Chapter 21: The Special Profession 'Captain' and Information on the Ghost Craftsman

Su Yueling walked over to Bai Wan and placed the water cup on his desk. Her striking white hair hung down naturally, bringing her very close to him. Bai Wan was hit by a pleasant, fragrant scent that was far from overpowering. As he looked up, he realized how near she was, and he could clearly see the fair, delicate collarbones hidden beneath her JK uniform.

Seeing the look in Bai Wan’s eyes, Su Yueling couldn't help but exhale in relief. *There's a chance!* Remembering the hair-flip video the team leader had recommended to her yesterday, she took a deep breath, lightly placed her hand on her hair, and tossed it back with a practiced motion. This was a move exclusive to beautiful girls—the "hair-flip kill."

Bai Wan looked over with curiosity.

*Whoosh!*

In that moment, Su Yueling’s already beautiful face, framed by her snow-white hair dancing in the air, made her look like an elf descended from the heavens. The scene seemed to freeze in time. Then, suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the window, catching her hair and slapping it directly across her face, completely covering it.

"Holy crap, a ghost!"

Seeing the white-haired monster before him, Bai Wan jumped up in shock, gripping his supernatural artifact tightly.

Zhou Lu: "..."
Su Yueling: "..."

A few seconds later, Bai Wan realized that the faceless girl covered in white hair was just Su Yueling. Embarrassed, he apologized, "Ah, I'm sorry. I just got back from a dungeon, and I haven't quite adjusted... my body just reacted on instinct..."

"No, it's fine..." Su Yueling gripped her hands tightly. Beneath the messy hair, her eyes seemed a bit watery. *Why, why did it have to turn out like this...*

"Ahem, let's head to the activity room to sign the contract first..." Zhou Lu said, feeling a bit awkward. He had wanted to make a good impression on the newcomer, but his luck seemed terrible today. He decided to just focus on business.

"Alright."

Bai Wan nodded and curiously followed them to the activity room. The layout was quite different from what he had imagined. The room was furnished comfortably with several soft sofas, and the corners were stacked with snacks and drinks. He even spotted a Switch console.

Above the room was a large electronic screen currently playing the news. "The meteor shower arriving today is a once-in-a-century event for Earth. Everyone is encouraged to invite their families to watch it. According to experts, there is scientific basis to making a wish when seeing a shooting star..."

Seeing Bai Wan’s surprised expression, Zhou Lu chuckled. "What, is it unexpected?"

Bai Wan nodded. "A little. I thought the activity room would be a more serious place, given that our enemies are supernatural beings." It felt more like a leisure lounge than a headquarters.

Zhou Lu smiled kindly. "Our work as ghost hunters is different from ordinary jobs. We don't just fight the supernatural daily; we also have to participate in 'Ghost Games.' The mental pressure is immense, so we need to relax."

He handed the contract to Bai Wan. "Here is the contract. Take a look. If everything is fine, we'll sign it. Yueling, turn off the TV; it's quite noisy. These experts' opinions are getting more and more ridiculous."

"Yeah. When I was little, I thought meteor showers were beautiful, but now that I'm older, I realize it's just an astronomical phenomenon." Su Yueling turned off the TV, recalling the scene of her innocent younger self making wishes on shooting stars. If wishing on stars worked, there would be no more ghosts in the world, and many people wouldn't have died.

Bai Wan took the contract and scanned it. It was straightforward and clear. There were no heavy responsibilities; it was essentially a partnership. The only requirement was that once a mission was accepted, it could not be abandoned midway, or the penalties would be severe.

Without hesitation, Bai Wan signed his name.

"Good. There is one last step. Once completed, you will officially be a member of the Lancheng Special Agency." Zhou Lu turned to Liu Tong. "Let's go. Get ready to head out, you're driving."

"Boss, are we taking Bai Wan to *that* place?" Liu Tong asked with a moment of hesitation.

"Yes."

Liu Tong nodded, a flash of surprise in his eyes. It seemed the boss was truly determined to bring Bai Wan into the fold. There was no precedent for a temporary staff member to visit that location.

Bai Wan saw that everyone was acting mysterious and felt curious about where they were going, but he didn't ask; he would find out when they arrived.

