The Feast of Extreme Bliss was held at the convergence point of Taiyin and the Mingdu, which was also the central region of the Shattered Mirror Continent. The Feast of Extreme Bliss was a banquet, a carnival, and also a place where Taiyin and the Mingdu discussed important matters. Furthermore, due to the established practice of "dividing power based on strength," the entire Feast of Extreme Bliss fell within the scope of the games governed by the Nirvana Space. However, this particular game never randomly summoned external players.
That's right, it was a Shattered Mirror Game.
After all, only within the confines of the game could these Demon Kings and Ghost Kings fight with their full power without restraint. Even if they died on the field, they could be revived, suffering only a period of weakness at most. Precisely because of the Nirvana Space's involvement, hosting the Feast of Extreme Bliss each time required paying a large sum of energy and Guansi to the Nirvana Space. Naturally, the Feast of Extreme Bliss began selling spectator seats, with the various luxury boxes even being auctioned off to cover the expenses—and even turn a profit.
Mu Anqi didn't know what others thought, but when she heard all this, she felt this grand, prestigious banquet suddenly became much more down-to-earth. That mysterious and powerful aura instantly vanished, replaced by the taint of money. Moreover, the battles fought by the Demon Kings and Ghost Kings over territory started to feel like "exhibition matches."
Anyway… she absolutely had to fight with overwhelming momentum for General Ji!
Considering the strength and number of opponents, Mu Anqi returned to the Nirvana Space once more before the Feast of Extreme Bliss activities began for a round of targeted shopping. Since it was arena combat, Mu Anqi mainly considered what she would need if her "Blessings and Curses" proved ineffective. For example, disposable mental protection shields from the item shop, or substitute paper dolls. Mu Anqi always kept her stock of substitute paper dolls at five, and she hadn't had a chance to use them in recent games. However, if she were to fight one-on-one battles, five substitute paper dolls clearly seemed a bit insufficient. Gritting her teeth, Mu Anqi bought five more, costing her 280 points after the discount. As for the disposable mental shields, originally priced at 40 points each, it made Mu Anqi sigh at the cost-effectiveness of her Mental Protection Pendant. Of course, she still had to buy them. After all, the pendant's shield only regenerated one layer per day, and she certainly wouldn't be facing just one opponent.
Mental defense had always been Mu Anqi's weak point. This time, she wouldn't have Wu Sansheng assisting her, so Mu Anqi directly purchased 20 mental shields, spending another 560 points right away.
With defensive items mostly covered, next came offensive and auxiliary-type items. She didn't need to worry about weapons like the Cursed Katana or the rifle; she had plenty of bullets, including the special ammunition she had bought in bulk last time which she hadn't used yet. She still had 5 Arc Grenades in stock, unused recently, but she could buy five more just in case. She had used up all her Molotov Cocktails during her travels, so she could restock… let's say, five bottles.
After all the calculations, the grenades and Molotov Cocktails cost 300 points, 210 after discount.
…
[Scanning game project…]
[Ding! Special project detected! Assessing eligibility…]
[Ding! Companion Pass detected. Entering the Feast of Extreme Bliss.]
[Beep! Activating instance: Feast of Extreme Bliss!]
[Entering… Please wait…]
[Beep! Passive Skill: Chosen Daughter activated!]
[Congratulations, Player, on obtaining 1800 + 1000 Guansi.]
Player: Mu Anqi
Age at Death: 20
Ability: I've Got Plenty of Money
Points: 1490.4
Transaction Serial Number: 64805368
Guansi: 22800
Taking a rough look at this, Mu Anqi couldn't help but sigh: Her point balance really didn't live up to the name of her ability.
Aside from the system's series of prompts, there was nothing particularly special about the Feast of Extreme Bliss. Mu Anqi followed Ji Huaichu into the city, and soon a well-dressed attendant came forward to greet them. After checking the admission pass presented by Ji Huaichu, they respectfully guided the group to a luxurious private box to rest.
"Are the admission passes different for everyone?"
