Chapter 122: The Auction (Part III)

"Let Go of That Girl" was, after all, a man of some standing; having held the world's number one ranking for several days in a row, he couldn't very well go back on his word after bidding 3 million. The spear, which would have fetched at most 1 million, was sold for the sky-high price of 3 million.

"You're the one who put this spear up for auction, aren't you?" Murong Shanshan blinked and asked.

I nodded, glanced at Xu Lin beside me, and said, "That's right. There are two more purple-tier items of mine coming up."

Murong Shanshan couldn't help but sigh, "This auction is starting to feel like your personal inventory sale."

Xinyu was also somewhat surprised, laughing, "If a blue-tier weapon can sell for 3 million, won't the purple-tier gear go through the roof?"

Xu Lin agreed, "Naturally. According to rumors and system statistics, there are only 17 purple items in the entire Silver Moon City. Think about it: over 50 million people fighting over these 17 items—you can imagine their value."

I was slightly startled. Currently, I had two purple items, Xuehan had three, Xu Lin had one, and Murong Shanshan had three. Adding the two I was auctioning, that meant just the four of us held 11 out of the 17 existing purple items!

Xinyu giggled, "Doesn't that mean Lin Fan will definitely be a multi-millionaire after these items are auctioned off?"

A multi-millionaire? I really hadn't thought about that…

Xinyu continued, "If you make that much money, Lin Fan, what do you plan to do?"

I smiled, "I'll buy a Mercedes and go pick up college girls at the gate of Su University!"

"Pfft!" Murong Shanshan suddenly rolled her eyes at me with disdain. "Do you think today's college girls are the kind you can pick up just by having a car?"

"That's true, too." I smiled and looked into Murong Shanshan's eyes. "A boss with a potbelly certainly wouldn't have an easy time, but for a handsome guy like me, it's a different story…"

Before I could finish, Xinyu chimed in with a giggle, "Yeah, handsome like Ng Man-tat!"

I was rendered speechless. Xuehan, covering her mouth with her hand by the window, smiled softly, "The next item is coming out, everyone look!"

We all looked toward the large screen below, which projected the image of a dagger—

[Shadowsong’s Sorrow] (Dagger—Purple Tier)
Attack: 225-290
Strength: +41
Constitution: +48
Agility: +52
Bonus Attributes: Increases attack speed by 10%, grants 10% lifesteal.
Required Level: 39

Murong Shanshan’s beautiful eyes were fixed on the screen, muttering, "Too broken, too broken. Who would auction off such good gear? Any thief who gets this dagger will be absolutely invincible in PK!"

Xinyu, Xuehan, and the others were also stunned by the stats of this beastly dagger, all of them momentarily dazed.

Fei'er, on stage, smiled and said, "You've all seen the stats of this top-tier dagger. The starting bid is 200,000. Please start your bidding!"

A voice immediately rang out from the crowd: "2 million!"

I looked over immediately. It wasn't a thief, but someone wearing mage gear—likely a level 38 mage.

"2.5 million!"

Another voice came from the VIP box opposite us. Xuehan said in surprise, "Isn't that Fengliu Dashao?"

I took a closer look. It was indeed that wealthy young playboy, accompanied by a few rather sleazy-looking men. What surprised me, however, was a very pretty female thief player standing next to him named Youlan. She had delicate features and a fiery figure, with fair skin showing beneath her leather armor, looking quite endearing.

Damn, how did another flower end up in a pile of cow dung? Wait, why did I say "another"?

The mage continued to bid: "3 million!"

"4 million!" Fengliu Dashao retorted, refusing to back down.

The mage remained calm and shouted an unprecedentedly high price: "7 million!"

"8 million!" Fengliu Dashao’s voice grew less confident.

"10 million!" The mage didn't yield an inch.

Fengliu Dashao finally gave up on the purple dagger and turned to whisper an apology to the beautiful female thief.

