Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 227
The vast Tianchen City square was suddenly abuzz. Amid the shock, discussions flourished. The central magic screen, watched by all players, astonishingly displayed the live scene of the July Chamber of Commerce’s auction. It seemed that the entire auction process was to be broadcast live—how did the July Chamber of Commerce manage this!? In theory, this should be a right not available to players, impossible to obtain no matter how much money was spent.
In fact, broadcasting the auction live on the magic screens around Tianchen Square was a wish of Liu Qi Yue, and after being informed by Ye Tian Xie, he briefly discussed it with the city lord at the city lord’s mansion. The city lord agreed readily… and enthusiastically accepted a usage fee of 2 million gold coins.
Liu Qi Yue gladly accepted this exorbitant fee.
This surprising situation made some astute people start to sense something unusual. Considering the previous incredibilities regarding the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce—excellent location, rapid construction of a large scale, that extremely strange notice specially broadcast throughout the district—everything was revealing a sense of eeriness.
Suddenly, some astute people started to rush to the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce, ready to buy tickets to enter… But, it was past 8:30, and the original ticket price of 200 gold coins had skyrocketed to 1000 gold coins. The ticketing receptionist had a pleasant smile, but no matter how one tried to bargain, there was no softening of prices. Countless players, unable to contain their curiosity to see the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce, were ultimately scared off by the ticket prices.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the auction of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce and the Sky Obstruction No. 1 Chamber officially began.
An hour before, the auction hall of the Sky Obstruction No. 1 Chamber, already full, started in an extremely lively manner. Before the auction, a group of flamboyantly dressed women performed songs and dances, raising wave after wave of loud calls within the auction hall, the atmosphere extraordinarily heated… Some players who arrived too late and couldn’t buy tickets could only stand outside and sigh.
On the other hand, viewed through the magic screens by countless players, was the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce’s auction scene…
The auction site of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce was huge, astonishingly so. It was nine o’clock, yet the auction hall was exceptionally quiet, sparsely filled with over a thousand people. Most of these were friendly sponsors from the Divine Domain Alliance, and the rest were driven by curiosity, or the hope that Liu Qi Yue might suddenly appear. After all, if one was truly attending the auction for top-notch equipment, they would first choose the Sky Obstruction Wing. With their vast power, obtaining superior equipment was effortless.
Over a thousand people. If it were a real-world auction, this number wouldn’t be considered small. But, this number, based on all players across Huaxia, was extremely pitiful. The vastness of the venue did not become a source of glory but rather accentuated the coldness with its empty seats.
Ye Tian Xie sat in an inconspicuous corner, coldly observing everyone’s every move. The large auction hall was barely filled to one-twentieth of its capacity, indeed colder than he expected, but the greater the coldness, the stronger the shock effect under the huge contrast.
“Second brother, that guy from the Dugu family really came, even though big sister clearly stated she wouldn’t appear, he personally came here. It seems he’s quite serious about big sister” Zuo Po Jun whispered to Ye Tian Xie. He glanced at Zang Shen, who sat in the front row with a smile.
“Smart people always know what to do and when to do it. That poor child called 『Tian Zhi Zi』 really messed up this move. He doesn’t understand our beautiful and terrifying big sister at all. Oh! I wish him luck!” Murong Qiu Shui pouted, a look of pity on her face.
A minute past nine, finally, a person walked out from backstage, and the crowd’s focus shifted to the stage. The one who emerged was a woman around thirty years old, smiling, with a voluptuous figure, exuding a mature charm. Her appearance brightened everyone’s eyes… the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce had always been comprised solely of women, and very beautiful women at that. The first essential criterion Liu Qi Yue considered when selecting her close associates was their appearance. For this reason, rumors often circulated in upper social circles that Liu Qi Yue actually had a preference for women, having wantonly toyed with the women around her. Hence, she remained unmarried and was never heard to have had intimate contact with any man.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first public auction of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce. I am Jiu Yue, the host of this auction. I will be managing the entire event by myself. We are sincerely grateful that you chose the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce today…” The woman named Jiu Yue said with a smile, then went straight to the point: “So, without taking more of your precious time, let us officially begin the auction. As the host of this auction, I must declare that those who are here to participate in our auction are affirming and recognizing the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce. We will present only the top-tier equipment… at least, we will not insult your recognition and enthusiasm with anything less than gold-level equipment. Now, the first public auction of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce officially begins!”
