Chapter 79: The Gap Is a Trash Can?
"That's all I've brought for now."
Tong Yi's palms were slick with nervous sweat, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She kept her head bowed, daring only to watch Kaguya's reaction from the corner of her eye as she presented her collection of items.
"That's quite a lot," Kaguya remarked, her voice holding a note of genuine surprise. "Did you get all of these from previous instances?" She hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary player to be a hidden trove of supernatural artifacts.
Tong Yi quickly shook her head. "I bought all of these in the real world. My family's situation is... pretty good, so buying some ordinary ghost artifacts isn't a problem."
"Then have you ever bought any powerful weapons? Roughly what's the price range?"
"Truly powerful ghost artifacts are almost impossible to find on the market," Tong Yi explained. "Unless it's a special circumstance, no one is willing to sell them. Take this storage necklace of mine, for example. I got it inside an instance. Its specific value is hard to quantify, but I once offered ten million on the player forums to buy a similar high-level ghost artifact, and I didn't get a single reply."
She gestured to the more common items spread out before them. "As for ordinary ghost artifacts, the price usually ranges from one hundred thousand to one million. You can also barter with other ghost artifacts."
One hundred thousand to one million. The price wasn't astronomically high, but it certainly wasn't low, either. If an ordinary player was desperate enough—selling their car, their house, or turning to certain unsavory channels—they could just barely afford one.
Kaguya's eyes swept over the various items, planning to pick a few at random, but her gaze snagged on a pair of rather inappropriate-looking shoes tucked away at the edge of the collection.
Yotsuya Miko caught a glimpse of the garish, unsightly patterns printed on the footwear. A faint heat rose to her cheeks, and she subconsciously turned her head away, her eyes darting to Haruto, who was still fast asleep behind her, casually using a dozing Lin Xuelao as a pillow.
Tong Yi hadn't expected Kaguya to ask about those. She hadn't wanted to bring them out in the first place, but in her flustered state, she had accidentally emptied her entire inventory.
"This is... something I stripped off a doll during my first instance," she answered weakly, her voice barely a whisper. "The image printed on it is that doll."
Even though Tong Yi had a high tolerance for the bizarre, the strange looks she was getting from the others made her cheeks burn. She waved her hands frantically. "It's not what you think! That doll could move, and it kept chasing us. It was actually a ghost!"
"I'll take this."
Haruto's voice, thick with sleep, suddenly cut through the air. He rubbed his tired eyes and lazily reached out a hand. A dark, shimmering tear in space—a Gap—opened beside him. The pair of questionable shoes was unceremoniously tossed inside before the Gap sealed shut without a sound.
Under Yakumo Yukari's long-term influence, Haruto had also developed a habit of collecting things. Besides, the Gap was like a boundless, personal dimension. It could serve as a portal, a storage space, or, most conveniently, a giant, interdimensional trash can. Whenever he found something even remotely interesting, he'd just toss it in.
The others were used to his antics, but this was the first time Tong Yi had witnessed such an ability. Her eyes went wide with shock. She herself possessed a storage-type ghost artifact, and she had read up on every documented spatial item on the player forums. All of them could only store things. The ability to retrieve objects from a distance, let alone open a portal out of thin air, was simply unheard of.
Then again, she thought, trying to rationalize it... not every ghost artifact in existence was recorded on the forums. The Death Game was impossibly vast. The world she knew was just the tip of the iceberg; encountering an unfamiliar and powerful artifact was perfectly normal.
Haruto shifted, about to get out of bed, when he felt the "pillow" in his arms stir. Only then did he realize his tight grip on Lin Xuelao and hastily let go.
Lin Xuelao stood up and straightened her collar as if nothing had happened, but a closer look revealed a delicate pink flush on her earlobes that had yet to fade.
"What's in this bag of seeds?" Haruto asked, his attention now on a small, unassuming pouch.
"I'm not sure about the specific details," Tong Yi admitted. "I bought it on the forums for thirty thousand. All I know is that a player stole it from a place called a 'Ghost Farm.' I tried planting one seed, and it grew into a flower with a human face."
"Just a flower with a human face? No other special effects?" Haruto frowned, pressing for more.
"There are." At this, Tong Yi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "That flower... it could speak. At the time, it told me its purpose was to help me lure away enemies at critical moments."
Yotsuya Miko's eyes lit up. "Isn't that incredibly useful? An entire bag of seeds like that should be considered a very powerful ghost artifact, right?"