"Sigh," Murong Shanshan sighed softly, sounding somewhat resentful. "That playboy may not be much, but he's willing to spend so much money for that woman. If only someone were willing to sacrifice that much for me…"

"Big sister, stop acting like a super-resentful wife, I really can't take it…"

Murong Shanshan immediately smiled, "So you don't fall for that routine…"

Xu Lin paused and gave me an ambiguous look, while Xinyu beside me glared at me with frustration.

Seeing that the situation was getting awkward, I hurriedly said with a smile, "Alright, alright, the next item is my purple shield. If it sells for 10 million, I'll treat everyone to a meal at the four-star hotel tonight!"

Xuehan asked softly, "Why not a five-star?"

"The only five-star one is too far away. Shouldn't we save our energy?"

Xuehan smiled, said nothing more, and Murong Shanshan blinked, "Do I get a share?"

"Of course, but bring your own drinks!"

"..."

As we were talking, Fei'er announced the third-to-last item—

[Ice and Snow Shield] (Shield—Purple Tier)
Defense: 180
Strength: +35
Constitution: +38
Agility: +40
Bonus: Increases defense by 10%
Required Level: 40

There was another collective gasp. Xu Lin asked me, dumbfounded, "The stats on this shield are so good, didn't you think about saving it for our studio's little knight, Guozi?"

"She's only level 33, it's too early for her. Besides, don't you think a shield of this quality would be a waste on her? It wouldn't be fully utilized, so I might as well make a fortune."

"Is that so..." Xu Lin turned to look at Xuehan with a slight smile, "Xuehan, do you think what Lin Fan is doing is right?"

Xuehan nodded earnestly. Xu Lin was speechless and whispered, "I should've known you were already on Lin Fan's side…"

"5 million!"

Before Fei'er could finish, a voice rang out from the crowd. It was the level-two knight of Silver Moon City—"Let Go of That Girl"!

Silence fell for over 20 seconds; no one else bid. Just as I was worried that no one would drive the price up, a charming voice, clear as mountain spring water, rang out—

"6 million!"

Everyone looked over. It was the female thief next to Fengliu Dashao.

Why would a thief buy a shield?

Chapter 123: Auction (Part 4)

The knight grew anxious and immediately pushed the bid to 7 million. The female thief, Youlan, seemed to consult with Fengliu Dashao before raising it to 8 million.

The knight’s face darkened, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "10 million!"

The air was thick with tension. The female thief calmly raised the price to 12 million.

Murong Shanshan whispered with a mischievous grin, "Do you know why Fengliu Dashao is fighting that high-level knight for this shield?"

I asked, "Why?"

"Heh, word is that two days ago, Fengliu Dashao tried to use his money to force 'Let Go of That Girl' to join his 'Fengliu World' guild, but he was rejected by that freak of a knight. The knight even declared that if there were ever a guild territory war, he wouldn't show the Fengliu World any mercy."

"Haha, looks like Silver Moon City is going to be lively in the future…"

Murong Shanshan laughed and added, "That's not all. Do you know who that mage who bought the dagger is?"

"Who?"

"My high school classmate in Beijing said this mage, 'Whisperer,' came to Silver Moon City specifically for the thief 'Dynamic Hotpot.' He's here to collect top-tier gear for him."

I was astonished, "What's his relationship with Dynamic Hotpot? Could it be a, uh, special bond? Why else would he treat him so well?"

"Not at all." Murong Shanshan rolled her eyes at me. "Whisperer is a big real estate developer from the Northeast. He's rich and brought a group of people to dominate the game. Dynamic Hotpot, being the world's number one, was naturally the first target he wanted to buy out."

"Damn, these guys can't just stay put in Water Stream City and have to come to Silver Moon City to treasure hunt?"

"That's why I'm saying, Silver Moon City is going to be lively. It has the highest popularity among the four main cities; the guild territory wars are definitely going to be bloody."

Murong Shanshan looked excited. This girl really was a troublemaker who feared no chaos.

