In the real world.
Gu Zhe quietly took stock of his gains.
According to that Red-Clothed Female Ghost, ten thousand Nether Iron Coins equal one Low-Grade Talisman Coin, a hundred Low-Grade Talisman Coins equal one Mid-Grade Talisman Coin, and a hundred Mid-Grade Talisman Coins equal one High-Grade Talisman Coin.
As for distinguishing the grades, there's no way it's as simple as looking at that one character. Perhaps people with supernatural powers can sense the difference!
Gu Zhe recalled how the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had offered one Talisman Coin for the right to live in an apartment for ten years.
And how satisfied she had looked once the deal went through.
He shook his head in amusement.
You might come out ahead, but I'll never lose. Besides, where did she get so much faith in this apartment? Isn't she afraid we'll run off? Does she trust my Paper Figure subordinates, or does she trust the Gu Group?
Gu Zhe also knew that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had clearly had some extraordinary encounter. Otherwise, she could never have learned all this in just a few short years.
And the other ghosts said she was a Vengeful Ghost, just like that Headless Ghost, yet she had managed to remain lucid. She even knew how to flirt and probe him.
She was clearly far from ordinary.
An interesting ghost with a distinctive personality.
Still.
Gu Zhe had no ulterior motives.
For one thing, bringing items from the Underworld to his actual body required voluntary offerings, unless he could find a passage between the two worlds.
A stable passage between worlds? If that were so easy to find, the real world would never have remained this peaceful until now.
Even without that restriction, Gu Zhe would never kill a ghost and steal their treasures just because they had stumbled upon an opportunity, unless they displayed hostility and posed a threat.
Besides, whose opportunity could possibly be greater than his?
Those ghosts could rack their brains forever and still never dare imagine that he came from the real world.
Even the old ghost who had obtained a Paper Effigy servant could never have imagined that Gu Zhe had made it on a whim.
That mighty power, almost like transforming things into living creations, that mysterious ability to descend into either world at will.
Who would dare imagine such a thing?
After all, even the Bone Dragon that filled the space between heaven and earth and those powerful ghosts could not do that. Even those mighty beings who claimed to have returned from the Old Era and Chaos could not possess such miraculous abilities.
If they could do it, why would they need to wait for the right moment? Why would they need to roar so ostentatiously?
Gu Zhe did not doubt their strength. Their world-destroying power, unleashed with a mere gesture, had shaken him as well.
But Gu Zhe would not feel instinctive fear just because of impressive-sounding phrases like "returned from the Old Era"!
Just like now, he was strange and mysterious in his own way!
Who outside this cramped storefront at 49 Jingxin Old Street could have imagined that a "down-and-out" rich heir inside had established a small foothold in the Netherworld, encountered numerous ghosts, and learned some clues and truths about the changes taking place in the world?
Who could have imagined that some bankrupt heir, perhaps still being mocked and laughed at, could descend into the realm of the dead with a thought, reincarnate as a mysterious Paper Figure with a thought, and inspire awe in so many ghosts?
Who could have imagined that the Gu Group, which the world believed had collapsed, had started another "business" in the realm of the dead?
In an age of fierce competition, he had to fight for his passage to the other shore!
[Name: Gu Zhe] [Class: Mysterious Origami Craftsman] [Rank: Mortal] [Class talent: ritual transmutation] [Skills: Basic Paper Effigy Technique (beginner), Basic Paper Figure Technique (beginner), Basic Paper Artifact Technique (beginner), Basic Paper Control Technique (beginner)] [Spirit points: 2.16] [Storage: Wooden Tumor Fruit*3, Nether Jujube*1, nether spirit grass*1, venomous demon vine*1, octagonal mystic ice grass*1, ghost tiger leg bone*1, extreme cold stone*2, inferior soul-nourishing black stone*1, Low-Grade Talisman Coin*1]
He examined his panel.
Ha, some ghosts even wanted to pay with real-world money. Unfortunately, their means are limited. Getting in touch with their families in the living world isn't easy!
After a day of operations.
His spirit points had reached a little over two.
His storage had also gained an assortment of odds and ends.
Some apparently nourished the mind, such as the Nether Jujube.
Some could temporarily create an environment rich in supernatural spiritual energy, such as Talisman Money.
Some were natural refrigerators, such as extreme cold stone.
There were also a few little things that were useful to ghosts in one way or another.
He had quite a few items, but not many were truly useful. If those ghosts had any real treasures, they were hardly stupid enough to hand them over.
