Chapter 25: This Gift Is Far Too Precious!

The banquet was finally at hand! Chen Mu instantly braced himself. Whether he would get to meet the Duke and succeed in purchasing the "Ghost General-grade" rare item depended entirely on his performance at this dinner.

The mere thought of that "Ghost General-grade" item—the Heavy Armor of Death—filled Chen Mu’s eyes with longing. The true appeal of this item did not actually lie in its physical defense. Truth be told, while items capable of resisting supernatural damage were rare, there were still quite a few in existence. That alone would never have been enough to make countless powerhouses scramble for it.

The most crucial, most alluring aspect of the Heavy Armor of Death was its ability to violate the rules once!

When a user dons the Heavy Armor of Death and enters a supernatural mission, they can break a rule once without suffering any punishment. The cooldown for this skill is one month!

One must understand that in this supernatural apocalypse, rules are absolute and inviolable. No matter how powerful you are, you cannot defy them. Even a boss within a supernatural scenario, if it wished to kill someone, would be unable to harm them if that person had strictly adhered to the rules. That is the sheer power of the rules! Even the most formidable supernatural boss can, at best, only modify the rules to make them more favorable to itself; it cannot simply violate them. Anyone who breaks a rule, whether human or ghost, must face the punishment. No one and nothing can resist the power of the rules—except for the Heavy Armor of Death!

As far as Chen Mu knew, it was the only item capable of resisting the power of the rules. Such a heaven-defying effect made countless powerhouses covet it, willing to risk their lives to obtain it from the Duke. Chen Mu was no exception.

Chen Mu was indeed powerful, possessing trillions in underworld currency, but he could never guarantee that he would never break a rule. If he were to be careless and sail into disaster, violating a rule, the Heavy Armor of Death would become his ultimate life-saving trump card! He had to obtain it.

Led by the butler, the group arrived before a staircase. Ascending it, they reached the second floor of the Mist Museum. The second floor was a spacious hall, which the Duke used for hosting banquets. The butler addressed them:

"During the Duke’s banquet, there are a few rules. Please do not violate them. Otherwise, the Duke will be quite displeased, and the consequences will be grave.

1. Be polite to the Duke and the Duchess; do not perform any insulting gestures.
2. You must not refuse any food provided by the Duke, and you must finish it all. Failing to do so will result in punishment.

The Duke does not like too many rules, so there are only these two. Please make sure you abide by them."

Another supernatural task! Chen Mu frowned slightly; it seemed the Mist Museum was not simple. A single supernatural scenario featuring both hide-and-seek and a banquet—two separate supernatural tasks!

With that said, the butler led the three of them into the banquet hall. Chen Mu carefully observed his surroundings: hanging from the center of the ceiling was a European-style chandelier, its design distinctly classical, illuminated by burning candles. In the middle of the hall stood a long crystal table, set with cutlery and more candles. This was clearly the dining table.

The old butler brought them to the table and assigned their seats. Chen Mu’s seat was at the head, closest to the Duke’s main chair. This was a gesture of hospitality from the butler, allowing Chen Mu to converse easily with the Duke. As for Wang Dafu and Huang Mao, they were seated further away, clearly placed in the spots reserved for ordinary guests.

After a short wait, the Duke and Duchess finally arrived. The Duke was dressed in typical European medieval attire, exuding an air of nobility. If one looked closely at his face, one would notice a deathly, icy pallor—the classic complexion of a ghost. The Duchess wore a voluminous gown, also in medieval style. She looked quite beautiful, in her forties, still possessing a lingering charm.

"Honored guests, having come from afar, I have prepared a banquet for you all," the Duke and Duchess said with formulaic smiles. Clearly, they had gone through this routine many times.

Without further pleasantries, the Duke gestured to the attendants to serve the meal. A group of ghostly waiters, wearing aprons splattered with blood, brought dish after dish to the table. The moment the plates hit the table, Chen Mu caught the pungent scent of raw blood. His expression shifted slightly; the food tonight was abnormal!

As expected, the plates were filled with red, viscous liquids. Floating within these soups were bits of flesh, eyeballs, and even severed arms... Wang Dafu and Huang Mao nearly vomited on the spot.

*Damn it! What is this?* This must be food for ghosts!

Looking at the limbs, eyes, and shredded meat before them, the faces of Wang Dafu and Huang Mao twisted in horror as they fought the urge to retch. They exchanged glances, struggling to imagine how they could possibly force these disgusting things down their throats.

"Hehe, allow me to serve you," the Duke said with a smile.

Just then, Chen Mu spoke up: "Duke, Duchess, please wait a moment. Before the banquet begins, I have some small gifts to express my gratitude. They are not particularly valuable, so I hope you will forgive my humble offering. It is the thought that counts, even if the gift is as light as a goose feather."

As he spoke, Chen Mu prepared to retrieve the gifts from his spatial ring. A flicker of joy crossed the Duke's eyes. Of all the guests who had arrived, finally, one was sensible. And it appeared this guest had quite a background, as he actually possessed a spatial ring!

Chen Mu drew two small boxes from his ring and handed them to the Duke and Duchess respectively. The Duke opened his box nonchalantly. Having held a high position for many years, he was well-traveled. Since Chen Mu had claimed the gift was not valuable, the Duke hadn't expected much, merely feeling satisfied with the gesture.

However, as the Duke opened the box, his expression changed. A "Ghost-Da Emerald," limited edition prestige watch! Worth one million in underworld currency! The Duke looked at Chen Mu in shock. *This is what he calls not valuable?*

Underworld currency was not something that grew on trees. For a first meeting, a gift worth a hundred thousand or so would already be considered quite generous. Was this young man so incredibly wealthy that his definition of "valuable" was fundamentally different? He was treating a one-million-currency gift as a mere greeting token! Even in his prime, the most valuable greeting gift the Duke had ever received was worth only seven or eight hundred thousand. Yet, with a single gesture, Chen Mu had presented a one-million-currency Ghost-Da Emerald!

Beside him, the Duchess opened her small box, her face reflecting even greater shock. As the Duchess, the gifts she received were always inferior to those given to the Duke. Guests primarily gifted the Duke, while any offering for her was merely an afterthought—a few tens of thousands of currency at most. She never imagined that Chen Mu would present her with a crystal necklace worth one million in underworld currency!