042 The Frenzied Auction!

The auction began, and all the players present were visibly impatient. Rumor had it that tonight’s event would see the sale of numerous exceptional pieces of equipment, items, and pets. The most exciting prospect was the legendary Talent Stone, said to grant dual talents—a treasure of such rarity that it could not simply be bought with money.

Talent Stones were supremely rare, and cross-national trade was forbidden. Even after the world map expanded, there was no way to purchase a Talent Stone from another country—unless one was acquired directly from the global map. Now, every team and guild was collecting Talent Stones, and with one on offer tonight, it was a must-have at any cost.

“Welcome, players, to the Eternal Auction!” The beautiful hostess offered a polite greeting, but seeing the players’ eagerness, she skipped the formalities. “The auction begins now. The first item is a rare piece of equipment. Our analysts say it can be used as a synthesis material. Starting price: 500 gold coins, with a minimum bid increment of 100 gold.”

[Runic Sword]
Exquisite, two-handed sword, unique
Equipment requirement: Level 20
Damage: 128–189
Granted skill: [Runic Weapon]
Effect: When the Runic Sword deals damage, there is a 15% chance to gain a rune (Blood, Frost, or Unholy). Each rune lasts 20 seconds, with a maximum of one of each type.
Description: A forbidden sword crafted by Rune Master Orwin.

Even a powerful level 20 blue weapon wouldn’t normally fetch 500 gold, but this one was unique, and at level 20 it already came with a skill and a special effect—undoubtedly a rare weapon. It could indeed be used for synthesis; with a successful attempt, it might yield an extraordinary weapon.

Since the game was still young, most players found the synthesis system overly complex, and few truly understood it. Auctioning a level 20 two-handed sword for 500 gold seemed exorbitant. Normally, even after enhancement and leveling, this weapon would only reach about level 40, and with the current cap at 60, its utility would be temporary. Moreover, synthesizing and upgrading it to level 40 was beyond the present “technology.”

To turn this weapon into a truly exceptional synthesized piece required a massive undertaking and a very special forging method—sacrificial smelting. This technique was unique; the secondary profession must be grandmaster-level or higher in forging, and one had to sacrifice a high-level item to transfer its level. The main issue was the extremely low success rate. If he really intended to synthesize this sword, Morning Wind felt sacrificial smelting was the way to go, since the sword’s attributes were so rare.

“600 gold!” Someone quickly placed a bid, seeing the value of the unique attributes; if they could eventually produce a powerful weapon, it would be worth it. The key point was that this sword was unique—once gone, it would never appear again.

“1,000 gold!”

Hearing Morning Wind bid 1,000 gold, Eternal Song, sitting beside him, was a bit surprised. But recalling that Morning Wind was already planning to synthesize a ring, perhaps he did have that capability.

Morning Wind’s highest motivation for buying the Runic Sword was to convert the Arcanite Axe into another powerful weapon. The Arcanite Axe was stolen from the Alliance Armory and could only be used by Blood Dragon, never in public. If he could convert it through synthesis, it would be ideal. The materials for sacrificial smelting weren’t especially rare, and what Morning Wind wanted most was to inherit the Arcanite Axe’s high damage and elevated level.

Now, both teams and large guilds were short on gold. When someone suddenly bid 1,000 gold, the competition came to a standstill. Everyone knew the value of the Runic Sword, but for now, it would just sit in a warehouse, and even if synthesis became possible, the chances of success were slim. More importantly, everyone wanted to save their coins for practical items—especially the Talent Stone at the end.

Without a doubt, Morning Wind won the Runic Sword for 1,000 gold. Most players struggled to save even 10 gold, yet he casually spent 1,000 on a special weapon—such was the world of the wealthy. But Morning Wind wasn’t some rich tycoon; his gold came from winning in the arena.

[Wyvern]: Flying pet. Attack quality: 1,420. Defense quality: 1,125. Stamina: 3,821. Mana: 1,283. Speed: 1,425. Skills: [Advanced Penetration], [Advanced Assault], [Advanced Flight], [Advanced Might].

Next up was a rare flying pet, mutated twice. Seeing the wyvern caged in iron and its impressive stats, players instantly went wild. Flying pets were extremely rare; wyverns seldom spawned, and capturing a flying pet was no easy feat. Furthermore, mutation potions were in short supply, and this wyvern, with four skills and attack quality above 1,400, was truly top-tier.

“A flying pet with four advanced offensive skills—absolutely a must-have!” A flashy flying pet, especially a wyvern, was a dream for many; it would be a show-stopper in guild competitions.

“2,000 gold!” The starting price was 1,500 gold, but a hunter immediately bid 2,000, determined to secure the wyvern.

“Trying to show off with 2,000? I’ll bid 3,000!” The wyvern was much more practical than the Runic Sword and, as a mount, it would be a status symbol. The bidding war escalated rapidly.

Morning Wind looked on as players frantically bid for the wyvern, feeling rather indifferent. To him, the wyvern was rare only in appearance; it couldn’t compare to his Sandstorm Birdman, let alone his Ghostly Rhino. If the wyvern had been a spell-casting pet, he might have bought it to attempt another mutation, hoping for a powerful magical beast. But as a physical attacker, the wyvern held little appeal.

