Chapter 18: Eighteen spirit bodies, Mass grave

The moon was shrouded by dark clouds, leaving only a few faint traces of moonlight scattered about.

With just this bit of moonlight, Ning Li could barely make out the shifting shadows of the trees around her.

At midnight, when the light was dim, the world seemed to transform into a rare, unfamiliar scene.

So different from the daytime.

Ning Li followed behind the Overlord Flower, who was gesticulating wildly.

Xiao Hei swayed back and forth, its colorful flower crown standing out as the most striking mark in the darkness.

Even at night, it was full of energy—no matter when or where, it was always brimming with vitality.

“Is that place far?”

【Not far. Not far at all.】

But Xiao Hei’s idea of “not far” meant that after walking for an hour, both person and Spirit Entity were still nowhere near their destination.

“How much longer do we have to walk?”

The Overlord Flower tilted its flower crown, looking adorably clueless, 【Half an hour?】

Half an hour later, the Overlord Flower cautiously glanced at Ning Li and whispered, 【Maybe…another half hour.】

Ning Li said nothing.

Spirit Entities weren’t very sensitive to time or space—

Xiao Hei probably didn’t even know how long an hour was.

But that didn’t matter.

Since she’d come out today, she was determined to reach that place, and wouldn’t turn back halfway.

The nights in Border District 191 were very quiet—so quiet that there were barely any late-night passersby on the streets.

Even rats were rare, and stray cats and dogs seemed to have hidden away, not daring to wander.

They were walking east.

The further east they went, the sparser the houses became.

At first, there were still some homes with lights on, warm orange glows brightening the night, but gradually, even the streetlights disappeared.

Yet, the environment was a bit livelier than before—she could hear the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs.

Previously, the Frontline she’d visited was to the south of Border District 191, the Border Guide Academy was roughly in the center, and the residential area was to the west.

Ning Li once overheard classmates in the cafeteria saying that the east side was really eerie, and no one dared to go there.

They probably shared it as a strange rumor, which turned out to be lucky for her.

Otherwise, she’d have known nothing about the east—she would’ve been completely in the dark.

According to them, ordinary people who went east would, at best, catch a minor illness, and at worst, lose their minds.

Over time, people simply stopped venturing to the eastern edge of Border District 191.

At the time, Ning Li didn’t take those words seriously—she thought it was just some urban legend and didn’t need to pay it any mind.

But now, even though she was still some distance from her destination, she could already feel the overwhelming Black Death Energy pressing in from all directions.

This Black Death Energy was even denser than what she’d felt at the Frontline—so thick it was like a fog that wouldn’t disperse, completely enveloping the entire eastern edge.

Because her Spirit Entity was a Necromancer, she was especially sensitive to such things.

But even if an ordinary person came here, they’d probably notice something off.

For example, the sky here was darker than anywhere else in Border District 191—as if even the stars and moonlight couldn’t shine through.

And after stepping into a certain area, the air seemed to gain some unknown element that weighed heavily on the heart, making one’s head spin and thoughts grow muddled.

If the Resentment level elsewhere was about 1%, and at the Frontline it was 40%, then here it was about 99%.

Anyone else coming here would find the Resentment so thick it would make their heart tremble and cloud their mind.

No wonder the Guide classmates said this place was so gloomy and no one dared to come.

How could a place like this not be gloomy?

“Mass Grave.”

In the deep night, Ning Li spoke these three words in a low voice.

Only a place where the dead could not rest would have such dense Black Death Energy and Resentment.

Although there were many casualties at the Frontline, at least the wounded Sentinels received treatment, and the fallen Sentinels were given proper burials.

【Hehe. Hehe.】

Ning Li looked at Xiao Hei and smiled, “Hmm?”

【Treasure hunt! Treasure hunt!】

For Xiao Hei, things like unrest or thick Resentment meant nothing—it was just a Spirit Entity, after all.

In fact, it was quite fond of places full of Resentment and Black Death Energy; here, it only felt more at ease.

What was a heavy burden for normal people had no effect on Ning Li.

Still, her heart felt a bit heavy.

Who were the people that ended up in the Mass Grave?

Their bodies left exposed in the wilderness, no one to mourn them, not even given a basic burial.

A surge of desire to purify this Resentment and Black Death Energy rose in Ning Li’s heart.

If these could be cleansed, perhaps the nameless dead here could finally find peace.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that now.

Knowing that Xiao Hei had gone to the Mass Grave before, Ning Li wasn’t surprised at all that it had found 500 Universal Coins there.

After all—

Hardly any humans ever set foot here, so no one ever picked up the trash.

Anyone timid wouldn’t dare come.

She’d heard from her Guide classmates, in passing, that the origins of the bodies here were all sorts of mysteries.

No one knew why there was a Mass Grave here, nor how the bodies ended up here.

Maybe a small number were brought by someone, but most appeared out of nowhere, inexplicably.

The Sentinel-Guide world couldn’t be understood with common sense—was a Mass Grave suddenly appearing really that strange?

