Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Golden Red Fish Talisman, a Drawer Full of Gifts, His Story

"A Fish Talisman?"

Yun Zhenyue whispered in surprise and doubt.

’Gu Yuan has antiques like this in his drawer?’

She remembered reading about Fish Talismans in the civil service exam questions she had studied.

They were ancient credentials used in Dragon Country to prove one’s identity.

Similar to a modern ID card.

The material of the Fish Talisman also represented one’s status.

Driven by curiosity,

Yun Zhenyue slowly walked into the bedroom.

She carefully opened the unfamiliar nightstand on the other side of the bed.

She was already familiar with everything inside the nightstand next to her side of the bed.

Property deeds, stuffed animals, skill cards...

Those three types of items had been a huge help to Yun Zhenyue.

They had allowed her to navigate the Blood Moon Hotel, Reincarnation Hospital, and Chilling Middle School with ease.

The only exception was her last mission to the Fierce Ghost Mall, where she hadn’t taken one of Gu Yuan’s rewards.

’But having the Nightmare Hunter’s protection was a reward in itself, wasn’t it?’

...

Seeing this,

the curiosity of the Dragon Country audience was piqued.

[A Fish Talisman? Does this have something to do with Fengdu Ghost City?]

[I don’t know. I heard Fengdu Ghost City is a super-massive integrated instance, level unknown, and incredibly mysterious. It has to be dozens of times more terrifying than the Fierce Ghost Mall!]

[A super-massive integrated instance? Is it really that big?]

[Huge. Legend says there’s a Luofeng Mountain inside the ghost city, which is the Palace of the Ghost God. It even has figures like Black and White Impermanence.]

[Hiss~ That’s insane. Wouldn’t that make it bigger than all the previous instances they’ve been through combined?]

[Who cares about all that? I just want to know what the Fish Talisman is for. Don’t tell me Gu Yuan used to hold some official position in Fengdu Ghost City.]

...

SWOOSH—

Yun Zhenyue easily opened the top drawer.

Gu Yuan hadn’t locked it at all, nor were there any anti-theft measures.

He trusted Yun Zhenyue completely.

When she saw what was inside the drawer,

Yun Zhenyue’s eyelashes trembled, her pupils filled with confusion.

"Are these all gifts?" she murmured.

There weren’t many things in this top drawer,

but each one was very strange.

’Were these all from Gu Yuan’s male friends?’

There were a dozen or so miscellaneous items.

An exquisitely crafted Bronze Luo Geng, a pair of plain, unadorned scissors, a Victorian-style monocle, a jet-black music box...

For some reason, 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

although these miscellaneous items looked ordinary,

Yun Zhenyue couldn’t shake the feeling that every gift held a thrilling story.

They were remnants of the path Gu Yuan had once walked.

Those winding, twisting roads had reached their end, their memories gathering dust and leaving these gifts behind.

’Perhaps the hardships Gu Yuan has experienced are far greater than I ever imagined!’

WHOOSH—

The Fish Talisman was in a corner of the drawer.

Yun Zhenyue picked it up, blew the dust from its surface, and then carefully closed the drawer.

As she was closing the drawer,

a flicker of curiosity made her glance at the third drawer.

’The first two drawers are filled with gifts from his friends.’

’So this third one...’

’Something more precious than friends... it must have a very special meaning to Gu Yuan!’

But without his permission,

Yun Zhenyue had no intention of opening it.

Returning to the living room, she cupped the Fish Talisman in her hands and said softly, "Honey, I got it."

"Should I get a box for it, to keep it from getting bumped or scratched?"

Gu Yuan shook his head. "No need."

"You can put it in that painting or just carry it with you. The Fish Talisman isn’t that fragile. A few small bumps won’t hurt it."

’Is that so?’

Yun Zhenyue glanced down instinctively.

The Golden Red Fish Talisman lay quietly in her palm. There was a small hole where the fish’s eye would be, likely for a chain, and its body was engraved with strange inscriptions. It felt smooth and cool to the touch.

’It’s actually quite pretty.’

Yun Zhenyue found a chain, threaded it through, and wore it at her waist as an accessory.

She didn’t know what this Fish Talisman was for yet,

but since it was from Gu Yuan, she knew it wouldn’t harm her.

"Oh, right. Since it’s a ghost city, does it have a City Lord?"

Yun Zhenyue suddenly thought of this and mumbled to herself.

She didn’t expect Gu Yuan to answer.

After all, he was such a homebody; he couldn’t have been everywhere.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yuan nodded. "It does."

"Not only is there a City Lord, but there are also positions like secretaries."

"You’d better not try to become the City Lord. That job is no joke. There’s too much to manage, like an emperor. You’d be swamped with work every day."

"If you want an easier time, just apply for a sinecure. Patrol the territory a bit each day, and you’ll clear the mission."

