[Chapter 50: I'm Staying at Your Place Tonight]
Hearing the anxious edge in Robert's voice, Susan quickly asked, "What's going on?"
Robert replied, "My luck's been terrible for the past two years. I meant to ask Mr. Cross to change my fortune, but I completely forgot earlier."
Susan rolled her eyes. "I thought it was something serious. Why don't you just go find Mr. Cross again?"
Robert chuckled softly. "I saw yesterday that someone died in his shop. It's sealed off for now. But once Miranda is released in a couple of days, the shop should be reopened. I'll go then."
Susan nodded, "Okay, Miranda and I will go with you. It'd be a good chance for Miranda to thank him in person."
---
That night, inside Cross Hall, Daniel held his Exorcist's Sanctum Blade as he performed a chant. If one looked closely, they would notice a yellow prayer seal attached to the blade. Written on the seal were a name and a birthdate.
By sanctified word and consecrated ground,
By judgment entrusted and authority sworn,
Let no restless spirit deny this call.
Let the unseen hear, and let truth answer.
As the incantation ended, an invisible force radiated outward. A gust of cold dark wind swirled through the sealed room, and a figure materialized before Daniel.
It was a young white girl -- delicate and oddly charming -- but her complexion was deathly pale, sickly to the point of ghostliness. Her hair clung damply to her scalp, her tattered clothes dirt-stained and ragged. More than anything, she radiated a chilling dark energy. She wasn't human.
"Thank you," the girl uttered quietly. "Thank you for helping us find justice."
She revealed herself as the spirit who had possessed Miranda and caused the death of Miranda's husband. In fact, she was the daughter of the director of that mental hospital.
Daniel had obtained her name and birthdate earlier that day. He had discovered her existence even at the ranch but had kept it to himself. She was too weak to confront Sheriff Ryan, who carried heavy evil energy with many deaths on his record. She couldn't get close and could only watch as Daniel and his group narrowly escaped death by fire.
Even in revenge, she'd needed to possess Miranda to act.
If Daniel wasn't mistaken, Miranda was born under special conditions, allowing possession to succeed -- otherwise, given the spirit's power, even possession would have been difficult.
Daniel spoke calmly, "Now that your vengeance is complete, without the power of resentment, your soul will soon be eroded. If you're willing, I can send you where you belong."
Lisa's expression brightened with relief. "Thank you. I'm willing."
"Then let's not delay," Daniel said as he began chanting again.
[Ding! You've transcended a G-rank Ghost and gained 300 Merit Points.]
The System's notification sounded in Daniel's mind while Lisa's figure dissolved into nothingness.
Of course, Daniel's willingness to help her pass on was partly for those Merit Points.
His current Merit Points had reached 6,600, but he still couldn't upgrade anything.
---
A few days later, both Cross Hall and the adjoining shop were unlocked.
Daniel hired a construction crew to merge the two shops, expand the space, and redecorate. Combining the inner rooms would create a larger living area.
Only when he started searching for workers did Daniel realize how expensive the labor was. The renovation company quoted over $180,000 for materials, labor, plus brand-new furniture and appliances. And that was just for the shop side.
He also took over the haunted house. If he planned to move in, he'd need to acquire some essentials. Fortunately, Cathy and her hisband had only taken personal items, leaving furniture and appliances behind. So Daniel didn't need to buy much.
Before clearing out the old furniture in the shop, Daniel double-checked that nothing extraordinary remained. He half-joked to himself, wondering if his predecessor's father was some hidden big shot who'd left behind secret artifacts -- but it turned out to be overthinking.
...
Since renovations would take some time, Daniel moved into the haunted house. Of course, there were no ghosts now -- unless you counted Flesh-Mangled Face.
The house itself was quite impressive: spacious indoor areas and gardens, exquisite decoration, and expensive furnishings. Only a few appliances were outdated, but overall, nothing to complain about.
Oh, and the basement had several prison-style cells. That could come in handy if Daniel ever needed to lock someone up.
"Ahem... Why am I thinking about locking someone up?" he muttered, chastising himself.
Then Daniel wondered, "What should I do with these bones?"
After some thought, he decided to keep them. According to the manual of exorcist magic, bones were valuable components for some rituals.
He went down to the basement and collected the bones into his System space. Each exorcism rank-up expanded his storage, and as a Sanctified Exorcist, he had plenty of capacity.
"I've transcended your souls, so these bones will be my payment," Daniel murmured, glancing again at the basement cells.
"Should I demolish the cells or keep and expand the basement instead?"
"No, I'll keep them. If Amanda or someone else wants to do prison-style photoshoots later, this place could be perfect."
Having made his decision, Daniel left the basement and returned to the main floor.
...
Right after he came up, his phone rang.
Seeing that it was Amanda calling, a smile crossed Daniel's face -- he'd just been thinking about her.
He answered the phone. Amanda's voice sounded lively on the other end. "Why couldn't I reach you earlier?"
Daniel explained, "I was in the basement. No signal down there."
"Oh," Amanda responded. "I'm auditioning for the female lead in V for Vendetta tomorrow."
Only then did Daniel realize it was early June already. He'd told Amanda to contact him before her audition.
"I understand," Daniel said. "I'm staying at your place tonight."
"Then come over early, and we'll have dinner together," Amanda's tone held a note of anticipation.
---
The next morning, outside the V for Vendetta audition room at Warner Bros. Studio Center, Amanda nervously glanced at the other actresses waiting.
She couldn't help but feel tense -- the competition for the female lead was fierce.
Bryce Dallas Howard was there -- a former child star, 23 years old, tall and fair-skinned, with stunning legs. She had also appeared in popular films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Among the competitors, Bryce seemed the least intimidating.
Amanda shifted her gaze to the next person.
Scarlett Johansson, also a former child star, 20 years old that year, was slightly shorter than Amanda. Her face was both innocent and alluring; her curvaceous figure earned her recognition as a Golden Globe-nominated Best Actress. Scarlett had been nominated twice: for Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Compared to her, Amanda's achievements felt paltry.
Amanda turned again, and when she saw the last person in the room, her heart tightened.
This one was even more of a heavyweight.
*****
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