I couldn't explain what was happening with Nova's family—I didn't know the exact situation myself, nor had I fully investigated it. So it was really difficult to say which dharma artifact to buy to deal with the problem.
I asked Esteban to recommend something powerful, preferably something that could suppress evil, exorcise ghosts, and kill demons—the whole package.
"Look at you," Stella mocked. "Dharma artifacts need to be paired with mana and spells for the best effect. With your current level, any powerful artifact would just be enough to save your life—nothing more."
Esteban reassured me that his shop carried all kinds of dharma artifacts, including even more impressive ones.
Just then, he pulled out a crimson Fulu talisman with a spell pattern that spread and curved like lightning.
"This is the Five Thunders Ghost-Suppressing Talisman," Esteban explained. "When struck against a ghost's body, it's like being hit by heavenly thunder. Ordinary ghosts will turn to ashes instantly. If the ghost doesn't die, come back and find me—I'll refund ten times your money. For slightly stronger ghosts, it'll at least severely injure them or force them to flee."
Damn, that sounded powerful. I quickly asked how much it cost.
Esteban shook his head. "Not expensive at all—just 100,000 per talisman. And for Stella's sake, I can give you a 10% discount."
"Pfft—" I nearly spat out blood again. One hundred thousand for a single talisman? My Yin-inspired tattoos only cost 100,000 each, and those were extremely difficult to do—not something I could manage every time. And he was selling a single charm for that much?
Now I was convinced—if Esteban's family business was doing this well, it was no wonder they were the richest.
"Hey, you get what you pay for," Esteban said. "Don't complain about the price—it's definitely worth it."
It wasn't just expensive—it was fucking expensive! And I was broke! With all the chaos lately, I hadn't taken on any jobs, yet I kept spending money. How was I supposed to afford this?
"Do you have anything... cheaper?" I asked.
"How about this—a mahogany sword!" Esteban picked one up and handed it to me. "Only 10,000. The cheapest option here."
Ten thousand was still painful, but if it was the most affordable choice, I might have no other option.
"No," Stella cut in. "The peachwood sword demands too much from the user. You haven't trained with it—if you encounter a ghost, you probably won't even be able to land a hit. Pick something else."
She had a point. If I couldn't wield the mahogany sword properly, slashing at ghosts would be useless.
"Any other... cheaper options?" A humble request from a broke man.
Esteban looked troubled. "The mahogany sword is the cheapest item here. Everything else starts at 30,000, and some cost millions."
But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he told us to wait and hurried into the back hall.
About ten minutes later, he emerged from the back room, now holding two additional items—a Copper Coin Sword and a silver plaque.
Esteban explained that actually, the Copper Coin Sword was more valuable. Copper coins that have passed through tens of thousands of hands accumulate countless people's yang energy, making them among the most sacred treasures for exorcising evil spirits. The production cost is relatively high too, typically starting at eighty thousand.
However, many dharma artifacts require consecration to be effective—otherwise they're nearly useless.
This particular Copper Coin Sword happened to be unconsecrated. It wasn't that Esteban didn't want to consecrate it—the sword was somewhat peculiar. The high priest had claimed that even with his spiritual power, he couldn't consecrate it. Thus, the Copper Coin Sword had been stored in the warehouse, its blade covered in dust, forgotten for who knows how many years.
Even if the Copper Coin Sword was powerful, without consecration it was practically worthless. If I wanted it, Esteban would only charge for the copper coins' material value—after all, these coins could fetch a decent price if dismantled and sold separately—so he'd ask for just 5,000 yuan.
Esteban started to introduce the other item, but I interrupted him.
"Wait, wait, hold on—let's not talk about the other thing yet. Are you drunk or something? If this Copper Coin Sword is just junk without consecration, why would I buy it? Huh?" I was getting angry—was this shady businessman trying to cheat me because I looked stupid?
"It's not completely useless," Esteban explained. "Although unconsecrated, you can make it work with some supplemental materials—like applying black dog blood, chicken blood, or even human blood. As for how effective it'll be... well, I can't say for certain. Of course, the choice is yours—I'm just being transparent."
At that point, I glanced at Stella, who nodded in confirmation—everything Esteban said was correct.
Even unconsecrated, a Copper Coin Sword combined with black dog blood, chicken blood, or human blood could still have some effect. These yang-rich blood types—especially black dog and chicken blood—could directly ward off evil spirits. Paired with the copper coins, they might achieve some limited effectiveness.
I hesitated. It wasn't as impressive as the other options, but at least it was affordable. Besides, without knowing exactly what was happening with Nova's family, I couldn't be sure if I'd even need these dharma artifacts.
"I'll take it—this Copper Coin Sword, and that other thing too," I said, grabbing the sword.
Truth be told, the Copper Coin Sword had considerable heft—at least I wouldn't be losing money. If needed, I could always dismantle it and sell the coins to recoup costs, minimizing my losses.
"This silver medal is called 'The Stone Gander with a Lion Biting a Sword,'" Esteban said. "An ancient exorcism dharma artifact, also known as the Eight Trigrams Plate. It's Taoist in origin. Price: two thousand."
My curiosity got the better of me. Why was this being sold so cheap? I noticed thick dust covering the cloth wrapping, suggesting it had been sitting in the warehouse for years, unwanted by anyone.
Priced even lower than the Copper Coin Sword—it couldn't possibly be more useless, could it?