Gatekeeper Of All Realms Chapter 140

Shen Ye was slightly taken aback.

Indeed, he had just seen a male singer burned to death.

—But there were still many people on stage.

And that was enough for him to get promoted?

Madam Daisy continued, “How about this… I’ll go take care of some things first, then come find you at noon. I’ll take you to a party.”

Meeting Shen Ye’s puzzled gaze, she explained, “Many things can’t wait. We must start working immediately—we need manpower.”

He understood.

The song and dance troupe just so happened to need someone like him.

So he was lucky to be selected, immediately starting his new job.

…The Undead probably didn’t implement a 996 work schedule, right?

“Alright, and I’ll await your word, madam,” Shen Ye said, feeling a bit anxious.

“Take this first. The streets haven’t been very peaceful lately, so you must wear it with the Rose Badge on your chest.”

Daisy took out a badge and solemnly placed it in Shen Ye’s hand.

This badge, however, was different from the Rose Badge. It looked like a sharpfang, or perhaps the horn of some monster, emitting a misty glow in Shen Ye’s hand.

A faint light emerged, forming small characters:

“Pale Shadow Badge.”

“Only those who are acknowledged can wear this badge and enter the Demon Shadow Manor without any obstruction.”

Shen Ye pinned the badge to his chest and said sincerely, “Thank you, madam.”

“Mm, you should go ahead and get busy. Take this—I also have to go out—we’ll meet here at noon,” Madam Daisy said.

She handed a money pouch to Shen Ye.

“This—”

“Take it! Go buy yourself a couple of well-fitting outfits and dress handsomely.”

“Yes, thank you madam.”

Shen Ye left the opera house and walked toward his residence.

Big Skeleton suddenly spoke, “The rose pattern on the money pouch represents the song and dance troupe, quite elaborate.”

“What’s so special about that?” Shen Ye couldn’t help but laugh.

“The badge is truly worth mentioning—it’s the badge of the Pale Shadow, one of the three major powers of Evernight City. Freg, who assassinated the human prince, is a high-ranking member of the Pale Shadow.”

“Freg wasn’t killed by me… So I shouldn’t be exposed, right?” Shen Ye said.

“Of course not.”

“However, Demon Shadow Manor is the Count’s residence. He is a powerful figure in the empire, a formidable character not to be trifled with. If you happen to run into him, you’d best be careful,” Big Skeleton cautioned.

“Understood,” Shen Ye said.

—It’s unlikely I’ll run into such a prominent figure.

After all, I just joined the Night Rose Song and Dance Troupe; I’m just a nobody.

Moreover, it seems I can do more now.

“Hey, I’m now a member of the troupe, so I should have a clean identity.”

Shen Ye said.

“And then? What do you want to say?” Big Skeleton asked.

“Can we procure the ritual materials for going to hell now?”

“No! That kind of spell is too powerful and will definitely be heavily monitored. However… do you remember me saying that your Gloom Whisper can be advanced?”

“Yes, you did mention it,” Shen Ye said.

“To advance Gloom Whisper, you need some special nightmare crystals. The various materials used to make these crystals are very obscure, and only I know them. If we procure these now, there won’t be any suspicion.”

“Why wouldn’t there be suspicion?”

“Because the talent I possess is Undead Resurrection. Perhaps they might, through some historical events, learn some of the requirements for advancing Undead Resurrection. But Gloom Whisper has barely appeared in history, so no one knows about it.”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s go, let’s get the materials first, to help you complete the advancement of ‘Gloom Whisper’!”

“How do we get there?”

“The Royal Grand Auction House!”

A few minutes later.

Shen Ye arrived at the Royal Grand Auction House.

It was a Gothic skeletal building, somewhat like a cathedral from his previous life. It looked a bit eerie and terrifying from the outside, but inside it was splendid and bustling with people.

From Shen Ye’s perspective—

“It’s just a big shopping mall, isn’t it?”

Shen Ye observed for a moment, then followed the crowd into the auction house’s entrance. A waiter immediately came to inquire.

After explaining his intentions, he was invited into a private room.

“Are you sure you need these materials?”

The zombie waiter asked.

“Yes,” Shen Ye said.

“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll go check if these materials are all present,” the zombie waiter said, then closed the door and left.

“It feels a bit too smooth,” Shen Ye said.

“Don’t worry, I’ve added a wide range of ingredients to those materials. No one will guess what we’re trying to do; they’ll only assume we might be holding a grand summoning ritual,” Big Skeleton said.

“Summoning ritual? What’s that for?”

“It’s what people do before starting a war—a little reward for everyone, to make them follow orders.”

Understood.

Before a group fight, treat your brothers to a meal first.

“Not bad, you’re getting smarter,” Shen Ye said, surprised.

“Humph,” Big Skeleton slowly continued, “Last time I almost got seen through, so of course I have to learn my lesson now.”

“Last time? What happened last time?”

“I was buying materials to upgrade Undead Resurrection, got my identity exposed, was gravely wounded, and barely escaped.”

It was fine when it didn’t mention it, but now that it did, Shen Ye became uneasy.

Judging solely by the matter of staying anonymous—

The more confident Big Skeleton was, the more cautious he needed to be.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Shen Ye said.

The door opened.

Two rows of skeleton soldiers marched in.

A short zombie in a military officer’s uniform followed behind them, accompanied by two abyssal serpents covered in armor.

“Seize him—huh? Baxter, is that you?!”

The zombie paused.

“Kevin? Why are you here?” Shen Ye raised his hand to greet him.

The zombie Kevin’s gaze quickly shifted, landing on the two badges on Shen Ye’s chest. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately raised his hand, making an obscure gesture.

As this gesture appeared, the two abyssal serpents, who were about to lunge forward, immediately stopped.