While we were talking, the shield’s price had already been pushed to 14 million—an unprecedented high. Fengliu Dashao tugged at the thief girl's sleeve and whispered something to her.

Murong Shanshan predicted, "Fengliu Dashao wants to save his money to bid on the Guild Creation Token, so he's holding back."

Finally, the price of the shield settled at 15 million. "Let Go of That Girl" finally got his wish and secured the purple knight's shield. Meanwhile, after deducting the 5% auction fee, my bank account grew by another 14.25 million. Seeing all those zeros felt incredibly satisfying.

"This world has gone mad..." Xu Lin murmured.

Xuehan smiled, "There are just too many rich people in the Shanghai area; it's not surprising to see things sell for tens of millions."

Xinyu pursed her lips, wanting to comment, but the next item was already on stage—my top-tier purple axe—the Dark Blade of Madness:

[Dark Blade of Madness] (Axe—Purple Tier)
Attack: 245-320
Strength: +45
Constitution: +52
Agility: +48
Intelligence: +40
Bonus: Has a chance to confuse the target upon striking, causing them to wander aimlessly for up to 5 seconds.
Required Level: 42

The attack power of this axe was higher than the purple dagger, and more importantly, it had a chance to stun the opponent. This kind of effect was ferocious—even at a 10% chance, it meant one stun every ten hits. Whether for PK or leveling, it was incredibly practical.

"How did this weapon drop?" Murong Shanshan asked in surprise.

I told the truth, "It was a level 45 boss that evolved into a level 55 golden boss at the end. It took me several hours to finish it, and I went through several sets of potions!"

"Don't tell me you soloed it!" Murong Shanshan’s mouth hung open, which was incredibly alluring.

"Of course I soloed it. At that time, I was the only person in the eastern region of Silver Moon City."

"Freak..." Murong Shanshan muttered softly.

"What did you say?!?"

"I said you're so handsome..."

"..."

Fei'er picked up the purple axe from the auction table and swung it gently in the air, the pale blue runes on the blade creating beautiful afterimages. Fei'er giggled, "This axe looks so cool, and it has a blinding attribute! If a Berserker equips this, they might be invincible in PK! Alright, the starting bid is 200,000 RMB. You can start bidding now!"

Almost instantly, seven or eight voices came from all around, and the price on the big screen jumped to 18 million. The eyes of the girls in our room were wide open; the value of this axe was truly immense!

The scene descended into chaos, with bids flying back and forth. I felt my heart couldn't take it anymore, so I told Xuehan, "Xuehan, tell me when the final price is set. I need a break..."

After saying that, I sat down on the chair in the back of the room, my heart still pounding, feeling as if it were going to leap out of my chest. I hadn't even been this nervous when I peeked down my high school teacher's neckline!

A few minutes later, the sound of the final gavel came from outside, and Xuehan walked over with a grin.

"How was it? What did it sell for?"

"Take a guess?"

"30 million?"

"Guess again!"

"40 million?"

"Still wrong! Guess again!"

I completely broke down, pulling on Xuehan's cleric robe, almost kneeling, "My lady, have mercy on me! How much did it sell for?"

Xuehan burst into laughter and said, "It didn't sell for much more—it sold for 45 million!"

45 million?

Including the money from the purple shield, that was already 60 million. This world had truly gone mad!

...

Next up was the day's grand finale. I believe most of the influential people present were here for this Guild Creation Token. As for a "fat sheep" like Fengliu Dashao, it went without saying—his father was a billionaire upstart. Since his son was planning to do something big in the game, his father must have tacitly approved, and his budget certainly wasn't something Murong Shanshan's funds could compare to.

"It's starting!"

Xuehan was just as nervous as I was this time, because half of the money from this Guild Creation Token belonged to her!

"Xuehan, have you thought about how you'll spend the money after we get it?"

"First I'll send some home, then buy some snacks..."

Xuehan thought for a long time before coming up with this jaw-dropping idea.