Inside the car, Liu Tong drove while Zhou Lu sat in the passenger seat. Bai Wan and the others sat in the back.

"By the way, Team Leader, are there only a few of us in the Lancheng team?" Bai Wan asked, feeling puzzled. Even though Lancheng was a small, fifth-tier city, he didn't expect the team to be this thin.

"Some members are away on other tasks. We had to squeeze in time to meet you today. The world isn't very peaceful right now, and supernatural incidents are occurring frequently. We're critically understaffed. We have a few core members, and while there are some Tier 2 members, their combat ability isn't high enough, and many of them aren't even 'Ghost Game' players," Zhou Lu explained while driving.

"I see..."

Bai Wan suddenly remembered his own Ghost Ship and tentatively asked, "Speaking of which, Team Leader, I was reading the materials you gave me yesterday, and there seemed to be a profession called 'Craftsman'..."

"Yes, and it's highly sought after. A Craftsman can repair broken supernatural artifacts. Powerful ones can even create simple ones. Although they aren't as good as those obtained from the game, they are great for survival. Such professions are extremely rare. Most Craftsmen are NPCs within the game. As far as I know, there are fewer than three players who possess this profession." A hint of envy flickered in Zhou Lu’s eyes—every Craftsman was wealthy.

"Are there levels for Craftsmen?" Bai Wan asked.

"Yes: Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and then the legendary Ghost Craftsman..." Zhou Lu said.

Hearing "Ghost Craftsman," Bai Wan’s expression shifted slightly. He had obtained a special profession, "Captain," which required repairing his ghost ship. And to repair the ship, one needed the skills of a Ghost Craftsman.

"Are there any Ghost Craftsmen among players in reality?" Bai Wan asked.

Zhou Lu laughed. "That's impossible. The strongest player in reality is only at the Intermediate Craftsman level. Ghost Craftsman is something that only exists in legends; no one has ever seen one. However, some say that the game dungeon 'Desolate Village' hides information about the Ghost Craftsman."

Seeing Bai Wan’s interest, Zhou Lu continued, "Interested in becoming a Craftsman? It's no wonder; they make money and have strong survival skills. Let me tell you about it."

"Currently, all Craftsman professions originate from the 'Desolate Village' dungeon. Due to game restrictions, I only know the basics. There is a blacksmith family in the village, the Liu family, which has a long history and holds the secrets to creating supernatural artifacts. Getting the profession is likely tied to them."

"However, the dungeon's difficulty is extremely high. The last time it opened was half a year ago. Many talented geniuses fought tooth and nail for a spot. The ten who finally succeeded in entering... well," Zhou Lu’s eyes grew somber. "Only one person came out alive. The other nine were all well-known figures, but they were buried in that mysterious village."

"But the survivor brought back news: the Liu family's ancestors once produced a Ghost Craftsman. The strategy groups analyzed that 'Desolate Village' must be very significant and likely hides the secret to the Ghost Craftsman, but players haven't found it yet."

Bai Wan asked, puzzled, "Fighting for spots? Aren't game dungeons supposed to be random?"

Zhou Lu shook his head. "Normally, yes. But there are ways to designate which one you participate in. You should know about the Skeleton Shops. The first shop you encountered was likely the common cyan one. Above that are Blood Shops, which only appear in very dangerous areas. And above the blood ones, there is an even rarer type: the Dark Blood Shop, which only appears in 'Unsolvable-level' dungeons. You can buy entry tokens for rare dungeons like 'Desolate Village' there."

"Let me explain: an Unsolvable dungeon is one where every single player has been wiped out at least three times. To this day, no one has cleared it. Those are the most despair-inducing urban legends."

*Unsolvable-level dungeons?* Wiped out three times—that sounded terrifying.

Seeing Bai Wan’s tension, Zhou Lu reassured him, "Don't worry. Unsolvable dungeons are usually high-level ones like 'The Forbidden Zone' or 'Dreams and Delusions.' Newcomers rarely encounter them. I think there's only one, 'The Letter,' that is rated as Unsolvable."

Bai Wan’s expression first relaxed, then turned to shock, and finally, sheer disbelief. He spat out the water he had been drinking.

"Pfft... what the hell??? Team Leader, which dungeon did you say was Unsolvable??"