Meanwhile.
A few minutes earlier, Guan En had witnessed everything from behind the window.
From the moment he saw the Pseudo-human swagger through the door, with the landlord following timidly behind it, Guan En had known something was wrong.
...Where exactly had things gone wrong?
The moment the landlord opened the door, Guan En had clearly seen it make a move to attack.
Yet, only a few seconds later, the mysterious player had regained control of the situation.
Guan En thought in silence for a moment, then moved close to the door and strained to hear the sounds from downstairs.
He heard no conversation, only footsteps hurrying up the stairs.
The frantic footsteps passed his room, mixed with a few murmurs Guan En couldn't make out.
Guan En gritted his teeth, retreated to the window again, and carefully looked outside.
The yard was bare. Dim light from the living room turned a small patch of grass a murky yellow-green.
Guan En assessed his footholds and opened the window.
He didn't know how that player had done it, and there was no point analyzing the reason now.
Everything had already happened. The instance would begin in about ten minutes, and he was running out of time.
If the other player timed it so that he succeeded just after the instance began...
Then not only would the other player escape, but Guan En himself would die!
Guan En climbed out the window and nimbly stepped onto the first foothold.
The earthy stench of soil stung his nostrils.
He didn't want to die.
On top of that, if circumstances allowed, he wanted to bring the mysterious player back alive.
Those words, "You owe your life to me"...
Guan En gritted his teeth and slowly shifted his body.
Time to gamble!
As long as he took care of everything before the instance began, he could achieve his goal!
In the attic.
The [Plague Ghost] landlord looked at the conflicted expression on Zhu Yan's face. Its face darkened, and its claws nervously clutched the hem of its clothes.
"Y-yes..." it said awkwardly. "I-it's money too... b-but..."
This was a state of nervousness and disappointment—
Zhu Yan stared at him and forced a stiff smile.
The smell in the attic was revolting, enough to make him sick.
He desperately wanted to get this over with quickly, but at this moment, he had to show plenty of patience.
"What are you trying to say, Walter?"
Hearing its own name, the landlord shivered slightly once more.
"I... I mean." The landlord tugged at its sagging face, producing a pitiful smile.
"Sir, could you perhaps make an exception...?"
Its words were utterly humble, and the landlord's towering frame seemed to shrink in an instant.
It hunched its back like a student who had done something wrong.
"This is a good house... Look, it never makes a fuss. And, and..."
The landlord panted heavily. "And there's a low-level player in the house."
"Sir, I'll leave the player in the house to you too. Do you think you could... could..."
Zhu Yan watched the landlord. In the dim yellow light, he felt as though those dull eyes were about to shed tears.
"Could that offset the three Bone Coins?"
You've got to be kidding. That's 300 yuan.
Is that damned Guan En worth 300 yuan?
Zhu Yan knitted his brows, pretending to be troubled.
"A player? What would I want a player's meat for?"
He pointed at the two human legs he had casually tossed onto the floor.
"This is the most common thing in my storeroom."
"One player who hasn't even reached level five isn't enough, Walter."
Seeing the [Plague Ghost]'s face turn ashen, Zhu Yan deliberately paused for two seconds before changing tack.
It's about time.
"Sigh, of course I can take over your house, but that means the whole house—including all your—"
Zhu Yan curled his lip in disdain and glanced around.
"Shabby furniture, and everything else."
The [Plague Ghost]'s expression changed.
"I can't take a single thing with me, sir?"
Zhu Yan glanced at it.
"I can give you one of the human legs I brought. You can't hide it from me: you and this house are both starving. That should be fair enough to you."
Seeing that the [Plague Ghost] still wanted to protest, his tone grew harsher.
"Don't forget the position you're in, Walter!"
"You have no way out."
The [Plague Ghost] said nothing, panting for several seconds.
"All right." It finally gave in and pulled out the two [Sublease Contracts].
This Pseudo-human knew its name, so there wasn't much it could do to resist.
This greedy Pseudo-human!
Taking advantage of its plight to seize its treasure!
Bastard! Bastard!
But it couldn't accept this—
The name "Walter" echoed frighteningly through the landlord's mind.
