Sin Object

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Sin Object (罪物)
Alias(es)	Sin Item
Type	Supernatural object imbued with ghostly power
Affiliation	Tianhai’s rule system; usable by the living under its Rules 521
Occupation/Role	Grants limited supernatural effects to Staff and Branch Managers, often in exchange for severe costs 120 521
First Appearance	Chapter 120, through Fang Shenyan’s Ghost Eye 120

Nature and Rules

Sin Objects are products of ghosts, but are distinct from ghosts themselves: they are objects carrying supernatural power that living people may borrow under Tianhai’s Rules. Unlike ghosts, their effects are limited and their forms can be fragile. 521

• Stronger effects generally impose harsher restrictions or consequences on their user. Severe use can cause mental fatigue, physical weakness, loss of lifespan, bodily mutation, or eventual ghost transformation. 120 131 286
• Sin Objects may be active, requiring deliberate activation, or passive, continuously providing an effect without a cooldown. 120 122
• A ghost may ignore an item's supernatural effect without nullifying the object itself; items that target living people can still function in such circumstances. 486 494
• Certain ghosts can use Sin Objects to kill Staff, including by borrowing items associated with a victim’s past or present. 628
• Exceptional entities can interfere with, seize, escape from, or nullify Sin Objects, making ordinary assumptions about their reliability dangerous. 521 753 1027 1586

Classification and Acquisition

Category	Relative standing	Notes
Ordinary-mission Sin Object	Baseline	Acquired during standard Tianhai missions. 308
Joint-mission Sin Object	Superior to ordinary-mission items	Joint missions produce stronger Sin Objects than ordinary missions. 308
Manager Mission Sin Object	Superior to joint-mission items	The most specialized missions generally yield the strongest items. 308 435
Growth-type Sin Object	Variable	Can gain strength through repeated use, absorbed supernatural power, or devouring other objects. 386 542 1523

The White-faced Ghost Mask was identified as a Three-Star Sin Object during the Kyoto joint mission, reflecting the high difficulty of the participating hotels. 193

Known Sin Objects

Sin Object	Known user(s)	Effect and limitations
Ghost Eye	Fang Shenyan	Breaks illusions and resists ghosts’ soul attacks; active use causes fatigue and weakness and has a half-hour cooldown. Its passive function detects traces of ghost activity without cost or cooldown. 120 122
White-faced Ghost Mask	Fang Shenyan	Transforms its wearer into a ghost. It can devour supernatural objects and absorb powers, allowing it to grow; after absorbing the Human Skin Mask and Human Skin Glove, it gained sight penetration and telekinetic retrieval. 243 386 563
Script	Yu Guo	Can turn written imagination into reality. It was used to implant a guiding thought into Director Wang. 486 1036
Space Map	Yu Guo; later Tong Guan	Pulls targets into an alternate dimension, weakening or neutralizing ghosts. Its growth properties allowed it to become a top-tier antagonistic Sin Object after repeated use. 542 1522 1523
Calendar	Chang Nian	Extracts a living person’s soul for two minutes; Chang Nian used it in an attempt to resurrect Tong Guan by sacrificing an old security guard. 902
Draw a Circle to Imprison	Xue Tinghai; Ji Li	Seals supernatural phenomena within a designated area. 190 1084
Feather Pen	Bai Huaiguang	Created a red-light circle that erased supernatural powers within its range for four hours. 658
Bone-Chilling Dagger	Su Chenghe	Inflicts negative effects on a pierced ghost, potentially cancelling attacks, restraining it, or putting it to sleep; its user is simultaneously overwhelmed by dead souls’ negative emotions. 717
Square Frame Glasses	Xue Tingtao	Automatically identifies a route that maximizes avoidance of supernatural threats for five minutes; the threats avoided during that time subsequently appear all at once. 1189

Exceptional Properties

Growth and devouring

The White-faced Ghost Mask is capable of devouring other Sin Objects, including supernatural objects that normally cannot be used by humans, and strengthening itself from what it consumes. 386

• It developed a left eye after devouring a strip of facial skin. 386
• It later absorbed the Human Skin Mask and Human Skin Glove, acquiring their powers. 563
• Its growth potential was considered exceptionally rare; the Space Map is another documented growth-type item. 542

Independent will

Some Sin Objects display behavior beyond that of an inert tool.

• Xue Tinghai’s wolf tattoo detached from his body and became a real wolf to block an attacker. 1027
• The Hundred-headed Strange Infant appeared conscious, but the Third Personality later concluded that it was an artificial fusion of two Sin Objects rather than a true ghost. 451
• The Hundred-headed Strange Infant’s instinct to devour other strange infants could eventually lead it to resist or attack Ji Li. 420

Human incompatibility

Ji Li is immune to most Sin Objects rather than wholly incapable of using them.

• He could not activate the porcelain bottle or receive information from the White-faced Ghost Mask, rendering ordinary Sin Objects ineffective in his possession. 131 193
• He later stated that he could not bind or use ninety-nine percent of Sin Objects, but could use exceptional items through unconventional means, including the Bronze Ancient Coffin through a contract. 414
• His inability to rely on conventional Sin Objects made the revival of his Gray Soul and other supernatural connections especially significant to his survival. 146 241

Story Role / Major Arcs

Kyoto joint mission

The Kyoto mission established Sin Objects as the central point of conflict between the Seventh and Fourth Branches. Ji Li’s inability to use the porcelain-bottle Sin Object left him at a decisive disadvantage against Xue Tinghai, who escaped using several items at the cost of his lifespan. 120 131

The mission concluded with Fang Shenyan obtaining the White-faced Ghost Mask and Mei Sheng receiving the Perfume Bottle. Fang’s acquisition came at the cost of his Ghost Eye. 193

Manager Missions and higher-tier objects

Manager Missions revealed a higher class of Sin Object. Items acquired in such missions were treated as major assets among Branch Managers, while the deeper floors of the Black and White Building held increasingly dangerous Tower Suppressing Ghosts and inaccessible supernatural objects. 308 435

Ji Li’s acquisition of the Bronze Ancient Coffin and the Hundred-headed Strange Infant demonstrated that his unusual constitution could sometimes interact with special Sin Objects despite his general immunity. 414 451

Limits of Sin Object power

Later missions repeatedly challenged the assumption that Sin Objects could solve every supernatural crisis.

• The Unsolvable Ghost Child could ignore both the Hundred-headed Strange Infant and the Eye of Calamity. 466
• The Ragdoll Female Ghost demonstrated that even accurate Sin Object information could become useless when a user’s thoughts were manipulated. 1522
• Ruru ignored the Ghost Card, Paper, Pen, and Ink, Silk Gloves, and Building Block Doll, suggesting an ability to both ignore and nullify Sin Objects. 1586

Notable Users

• Ji Li — Immune to most Sin Objects, but able to use rare exceptions such as the Bronze Ancient Coffin through special conditions. 414
• Fang Shenyan — Wields the growth-type White-faced Ghost Mask; formerly possessed the Ghost Eye. 193 563
• Yu Guo — Became the Seventh Branch’s foremost Sin Object holder with the Script, Comb, Cartilage, and Space Map. 542
• Xue Tinghai — Built much of his power around multiple Sin Objects, though repeated use visibly consumed his lifespan and contributed to his deterioration. 131 1027
• Chang Nian — Used the Calendar Sin Object to revive Tong Guan through human sacrifice. 902
• Tong Guan — Used the evolved Space Map to envelop Branch No. 2 and sift all people, ghosts, and false appearances within it. 1522 1523