Both parties sat down on the sofas in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lingni noticed the wary expressions in the eyes of the five people across from her and chuckled, "I have something to say to you."
She quickly pulled out a few items from her pocket and placed them on the table in front of her.
"This... this..." Carol exclaimed, his face turning pale.
It was three white bone bracelets, and these bracelets left Carol both surprised and disconcerted.
"This..." he began.
"These are antiques I found at an antique market," Lingni explained. "We are meant to meet, so I thought I would gift these to you."
While she said it was a gift, everyone knew it was just a line from the script.
Edith, however, immediately thought of the price Lingni had mentioned earlier.
One bracelet cost 100 death tokens!
A hundred?
This price was too low!
The bracelets were made from human bones, and they could only be obtained in the "Fourth Forbidden Zone." Edith had also wanted one but had not been successful.
It was important to note that these items were not cursed by the deceased. Otherwise, Lingni would not have been so casual about showing them.
In the context of a fantasy setting, these bracelets functioned like a storage pouch. Smaller cursed items could be placed inside, but larger items like high heels would be difficult to fit. Clothing would need to be worn to cover the pouch, making it inconvenient to take out the items. Even larger cursed items, like the shroud Edith knew the Hell's Eighth Degree Theater had purchased from the Hell's Tenth Degree Theater, would not fit inside a pouch.
The bone bracelets, however, were like a ring, providing a space of about fifty square meters to store larger cursed items. Using them was simple; one only needed to touch the cursed item to the bracelet and think of it. The item would then be stored inside. To retrieve it, one simply needed to think of it, even if one's hands were restrained, the item would fall out. Ivan would have survived the "Enclosed Room" if he had a bone bracelet, as he would have been able to retrieve his high heels.
However, the most powerful ability of the bone bracelets was that if a cursed item's curse resurfaced, placing the item inside the bracelet's space could suppress the curse. This was a lifesaving ability! Actors using cursed items feared the curse resurfacing. If it did, even if the item was returned to the pouch, the curse would not be suppressed, and the actor's life would be in danger.
While it was known that the Hell's Eighth Degree Theater had bone bracelets, Edith had planned to ask about purchasing them when the film was nearing its end. However, Lingni was offering them three bone bracelets for free?
Edith quickly realized that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The market value of bone bracelets was well-known, as they were only available in the "Fourth Forbidden Zone." The price typically ranged from 300 to 500 death tokens. Fifty death tokens was essentially free, and three bracelets were even more generous. The Hell's Eighth Degree Theater had never been known for its wealth.
Lingni rubbed her hands together, looking at Edith and chuckling, "We are just making friends. Don't overthink it. These three bracelets are antiques, and I feel a connection with you all, so I am giving them to you. Please don't be offended."
She was indeed "giving" them to them!
Meeting a spiritual actor in a horror film was not uncommon, and there were not many spiritual actors in the Hell's Twenty Degree Theater. In truth, if it were Julian, others might not take her seriously, but with Edith, it was different. Spiritual actors could remotely protect others, create blood symbols to monitor and locate ghosts, even foresee danger, acting as a living supernatural radar. They could also communicate with ghosts through possession. Such an opportunity would not come again! Making friends with a spiritual actor would be beneficial in the future, especially if they were to collaborate on another horror film. With only twenty theaters and a limited number of actors, it was likely that they would work together again.
Edith was the only valuable person in the Hell's Thirteenth Degree Theater that other theaters would want to befriend. Lingni's gift of three bone bracelets was clearly a strategic move, ensuring that they would not ask for death tokens in the future. If they needed to purchase information from her, she would not hesitate to ask for a spiritual blood symbol, making it easier to obtain. If there were further opportunities for collaboration, she would naturally receive better assistance.
Three bone bracelets were an incredible bargain!
Edith could not refuse. The value of bone bracelets was undeniable, significantly increasing the speed of retrieving cursed items and providing a way to suppress curses when they resurfaced. However, if the curse had already separated from the item, the bracelet would be ineffective. But in most cases, this could save a life! Three bone bracelets were an invaluable gift!
