Chapter 14: The Dead City

Chapter 14: The Dead City

Aridoville?

Victoria?

Gu Xi immediately understood. This should be the name of this exiled fake city, completely opposite to Victoria City. As he had guessed, Luna was the spirit of this city.

With the city's death, she too had died and was coincidentally attracted by Gu Xi's necromantic contract, becoming his contract spirit. If Gu Xi and his companions hadn't entered Aridoville, Luna might never have remembered her original identity. But they did, and under Gu Xi's indulgence, Luna even found her birthplace, which made her recall everything.

At this moment, Luna spoke with a trace of coldness, "Actually, my appearance is an accident. I am the spirit of this city, but not entirely belonging to it. In British folklore, if a doll or figurine is thrown at the corner of a bed or under a table, over time, a house spirit will appear, helping the owner clean the room and guard the fireplace in exchange for essential living supplies. If one no longer wants the spirit, just give them a piece of clothing, and they will leave.

Knowing this folklore, even families with children educate them not to casually throw dolls in such places. If a doll is suddenly found in a corner or under a table, don't move it recklessly but use a piece of clothing to wrap it before taking it out."

Listening to Luna recounting the folklore, Gu Xi wasn't impatient but listened attentively. To him, this was Luna fundamentally explaining her origins.

"My situation was an accident. When James I built Aridoville, he required everything to be exactly replicated without any change. By coincidence, during the measurement, this doll was thrown under the bed," Luna said, pointing to a spot under the bed.

"At that time, the person measuring must have known the taboo and put clothes on the doll, but he didn't realize it was just an accidentally fallen doll and hadn't become a spirit yet. Later, the position of this cottage was also coincidentally strategic. Look there," Luna pointed to the ceiling.

Gu Xi looked up and saw a crack. "This was originally in the small building. Whenever it rained, it would leak here, but Aridoville never had rain. Every night, the moon would rise, and at midnight, the moonlight would precisely shine on that mirror, reflecting onto the doll under the bed. Over time, I appeared. Thus, my name is Luna, meaning moon or moon goddess."

Luna sighed, "If not for later accidents, I might have been the spirit of this small building, existing until it was destroyed. But as you noticed, the person measuring gave me clothes due to the taboo. After this place was replicated and left uninhabited, I could temporarily leave the building and wander around. I would usually run around nearby streets and quickly return upon encountering those strange shadows. Those shadows never entered the house, so I didn't worry about my safety.

As a house spirit, entering other houses meant that house fell under my protection range. Thus, the range I could influence grew larger until I took something from an apartment in the southeast."

"Apartment?" Gu Xi interrupted Luna for the first time.

"Yes, that apartment seemed to be 10 Tangning Street, appearing as an ordinary small apartment building. However, after entering, I seemed affected and slept for a long time. After waking up, I deeply understood this city and realized my appearance might be this city's self-rescue," Luna paused before concluding, "Unfortunately, this city still died."

After hearing Luna's story, Gu Xi fell silent. He hadn't expected Luna's story to be so intricate. He quickly reacted, "What do you plan to do now?"

Luna lifted her head, "I want to save this city, even if just a little."

Gu Xi stared into Luna's hollow eyes without hesitation, "I'll help you."

Hearing Gu Xi, Luna smiled. "Thank you, but my current power is insufficient to control the entire Aridoville, only a third of the old city area."

"How big is Aridoville?" Gu Xi asked despite the urgency.

"2.9 square kilometers, just a few blocks excluding the walls."

"Can we take it all?" Gu Xi pondered, finding the area manageable, akin to a few hundred football fields.

Luna looked at Gu Xi helplessly, "We need to control it."

"Alright, control is the priority. You handle it."

Luna nodded and said, "Sir, please step out. I need to transform this small building into a council hall, which will take some time. Please hold off the enemies."

"Rest assured," Gu Xi assured, patting the curved blade at his waist.

Gu Xi was excited. He hadn't expected a chance to turn the tables now and had thought his first contract spirit was useless. But it turned out to be a treasure. Luna floated before Gu Xi, touching his arm, and a cold stream surged into him, replenishing the magic he had exhausted earlier. Gu Xi glanced at Luna in surprise, who nodded.

"Sir, this is all I can do."

Gu Xi waved his hand, drew his blade, and headed down.

As Gu Xi left, Luna began her actions, placing the round mirror she held in the room's center and taking something from the doll. It was a pen, the key to her transformation from a house spirit to a city spirit from 10 Tangning Street.

Using the pen, Luna drew a few strokes on the round mirror, which melted like ice, merging into the room. As Gu Xi stepped out of the building, before he could survey the battlefield, he heard a chime.

[Ding! Luna (contract spirit) is reclaiming her power. At her request, you activate a temporary mission!]

[Temporary Mission: The Dead City]

[Mission Description: Tear apart, occupy, and protect this dead city!]

[Mission Requirements: Guard the council hall transformation (0/1), defeat three waves of enemies (0/3)]

[Mission Rewards: Special skill for necromancers - Dead City.]

[Note 1: A dead city can also become a spirit.]

[Note 2: As the necromancer level increases, control over the dead city will also improve.]