"Mm." Ji Huaichu handed the admission pass to Mu Anqi for a look. This pass didn't have any words written on it. Its front side featured a ghost mask pattern, a green-faced, fanged mask identical to the one on Ji Huaichu's own ghost mask. As for the reverse side, it was an artistic variation of the two characters for "Taiyin," which looked quite artistic.
"Since it's about contending for territory, it's naturally divided by faction. Over in the Mingdu, most of the demon tribes divide their power by clan. In Taiyin, it's based on the powerful Ghost Kings. Of course, there are also smaller factions or independent individuals who want to participate in the Feast of Extreme Bliss. They can choose to join a certain faction and sign the Feast of Extreme Bliss interest distribution agreement. There are also many small factions that sign agreements to establish distribution terms and temporarily merge into a larger faction for participation." Xia Fenghua, the little one, perfectly fulfilled her role as "commentator." She blinked at Mu Anqi, "Just yesterday, the General signed an agreement with that sword cultivator senior, He Guxia."
Mu Anqi was taken aback and looked at Ji Huaichu.
"I originally intended to wait until they arrived to give you a surprise," Ji Huaichu said helplessly. "However, Xia Yun will not be participating in the battles."
That made sense. Senior He Guxia was participating in the Feast of Extreme Bliss to secure territory. If one person constituted a faction and had to fight… wouldn't that mean no rest time? It wouldn't be fair at all. As for other factions… it seemed He Guxia wasn't familiar with any other Ghost Kings.
"Then why was the agreement only signed yesterday?" Mu Anqi asked curiously. "Couldn't you reach terms before?"
"Because she and Xia Yun only returned from their travels yesterday."
Mu Anqi: "…" My apologies, it seems this is truly how other people's masters are!
They didn't have to wait long in the private box before Storyteller and Dramatist walked in, looking rather guilty.
"General, Boss, we two aren't combat personnel. Going on stage…" The Storyteller's face was full of resistance, hesitating to speak her mind.
When she was first recruited as a game designer, she had been quite dissatisfied. Unlike Dramatist, who was completely obsessed with writing stories… However, after she and Dramatist experienced other people's games, Storyteller became much more humble, feeling that being a game designer wasn't so bad, and believing she could create even more tales to serve the games! As for participating in the Feast of Extreme Bliss, she had no real concept of it. Her initial thought was just: if the two big shots wanted them to fight, then they'd just have to fight.
That was, until she stepped into the Feast of Extreme Bliss—
What was with this entire venue full of Ghost Kings and Demon Kings? Were these all their potential opponents? Was this really a place for "combat incompetents" like them?!
"General, I think… the seats in the open-air bleachers are also quite good," Dramatist suggested quietly.
Open-air bleachers? Wasn't that just the spectator stands!
"Can't you two have a bit more ambition? This is just a chance to get some practice, to make you stronger. Within the Nirvana Space's coverage, you won't actually die." Before Ji Huaichu could speak, Xia Fenghua couldn't stand it anymore. The little one put her hands on her hips and began scolding them: "How can you create amazing games if your strength is so weak? You want to give up such a great opportunity?—Your vacation days for this month are cancelled."
Xia Fenghua spoke so quickly that Storyteller and Dramatist had no chance to interrupt or admit their mistake, directly losing their vacation for the month.
The Dramatist's eyes widened. She had been planning to take Storyteller to "study" other games during this month's break! But before she could apologize or try to bargain, she met Ji Huaichu's completely emotionless gaze—"Sorry, it's our fault… We will fight hard."
The Storyteller didn't even dare speak, just nodding silently beside her.
At this, Little Xia Fenghua showed a satisfied smile. Since these two would be working more hours, her own workload could be a bit lighter. Nothing could be better.
Not long after, He Guxia also arrived at the box with Xia Yun. Xia Yun was here as a "spectator," as He Guxia wasn't comfortable leaving her disciple alone in the spectator stands. The moment He Guxia entered the box, Storyteller and Dramatist became visibly even more well-behaved.
"Isn't the White Fox Demon King also participating in this?"