Moreover, the price was only known to her. She could sell the bracelets for a high price, at least 700-800 death tokens! Buying bone bracelets at this price was not a burden for any actor. The price was even lower because the income level of actors in the Hell's Twenty Degree Theater was relatively low, and they could still afford to pay 1000 death tokens. This price could continue to rise!
Edith regarded Long Ni'er with newfound respect. She was clearly not just a pretty face; her cunning was quite impressive. Naturally, she would not refuse the offer, and with this gesture, the 500 redemption tickets that Yu Xin spent on information became a trivial matter. She suspected that the low price was partly due to Long Ni'er recognizing that Yu Xin might have offended her and wanting to make amends. Otherwise, the price might have been higher, or she could have simply gifted her two bracelets.
With that in mind, why not buy them? Edith also intended to cultivate a good relationship with Long Ni'er; after all, in this haunted cinema, it was better to have allies than enemies when there were no conflicts of interest. They would soon be working together on this horror film, and there would be many instances where cooperation would be essential. Establishing this bond would naturally strengthen their connection. Of course, she would never stoop to buying the bracelets only to resell them at a higher price for profit. Edith was not the type to take advantage of others for short-term gains. Although it appeared that no one knew the true value of the transaction, the fact that Long Ni'er had instantaneously gifted three bracelets was a clear indicator that the price could not possibly be the original. That would only make her seem excessively shrewd and unapproachable, ultimately distancing her from Long Ni'er.
Edith smiled and said, "May I accept them?"
Long Ni'er's face lit up with joy at her willingness to accept, and she inwardly cursed Yu Xin. Originally, she had planned to gift two bracelets, keeping one for herself and selling the other for a profit. However, due to Yu Xin's meddling, she was forced to give away a third, significantly raising her costs. When she returned to the cinema, she would have to figure out how to deal with him.
Nevertheless, Edith's willingness to buy eased her worries. After all, mediums were quite rare, and such opportunities did not often arise. However, once they did, she would willingly allow the other party to benefit and take a small loss to ingratiate herself. Based on the information gathered, Edith did not seem like the type to turn her back after gaining an advantage, so Long Ni'er felt secure in making this transaction. In the filming process ahead, she anticipated receiving considerable assistance from her.
Yet, even so, Edith felt a twinge of suspicion. The bone bracelets were indeed valuable items; their generous price seemed excessive, suggesting that Long Ni'er might have ulterior motives. If her suspicions were correct, that intention was likely...
Upon receiving the 300 redemption tickets from Edith, Long Ni'er smiled as she pushed the three bracelets across the table toward her, saying, "Then, they are yours. Well, I must take my leave now."
Logically, it seemed absurd to gift someone something upon their first meeting; such a plot would certainly be deemed unreasonable and should have resulted in an NG. However, when dealing with cursed objects of the deceased, the standards for logic were somewhat relaxed. Otherwise, Allen's absurd excuse about "cross-dressing" to claim the high-heeled shoes would have been dismissed long ago. Strictly speaking, the bone bracelets were not cursed objects of the deceased and could not directly affect ghosts. However, they were remarkably convenient for containing larger cursed items, and regardless of their use, they would not deduct redemption tickets.
Next, Edith handed two of the bracelets to Carol and Allen. Allen had heard senior actors mention bone bracelets before, so he knew how to use them. Given his earlier concern about fitting the high-heeled shoes into his pocket, the timing was perfect. He slipped the bracelet into his pocket, and with a thought, the high-heeled shoes promptly vanished into the bracelet, relieving him significantly. He then took the bracelet out and slipped it onto his arm, where it fit comfortably.
Carol, of course, followed suit, placing the bloodstained hand into her bracelet. As long as the items were inside the bracelet, they wouldn't count as being on camera, so no redemption tickets would be deducted. This object was extraordinarily convenient. Moreover, wearing it would not incur a ticket deduction; the only drawback was that since Edith had purchased them, she would either have to rent or repurchase them in the future. Carol considered using the bracelet for now during the filming and later buying it outright.
As Allen gazed at the bone bracelet on his wrist, he felt a surge of confidence.
Next, he needed to contemplate how to investigate the matter further. How had that girl disappeared a year ago? Was she alive or dead? Most importantly...
Where was the hotel ghost that Edith had yet to sense?