Origin (Part 1)

The Diesel Wood Boat sailed back to the bank of the Underground Sewer.

Mr. Aha stood there straight, waiting, as if he had known for a long time that Han Dong would return.

Unexpectedly, one of my teammates was left on the ship.

Half an hour passed...

[shop]

Splash! Splash!

At the mahjong table, Han Dong brought Abel along to play mahjong with the Aha couple... Abel was quite clever, and after being explained the basic rules of the game, he immediately learned them.

"Ready to win!"

"Self-draw... pure whole with 1 and 9".

Although Japanese Mahjong differs from the Mahjong that Han Dong has encountered in terms of rules and details, it is essentially the same.

Essentially, it's a four-player game.

This three-fold self-draw left Ah Ha and his wife speechless.

"In that case, Mr. Aha, you've lost 400 Point Tokens to us..."

This gambling proposal was actually put forward by Grandma Origin.

She had been detained in the Supervision Office for too long, and now that she was out, she wanted to relax... Playing mahjong was the old lady's favorite activity.

Unexpectedly, Han Dong seized the opportunity and used it to gamble for Supernatural Points.

However, Mr. Aha could not pay with points, so he could only let Han Dong choose items of the corresponding price in the store.

"I'm not coming anymore! If I keep playing, I'm afraid I'll lose all the [shop] I worked so hard to set up... Hurry up and choose what you want, the total price cannot exceed 400 points."

Han Dong first asked:

"Can I use 400 points to buy Mr. Aha's assistance?"

Mr. Aha immediately waved his hand in denial. "No... I have absolutely no interest in ruling the park."

Once you're in that position, you'll have to think about and deal with all sorts of trivial matters every day.

Sometimes, extremely dangerous S-class ghost stories will suddenly appear, requiring me to handle them personally... If not handled properly, they can lead to a loss of morale.

The word "shop" is more interesting.

Once you've earned the system-recognized title of 'merchant,' you can go out every day to collect trash and then sell it to you Laborers at high prices.

Watching all sorts of silly guys come to my shop to buy trash makes me feel better... If I don't like them, I'll secretly give them some super difficult secret information.

Then I'll go and collect their dead bodies to feed the 'pigs'.

I wasn't talking about you! You're still pretty good.

Han Dong didn't care about the wording; he was just curious that Mr. Aha could access the system.

"As expected, Mr. Aha can also benefit from the [System]."

It seems Mr. Aha's lack of interest in park management stems from his exposure to the 'system'. After all, once you touch upon something beyond your current level, any existing power becomes meaningless.

Mr. Aha scratched his bald head, forcibly suppressing a smile.

"Oh dear... I won't personally handle the lighthouse matter."

But you can look for other people... as long as it's a ghost story that doesn't belong to [Lighthouse], you can try to win them over.

After all, there are still many strange tales in the park that don't accept his authority.

I happen to have a "Horror Kaidan" Faction Manual here... It records ghost stories that are not controlled by the lighthouse and their locations, essentially a collection of clues.

Priced at 400 points! Are you interested in learning more?

Han Dong suppressed his anger, "... You want to recoup your losses so quickly?"

Mr. Aha revealed a shrewd businessman's expression and placed a large booklet on the table. "Prices are clearly marked. If you don't believe me, I'll break down the clues and calculate the cost for you."

Don't worry, we're Good Friend. You're different from the other Laborers who come here.

"High-class Laborers?"

"Well... how about this! If you buy this collection, I'll lend you another special item because of our relationship. Remember to return it to me after you've sorted out this incident."

Mr. Aha took off the Rolex he was wearing on his wrist.

"Alright!"

Although he felt cheated, this collection of Horror Kaidan was exactly what Han Dong needed.

To Occupy the Lighthouse, he and Abel alone would not be enough.

Since the system had already established the [factions], we must make use of this relationship... and we must completely 'squeeze' the faction's resources.

Han Dong had originally planned to use the money he earned from playing mahjong to buy some props to take back to the Holy City, but now he had to give up on that idea.

Upon receiving the collection of clues, all gambling debts with Mr. Aha were cleared.

Upon contact with ' Rolex ', a system notification was immediately received.

"Mr. Aha" allows you to wear his exclusive Rolex.

I have obtained the exclusive item - "Mr. Aha's Precious Watch", which can only be used in the "Kwaidan" game.

How to obtain: Reach the "Good Friend" level or higher intimacy with Mr. Aha.

Effect:

①. During the battle, each attack has a certain probability of summoning [Mr. Aha's Phantom] to assist in the battle, lasting for 30 seconds.

②. Allows the wearer to absorb a portion of Mr. Aha's will, making it easier to establish cooperative relationships with other members of the [Horror Kaidan] faction.

Note: The more labor you bring, the more responsibility you take on... Remember to return it!

"Nice one!"

Not to mention the ability to summon Mr. Aha's Phantom to assist in battle.

Its second ability is too important, as it allows Han Dong to more easily establish connections with various supernatural tales... greatly improving the efficiency of forming Temporary Army.

Han Dong, wearing Rolex, did not rush into action.

Instead, he handed the book to Abel and asked him to circle the supernatural tales with a level greater than B in the collection of clues.

Han Dong also had something very important to discuss with ' Grandma Origin '.

"Grandma, can I speak with you privately?"

"Um."

The old lady still liked this young man to some extent.

Before taking action, Han Dong needed to confirm some things in advance.

The old woman floating in the air and Han Dong entered a completely soundproof room.

Because the conversation that follows will touch upon the very roots of the Ghost Story world... This room has been reinforced a second time by Mr. Aha, so no third person will ever hear their conversation.

When he was alone, Han Dong spoke frankly.

"Grandma, are all the strange tales in the park related to you?"

If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Aha's ability to access the [System] and obtain the identity of "merchant" should also be directly related to you, right?

Could you tell me the origin story?

The doll in the old woman's hands emitted a sinister, low voice. "Haha, since you like listening to stories so much, come with me..."

The old woman drew a bus door on the wall of the secret room, gesturing for Han Dong to get on the bus.

When Han Dong got into the car, he found a driver with equally empty features sitting in the driver's seat, driving the last bus of the night slowly on the highway.

certainly.

The bus and the nighttime road environment were all created by the old woman...

"Is this the power of origin?"

The old woman was sitting at the back of the bus, speaking through a doll in her hand:

"You're right. Humans and ghost stories in the world were originally separate and did not affect each other... It's only because of me that the 'barrier' has disappeared."