Just as the ritual began, he quietly shifted away from the circle. He didn’t say anything.

Instead, he focused entirely on the talisman, tossing it between his hands like a burning ember.

Emily’s gaze flickered toward him, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "What are you doing?" she asked, her tone calm but curious.

Aiden forced a strained smile as he continued switching the talisman between his palms. "This thing... it’s too hot," he said. "It feels like I’m holding a piece of coal."

York let out an exaggerated sigh and smirked. "Oh, really? Then let me see it."

Without waiting, he grabbed the talisman.

The next second... he flinched violently and jerked his hand back, almost dropping it.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, quickly handing it back. "How can a piece of paper be this hot? It should’ve burned to ashes by now!"

Hearing that, Tyler frowned slightly and reached out to touch it as well.

The moment his fingers brushed against it, he instinctively pulled back, his expression turning serious.

The priest stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the talisman. Then he looked at Aiden and said, "Are you willing to sell that talisman?"

Aiden, still tossing it between his hands, shook his head immediately. "I bought it at a very high price," he said firmly.

The priest’s gaze deepened. "I can offer one hundred thousand."

Aiden pressed his lips together and replied, "I’m not interested."

The priest didn’t hesitate. "Three hundred thousand."

At that moment, both Emily’s and Tyler’s attention shifted fully to the talisman.

Curiosity flickered in their eyes.

"If even he values it this much... there must be something special about it," Tyler murmured.

Emily looked at the priest and asked, "What exactly is so special about it?"

The priest pointed at the talisman and said calmly, "I suspect it might be a scam."

The words landed like a stone.

Immediately, the livestream erupted.

Viewers began spamming comments, some even cursing the seller. Within moments, negative reviews started flooding the website where Aiden had bought the talisman.

Far away, Lana stared at her screen in shock as notifications poured in nonstop.

"What is going on...?" she muttered, her brows furrowing as she quickly opened the livestream.

As she listened to the priest’s words, her expression darkened.

Then...she laughed.

"How dare he question my talisman?" she said, her voice trembling with anger.

Her fingers clenched tightly as she leaned closer to the screen, her eyes burning.

’If I could step through that screen right now... I’d teach him a lesson he’d never forget.’

When she heard Aiden’s voice through the livestream, firm and unwavering as he held up the talisman and declared, "This talisman is not a scam," Lana’s expression softened slightly.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, and her eyes gleamed with approval. ’At least someone has the sense to defend it...’ she thought, her irritation easing just a little.

Meanwhile, Aiden felt as if he had just swallowed a bullet.

His throat tightened, and his palms grew damp as he faced Emily and Tyler.

’They already think it’s fake... if I admit it now, they’ll definitely look down on me... they might even cut me off completely,’ he thought, his heartbeat quickening.

So he forced himself to continue.

"I actually have a friend," he said, his tone steady but slightly strained, "who bought a talisman from this same shop. He guaranteed that everything from there is authentic."

He straightened his posture, his expression turning serious, almost indignant. "So I can say for sure... this talisman is not fake."

The way he spoke made it seem as if he would take offense even at the slightest doubt, as though questioning the talisman was equivalent to insulting him personally.

For a moment, silence fell over the group.

The priest narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the talisman with a trace of reluctance.

In truth, he already suspected that the talisman was genuine.

His earlier insistence had not come from doubt but from desire... he had wanted to obtain it for his young master, ensuring his safety.

Tyler and Emily exchanged brief glances, their expressions unreadable.

Without pressing the matter further, they returned their focus to the ritual.

Aiden clenched his jaw and endured the burning heat of the talisman, forcing himself to ignore the pain as they resumed the game.

Soon...something changed.

A faint chill spread through the air, like a sudden drop in temperature.

The wind stopped. The silence deepened.

Even though none of them could see anything, they all felt it.

A presence. Something was there with them.

Aiden swallowed hard, his voice slightly hoarse as he asked, "Are... are you here?"

The transparent coin placed on the paper trembled.

Then slowly... it slid toward "YES."

The movement was subtle, yet undeniable.

All of them froze.

Tyler’s eyes lit up with excitement as he leaned forward and asked, "Are you a spirit that resides in this cemetery, or have you been following us?"

The coin began to move again, gliding from letter to letter.

C... E... M... E... T... E... R... Y...

"Cemetery."

The word formed clearly. Everyone let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Emily leaned slightly closer, her voice calm but cautious. "Can you answer anything we ask?"

The coin shifted again. "Yes."

Her gaze sharpened slightly. "Then what do you want in return for answering our questions?"

The coin paused for a moment before moving again. M... E... A... T...

"Meat."

At that, everyone visibly relaxed. They had brought plenty of meat with them.

York nodded thoughtfully and asked, "If we give one kilogram of meat, will that cover ten questions?"

The coin slid smoothly. "Yes."

A sense of normalcy returned. This was a standard exchange in spirit-calling rituals.

With their fear easing, they began to treat it almost like a game.

York went first, a confident smile returning to his face. "When will I reach ten million followers?"

The coin moved. Slowly. Deliberately.

Y... O... U... W... I... L... L... N... E... V... E... R...

"You will never."

The words landed like ice. York’s smile froze. A chill ran down his spine.