After all, Spirit Entities themselves were strange enough.

Half an hour later, Ning Li and Xiao Hei finally reached the Mass Grave of Border District 191.

Although the Black Death Energy here was so thick it almost dripped from the air, there was surprisingly no foul smell.

The air was actually fresh.

She walked slowly further in, seeing only piles of white bones—some animal, some belonging to Guides or Sentinels.

Beads left behind by Sentinels were scattered everywhere.

Various lines wound around them, making it easy to imagine the complex emotions before their deaths.

When Ning Li passed by a pile of bones, she would say, “Excuse me.”

The Mass Grave itself wasn’t chaotic—just overgrown with weeds and scattered with bones and beads.

Moonlight couldn’t pierce the thick Resentment, but fortunately, Ning Li had brought a flashlight.

She walked slowly deeper inside.

Along the way, she picked up quite a few small-denomination Universal Coins.

No worries about this month’s living expenses.

But as the saying goes, since she’d come, she might as well go further in.

Xiao Hei was nowhere to be seen.

Ning Li could only sense its excited feelings through her spiritual sea.

【Hehe. Hehe.】

Ning Li remembered some things and quickly called out, “Don’t pick up random stuff!”

“No picking up living things!”

After saying that, she worried Xiao Hei would bring back who-knows-what, and quickly added, “Don’t pick up dead things either!”

If Xiao Hei brought something back from a place like this, she’d lose all composure.

Xiao Hei replied helplessly, 【Alright.】

All this time, Ning Li hadn’t seen a single corpse—only countless bones.

These bones, after years of exposure to wind and sun, were covered in fallen leaves, dust, and dirt.

It wasn’t really a terrifying sight, but others probably couldn’t withstand the Resentment here.

No wonder people who came here ended up sick at best, insane at worst.

The Resentment drifting all around would disturb anyone’s mind.

Thanks to her own Spirit Entity, Ning Li found the walk easy.

She even had the leisure to count how many skeletons she’d come across.

She communicated with Xiao Hei through her spiritual sea.

“Can you purify the Resentment here?”

Xiao Hei’s flower face looked confused, 【Why would I purify it?】

“Just answer if you can or not.”

【I can.】

“Hmm? And then?”

【But I’m already full.】

【I’m so stuffed right now.】

Ning Li: ???

A strange thought popped into her mind, “You’ve been eating Resentment all this time?”

【Yeah. It’s delicious, really tasty.】

Well, as expected of a Necromancer—its affinity for Black Death Energy and Resentment was so high, it actually used them as food and nourishment.

She’d always thought Xiao Hei just liked this environment, but she hadn’t realized it literally ate Resentment.

“You’ve been sneaking snacks?”

【Yep.】

Back at the Frontline, there was plenty of Resentment—

Xiao Hei went twice, once bringing back a kitten, once bringing back a bead.

Both times, it not only brought things back, but also got a good meal.

Ning Li:

She remembered how her classmates—like Yuan Zi and Lu Shuangshuang—sometimes watered, sunbathed, or fertilized their Spirit Entities.

She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, figuring her Necromancer probably didn’t need that kind of care.

She hadn’t realized that it wasn’t that Xiao Hei didn’t need care—it just took care of itself perfectly well.

It never let itself go hungry, cold, or bored.

Thinking about it, Xiao Hei might be a little playful, a little greedy, and loved picking things up, but it was truly sensible—it took a lot of burden off her by feeding itself.

Ning Li asked, “How long would it take you to eat up all the Resentment here?”

Xiao Hei fell silent.

Ning Li, “Hmm?”

【I’d burst.】

【I’d be stuffed to death.】

【I’d definitely die from overeating!】

“What if you took it slow?”

Xiao Hei rolled around cutely, 【Not even a little.】

Eating a little Resentment now and then was fine to fill its belly, but eating all the Resentment here would be a heavy burden for Xiao Hei.

Ning Li understood.

She didn’t ask anything more, just slowly walked along the bone-strewn path, her flashlight illuminating a small patch ahead, her heart completely unafraid.

She was very calm.

Even if this was the Mass Grave, the place with the most Resentment and Black Death Energy, the ones lingering here were just some pitiful souls who couldn’t be buried.

When she picked up another Universal Coin worth 100, suddenly Xiao Hei’s excited voice echoed in her spiritual sea.

【Wow! Wow!】

【A man! There’s a man!】

【Handsome. Hehe. Really handsome.】

【Like! I really like!】

Ning Li: ???

“There’s another living person here besides us?”

Xiao Hei replied blankly, 【Nope.】

“Then who did you see?” 

Before Xiao Hei could answer, Ning Li shouted, “Don’t touch anything! Don’t pick anything up! Stay right there and don’t move! I’m coming!”

Just as Xiao Hei was about to poke the man with its flower crown, it replied pitifully, “Okay…”

When Ning Li rushed over to Xiao Hei, what she saw was her own Spirit Entity swaying in front of a young man’s corpse, its flower crown inching closer as if eager to touch.