"In the hospital, there are many patients every day, suffering from various strange injuries and peculiar symptoms."
"Some of them don't believe in the supernatural, so they think their conditions can be resolved by doctors."
"But as a doctor, I tell them actively that some ailments are invasions by sinister forces, bound by ghosts."
"When the nurses talk about certain hospital ghost stories, I tell them it's all true."
Xiaoya and Ah Fei widened their eyes.
Could it be that the city they're living in, full of ghosts... is actually caused by this doctor?
Dr. Chen continued:
"To expedite the process, I keep anonymously updating ghost stories on forums. They sound believable, not scary, just encounters."
"This also resonated with many people."
"I want ghosts to be something everyone acknowledges as real. Riding this wave of fantasy revival, I hope to see my lover again!"
"Later, a burly, imposing presence found me and told me I possessed a power to accelerate faith. He said I'm one of the few people like him who can use the power of belief."
Wen Xishu's heart sank, but he held back from asking.
Dr. Chen said:
"He asked if I wanted to join him. I could sense he was formidable."
"He surely possesses terrifying power. His name is Leon."
"But I didn't want to join him, I told him I want to wait for my wife."
"Oddly enough, after mocking me, he actually left."
"He said I'd amount to nothing, and for a woman, I wasn't fit to be his subordinate. Truly audacious."
"Haha, I digressed. I shouldn't have talked about him, but strangely, I'm afraid of him. I suspect he might also be a ghost?"
Wen Xishu's expression didn't change, but he was deeply disturbed inside.
This Dr. Chen... actually drew not just one constellation.
Leon, he must be Leo, right?
The currently known strongest force. Dr. Chen's love-stricken mind seems to have made Leo deem him unimpressive.
This development truly caught Wen Xishu off guard.
"There are more and more ghosts in this city."
"Everyone believes in the existence of ghosts, thus ghosts exist."
"But I haven't seen my wife!"
"I've never seen my wife!"
Chen Ming mocked himself:
"I've called her name countless times, yet she never appeared. But one day... I saw a little girl."
"She held a bottle in her hand, barefoot, yet without any dust on her feet, she seemed cloaked in moonlight."
"She was a lovely little girl, and she told me she could help me see my wife."
"The reason my wife hasn't appeared is because there aren't enough ghosts, and their existence lacks purpose."
"She said I have powers that can make belief come true faster, and I should use them wisely."
"To have more ghosts, ghosts must meet everyone's expectations."
"In this world, many fear ghosts. But initially, people feared ghosts because when humans die, they become vengeful ghosts."
"People's reverence for ghosts and gods is more about respect than fear, because in the early days, the simplest wish was… to repay grievances with vengeance."
"Only by fulfilling this simple wish can more, larger, and stronger ghosts be continuously created."
"And all of this needs me to construct."
"To punish the wicked, let every ghost have a mission, let deceased evildoers become new ghosts… let this city be guarded by ghosts and gods, establishing a new order."
"I was completely convinced by this child. Although she appeared as a child, her power was immense, and it was only on that day that I saw my wife."
"To see the ghost of my wife again, I decided to work with her, using the power of good and evil she spoke of, to construct an altar for ghostly judgment."
At this point in the story, Wen Xishu understood.
The little girl is Aquarius, and the ghostly altar is the Haven Bar.
"Every once in a while, people are judged here."
"Through my long efforts, all survivors in this city believe in the existence of ghosts."
"All who have committed crimes regularly appear here."
"They will accept judgment and be killed by the corresponding ghost! The city's order hasn't crumbled under various monsters like other cities."
"On the contrary, with the help of ghosts, people live in order."
Wen Xishu frowned:
"So what about the Ghost Festival? What's different about it compared to other times?"
Chen Ming said:
"On the Ghost Festival, only the most wicked are transported here…"
"On this day, there are more ghosts. Usually, ghosts exist, but far fewer than humans. But only tonight, ghosts outnumber humans."
"And on this day, the deceased all become evil ghosts, becoming servants of that child… which means Aquarius."
"No matter how evil they were in life, after becoming ghosts, they become part of the city's order."
"Using evil to construct good, that's Aquarius's ideal, and I also acknowledge it. Quite grand, isn't it?"
Wen Xishu didn't expect it to really be like this.
This place… is indeed a "villain processing factory" run by Aquarius.
Using the power of good and evil and the power of belief, they transform evildoers into a special form.