The skeleton soldiers, who had raised their spears, also lowered them again.

“Everyone out, I want to talk to Mr. Baxter,” Kevin said in a deep voice.

“Yes, sir!”

All the soldiers retreated.

The menacing atmosphere instantly receded.

Kevin walked up to Shen Ye, looked at him, and asked, “Respected member of the Night Rose Song and Dance Troupe, my dear Mr. Baxter, why are you collecting so many materials? Are you going to hold a large summoning ritual?”

“I just arrived in Evernight City and I’m not familiar with the situation here—are large summoning rituals not allowed?” Shen Ye asked.

He discreetly took out a heavy small pouch and slipped it into Kevin’s hand.

Kevin didn’t take it, only looked at him and continued to ask:

“Mr. Baxter, how do you have the Pale Shadow Badge?”

“I was invited to the Manor this afternoon,” Shen Ye said.

“May I see your badge?”

“Of course.”

Shen Ye handed him the badge.

Kevin examined the badge repeatedly, then chanted an obscure incantation.

The incantation seemed to be some sort of secret text that Shen Ye couldn’t understand at all.

Amidst the incantation, the badge emitted an even more magnificent pale gray shadow, which returned to normal after a few breaths.

Kevin’s expression grew even more perplexed.

He handed the badge back to Shen Ye and whispered, “Since yesterday, no large-scale summoning rituals have been allowed in Evernight City, Mr. Baxter. How could you not know?”

Damn Big Skeleton!

…No, I never heard about this at all.

The Veteran’s Guild didn’t warn me.

Madam Daisy only said, “It hasn’t been peaceful lately, be careful.”

There was no public announcement on the streets either.

Could it be…

They’ve been watching me all along?

Shen Ye cursed inwardly, but maintained a sincere expression:

“Kevin, you must know that I came to Evernight City on a ghost train looking for work. I was just blasted to smithereens by human artillery on the battlefield—how could I know anything?”

He forced the money Pouch over.

This time, Kevin took it.

“Mr. Baxter, I know your resume well, so I also know that you couldn’t be the person being pursued.”

Kevin sat down in front of him and said seriously,

“And you’re going to the manor soon!”

“—Absolutely do not cause any more trouble, otherwise, it will greatly affect your future.”

Kevin held the money pouch, and his tone became a little more sincere.

Shen Ye went along with it, saying, “But we, as artists, sometimes need to find inspiration through various channels—is there no way to accommodate us at all?”

Kevin looked at him, a little hesitant to speak.

Shen Ye patted his shoulder and said warmly, “Brother Kevin, you know what we do. When I make it big, you can come find me at the Night Rose Song and Dance Troupe anytime, and I’ll help you find inspiration for skill breakthroughs!”

“—No charge, until you’re satisfied.”

Kevin was moved and said, “I’m almost due for a breakthrough next year, so I’ll really have to trouble you then.”

“No problem, just come find me,” Shen Ye said, thumping his chest.

As he thumped, he recalled every word Kevin had said earlier.

Wait a minute—

Kevin mentioned the manor and my future, suggesting he’s quite familiar with things there?

Then I’ll try saying a bit more.

“Brother Kevin, I’m going to the manor this afternoon. Do you want to come along?” Shen Ye asked.

“I actually have to go.”

“Huh?”

“I’m responsible for escorting the foreign envoys and the security work this afternoon. We might even run into each other then.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Shen Ye asked.

“Not really… but at the appropriate time, if you could say a few good words for me, praising the public safety in Evernight City…”

“If I get the chance, I definitely will.”

“Good, Mr. Baxter, you’re a good vampire. I consider you a friend.”

Kevin said, taking out Shen Ye’s shopping list, tearing it in half, and spreading it on the table.

“The materials are divided into two parts. One part will be procured here, and the other part will be bought from a material store—that way it’s less conspicuous, and I’ll handle the other arrangements.”

“Thank you so much, Kevin.”

“You’re welcome, I’m just doing my job—in fact, you absolutely can’t be that skeleton, and I know what that skeleton really wants to procure is—”

Kevin suddenly closed his mouth.

Shen Ye, however, scoffed, “Aren’t skeletons typically low-ranking soldiers? With our status, do we really need to deal with such low-level characters?”

Kevin lowered his eyes, shaking his head, “Mr. Baxter, not all skeletons are low-level soldiers. You must have read the Evernight Code, or perhaps the Undead Sutra, you should know—”

“Sorry, I didn’t read much,” Shen Ye interrupted him, “If my Baxter family still had money to send me to school, I wouldn’t have gone to war.”

Kevin said nothing.

What the other party said was actually true.

This Baxter was indeed dirt poor, which was why he had to go to war, just to earn a few military rations.

—His own investigation results were also like this.

As for why he had money now—

He was selected for the Night Rose Song and Dance Troupe!

And he was about to perform at the manor!

How could such an artist be without money?

The money pouch from earlier even had the Night Rose Song and Dance Troupe’s emblem embroidered on it!

Kevin ended his probing and looked up again, just in time to see Shen Ye carefully pinning the Pale Shadow Badge next to the Rose Badge.

The two badges shone brightly.

They represented the promising future of this young vampire.

Kevin glanced at them, stood up, and said,

“It’s getting late. I still have to report, Mr. Baxter, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

Shen Ye immediately stood up and shook his hand, saying, “Brother, see you this afternoon.”

Kevin smiled, turned, and walked out of the room.

He considerately closed the door behind him, taking the two teams of skeleton soldiers and demon snakes, and continued out of the auction house.

Kevin whispered to the side, “Find two good hands from the Shadow Assassins and keep a close eye on this performer. Don’t let him get away.”

A response echoed from the void: “As you command.”