Manchester village part 2

As they walked for about four to five minutes through the dense forest, Edward spotted something ahead.

"Is that the village?"

He asked, looking at the rough wooden wall. The wall seemed to form a circle, but he couldn't see all of it.

The wall stood about two meters high, with an entrance gate roughly a hundred meters from where they stood.

He could also see some buildings, which looked like thatched huts, through the gaps in the wall.

As they approached the village, the two ghosts at the entrance, who had been standing still, suddenly stepped forward, scaring Edward a bit.

"Greetings, Mister David."

They said with a smile, before returning to their positions.

David smiled back at them and then led Edward and William into the village.

"Captain! Is there any use for these walls? I mean, almost every ghost can easily walk through them."

Edward asked, puzzled by their useless presence. 

At the same time, he placed his hand on the gate and tried to push through it, using his tangibility. 

As soon as he tried to pass through, an unknown force surrounded the wall. A black film appeared, resisting his attempt.

"Haha, I guess you got your answer," David laughed, seeing Edward's stunned face.

"Edward! Almost everything in this village is enchanted by ghosts with special abilities. This black screen also prevents normal humans from seeing the village. So, most dark creatures, not just ghosts, won't be able to use their basic abilities like tangibility and invisibility here."

William laughed as well but offered further explanation, seeing Edward's curious expression.

"What about the stronger abilities?"

Edward asked, quickly following behind David and William as they approached the entrance where more ghosts stood.

"They will work here."

William explained.

"This enchantment is of a lower grade than those stronger abilities. For example, at level six, you get the 'cold presence' ability, which is a higher type. So, while the village can restrict abilities like tangibility, it can't handle more powerful ones."

David answered patiently as they walked along the muddy road. Rows of wooden houses lined the path, with multiple side paths connecting the entire village and its various buildings.

Edward was taken aback by the sheer number of ghosts he saw for the first time. Some emerged from the houses, others chatted along the roadside, some were inside buildings, and a few walked alongside them.

It felt like walking through an ancient village, which filled him with awe. He even noticed some peculiar auras distinct from those of ghosts, which intrigued him.

Just as he was about to ask about them, David headed towards a large wooden building that spanned two floors.

Pushing aside his questions, Edward quietly hurried behind David, not wanting to attract too much attention.

Inside, Edward observed what appeared to be a bar. The ground floor housed around ten to twenty tables, enough to seat thirty to forty ghosts at most.

A counter with a cellar faced the door, where some ghosts sat enjoying their drinks. Two ghosts behind the counter served colorful drinks to the patrons.

Overall, the setup of the wooden building resembled a bar from the normal world, but with a retro 1980s ambiance.

Apart from the two ghosts serving drinks in the cellar, several other waiter ghosts circulated among the tables, attending to the patrons.

Next to the cellar, a counter hosted a young woman with a serious expression, holding a pen and book, presumably tallying something.

Beside her, stairs led to the second floor, seemingly restricted or possibly a private area belonging to the building's owner.

Edward wondered if the young woman was a ghost or some other type of creature, noticing that she didn't emit the same aura as the other ghosts. He didn't sense any dark presence from her either.

However, Edward only stole a quick glance at her, realizing his knowledge about creatures other than ghosts was almost nonexistent. Even his understanding of ghosts was fresh, so he chose not to say anything and decided to ask David and William later.

Without a word, David led both Edward and William to a table near the counter.

The table was arranged with a four-seater wooden setup, featuring benches on opposite sides. Edward and William took one side, while David sat opposite them.

As they settled in, some of the existing customers glanced at the newcomers before returning to their activities.

"Alright... I know what's going on in your head. Don't think that ghosts don't have to eat or drink just because they're already dead."

David said, meeting Edward's curious gaze.

"Oh... Then what happens if we don't eat or drink?"

Edward asked, puzzled by the idea that ghosts, being already dead, would need sustenance.

"Haha! Actually, nothing happens to us if we don't eat or drink human food."

David chuckled.

"For ghosts, Yin energy is like our staple food, and the good thing is we passively absorb it. If a ghost actively tries to stop absorbing Yin energy, their essence slowly dissipates, and eventually, the ghost itself will fade away. But that's rare, and..."

David paused, choosing not to delve further into the topic.

"Hope that clarifies things."

Edward's questions always brought a smile to David's face, brightening the serious world around them.

Edward noticed that David seemed to hold back on something, but he respected his decision not to push further.

"I understand that... But why those colourful drinks? And what about the food... It looks like meat?"

Edward asked, still trying to grasp the purpose of these delicacies.

"Well... We ghosts have long lives."

William explained eagerly.

"Do you expect us to always dwell in gloomy places, just absorbing energy? These drinks and food are made especially for dark creatures like us. They're our only indulgences and are quite expensive."

William's mouth watered slightly as he spoke.

"Ah, I see."

Edward replied absentmindedly. He didn't have any desires like that right now. But he figured maybe he would feel the same way after a while, being a new ghost and all.

"Also, some of the Expensive drinks might even help us ghosts with Apparition path acceleration but they are very costly."

William continued with a bit of longing in his eyes.

Edward's eyes brightened with excitement upon hearing exactly what he had been hoping for.

"You won't find those drinks here. They're rare even in towns... So, don't think too much about them for now."

David said hurriedly, quickly dousing Edward's excitement.

"Well, I'll order us some drinks now. It's on me this time... but just this once, alright?"

David said, waving his hand at a passing waiter ghost.

The wandering ghost approached them slowly, standing silently beside them.

Edward eyed the ghost, noticing it was slightly stronger than him, maybe a Tier three or Tier four ghost.

"It's a Tier three ghost soldier. Any guesses how long it took him to reach that level?"

William whispered, but not quietly enough since both David and the waiter ghost could hear him.

Edward offered an apologetic smile to the waiter ghost, who responded with a stoic look before standing silently.

"Don't worry about it. They're trained as 'professional waiters'; They won't interfere as long as we behave."

William remarked from the side, no longer bothering to whisper.

"Three months?" Edward said, glancing uncertainly at the waiting ghost.

"Hehe... Wrong. It took him three years to reach Tier 3."

David corrected with a hint of pride.

"You should realize, your talent is considered 'monstrous' compared to his. Most ghosts in this world have similar or even worst talent than him."

David's tone carried a note of admiration, acknowledging that Edward's potential was indeed exceptional, similar to his own.

William also looked a bit proud, knowing he was also a 'monstrous level' talent, even if slightly less than David and Edward.

Edward, on the other hand, was surprised by the waiter ghost's weaker talent and how much higher his own talent was in comparison.

He couldn't help feeling relieved that he hadn't ended up like the waiter ghost, realising he probably wouldn't have been able to dream of 'living' with his family if he had.

"Alright... Enough about that. We're here to enjoy ourselves. Let's order something first."

David announced, clapping his hands to gather their attention.

"I want the 'Yellow Yin drink' and 'Dust bull chops'."

William eagerly stated, his ethereal form almost drooling as he gazed at the cellar where a yellow drink bottle caught his eye.

"I want the 'Red Yin drink' and 'Dust bull chops'."

Edward glanced at the cellar, noticing the array of colourful drinks. Red was his favorite colour, so he decided to try the 'Red Yin drink'. 

As soon as he finished ordering, both William and David looked at him suddenly, amusement twinkling in their eyes.

Edward felt a bit apprehensive after ordering, worried that he might not have chosen something good. However, he kept quiet, not wanting to change his order and risk being made fun by William and David.