’He knows that much about it?’

Yun Zhenyue blinked, confused. "Honey, do you know the City Lord?"

"Well... you’ll find out when you get there."

Gu Yuan chuckled, evading the question.

He seemed so mysterious.

...

This scene

made many of the foreign viewers frown.

He was being way too pretentious!

Acting all high and mighty.

He was talking as if he’d been the City Lord himself!

[He’s just being deliberately mysterious! Have you ever been the City Lord? You’re just spouting nonsense and making assumptions!]

[Impossible. To be the City Lord of Fengdu Ghost City, you’d need to be at least a high-level Evil Star, maybe even a peak-level one. Otherwise, how would you command the respect of your subordinates? He couldn’t have reached that level even at his peak!]

[I heard some veteran players have been inside Fengdu Ghost City. The rules are strict, and it’s a large, enclosed city where status is everything. The City Lord is the absolute supreme ruler, above all others!]

[In that city, it doesn’t matter how strong you are. You still have to suck up to any ghost that holds a position!]

[The positions are that prestigious? How do you even get one? My head hurts just thinking about it!]

...

Meanwhile,

the contestants from the other countries had also given their Valentine’s Day gifts to their partners.

Aside from the deceased Ah Sha,

Han Sumei’s reward this time was by far the worst!

After being kicked out, she risked her life to steal a pair of socks.

A pair of women’s lace ankle socks, no less.

There was no way Niu Dali could wear them.

In the end, he could only foolishly stretch them over his horns, grinning like an idiot.

He seemed to be exceptionally fond of them.

Unfortunately, even after the system’s quality enhancement,

the socks barely reached the Bloodstained Level.

They were, to put it bluntly, completely useless!

Compared to Yun Zhenyue’s three rewards,

there was simply no comparison!

If Han Sumei were to find out, she would probably explode with rage.

Even so,

she could vaguely guess that Yun Zhenyue’s rewards were anything but inferior, and she sulked alone in her room.

...

Elsewhere,

in Coconut Country—an ancient vassal state of Dragon Country also known as the Thousand Islands Country—its contestant, Cecil, felt her heart pounding.

She had the distinct features of a woman from Coconut Country:

dark brown skin, large eyes, a flat nose, and she wore a traditional garment made from pineapple fiber.

"Well done, Cecil."

Her partner was an ugly Corpse-Eating Ghost.

It praised her in a coarse voice.

The Corpse-Eating Ghost normally fed on corpses; the stronger the corpse it devoured, the more power it gained.

In the previous few missions, Cecil had often stolen corpses for it.

Thanks to this, its power had increased rapidly!

In this mission especially, Cecil, who was on the fourth floor, had sold a lot of goods. The money she earned was ultimately exchanged for an exquisite piece of clothing, which was then quality-enhanced by the system.

That clothing ultimately became a low-quality Calamity Star Ghost Artifact!

It was called the Ten Thousand Souls Robe!

It contained tens of thousands of vicious ghosts!

Putting it on would grant one terrifying power!

But the Corpse-Eating Ghost didn’t wear it.

Instead, it chose to devour the entire robe!

In the end, it barely managed to advance to the mid-level Evil Star rank.

However, the resentment of the tens of thousands of ghosts remained in its body. It could only barely suppress them, suffering unbearable agony.

Because of this, it set its sights on Gu Yuan, who was downstairs.

The Corpse-Eating Ghost could sense that

the ghost named Gu Yuan seemed very powerful, but he kept a low profile.

’Perhaps he’s been sealed or is seriously injured. If I could just devour Gu Yuan...’

’I could definitely use his power to suppress the resentment, and maybe even become a high-level Evil Star!’

"This time, it’s up to you, Cecil."

"You need to get rid of his wife during this mission."

the Corpse-Eating Ghost said hoarsely, clutching its aching chest.

"We’ll strike together. That way, no one will be able to save them."

"I understand, sir."

Cecil replied respectfully.

’Killing Yun Zhenyue is to prevent her friends from coming to save Gu Yuan!’

Cecil was also well aware that

those who opposed Yun Zhenyue usually didn’t meet a good end.

’In any case, I’ve always maintained my image as a good person on the surface.’

’Since a direct approach won’t work, I’ll just have to play dirty behind the scenes.’

’I’ll praise Yun Zhenyue to her face.’

’The higher they’re praised, the harder they fall.’

’That should attract a lot of hatred towards Yun Zhenyue.’

Finally,

the Corpse-Eating Ghost took a red pen from its treasury.

"Here, take this pen. It can automatically write down answers. I believe you’ll have great need of it."

Cecil excitedly took the pen, a thrilled smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you, sir!"

"With this pen, maybe I’ll even have a shot at becoming the City Lord’s secretary..."