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

Alexander said: "I will soon be venturing into the Mist Instance, where the Ghost Beads will temporarily lose their power. So, Su Rong and Annie will be staying behind to activate their own exclusive instances. They’ll be absorbing Ghost Food inside, leveraging the time-bending rules of these realms. By the time they exit, they’ll have ascended to the rank of Ghost Dukes at the very least."

Sam and Asfur nodded, their faces etched with a sense of relief that was immediately contradicted by lingering worry.

If their enemies were to launch an assault with more than three Ghost Kings simultaneously, their newfound power would be woefully inadequate for any meaningful resistance.

"Not just them, you guys are part of this plan too," Alexander declared, waving his hand. A dozen or so Ghost Food materialized before him, each one swathed in an aura of unimaginable power.

"Ten of these are prince-level Ghost Food. Just two of these should elevate Full Moon and you, Sam, to the pinnacle of prince strength. The remaining two are King-level, reserved for you, Terence, and Asfur. My hope is that you will have achieved the status of Ghost Kings by the time I return."

A collective gasp spread through the room. King-level Ghost Food? And two of them? Sam’s voice trembled as he asked, "Boss, what in the world did you do at the City Lord’s Mansion? You didn’t, by any chance, kill two Ghost Kings, did you?"

Alexander shook his head with a wry smile, "No, one of these is incomplete. It’s just the severed arm of the Gay Ghost King from the Fierce Ghost Street battle. But even that, when combined with a sufficient number of prince-level Ghost Food, should be enough for Terence or Asfur to ascend to the rank of Ghost King."

"And the other one?" Sam inquired, almost hesitating to ask.

"That one is from a real Ghost King. It was unexpected, to say the least, that Anlan, the City Lord’s daughter, would possess such a level of strength."

"A real Ghost King? And she’s the City Lord’s daughter?" Sam almost collapsed, his legs giving way under the weight of the revelation. The others were no less staggered.

"Wait a minute..."

Sam suddenly had a thought. His eyes swept across the two King-level Ghost Eaters and the ten Prince-level ones before him. Swallowing hard, he stammered, "Boss, you killed Miss Anlan and have all these Prince-transformed Ghost food. What exactly did you do at the City Lord’s Mansion?"

"It’s not a big deal!" Alexander replied, knowing that the Mansion wouldn’t publicize the event but Anlan’s death couldn’t be hidden.

"In a month, Louis will officially become the heir. So, here it is: I participated in a mission at the City Lord’s Mansion. I killed Anlan, Hurricane, HongMu, and their subordinates.

Now, besides these Ghost food, I also have over 600 General-level ones and seven more at the Prince-level. A hundred of them will be auctioned off; the rest will be used to cultivate members of the Fierce Ghost Association."

Alexander’s words exploded in everyone’s ears like a bolt of thunder. The City Lord’s Mansion had only four foster sons, and Alexander had killed three in one visit?

Not to mention, he’d also slaughtered over 600 Ghost Generals and seven Ghost Princes. This was no mission; it was a bloody massacre of the Mansion!

"Don’t worry, the heir to the City Lord is now Louis. In a month, the Ghost Storage Succession Ceremony will take place. Those three hid the ’Abandoned Emperor Stone’ for sinister purposes. They got what they deserved," Alexander explained.

At this point, Sam and Asfur were utterly stunned. "Mr. Alexander, are you really giving us these Ghost food?" Asfur finally managed to speak after a prolonged silence. "These could cultivate two Ghost Kings! Their value is immeasurable. Are you really just giving them to us?"

Alexander trusted Asfur and Terrence because he had already maxed out their "good will" to 99. Thanks to his unique ability, he could monitor changes in their good will him.

Once the score reached over 90, the chances of betrayal became almost nonexistent. However, this was his secret talent, known only to Su Rong and Annie, with whom he had formed contracts.

Thus, from Asfur and Terrence’s perspective, this was perplexing. Although they acknowledged Alexander, in their minds, they had only known him for a short time. Trust was one thing, but giving them Ghost food capable of elevating one to a Ghost King was something else entirely.

Seeing no hesitation from Alexander, Terrence, Sam, and Asfur exchanged glances before dropping to one knee in unison. "Asfur, Sam, and Terrence swear to serve you unto death!"

Simultaneously, three prompt messages appeared in his mind. A mark that only Alexander could see emerged on their foreheads, revealing an intricate black seal.

Somewhere in a sci-fi-themed hall, a large screen displayed a black river under a starry sky. At the bottom of the screen were nine golden icons, five of which were already lit. The moment the three prompts appeared in Alexander’s mind, three more icons lit up abruptly.

In front of the screen, a man excitedly stood up and said to the woman behind him, "Lady Sophia, all eight Guiders have activated their guiding programs! We only need one more to lift the restrictions completely!"

"Is the River Styx Project finally entering its final stage?" Sophia looked at the screen, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as if she had been waiting for this moment for an eternity.

In the horry world, Alexander helped the three men to their feet, not wanting to keep the atmosphere overly solemn. He smiled and said, "Sam, are you at ease now?"

"Absolutely, completely at ease!" Sam nodded repeatedly. "Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll arrange for us to take turns going into the instances to absorb the Ghost food in the next few days. We’ll make sure nothing outside is affected."

"No, you just need to leave one person behind! As for the outside..." Alexander shook his head. "Go to the 17th floor of the Fierce Ghost Apartment and find Night Cat Ghost King Thomas. Tell him to guard for me for one month. The previous conditions are null and void, and he can use his ghost power to restore his right arm."

