"Come, come, the latest offensive ghost artifacts! Those looking to switch weapons, gather around!"
Compared to the tranquility of the East Hall and the free-for-all in the South Hall, the West Hall... was rather unique.
There wasn't the same peace, nor was there a grand melee.
All the clashing of swords and shadows were unseen on the surface.
What existed were technical competitions and the display of financial power.
The West Hall's annual meeting was a large-scale auction of ghost artifacts.
A century's worth of inventory, and how much could be showcased at this moment.
There were interesting ones, those with strong killing power, as well as decorative and defensive ones...
Even some peculiar ghost artifacts were put on display.
For instance, a gun that would coo whenever picked up, and then fire a firework to scare the opponent to death. (Whether it could actually scare them to death was uncertain, but it was certainly useless.)
There was also a four-wheeled vehicle that would eject any ghost in the passenger seat upon sitting in it. According to the ghost who made it, this way one wouldn't have to worry about demons and monsters randomly getting into their car.
Even if demons and monsters weren't in the passenger seat, the car had a mechanism that could make the entire vehicle launch into the air.
And then there was a bizarre curved saber ghost artifact, with immense killing power, having a 70% chance to deal double damage.
But the bizarre part was that every time it dealt double damage, it would cast a small healing spell on the enemy in reverse.
In simpler terms, it would heal the enemy instead.
...This was quite disheartening for a ghost.
It was likely that the enemy would also be quite perplexed, thinking they were about to die, only to be brought back to a sliver of health.
Was this even allowing them to die properly?
At the annual meeting, the core ghost envoys present watched these peculiar ghost artifacts, feeling conflicted and amused.
Should they buy or not buy?
This was a prime opportunity to showcase the power of money.
...
After seeing the other three halls, looking at the North Hall...
One would find the North Hall to be very distinctive, even evoking the sentiment, "Isn't this what an annual meeting should be like?"
No backstabbing between seniors and juniors, no bickering, and no hidden comparisons.
The North Hall's annual meeting was truly a pure performance.
Harmony prevailed, with singing and dancing creating a festive atmosphere.
Musical instruments were played, and paper effigies danced, making it lively and joyful.
Of course, for humans, this scene might seem a bit eerie.
—Paper figures, musical instruments, and a crowd of ghost spectators.
However, for these otaku ghost envoys of the North Hall, what was the point of bickering?
Wasn't it better to simply play musical instruments?
To have paper effigies perform while they themselves found a comfortable position to lie down and watch the show, wasn't that more satisfying?
...
During this rare annual meeting, Bei Xue did not disturb their good mood.
Midway through the annual meeting, she left to begin preparations for subsequent arrangements.
"My Lord..." a ghost soldier followed behind her, hesitating to speak.
Bei Xue paused her steps, not turning back, "You know what I'm going to do. Whether to go or stay, either is fine."
"Thank you for your hard work before."
With that, Bei Xue continued towards the King of Hell's Hall.
The vast King of Hell's Hall belonged solely to her, bestowed upon her by that person.
But it would soon no longer belong to her.
Behind her, the ghost soldiers stood in place, watching that slender figure recede into the distance.
Solitary, yet with an almost obsessive madness.
She possessed strength sufficient to crush all of them, the ghost soldiers, and was the foremost ghost admired by the North Hall's ghost envoys.
Yet, at the same time, the melancholy and obsession she displayed when missing 'that person' were also beyond their comprehension.
Such a King of Hell, when they entered into a contract, they were not coerced in any way.
And when she made mistakes, regardless of whether it was her own will, they followed.
Now, should they leave, and did they have the right to leave?
The ghost soldiers took a step forward, half moving forward, and half walking in the opposite direction.
Like the dividing line between light and darkness.
Half of them left this place, while the other half, carrying the sins of those who left, walked into the desolate and lonely King of Hell's Hall.
"My Lord, please allow us to accompany you!"
...
...
"Is the streamer about to wake up? What do we do, I'm a bit nervous."
"Is it inappropriate for me to be in the live stream now? Will the streamer feel awkward?"
"Holy crap, now that you mention it, I'm getting nervous."
East Hall Underworld.
The three-day annual meeting had concluded.
On the fourth day, the viewers watched the streamer who had drunk the hangover soup, and felt every cell in their body stir.
They were both expectant and fearful.
They wanted to see the streamer's reaction upon waking, but were also afraid to see it.
They were timid yet watched the live stream.
How thrilling!
"It's over, it's over. I drew so many pictures, I'm afraid the streamer will silence me. I'm leaving first."
"I want to leave too, but I really want to see the streamer's reaction upon waking. Ahhh, I'm going to die, I'm going to die."
"Where is the 'suicide squad'?"
"I'm going to the restroom first."
"Brothers, as someone who's been through this, I suggest everyone go to the restroom and squat for a bit."
In this brief moment, the number of viewers in the live stream dropped by half.
Did this half who left not want to watch?
No, they were just being cowardly.
"I'm leaving, leaving. Big shots, remember to post about it online after you watch."
"Post about it? I doubt anyone will dare to post about it after watching?"
"So, this is a one-time thing, and it's gone if you leave."
Seeing this comment, many viewers who were preparing to leave and watch a second-hand report hesitated.
This...
Should they leave or not?
"Shhh—the streamer is waking up, the streamer is waking up!"
In an instant, the entire barrage of comments was wiped clean.
No new comments appeared.
Only this comment, reminding everyone, slowly drifted across the screen.
The viewer who posted the comment: ???
Holy crap, are you guys trying to prank me like this?!
Why don't you hurry up and leave, barrage...゛(ノ＞＜)ノ!
"..."
In the live stream, the streamer's eyelashes twitched. The moment they opened their eyes,
All the viewers subconsciously held their breath, their hearts pounding.
...
As bowl after bowl of hangover soup was consumed, the ghost envoys in the grand hall began to wake up one after another.
"Why am I under the table?"
"Who put the bowl on my head?"
"Strange... why is my clothes torn? Did someone fight with me?"
The ghost envoys climbed up, their minds filled with confusion.
The mess in the grand hall had been automatically cleaned up while they were asleep, so at a glance, everything looked fine.
The only strange thing was their respective postures and positions.
Some captains woke up to find themselves hanging from the pillars at the top of the grand hall, with no idea how they got there.
It was just... hilarious.
Some experienced seniors were not flustered at all, and even had the leisure to observe the reactions of other ghost envoys.
However, as they watched, they realized that they themselves seemed to have fought with someone?
What was going on? This shouldn't be happening!
They had always maintained a stance of watching the show, and even when drunk, they should have...
It should have been fine, right?
Looking at their slightly damaged clothing, these seniors became uncertain.
These... were these signs of a fight?
............