Watching sunrise
"How come Manchester is just a village, while Sheffield is a town? I mean, even though Sheffield is also a large city, Manchester is even larger, right?"
Edward asked, feeling confused about this ghost civilization.
"Haha! I had the same question at first... but in the ghost civilization, things don't follow the same logic as the human world. To explain this properly, you need to first understand the structure of the United Ghost Kingdom..."
William chuckled, amused by Edward's baffled question. He couldn't help feeling a bit smug, having been in Edward's shoes just few months ago. Now, he was someone with knowledge, able to teach 'newbie' ghosts like Edward.
After hearing all the details about the ghost kingdom's structure from William, Edward couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.
According to William, the entire kingdom was divided into 60 villages, 10 towns, and two cities. Birmingham controlled six towns while Glasgow controlled four towns, and each town further controlled ten villages.
What surprises him is that the number of ghosts in the entire kingdom is less than he expected, even after David and William previously mentioned that the ghost population is relatively low.
"Considering ghosts have infinite life unlike humans, how come there are only 72 settlements?"
He couldn't help but ask, feeling that something didn't quite add up. After all, human civilization has been around for so long in comparison.
"What do you expect? Giving birth to a ghost is very hard, as the amount of desire needed to resist the 'nether' call is not easily satisfied. In the entire past month, many deaths happened in Manchester city, but in such a huge city, you were the only one able to resist the nether call."
David explained, understanding this better than William, who was still relatively new.
"But I don't think my desires are that strong at all..."
Edward muttered to himself. He truly didn't feel that his simple desires in life were strong enough to resist.
William and David, who heard his words almost simultaneously, rolled their eyes.
"And even such ghosts, hard to be born, usually don't survive the next day due to reapers. Eight out of ten times, they're gone before a fellow ghost like us can help them start their new 'life.' Plus, there's the constant struggle not only against reapers but also other dark creatures, and special beings... Our United Kingdom civilization is already better than many other kingdoms in Europe."
David explained further, not bothering with Edward's mutter. He emphasized how hard it is to survive as a ghost and how lucky Edward was to have met them.
"Now, addressing your initial question... Why is Manchester just a village? Because Manchester Village's strongest ghost is a 'Ghost General.' To become a town, the leader should reach the 'Ghost Commander' level. Towns are controlled by Ghost Commanders, while villages are led by Ghost Generals. If a Ghost Village produces a Ghost Commander, it will be granted 'town' status by the Birmingham city officials."
David clarified Edward's doubt and then completely ignored him again.
'Is it that hard to become a Ghost Commander? What about Ghost Kings and beyond?'
Edward worried for a moment but soon regained his confidence, thinking silly quotes like,
'If it's not possible for others, it doesn't mean it's the same for me.'
If William and David knew his thoughts, they would say only one thing: 'The audacity.'
"What about the Ghost cities? If towns are controlled by a Ghost Commander, does that mean a city is controlled by a Ghost King?"
Edward deliberately slowed down to create some distance between himself and David before asking his question.
It wasn't that he hated David; he just knew this question might irritate the 'old man' further.
"Not sure about that."
William replied.
"Some ghosts say cities are controlled by peak Ghost Commanders, while others claim they are indeed controlled by a Ghost King. But a Ghost King is rarely seen, if ever."
William shared what he knew, mostly from David or other ghosts in Sheffield town.
"Oh, never mind. I have one more question. Where is this Manchester Ghost Village we are heading to? Is it a secret human village controlled by the ghosts, or is it in a different dimension from this universe? Like... You know what I meant, right?"
Edward asked curiously, his imagination running wild about the village.
"Different dimension? Controlling a village? You said a human village, right? What are you smoking, brother?"
William's eyes widened at Edward's strange thoughts.
"No such thing as dimensions, brother Edward. We ghosts aren't powerful enough to create a village in different dimensions. If we were, we'd be ruling the world by now. And also controlling a human village?"
William paused for a moment, looking at Edward as if he were a strange creature, before continuing.
"That's asking for annihilation... If we manipulate humans like puppets, many forces will unite to erase us from this world. Never, even in your dreams, think of that. Harming one or two might go unnoticed, but harming many is always big trouble."
William spoke hurriedly, worried about his strange team member's next idea.
"Then?"
Edward asked, not understanding why William was overreacting. Being new, he was obviously unaware of many things.
"The village is a physical place, but humans can't access it due to restrictions set by the ghost civilization's 'special' ghosts."
William explained quickly.
This time, Edward stayed silent, having some idea now.
"Brother William, I have one more question. It's about the Yin energy ball during our practice."
Edward slowly spoke, sensing William's frustration with his questions.
"Oh, energy ball? Nice term, Brother Edward... What about it? Any issues during practice? Quickly shoot, and if I can't help, we'll ask the captain."
William responded, instantly energized now that the topic was about their practice, which he was deeply invested in.
"Nothing serious... I was just curious if the energy ball we gather is always round."
Edward asked casually, as if it were just a passing thought.
"Indeed, it is always round."
William replied, his initial excitement dampened by the triviality of the question. Nevertheless, he answered honestly, as it a simple question.
"Uh huh! So, is that ball always as smooth as marble? Like, no bumps or 'pimples' like a football, right?"
Edward asked again, this time prompting William to look at him with a quizzical expression for a moment.
"Are you having trouble with the energy ball you're collecting, Edward? As far as I know, it's always smooth. If there's an issue, just let us know."
William asked, sounding concerned.
"No worries, William. I'm just learning about the Apparition path. I also want to help new ghosts like you're helping me in the future, and also understand any changes in my practice."
Edward reassured quickly, noticing William's concern.
"That's a relief. I thought you might be in trouble... Let's go, we need to catch up with the captain. We've fallen quite far behind."
William said, relieved that Edward wasn't facing any problems. He hurried to catch up with David, who was already far ahead of them.
Edward felt a pang of guilt for not being entirely truthful with William. He had indeed noticed a small abnormal bump on the energy ball he'd gathered. Initially dismissing it, he casually asked William about it, expecting a straightforward answer.
However, William's response puzzled him. Despite feeling that sharing the discovery with William and David might be helpful, Edward couldn't shake the feeling that the bump wasn't harmful to him, and might even hold some benefit.
Edward decided to observe the bump further in the next practice sessions before consulting William and David if any issues arose.
Soon, they caught up with David, who was sitting on a bench beside the road, gazing ahead as the sky began to brighten with the slow rise of the sun.
They joined him, silently watching the sunrise unfold. Early morning joggers passed by them, and cars hummed along the road, creating a serene scene worthy of a picture, with the three ghosts in the morning light.