I'm starting to doubt my decision. The road leading up to the house is in shambles and has been that way for centuries. I don't think I can convince anyone to rebuild it, especially considering how close it is to the house. The darkness is making me nervous, and I wish Baohu were here to reassure me. Instead, I'm stuck with this foreign diplomat who I barely know. I'm not even sure what I need for the House of Ghosts, but I know I'm not feeling very confident. When Asher questioned why I chose him over Baohu, I try to convince him that he's just as capable. But deep down, I'm not sure if I made the right choice. I'm afraid that I might not have what it takes to face whatever is waiting for me at the house. As we walk towards the estate, I try to clear my head and think things through. But Asher kept talking, making it hard for me to focus. I started to wonder if he's the same person I met before or if he's changed. I can feel my insecurity growing with every step we take and every

She looked around the room, shuddering at the eerie atmosphere. The candles flickered, casting an ominous glow on the faces of the ghosts. A chill ran down her spine as she saw their eyes glinting with an otherworldly light. "Curse?" she whispered, her voice almost trembling with fear. The ghosts laughed, a hollow sound that echoed through the room. "A gift, a blessing? A curse? Who cares?" Liangci sneered. "It's a curse, plain and simple. We are trapped here, forced to do the bidding of some unknown entity, forever maybe." Aini could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to leave, to run away from this haunted place, but something held her back. She had to know more, to understand the story behind the ghosts and their curse. "Honorable ghosts," she said, her voice shaking. "I ask of you to tell me of your story." The ghosts looked at each other, then nodded. Yisang spoke first, his voice filled with bitterness. "In my living life, dunno how long that's ago now, I was

As we walked out of the house, I couldn't help but feel relieved that the task wasn't as daunting as I had expected. I mean, I had envisioned this elaborate test of strength and cunning, something that would truly test the limits of the Empress' abilities, where I couldn't really help. But instead, it was just a simple conversation with some ghosts. Not that I was complaining, mind you. It was just a bit anticlimactic, that's all. I turned to the ghosts, Diyi, Yisang, and Liangci, I extended my hand to shake theirs. But as I did, my hand passed right through theirs. I guess that's what happens when you're dealing with ghosts. It was a bit sad to leave them like this, but I knew that I had to move on. As I looked around the stuffy house, I realized that I had lost track of time. How long had we been here, anyway? It felt like hours, but who could say for sure? I decided to push the thought out of my mind and focus on the present. I grabbed Aini's hand and pulled her out of the house.

"How could I shatter a little girl's dream of being rich?" He said.How did he find me?He should have been drunk, drooling on the counter, having a booze-filled dream. And the time I needed to run from the tavern to here must have been a new record for me.Did he set me up?He approached me menacingly and said, "I'll even give it to you, free of charge, of course, if... you'll do a tiny, little job for me.How can I escape? The wall was too steep and too smooth to climb; nothing to hold on to. The alley itself was a dead-end and way too narrow to sidestep him.“Haversacks are cool things. I’m not very familiar with DnD, but I know a few things about it, cause a lot of anime is, or rather was, heavily inspired by it, but there's also something like that in there. A bag of holding, which in my opinion, is a way better name, but this world doesn’t have the restrictions it has.It is an infinite bag that can hold an unlimited number of items, doesn't really get heavier, no matter how man

As I stood behind the divider, I felt a sense of déjà vu as I slipped into yet another dress from the pile of options. The dresses seemed to blend together, with their laces, ribbons, and frills. Would I ever find the perfect one?Once I was dressed, I emerged from behind the divider to show my new elven companion. His pensive expression was enough to tell me that he wouldn't approve of this one either. I felt a pang of disappointment. I had already tried on numerous dresses, but none seemed to "fit" the occasion. It seemed as though no matter what I tried, it just wasn't enough.As I watched him scrutinize not only the dresses but also the shoes, jewelry, gloves, hats, and hairpins that accompanied them, I couldn't help but wonder: were elves really this concerned about creating a fashion faux pas? It was clear that every detail had to be just right.I was exhausted. Even just putting on one of the dresses properly took me at least ten minutes. The corsets were tight; the skirts were