In Morning Wind’s eyes, the wyvern was unimpressive, but to teams and large guilds, it was a top-tier pet. At present, it was almost impossible to find such a powerful companion. Ultimately, a hunter won the wyvern for 5,500 gold.

What caught Morning Wind’s interest next was a piece of epic-grade material called “Heavy Jade.” Although it looked palm-sized, it weighed several tons; had a player not possessed a special burden backpack, it would have been impossible to bring it back.

He had found a main ingredient! Epic materials were exceedingly rare, and Morning Wind hadn’t expected to find another key component for synthesizing his ring. If he didn’t win it now, finding a gravity-related epic material later would be nearly impossible. For now, only teams prioritized epic materials. The starting price was 100 gold, with minimum increments of 20. Morning Wind immediately bid 1,000 gold, and all the teams’ equipment crafters stopped bidding.

They needed good materials for high-level gear, but the failure rate was so high, and so few understood the synthesis system, that risking 1,000 gold was too much. Even with ample funds, teams couldn’t afford to burn through money this way. With his bid, the epic material once again went to Morning Wind—now he just needed the supplementary materials. He aimed to forge a level 30 synthesized item, giving him a huge advantage once the world map unlocked.

None of the remaining items or pets interested Morning Wind; their quality was simply too poor. Instead, he began preparing synthesis materials. Forging the Runic Sword wasn’t too complicated, but collecting the ingredients was. Materials related to runes were hard to find, and based on the sword’s special effects, he’d need items linked to Blood, Frost, and Unholy. At least thirty-two types of materials would be needed, making it a daunting task.

“You don’t seem impressed by these pets—do you have something better?” Eternal Song, sitting beside him, noticed his lack of interest in even the wyvern and surmised that he must possess something superior. Though Morning Wind was a warrior and didn’t need pets in the arena, they were essential for leveling and team play in the open world. Once the world map expanded, coordinating pets with troop creatures would become very effective. Many people had already started training their pets; Eternal Song figured a top player like Morning Wind would have some as well.

Not surprising for a pro gamer, Morning Wind thought. Spending time with Eternal Boss had taught Eternal Song how to read people; she’d picked up on his disdain for the auctioned pets. “Let me show you my two pets,” he replied.

When Eternal Song saw his magical pets—Sandstorm Birdman and the humanoid Ghostly Rhino—her eyes widened in shock. No wonder he’d scoffed at the wyvern; his pets were at the very pinnacle of the game, even professional team hunters couldn’t compare. The Sandstorm Birdman was a decent leveling quest pet, but the humanoid Ghostly Rhino was truly exceptional—easily the strongest pet seen so far.

When the Fear Talent Stone finally appeared, the crowd went wild. This once-in-a-lifetime gem was up for grabs, with a starting price of 30,000 gold and minimum increments of 3,000. Its value was self-evident—only the truly elite could even hope to compete. With such a sky-high starting price, the contest was now between the major teams.

“Bid 60,000 gold for me!” Since Morning Wind was the seller, he couldn’t bid himself. With Eternal Song beside him, he simply had her do it. Jumping straight to 60,000 was nothing short of madness.

“Isn’t that a bit much…” Even Eternal Song thought doubling the price was outrageous. With the current in-game gold to real money exchange rate at 1:20, Morning Wind had just raised the stakes to 600,000 in real terms.

“If no one buys it, I’ll pay the fee!” Morning Wind had checked foreign prices for Talent Stones—over a million, and even then, they were unobtainable. Although China didn’t have as many game tycoons, the rarity justified the price. Any team wanting a Talent Stone would have to bleed for it.

Eternal Song could only sigh. If she’d known, she would have left earlier. After she placed the 60,000 bid, the entire arena fell silent.

“60,000 gold? Is this just price manipulation?” Even with a full raid group, scraping together 60,000 gold was nearly impossible. Bidding had already slowed at 40,000, but someone had just jumped by 20,000.

All the teams hesitated. Spending so much on a class item felt excessive, and although dual-talent classes were rare, they weren’t invincible. Most pros could improve their classes through hard work. With level 60 still a long way off and the pro league at least six months out, there was still time.

“65,000 gold!” This time, the bid came not from a team executive but from the brashest figure of recent days—the president of Divine War Guild. Upon hearing this, many thought he was out of his mind, raising the bid so recklessly.

“Didn’t expect to sucker that guy…” Morning Wind was delighted to see Zhang Tianyi continue bidding. In China, Talent Stones typically capped at 40,000 gold; he hadn’t expected anyone to fall for it at this price.

After Zhang Tianyi bid, and no one else followed, he began to suspect a scam. But he’d named his price, and all the gold he’d borrowed from friends was now gone unless someone else bid—the gold would not be returned.

And with the Fear Stone, what could Zhang Tianyi really do? This inexperienced, reckless princeling—if not for Morning Wind’s desire to avoid tarnishing his own reputation, he’d have killed him long ago.