Once the deal between Champion King and 'Soulless Ghost King' was finalized, the former didn't waste any time and quickly left the Overlord Tower with Dark Wing to find the Spirit Poison King.
As for Jacob, he didn't have any more reason to stick around either, but before leaving, he summoned the Nightingale King and had him show the catalog of the items in the Evanesce Hub's black market.
Since the Champion King had already left, he also told the overlords that the Soulless Ghost King wasn't here to seek trouble and only here to make a deal with him, so the overlords were quite relieved.
Nonetheless, as long as the Soulless Ghost King was still in the Evanesce Hub, they couldn't rest easy, so when Jacob demanded the catalog of every treasure above the Legendary Noble State, they quickly handed it over so he would quickly leave after taking whatever he wanted.
However, they hadn't expected that he would demand over half the items in that catalog, including Soul Star Watches, which were completely useless to a dark being.
Nevertheless, they felt like their heart was dripping blood because they thought Soulless Ghost King was ripping them off, but they couldn't do anything about it.
However, to their surprise, Jacob trades those items with them using Lord Rank Star Crystals, which instantly lighten up their mood. But they didn't dare to demand any higher price and even suffered small losses by offering prices 10% below the market.
Now that they knew that the Soulless Ghost King had an entry permit of the Evanesce Hub, which was given to him by none other than the Champion King, and they even seemed to have a business relationship, they no longer think of him as a threat but as another customer and more importantly a backer!
Jacob didn't comment on their actions since he knew from their fawning expression what they were fantasizing about, but only he knew this was the last time he would come here as the Soulless Ghost King.
Because if he came back again, then it would be as the Faceless Ancient, and that day would mark the end of the Evanesce Hub. He can only hope they won't give him any reason to pay another 'visit.'
After Jacob got everything, including wisdom tomes with knowledge of many alchemy professions, spells, magic scriptures, and some research materials and equipment, he left the Evanesce Hub under the Overlords' respectful expression as they saw him off.
Only after Jacob left did they sigh in relief. The Butcher King couldn't help but exclaim, "I really thought the Evanesce Hub would be destroyed today."
Everyone else couldn't help but nodded in agreement.
"Well, now that we know the Soulless Ghost King is also one of our esteemed 'customers,' we can use it to 'import' goods from those 'risky' regions." Nightingale King meaningfully stated with a shrewd yet icy smile on his face.
The other Overlords' eyes also flashed with a hint of realization as they knew what Nightingale King was implying. After all, they were all Star Pirates and greedy, and the Evanesce Hub was their territory and also their money tree.
The Corrosion King nodded with a hint of bloodlust, "I agree with you, brother Nightingale; I just happen to know a 'risky region' close to the Federation's Scorpio Headquarters…"
The others looked at the Corrosion King, and the next moment, all of them burst into wanton laughter as they quickly started to make preparations. Today was the day when the entire Evanesce Hub started to stir, which meant someone was going to have a very bad day!
---
Jacob left the Evanesce Hub's cosmic gateway by flying on his own as he didn't want to reveal the Space Travesty Shuttle, and it wasn't like his body was affected by the space current and radiation anymore. Any legendary king was capable of traveling the skies of the legendary plains.
Jacob released the shuttle once he made sure he was far away from the cosmic gateway. He stepped inside before he set his next destination, which was the Great Cosmic Continent of Sagittarius, where the Ghost Domain was located!
As for the map, with Soulless Ghost King's memories, he didn't need it because the Soulless Ghost King knows many star ocean routes leading to all the cosmic continents and even some forbidden regions.
Jacob also replenished the shuttle's fuel with newly bought lord-rank soul totems from the Evanesce Hub.
Once he was done, he finally sighed in relief since everything turned out to be just as he had planned despite the unexpected events in the Scorpio Continent.
At this moment, he changed his appearance back to his skeletal self before he waved his sleeve, and the next moment, Elia appeared in front of him.
After a moment of bewilderment, Elia quickly noticed the familiar interior of the shuttle before she felt Jacob's presence and looked at him with ecstasy.
However, when she saw his cold, emotionless, glaring flames in his hollow sockets, she instinctively shivered before quickly kneeling down and admitting, "I brought you trouble again, teacher! Please judge me as you see fit!"
Back in the Myriad Galaxy Palace, Elia had already sensed that the Soulless Ghost King was actually Jacob because of her 'connection' with him. Still, she wasn't able to conform it before he stowed her in the infinity pendant.
Despite weeks after that event, for Elia, only a moment had passed, so everything was vivid in her mind, and she knew Jacob had again saved her. But she didn't shrink back from responsibility while she became even more resolute to become stronger so she wouldn't cause trouble for him anymore.
Jacob impassively looked at Elia, and seeing her kneeling and admitting her mistake didn't affect him in any way, despite sensing her earnest will to repent and sincere emotion towards him.
"It wasn't your fault this time, so you don't need any punishment. But I hope this incident will be a lesson for you. No one is our friend in this place; we can only rely on ourselves; empathy has no place in the Zodiac Plains. Only power will give you the right to act as you please. It's survival of the fittest!" Jacob impassively stated, and Elia didn't reject his teaching since she had experienced it herself.
She started to accept the cold reality, and her naïve mindset began to stir in a different direction. She nodded and promised, "I will follow your teaching no matter what!"
Jacob nodded as he sensed subtle changes in her, "Now, I want you to focus on Liber Chaotica, and if you still think you can practice the Art of Necromancy, I won't stop you. But I need you to gain full control over the Throne of Death because many people are after it, and there has to be something special about it."
Elia was completely in agreement with Jacob since those guys came after them because of the Throne of Death, and if they figured out that it was with her, she could only imagine what kind of trouble it would bring them.
But Jacob wasn't done yet as he continued, "But just gaining the power and learning about laws isn't enough. You need practical experience and should know how to utilize your prowess.
"So, I'll be dropping you in a forbidden region where you will hone your skills with life and death experience. Fear is the biggest motivator. If you want to live, you need to figure out how to survive, and nothing teaches better than encountering death; if you don't want to become prey, you must become a hunter.
"But remember, I will not save you this time if you end up dead; you only amount to this much. However, if you manage to conquer your fears and overcome death, you will be able to roam the legendary plains freely and continue to be by my side."
Elia's eyes widened with shock when she heard this unexpected news. She paled slightly since she knew what a forbidden region was and instantly remembered the Valley of Sunless Dusk.
Furthermore, she knew this was a test from Jacob, and if she failed, he wouldn't care about her life and death anymore; this time, he wouldn't be there to protect her. Just thinking about it made her terrified.
Jacob noticed Elia's reaction, but he didn't care and coldly declared, "Your life and death are now in your hands, so I hope you choose life and learn how to survive because everything will be over if you choose death!"