"Mister, is this the Golden Gate of Boss Qiu?" Li Xiu surveyed the surroundings as he spoke.
The area was surrounded by a primeval jungle, and actually, the Golden Gate was dozens of miles from Guyue City, about as far as it was from the City of Light.
This Golden Gate lay within the primeval jungle, and no one could quite understand what madness drove Boss Qiu to locate such a Trial Gate within this wilderness, only to gain nothing from it.
But he has already registered the Golden Gate and obtained ownership, which is recognized by the Southern Cross Federation. Unless Li Xiu plans to go to war with Guyue City, the only option is to find a way to buy it—theft is not feasible.
"You know this is Boss Qiu’s place, so why are you wandering around here?" The old man fanned himself without any intention of getting up.
"We’re just here to talk to Boss Qiu about buying this Trial Gate. Could you help us get in touch?" Li Xiu and his two companions approached the security guard grandpa.
A few wooden huts had been built on a small hill, which seemed to be where the old man lived.
"You want to buy the Golden Gate? Have you lost your mind? Why would you buy this godforsaken place?" The security guard grandpa sized up Li Xiu as he spoke.
"At least it’s a Trial Gate, so it’s somewhat useful, right? Could you help us get in touch?" Li Xiu said cheerfully, without getting angry.
"I can’t even get in touch. This place has no cell signal. Even if it did, how could an old man like me possibly contact someone like Boss Qiu?" The security guard grandpa said, "I advise you not to waste your time here. This broken gate is fifty miles from Guyue City and seventy to eighty miles from Red Sand City. It’s surrounded by primeval jungle, teeming with venomous insects and fierce beasts, not to mention the occasional appearance of magical spirits. I heard Boss Qiu sent people to explore the Golden Gate, and none came back alive. A place isn’t worth anyone’s trouble."
"How could there be no benefit at all? Aren’t there rewards within the Trial Gate?" Chu Jun asked.
"What rewards? Haven’t you heard that the reward in the Trial Ground within the Golden Gate is a skill called the Golden Radiance Lamp? This skill enraged Boss Qiu because it’s about as useful as a lighter. You can conjure a small golden flame on your fingertip, but it’s smaller than a lighter’s flame. Other than providing light, it’s useless. What’s even more ridiculous is that this skill only works in the presence of light—if there’s light, it lights up; if not, it doesn’t. What good is that?" The security guard grandpa said.
"But aren’t there talents and Demon Cores?" Chu Jun added.
"What Demon Core? There’s no such reward. They say the only rewards within the gate are talents and skills—no Demon Cores or Attribute Rewards. The talent, they say, is what really made Boss Qiu furious. They say he almost fainted when he heard about its ability." The security guard grandpa chuckled.
"What kind of talent is so infuriating?" Chu Jun asked, curious.
"They say the talent is called Sudhana. Once you have this talent, you’ll keep losing money for no apparent reason. If you don’t lose money, everything you do goes wrong—businesses lose money, lottery tickets never win, and anything valuable at home somehow ends up broken. It’s not ’Sudhana’ but ’Dispersed Wealth’!" The security guard laughed again and added some advice for them: "You young people like messing around with these things, but sooner or later you’ll find out that a peaceful life is better than anything else."
"Is it really that strange?" Chu Jun and Li Xiu exchanged glances.
Li Xiu stared at the security guard and asked, "Mister, how come you’re here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of those venomous snakes, fierce beasts, and magical spirits?"
"I’m an old man with no children, no money, and halfway in the grave. What do I have to fear? Boss Qiu takes good care of me, and I treat this place with its flowers and grass as my retirement. If I really encounter a magical spirit, it would save me even the trouble of buying a coffin..." The security guard grandpa was quite at ease.
"Mister, can we go inside the Golden Gate to take a look?" Li Xiu asked again.
"That won’t do. Boss Qiu said no outsiders are allowed inside. It’s his property, and you need his permission." The grandpa quickly shook his head.
"We just want to see it since we’re considering buying it. Could you make an exception?" Chu Jun said, slipping a crystal stone into the grandpa’s hand.
"This... I don’t really need these things in a place ..." The grandpa said, but his fingers tightly clutched the crystal stone, his eyes on Chu Jun.
"You can keep it for later use. You’ll need it when you’re out." Chu Jun added another crystal stone to his hand.
The grandpa’s demeanor immediately softened, and he smiled, saying, "Since you’re interested in buying the Golden Gate, you may as well take a look. But I must warn you, it’s really dangerous inside. Don’t risk your life. Boss Qiu’s men are skilled, and yet few made it out alive."
"Thanks, mister. We’re aware of that," Chu Jun thanked him, and then headed to the big gate with Li Xiu and Qin Shi.
"Qin Shi, you stay here while we go in and check it out," Li Xiu said to Qin Shi.
"Be careful..." Qin Shi was a bit worried, as she always felt something unfortunate might happen after her Princess Mask was broken.