Tong Yi forced a bitter smile. "If that were really the case, this bag would be a top-tier artifact, but..."
"But it lied to you, didn't it?" Haruto cut in. Seeing Tong Yi's surprised expression, he waved his hand dismissively. "Isn't it obvious? Ghosts are full of lies. A Ghost Flower is still a ghost. Why would it be kind enough to actually help you?"
Tong Yi nodded slowly, her eyes turning a little red. "It did as it promised at first and helped me lure a ghost away. But later... it appeared again, saying it had found the exit and wanted to lead us there..." She bit her lip, the memory clearly painful. "I was the only one who escaped. The first thing I wanted to do when I got out was destroy this bag of seeds, but nothing worked. Fire, a hammer... I couldn't even throw it away. I think it can only be passed on through trade or as a gift, so... I suggest you don't choose this."
"I'll take it."
Haruto raised an eyebrow at her warning. Others might be afraid, but how could he possibly back down from a challenge? He might not be able to suppress a cursed bag of seeds, but that didn't mean he couldn't find someone who could.
Especially Kazami Yuuka.
She was a grand flower youkai, a being that was the very embodiment of nature's dominion. Haruto refused to believe any mere plant would dare to act up in front of her. If it really dared to cause trouble, a few well-aimed slaps from her parasol would teach it some manners.
Lin Xuelao frowned, and Yotsuya Miko couldn't hide her concern. "Haruto, what do you want with that bag of seeds? Isn't it very dangerous?"
"I'm planning to build a Secret Cabin," Haruto said with a completely serious expression. "These seeds are perfect for planting some flowers to decorate the house."
Deco... decoration?
Even though Miko and Lin Xuelao had grown somewhat accustomed to the sheer audacity of Haruto's imagination, their eyelids still twitched in shock. They already felt something was off when he mentioned a "Secret Cabin," but they truly didn't expect him to specifically choose such a dangerous, cursed item just for home decor.
If his own teammates reacted like that, it was nothing compared to Tong Yi and Wu Wenwen, who had barely interacted with him. The two girls were stunned into silence for several long seconds before they snapped out of it, their faces masks of pure disbelief.
Kaguya, however, didn't find it strange at all. In fact, she leaned forward, her interest piqued by the mention of his cabin. "Where do you plan on building it?"
She had already formulated a plan. The moment Haruto built his Secret Cabin, she would immediately move her manga collection and gaming computer there. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about Eirin discovering her game stash or confiscating her manga ever again.
"The Sunflower Field."
Haruto's three simple words successfully made Kaguya choke on her own breath.
He continued, completely oblivious to her distress. "When the time comes, I'll just have her move some of her sunflowers to make space for me. Once my Secret Cabin is built, I'll plant these seeds, and it'll be perfect."
"That's... pretty impressive." Kaguya held it in for a long time before finally squeezing out the words, her voice strained. If anyone else had claimed they could make Kazami Yuuka move her precious sunflowers to clear out some building space, Kaguya would have slapped them across the face and asked if they were suicidal.
But the person saying this was Haruto.
His gaze swept over the remaining three items. Seeing they were all just various blades, he lost interest and turned to Kaguya. "Is there anything you want?"
Kaguya shook her head. She had only been looking for something useful for Haruto in the first place and had no personal interest in these items.
"Then finally, I'll take that sword that looks like it's about to fall apart," Haruto declared, pointing to a black longsword covered in a web of cracks.
"Are you sure you want this one?" Tong Yi asked, a little hesitant. It wasn't that she was being stingy; it was that Haruto had consistently chosen the most insignificant or dangerous items, completely ignoring the ones that were genuinely powerful. Using these items, which could be measured in monetary value, to gain the favor of a powerhouse like him and increase her chances of survival was a trade she would make in a heartbeat.
"This is the one." Haruto picked up the longsword, handed it directly to Yotsuya Miko, and patted her on the shoulder as if entrusting her with a great and heavy responsibility.
Miko was still in a daze, not having fully processed the conversation.
Haruto pointed to himself. "I'm a support mage."
He then pointed to Kaguya. "Kaguya is the vanguard tank."
Next, he pointed to Lin Xuelao. "Xuelao... will be the assistant commander."
Finally, Haruto pointed to the bewildered girl holding the cracked blade. "As for you, my dear Miko, from now on, you are the sword-wielding assassin of our team."
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