His gaze settled on his spirit points again.
Then swept over his skills.
Upgrade Basic Paper Figure Art!
Gu Zhe had already weighed his options.
Although Paper Effigies were slightly more intelligent than Paper Figures in the Netherworld, the difference really was tiny.
Even if their bodies were sturdier, their defenses better, and their strength greater, there was no qualitative difference.
Moreover, Paper Effigies had the disadvantage of being clumsier than Paper Figures.
Considering that his real-world Paper Figures were flat shapes cut from paper, while Paper Effigies had folded frameworks, Paper Figures were clearly simpler and more efficient to make.
All things considered, Paper Figures offered the best value.
One spirit point was consumed.
Almost simultaneously, a stream of information poured into his mind.
It was as though he had suddenly crossed through time and space, endlessly studying paper-cutting techniques alone.
After tireless study and practice, one day he suddenly felt that his paper-cutting had become proficient. He was no longer as clumsy as before.
Although he seemed to have gone through a long period of study and practice, only an instant had passed in reality!
The next moment.
Gu Zhe came back to his senses.
Perhaps because this minor upgrade involved no supernatural or mysterious technical knowledge whatsoever, he felt neither tired nor drained upon waking.
His eyes opened.
He picked up the scissors and paper beside him and began cutting.
His movements were practiced and natural. Before long, a perfectly normal Paper Figure appeared before him.
It hardly qualified as art, but it was far better than his previous clumsy, crooked work.
He still had a little over one spirit point.
And another upgrade would likewise cost one point.
But a thought struck Gu Zhe.
He looked at Basic Paper Control Technique.
Upgrade!
The same sensation came over him, as though he were tirelessly controlling his Eerie Paper Figures in some particular environment.
When he opened his eyes.
He understood instinctively.
If his consciousness descended into the Netherworld, controlling his paper puppets would feel more natural, and shifting his consciousness between different puppets would be smoother.
Of course, that was all. After all, the upgrade had only cost one spirit point.
The miraculous effects he had imagined in the real world did not appear.
Perhaps his level was still too low, or perhaps the real-world environment was interfering.
In any case, there had been no qualitative change.
He felt a little disappointed, but on reflection, it made perfect sense.
He had merely spent one spirit point each to upgrade basic skills from beginner to proficient.
Besides, going from an utterly unpracticed novice to a skilled worker in an instant was already something to be satisfied with.
What more could he ask for?
[Name: Gu Zhe] [Class: Mysterious Origami Craftsman] [Rank: Mortal] [Class talent: ritual transmutation] [Skills: Basic Paper Effigy Technique (beginner), Basic Paper Figure Technique (proficient), Basic Paper Artifact Technique (beginner), Basic Paper Control Technique (proficient)] [Spirit points: 0.16] [Storage: Wooden Tumor Fruit*3, Nether Jujube*1, nether spirit grass*1, venomous demon vine*1, octagonal mystic ice grass*1, ghost tiger leg bone*1, extreme cold stone*2, inferior soul-nourishing black stone*1, Low-Grade Talisman Coin*1]
He looked at the panel.
But he still felt a little dissatisfied.
He turned to his storage, touching several items in succession with his consciousness.
[Ding, spiritual items detected in storage. They can be converted into spirit points. Convert?] [Ding, detected...]
The Nether Jujube seemed to contain a little spiritual energy, as did the nether spirit grass and inferior soul-nourishing stone. The Talisman Money contained some as well. The other items only contained other forms of Netherworld energy or icy energy.
He intended to try eating the Nether Jujube himself. According to the ghosts, it nourished the mind. Although its nature leaned toward yin, it would not harm the body as long as he did not eat too much at once. It qualified as a local specialty of the Underworld.
Since he only had one anyway, overeating and indigestion were obviously not concerns.
He would keep the Talisman Money for later.
That left those two items.
"System, how many spirit points can the nether spirit grass and soul-nourishing stone be converted into?"
[Beep, scanning... nether spirit grass can be converted into 0.05 points, soul-nourishing stone into 0.26 points...]
That meant he still could not upgrade anything for the time being, even if he converted them.
Then there was no point. He might as well keep them.
He fell silent for a moment.
So, I either wait until next month to collect rent again, or fold some Spirit Houses and keep "building my business"!
Looks like either option will take some time. Everything depends on my own hard work. Being a first-generation entrepreneur isn't easy...
Also, will anything change when my skills reach perfection? They're only basic skills right now...