out his sister’s heart to curse her, and she in return crafts a voodoo doll from his stolen hair.

The wary glance toward Anlan also gained a measure of additional caution. To spend over a decade collecting hair for such a creation—this is a person of ruthless determination.

However, just as Alexander had predicted, these three heirs, adopted children of the Empress, would naturally have their own trump cards or methods of keeping each other in check, even if they were out of favor or under scrutiny.

After all, they alone possess the legitimate right to vie for succession. And where such power exists, there will inevitably be those who aid from the shadows.

So Alexander’s diligent efforts were all for this very moment.

In the Horrifying World, there’s no natural cycle of birth, aging, sickness, or death. Yet, this realm is fraught with dangers beyond imagination.

It’s as if a city of sin were destroyed overnight or as the legends go, the sudden demise of the landlord in front of a ghost apartment building. Even for the Ghost Emperor, death is no rare occurrence.

Perhaps one day, the currently downtrodden heirs will successfully wield the Emperor’s Seal of the Dark Hell. Unlike the slow ascent of power, this Seal is inheritable.

More potent than any Abyssal Ghost Crystal, possession of the Seal grants the title of Ghost Emperor, a far more powerful version than your average Ghost Emperor. Such titles have been inherited by beings like the Empress of the Dark Hell, the Ghost Emperor of the Endless Abyss, and so on.

One city, one Ghost Emperor; as many major cities exist in the Horrifying World, so do the number of hereditary Ghost Emperors.

As candidates for inheritance, the three of them certainly have something up their sleeves. Alexander even suspects that if he had moved against Anlan, Anlan would have had the means to eliminate him instantly, even if the real Edward stood here.

That’s why Alexander took such a roundabout way, disguising his true intentions to trick Anlan into revealing his hand. Now armed with this voodoo doll, any tricks Prince Hurricane might have become null and void.

Carefully stowing the voodoo doll, Alexander nods, "With this, my chances are much better, but still not enough. This thing can only deal with the elder prince; I must find a way to deal with the second."

"For dealing with HongMu, my elder brother might have something. However, he’s hidden it very well; it won’t be easy to get," Anlan frowns.

"You pacify the Chosen Ones, try to conserve their strength for the battle for succession; it might come in handy. I’ll find a way to deal with the second prince; my identity should still have some sway," Alexander spoke.

"Alright," Anlan agrees without hesitation, pausing before adding, "HongMu possesses a metallic mechanical heart, a very potent cursed item. If you see or hear of it, destroy it at all costs. Don’t touch it, and don’t give him a chance to use it."

"Don’t worry, I’m aware of the treacherous nature of cursed items and will deal with it promptly. You go pacify the Chosen Ones and await my signal," Alexander assures before they both leave the room.

Anlan returns to the banquet, and Alexander heads towards the chamber where the second prince, HongMu, resides.

However, the moment he turns a corner and is no longer under watchful eyes, Alexander halts, a cold smirk forming.

This Anlan is definitely not simple. What cursed item? If it were the real Edward, even with doubts, he’d never dare to touch such a perplexing item; he would find a way to destroy it right away.

Yet, Alexander isn’t a real ghost. Chosen Ones and ghosts see the attributes of a treasure in completely different ways.

Horror instances and games share certain similarities, like property descriptions. Anlan could see the function of the makeup puppet Alexander produced earlier, but he couldn’t possibly know its history.

The voodoo doll is no different.

The description clearly states that an older brother gouged out half of his younger sister’s ghost heart. Connecting that with the mechanical heart and the voodoo doll stitched with hair, it’s evident that this item is designed to counter Anlan, even if he appears to be the weakest among the three.

However, the voodoo doll of Hurricane is with Anlan. Anlan’s mechanical heart is with HongMu. Without a doubt, HongMu must have a similar item against Hurricane. A stable triangle of power—what a "loving" family indeed!

Alexander has no real intentions of seeking out either HongMu or Hurricane. One is hot-tempered, and the other is debonair. Should he actually go and this disguise doesn’t fool them, what good can come out of it? Best let the Chosen Ones navigate this minefield.

Instead of moving toward either Hurricane or HongMu, Alexander finds a secluded corner and retrieves a red card. It’s an invitation to the Lord’s Manor, and to be honest, he’s somewhat reluctant to use it.

Originally just an invitation from Louis to visit, it has become a symbol of identity in Alexander’s hands.

The front yard of the Lord’s Manor may seem devoid of significant fighting power, but that’s because the guards have moved to the inner courtyard. Now, only the private guards of the two sons and the daughter are in charge.

The only feasible method to slip into the inner courtyard and meet the Lord is to use this invitation.

Holding the invitation, Alexander chooses to use it. In the next instant, he vanishes from the spot. When he opens his eyes, he’s stunned by the sight before him.