"She's from the Mingdu," Ji Huaichu said. "She's using the fox tribe's faction slot."
"Didn't she also undergo special training? We'll just watch her matches when the time comes."
Mu Anqi, of course, knew about Bai Yulai's special training… though her source of information was Wu Sansheng. Wu Sansheng had initially been forced to take over the bookstore, but later discovered that although many of the "novels" inside were unsightly, there were also some local literary classics from the Shattered Mirror Continent that were worth reading.
Wu Sansheng had even thoughtfully shared a booklist in the group chat, all books she thought were good. As for Bai Yulai? Whether it was special training or the Feast of Extreme Bliss, Wu Sansheng wasn't very interested in these matters. But she still had to come. Right now, she was sitting in the fox tribe's private box, reading a book expressionlessly, while Bai Yulai sat beside her, coldly intercepting any foxes who attempted to strike up a conversation with Wu Sansheng.
[Mu Anqi]: Are you here yet?
[Wu Sansheng]: The Feast of Extreme Bliss? I'm in the fox den.
[Mu Anqi]: Understood.
About five more minutes passed before the box door was knocked on again. Ji Huaichu stood up and ushered in three ghosts Mu Anqi hadn't met before.
Two women and one man, all wearing ancient-style heavy combat armor. The armor showed many signs of wear but was polished to a shine. All three had very serious expressions, and standing there, they reminded Mu Anqi of the phrase "standing straight as a pine tree."
"These are my three deputy generals. They usually aren't in the city; they're out on missions." The so-called missions involved leading lesser ghosts to clear out Black Mirror Vortexes everywhere to earn rewards. Their work locations were generally in the Mingdu, because the demons there, regardless of strength, rarely had the inclination to clear Black Mirror Vortexes. "Wu Zhouzi, Zhao Qianluo, Li Bolian."
Ji Huaichu paused slightly after calling each name, and the deputy general whose name was called would step forward and shout "Here!" in response. For a moment, Mu Anqi felt like she was back at military training.
"…No need to be so formal." Ji Huaichu seemed somewhat helpless. She looked around the room and started the introductions from Xia Fenghua. "Xia Fenghua, you know her. You probably haven't forgotten her, even though she hasn't been back for so long, right? These are newly recruited… employees for building the games, Storyteller and Dramatist. This is He Guxia, our collaborator for this Feast of Extreme Bliss. You'll see her strength for yourselves later during the matches; no need to think about competing with her. This is Xia Yun, He Guxia's disciple, also a player."
"And this one, is the most important person to me." When Ji Huaichu reached this point, she sounded a bit regretful. "Although I'd very much like to introduce her as my wife, I still need to work a bit harder."
"…!" Mu Anqi almost couldn't stop herself from hitting Ji Huaichu, but she restrained herself in front of so many people. What on earth was General Ji saying! Was that any way to introduce someone! "My name is Mu Anqi, and I'm also a player. I'm also Ji Huaichu's girlfriend."
The three deputy generals didn't show any surprise, just smiling kindly. Clearly, Ji Huaichu had already told them about Mu Anqi. "We know about you. You're very impressive!"
Among the ghosts of Taiyin, whether they were Shattered Mirror Game employees or General Ji's subordinates, who didn't know of the famous "Money Tree"?
"I-I'm alright," Mu Anqi said, her ears turning slightly red. "I'll do my best in this Feast of Extreme Bliss too!" She felt a bit embarrassed. Although these three were Ji Huaichu's deputies, for some reason, she felt their gazes when they looked at her were full of… "affectionate fondness."
Probably just her imagination, right?
The three deputy generals found places to sit and skillfully pulled out small screens, unfolding them in their palms. The Feast of Extreme Bliss hadn't started yet, and the screens were still black. Mu Anqi looked at them and couldn't help but ask Ji Huaichu quietly, "Is there anyone else who hasn't arrived?"
"Everyone is here," Ji Huaichu said with a smile. "Even when fighting for territory, the number of participants is restricted. Otherwise, wouldn't it be chaos?"