The words of the host, Jiu Yue, not only echoed through the vast auction hall but were also transmitted through the magic screens in Tianchen Square and through various major media to countless players, leaving them dumbfounded.
What had they just heard?
“We will not insult your recognition and enthusiasm with anything less than gold-level equipment…”
The Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce actually made such a statement—did they not understand the implications of their words? Even the entire Wings That Obstruct the Heavens and the entire Divine Domain Alliance, even in their union, would never dare make such an audacious claim… not to insult the recognition and enthusiasm of their patrons with less than gold-level equipment…could it be that the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce could actually produce gold-level equipment? Gold-level equipment, at this stage, was practically equivalent to artifact-level items, something that faction leaders could only dream of.
The answer, both shocking and splendid, was right before their eyes.
“Now, we begin the auction with the first piece of equipment, suitable for any male player of a spirit-based class—『Gold-Threaded Robes』.”
As Jiu Yue’s voice fell, the big screens in the auction hall, as well as the central magic screen in Tianchen Square, simultaneously displayed the appearance and detailed attributes of the Gold-Threaded Robes.
Gold-Threaded Robes: A golden artifact, requirements for use: Level 15 male mages, priests, summoners. An outer garment adorned with luxurious golden patterns, possessing mysterious powers. Attributes: Defense +55, lightning resistance +8%, spirit +8, stamina +7, and a 3% chance upon being attacked to activate 『Gold Thread Protection』, increasing one’s own defense by 20% for ten seconds.
“Wow—”
It was as if a storm had suddenly struck, and the sudden buzz swept through the entire auction site of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce and throughout Tianchen City square. In the square, countless players were stunned, and at the auction site, many could not contain their excitement and abruptly stood up from their seats. Even Zang Shen, who had been wearing a calm smile, stiffened in an instant.
Gold equipment… the first item auctioned by the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce was actually gold equipment, unseen by countless players!
The immense shock almost caused the scene to spiral out of control in an instant!
“Gold-Threaded Robes, gold-level equipment, I believe friends with spirit-based classes are already eager. As we have said, the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce will provide only the top-tier equipment, we will not insult your recognition and enthusiasm with anything less than gold-level. Now, the first item is up for auction, and because it is gold equipment, everyone knows its rarity, thus the starting price is a bit high—80,000 gold coins!” Jiu Yue was not intimidated by the uproar; she continued with a smile, undisturbed, evidently having anticipated this scenario.
Her words were a subtle slap in the face to the Wings That Obstruct the Heavens… The Wings had already announced three days ago that today’s auction highlight was two level 15 silver equipment pieces. Their highlight was 『low-level equipment』 that the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t bother presenting—clearly implying that the Wings That Obstruct the Heavens’ offerings were mere trash in the eyes of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce.
“100,000!” No sooner had Jiu Yue finished speaking than a man dressed as a mage stood up eagerly, shouting his bid. He had not expected to face the gold equipment of his dreams today. Nor had anyone else.
Level 15 was exactly the level that everyone except the top-ranked Xie Tian had achieved on the leaderboards. It was also the equipment level most needed by players at this stage. As soon as the first person shouted his bid, another voice explosively rang out: “150,000! This robe is mine! I am Tian Xia Ba Chang from the Tian Xia Alliance, give me some face, and we’ll speak well when we meet!”
This was a burly man in his thirties, with a bullish neck and a fierce face, clearly not someone to be easily dealt with.
“200,000.” His barely veiled threatening statement had just dropped when a calm and steady voice slowly responded, and the speaker was none other than the leader of the Divine Domain Alliance—Zang Shen!
The previously imposing Tian Xia Ba Chang immediately sat down, saying no more. After all, the strength of the Divine Domain Alliance was well known, and especially with the Alliance leader speaking himself, he wasn’t foolish enough to contend with the Divine Domain Alliance’s leader.
While the auction site remained relatively calm, outside the venue, chaos reigned.
The news of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce auctioning gold equipment spread at an almost insane speed throughout Tianchen City, reaching the ears of leveling teams outside the city… and even to the auction site of the Sky Obstruction No. 1 Chamber.