Mist veils the air, and from a massive artificial mountain, warm water incessantly gushes out, forming a large hot spring lake. The steaming mist envelops the entire lake, and at the base of the artificial mountain, two immense dragon heads intermittently exhale gentle fog.

Melodious voices float to Alexander’s ears. In the distance, atop the misty lake surface, numerous unclothed female ghosts are bathing.

Though the scene is captivating, Alexander is in no mood to admire it. The aura emanating from these ghost is simply staggering!

Near the edge of the lake, piles of guard uniforms can be seen. Clearly, these are the guards of the Lord’s Manor. Positioned at the heart of it all are two exquisite forms, one of whom is Seraphina, the head of the guards whom Alexander had met before.

Entangled with her is another woman, whose aura is slightly less striking but still undeniably at the ghost king.

Among the hundred present, as many as five or six have reached the king level, and the rest are all Prince Ghosts.

This is the real power of the Lord’s Manor. The three adopted children outside? They are but children playing, as long as the real Lord remains unscathed.

But now, Alexander finds himself in a quandary. His position, hidden behind a protruding rock on the slope of the artificial mountain, has luckily gone unnoticed.

However, this obscurity is more than just a result of the physical barrier. Perhaps due to the bathing area, the mist here has strong isolative properties, dampening even sound. Thus far, he remains undetected.

Ghosts in this horror world usually take on various grotesque forms. However, those reaching the level of soldiers can use their ghostly energy to maintain their pre-death appearance.

Female ghosts, especially, rarely resist the temptation to restore or even enhance their appearances. Hence, at the level of generals, sensuality is the norm, beauty is just the basic expectation, and exaggerated enhancement of breasts and intimate parts is far from rare.

But right now, surrounded by hundreds of naked, beautiful female ghosts, Alexander’s sole thought is to escape.

Should he be discovered, he’d face the wrath of one pseudo-emperor, five or six Ghost Kings, and hundreds of Prince Ghosts. Chances are, he’d be torn to shreds without even a chance to explain.

"Susannah, stand right there! You dare slap my butt? If I catch you, I’ll pop your breasts!" A round-faced, slightly juvenile-looking, adorable female ghost waves her fists angrily as she chases after a voluptuously bodied, well-endowed woman.

"Linda, catch me if you can! You may not be tall, but you sure have a perky butt!" The voluptuous ghost giggles coquettishly as she swims rapidly ahead—directly toward Alexander’s hiding spot.

Trouble is brewing. Cold sweat trickles down Alexander’s forehead.

As a man, hiding behind a rock in a hot spring full of frolicking, stark-naked female ghosts, he knows too well what fate awaits him if discovered.

In the horror world, the obsessions and desires of ghosts are amplified.

A child who loved pranks in life could become a king of destruction in death.

A lecherous person in life might turn into a lascivious demon after death.

Take the skin-flaying ghost, for example; perhaps his obsession with cleanliness wasn’t so severe in life, yet in death, he has even scrubbed through several layers of his own skin.

In other words, those who disliked men or held chastity in high regard in life will have those feelings magnified in death.

Among the more than one hundred people present, the lowest rank is that of Prince Ghosts! Without further ado, if even one or two of them were to lash out in fury, Alexander wouldn’t have a chance to explain himself.

What to do?

His eyes swiftly scanned the area, finally landing on a female ghost who seemed tired from playing and was getting dressed on the shore. Instinctively, Alexander began analyzing the information he had gathered.

She’s a Ghost King, holding a not-so-low rank among the guards. Fond of beauty, her large, round breasts are not something just anyone could possess.

Efficient in her movements, she dresses quickly without any dawdling. She’s so focused that she doesn’t even notice her sleeves getting wet from being too close to the water. Such efficiency doesn’t quite match her voluptuous physique—clearly, her ghostly form has been modified.

After quickly analyzing the situation, Alexander’s disguise puppet appeared in his hand. However, this time, he hesitated.

In the current scenario, the only option he could think of was to disguise himself as one of them. With the mask, he could alter his voice and aura.

But the issue here was the lake—these women were all nude.

He’d have to disguise himself not just as a woman, but also take a bath with them.

Time was running out for Alexander. The two playfully chasing each other were drawing near. Gritting his teeth, he activated the disguise puppet.

This isn’t like applying makeup to a corpse; it’s not even actual makeup. As the puppet activated, the spectral image of an emotionless young man appeared before him.

The specter waved his arm gently over Alexander. A grey mist flowed from his hand, covering Alexander’s body like a layer of film.

The sensation of the grey mist was strangely familiar to Alexander, but now was not the time to dwell on that. As the specter moved his arm as if painting with the mist, a miraculous transformation occurred.

Alexander’s wet clothes metamorphosed into flawless skin, each stroke of the spectral brush seamlessly piecing together the fragmented canvas of his original appearance.

Instinctively, he looked down to find a full bust and a pair of long, slender legs.

Was this his new self?