"Starve for a month? That's nothing, too small of a deal. I starved for a full three months," a voice said.
"Heh, just a clown. It's not about how much you starve, it's about strength," another chimed in.
"Eat? What's the point of eating? How many Gold Coins can that even get you?"
A few familiar Level 8 Ghost Kings gathered together and started chatting.
There were also those who didn't see eye to eye and began throwing verbal jabs at each other.
Mu Rufeng observed many foreign faces among these Ghost Kings, even some special races.
It was likely that they included representatives from all over the Mysterious World.
Of course, Mu Rufeng didn't believe that these thousand-odd Level 8 Ghost Kings were all the Ghost Kings in the Mysterious World.
Probably just a small portion of them.
After all, not every Ghost King was free, and not every one of them had the credentials to attend the Golden City's once-every-ten-years grand gathering.
As for the absence of any Level 9 Ghost Emperors, Mu Rufeng had a guess: this was probably just a gathering for Level 8 Ghost Kings.
The batch with Level 9 Ghost Emperors would be in another place.
Although Mu Rufeng was just a Level 4 Contractor, the lowest level likely to be participating was Level 8 Ghost Kings, with no one of a lower rank present.
That's why Mu Rufeng was here.
"Eh? Wait, is there a Contractor here too?" a Ghost King suddenly noticed Mu Rufeng.
"Wow? There really is a Contractor here, and a Level 4 one at that?"
"How did a Level 4 Contractor sneak in here?"
"Sneak in? How could he have sneaked in? Has this place turned into an instance too? Who invited this guy?"
"Instance? No way, how could this place have become an instance too?"
Some of the Ghost Kings looked at Mu Rufeng with strange expressions.
However, no one made a move since fighting was not permitted here.
"Hey, kid, how did you get in here?" a Ghost King asked curiously, calling out to Mu Rufeng.
"How did you guys get in? I got in the same way," Mu Rufeng replied with a glance.
"You had an invitation too?"
"A Level 4 Contractor with an invitation?"
Some of the Ghost Kings looked at Mu Rufeng suspiciously.
Mu Rufeng ignored them and approached the city gates.
He saw a notice board on the left side with some important points written on it.
[Golden City Notices]
1. Whether at the city entrance or inside, invited guests may not engage in any fights.
2. Various beings will appear in the city, and killing them will yield 1–10 Gold Coins each.
3. Gold Coins can be traded for Soul Power.
4. Once someone enters Golden City, it will remain open for one hour.
5. The more Gold Coins you earn, the higher your status will be.
6. The top ten earners of Gold Coins may attend the final grand gathering of the Level 9 Ghost Emperor.
"Golden City, killing strange beings? Gold Coins? Top ten get to attend the Ghost Emperor's gathering?" Mu Rufeng slightly furrowed his brow.
He thought he was going to gamble directly with those Ghost Emperors, but apparently, there was a hurdle to clear first.
He had just made a huge deal with Golden City a few days ago; hadn't the invitation bumped him up a level?
But it no longer mattered; it was a good chance to see what this small Golden City was all about.
Listening to the discussions of the Level 8 Ghost Kings, Mu Rufeng was still confused.
He heard these guys talk about having a feast.
Wasn't Golden City supposed to be about slaying monsters for Gold Coins? How had it become about eating?
With a "Dong!" a loud gong sound echoed.
"Welcome everyone to the Golden City's once-every-ten-years grand gathering. The city gates will open in ten minutes."
"As usual, for every Gold Coin obtained, an additional ten points of Soul Power will be awarded as a reward."
"Additionally, the Gold Coin leaderboard is now open. First place will receive two million Soul Power, second place one million Soul Power, and third place five hundred thousand Soul Power."
"Fourth to sixth places will get three hundred thousand Soul Power, seventh to tenth places will get one hundred thousand Soul Power, and places after the tenth will get ten thousand Soul Power."
"The top ten may also purchase a talent from the Earth-level Talent Library, while the rest can purchase one from the Yellow Level Talent Library."
Mu Rufeng looked up at the city walls.
There, stood a man in a suit, a Level 9 Ghost Emperor.
Mu Rufeng had seen him before; he was the manager of the Golden City Hotel.
Golden City's upper-level management wasn't scarce, with a manager in charge of each area.
Except for managing the first floor, Tang Feng, a Level 8 Ghost King, the managers of the upper areas were all Level 9 Ghost Emperors.
"Ranking by Gold Coin amounts, a Gold Coin for ten points of Soul Power..."
"Earth-level and Yellow-level libraries?" Mu Rufeng muttered.
After the rules were announced, the man in the suit rang the gong once more and then vanished.
Following his disappearance, a massive countdown appeared above.
The Level 8 Ghost Kings promptly gathered at the city gates.
Some familiar Ghost Kings started forming teams, some discussed going on a rampage, and others talked about feasting and such.
"So, is there something good to eat inside?" Mu Rufeng wondered.
But he also noticed a detail: those Ghost Kings talking about feasting were generally the larger ones, not adept at chase battles.
"Can you also earn Gold Coins by eating?" Mu Rufeng pondered.
It was just a matter of time, and ten minutes passed quickly.