It trembled uncontrollably, but driven by desire, it gathered the courage to look straight into the Pseudo-human's abyss-like eyes.
"I don't want anything. But you have to pay me two extra Bone Coins."
"S-sir... This house isn't completely worthless."
Zhu Yan laughed.
Two Bone Coins?
He only had an electronic account, not any physical Bone Coins.
Should I go with this [Plague Ghost] to the [Hall of Mourning], which is already surrounded by the police, only to be discovered as a player and chopped into pieces?
No payment.
Zhu Yan watched the [Plague Ghost] take a battered quill from its pocket and sign its name on the two [Sublease Contracts], feeling somewhat excited.
"Two Bone Coins." He enunciated each word slowly, his thoughts making a circuit.
The landlord extended its right claw and pressed down its first mark in the appropriate spot.
Zhu Yan noticed this detail.
The horror creature's mark was on the right.
The player's mark was on the left.
I need to think of something!
Only after the landlord had pressed down its second mark did Zhu Yan finally squeeze a smile onto his stiff face.
"After the instance ends, if the house hasn't been damaged, I can of course pay you."
"That's fair, isn't it, Walter!"
The [Plague Ghost] was still somewhat afraid.
It said shakily, "What if you go back on your word? I'm staying here to keep an eye on you!"
Zhu Yan finally understood why Coexisting with Forbidden Things described [Plague Ghosts] as stupid and greedy.
They really were greedy, making demands even when they were this frightened.
They really were stupid too, indulging their greed even at the risk of their lives.
If the one standing before it really were a high-level Pseudo-human trying to seize the house, it would probably cut the [Plague Ghost]'s head off on the spot for such behavior.
However, Zhu Yan was just a pitiful level-two player.
"No problem, Walter."
He agreed stiffly, then, while the [Plague Ghost] was trembling with fear, snatched the [Sublease Contracts] and quill from its hands.
He lowered his head and hurriedly signed his name in the "new lessee" field, while continuing his instructions at an unhurried pace.
"Walter, you know there's an instance here."
He had finished signing his name on the second contract. Zhu Yan made sure he was far enough away from the [Plague Ghost] that it couldn't see him make the imprint.
"I think..."
He pressed his left palm against the human-skin parchment and felt the spot bearing the player's mark grow hot, his flesh seeming to burn.
It hurt, but he endured it and met the [Plague Ghost]'s gaze expressionlessly, leaving it no attention to spare for whether he was using his left hand or his right.
Once the burning sensation faded, he quickly put away the first contract and began making the second imprint.
"You should know your place and hide somewhere. Don't obstruct the progress of the instance."
The burning sensation flared up again, and this time, Zhu Yan felt something different.
Information about the [Cannibal House] flooded into his mind, making his head throb with pain.
Level four, very dilapidated, extremely hungry, and without strength.
Its weak point was in the attic: the shabby armchair.
The pain nearly made Zhu Yan lose control of his expression.
The pain did not ease with time—
On the contrary, after the burning sensation faded, an even greater force tried to surge into his body, pressing in on him and making him feel even worse.
Perhaps getting rid of the house made the landlord feel relieved. It straightened its hunched back as though letting out a sigh of relief, ignored Zhu Yan beside it, and pounced on the thigh on the floor, tearing into it.
It was too hungry.
Starving!
"Walter, the house is mine. I need the keys."
The [Plague Ghost] made snorting sounds as it ate.
It had no attention to spare for Zhu Yan's strange act of pulling off its clothes and even cooperated by slipping out of both sleeves.
Enduring the nausea and pain, Zhu Yan rummaged through the pockets of the red dressing gown.
Besides a bunch of keys, there was a pile of odd bits and pieces he couldn't identify.
He glanced at the former landlord, who was already stark naked except for the slippers on its feet.
That completed the search. He no longer had to worry about the [Plague Ghost] taking any valuables away in its pockets.
Zhu Yan casually put the red dressing gown on the chair and nudged the [Plague Ghost]'s body with his foot.
"Take it downstairs to eat, Walter!"
"Go to the room where the [Cannibal House]'s mouth is. Don't make me look at you!"