Chapter 2All Souls’ Zoo

I scrambled to my feet and started back the way I came. The first enclosure on my route was the Reptile House.

A colossal python, thick as a tree trunk, was coiled behind a wall of reinforced glass. I fumbled in my bag, pulled out a pair of oversized sunglasses, and slapped them on. Then I strode past with all the fake bravado I could muster.

【wait, that actually works? XD】

【CHLOE, BEHIND YOU!!】

【OMG OMG OMG WHAT IS THAT THING】

I whipped my head around.

There, clinging to the branches of a gnarled oak tree, was the monkey. The one I’d just kowtowed into oblivion. It was back.

It scrabbled on all fours, a dark, twitching horror, its body moving in a way that defied nature. A guttural screech tore from its throat.

Did it just buy a respawn? Seriously? This thing was more persistent than a pop-up ad.

"It just took a quick trip to the Underworld's antechamber," Shanyuan explained calmly from my phone. "But its name isn't in the Ledger of Souls, so they kicked it right back out."

I didn't need to be told twice. I broke into a dead sprint. "So what's the play here?!" I gasped, my lungs burning.

"My professional advice," he said, "would be to run faster than it does."

"Are you kidding me?!"

The monkey gave chase while I ran for my life, vaulting over benches and dodging possessed popcorn stands. Finally, I leaned against a wall, wheezing. This couldn't go on.

I quickly edited my stream description: 【Travel Vlogger Takes On The Underworld. Zero Experience.】

It was immediately flagged and removed for violating community guidelines.

"Son of a..."

My fingers flew across the screen, pulling up the Azure Sky Priory's online shop. The talismans were all sold out.

My chat was a flood of comments.

【Ooh, a talisman? Dibs.】

【Home alone and officially creeped out. Adding to cart.】

You guys couldn't have left one for me?!

Shanyuan spoke up. "If you'd like to see this item restocked, smash that 'like' button, friends. If we get enough interest, I'll have my apprentice whip up another batch."

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'M DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW?!

His apprentice’s head popped into the frame. "For our more... impatient patrons, a generous donation will get you a custom-drawn sigil, live and on the spot."

I didn't hesitate. I tipped five hundred dollars.

Shanyuan lifted his brush, dipped it in what looked like crimson ink, and began to paint. The lines were fluid, ancient. When he was done, he held the finished sigil up to the camera. It seemed to pulse with a faint light.

"Show this to the monkey," he said, a note of pride in his voice. "Ah, a truly perfect specimen."

I cranked my phone's brightness to max and shoved it in the monkey's face. It froze, its shrieking dying in its throat. A thin wisp of smoke began to curl from its fur.

That was my cue. I ran.