"Night Cat Ghost King? The most miserable Ghost King who can’t find peace even after becoming a Ghost King, due to his companion ghost cat? His severed arm...is that related to you?" Sam asked in surprise.

Not many outsiders knew about Thomas’s story, although it was familiar to almost everyone in the Fierce Ghost Apartment. After all, the base residents of Fierce Ghost Apartment wouldn’t dare gossip about a Ghost King’s embarrassment.

Alexander didn’t hide anything and nodded, "Not long after I moved into the Fierce Ghost Apartment, Thomas came looking for trouble. Louis stepped in, made him sever one of his arms, and promised me ten favors. if he wants to restore his severed arm, he shouldn’t refuse this small request."

"Ah, it was Mr. Louis!" Sam had an epiphany. "Louis has indeed been very loyal to Alexander. No wonder Alexander went to the extent of cleansing the City Lord’s Mansion just to secure Louis’s inheritance."

After his internal musings, Sam quickly added, "Although Night Cat Ghost King is a bit miserable, his companion ghost cat isn’t much weaker than he is. His talent isn’t much inferior to Annie’s. Being a veteran Ghost King, he ranks high among Ghost Kings in terms of strength. With him around, there’s not much to worry about!"

After all, having a Ghost King as a bodyguard, along with the recently promoted yet already quite formidable Edward to assist, there should be no issues in the short term. Once Terrence and Asfur advanced to King-level, then they’d truly be invincible.

In the dark hell where Alexander and his comrades operate, Sam didn’t express any particular ambitions. He recognized that his talents were not geared towards combat.

Moreover, his recent sudden promotion meant that aspiring to become a Ghost Imperial would take more time and consume more resources, specifically "ghost food."

"From here on, it’s up to you all. Once I return from the Mist Instance, we’ll kick off the auction!" Alexander was planning to accumulate a significant amount of ghost currency, not for his selfish needs but to strengthen the Fierce Ghost Association.

Alexander had also learned of the formidable strength of the Dark Hell Army from Edward. Alice, the force’s commander, had several legions under her, numbering an astonishing 15 million. However, most of these were merely fodder.

The only real force to be reckoned with was the Dark Hell Army, commanded by the enigmatic Imperial, consisting of a million soldier-ghosts, thousands of ghost generals, thirty ghost princes, and four ghost kings.

Beyond that, the most potent force was the city’s defense army, led by Seraphina, with a thousand ghost princes and ten ghost king captains.

Certainly, the city contains various large blocks, each controlled by apartment complexes of considerable strength.

However, the problem lies in the agendas of these leaders—who tend to be self-interested. Fewer than five blocks would genuinely heed the commands of the city lord’s office. Some even have significant differences with the city lord and might revolt if attacked.

Louis initiated a association war primarily to weaken the influence of these apartment complexes. In a large-scale war, high-end forces may make a substantial impact but are not the critical determinant of success.

In this horry world, sheer numbers overshadow even formidable high-end forces. Even someone as powerful as Imperial, who could eliminate dozens of ghosts with a flick of his hand, has limitations when facing a battle involving tens of millions. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The actual determinant of victory or defeat will lie in the hands of the vast armies of ordinary troops. Although Alexander doesn’t know the strength of the forces sent by the Endless Abyss, he speculates that with Lord K collecting vast amounts of ghost currency, even the lowest-ranking soldiers would be terrifyingly potent.

Alexander’s plan is to leverage two treasured items and countless ghost coins to fabricate an army of powerful soldier-ghosts before the enemy besieges the city. When the time comes, he’ll unleash tens of millions of these soldier-ghosts in a sweeping advance.

He doesn’t believe that the Endless Abyss, formidable as they may be, could muster an army of general-level ghosts. To elevate a soldier-ghost to a general-level would require hundreds of thousands of ghost coins and significant time.

After giving Sam some precautions, Alexander left the room and headed directly to the rooftop of the fierce ghost apartment.

He wasn’t planning to meet anyone; rather, the activation time for the Mist Instance was drawing near.

Edward had advised him that the event would be quite significant, best observed from a high vantage point. However, Edward remained cryptic about the specific details, cautioning Alexander not to be too shocked.

"I need immense power," Alexander muttered, clenching his fists as he stood atop the rooftop of the ferocious ghost apartment.

Su rong and Sam had carried out their tasks smoothly, but a sense of urgency continued to nag at Alexander’s heart. This feeling intensified at the exact moment when the three completed their pact.

"Is some mysterious force trying to warn me through some means?" Alexander murmured, looking up at the sky. The feeling was utterly inexplicable.

He wasn’t like that fortunate Cain, blessed with the innate ability to sense danger. Considering how he had failed to notice a series of anomalies while living in his former community, Alexander couldn’t help but link this to Isabella and Sophia.

"Regardless, gaining strength is never wrong! Be it a conspiracy or some form of backup plan I’ve set up in a past life, as long as I have enough power, I can unveil the truth," he thought.

His eyes briefly scanned the bottles of Emperor Liquor in his storage section, then he summoned his mist interface, lingering on the countdown timer for the Mist Instance.

As the seconds ticked away and the timer approached zero, Alexander felt something compelling, causing him to lift his head abruptly.

A prolonged, melancholic horn sounded in his ears, its timbre both distant and forlorn. Far off in the sky, it seemed as if the sunlight were blocked by some colossal entity—a leviathan that was advancing from the remote horizon.