Dragon City, Demon-Quelling Office headquarters.
"Eunuch He, here is the list of Nuo Masters from Sun City and Moon City who passed the assessment."
A saber-bearing guard wearing a round black hat and long black robes, with a large saber at his waist, stepped forward and handed over a document.
Eunuch He took the document with his thumb and middle finger pinched together, his other fingers delicately raised. "Sun City and Moon City were quite lucky. Their Passage Gates led to the Ghost Market. As long as they obeyed the rules—no greed, no listening, no looking—it was easy enough to pass."
"Hmm, six passed in total. Not bad."
"The newcomers from the other cities have been quite outstanding this year, too. More than three hundred Nuo Masters from all the cities survived this assessment. That is a very gratifying result. It seems I can present a reasonably impressive gift at His Majesty's birthday banquet this time."
"Congratulations, Eunuch He!"
The saber-bearing guard cupped his fist in congratulations.
After taking a sip of tea, Eunuch He continued, "It's just a pity about Fog City, Rain City, and those other cities. Their luck was terrible. They actually picked the Passage Gates to Ghost Village!"
"I had high hopes for a few of those youngsters, but by now, they're probably..."
"My condolences, Eunuch He."
The saber-bearing guard cupped his hands and said, "Luck has always been part of strength, especially for Nuo Masters like us. Without a little luck on our side, we might die the instant we enter a place haunted by evil entities. How could we even speak of solving the problem then?"
"You have a point." Eunuch He nodded again. "There is no fairness to speak of in this world anyway. All there is is luck and strength."
"Report!"
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