Chapter 122 : The Auction War (1)
The Auction War (1)
Amidst the excessively noisy cicadas, time in summer always seemed to slip by quickly.
When the setting sun hung low and the evening glow spread across the sky, three or four hours had already passed since Cecilia and Gu Yanxi exited the game.
Turning on her phone screen, Cecilia checked the time again. It was already past seven in the evening, and there was less than an hour left before the first auction that all the national server's players had been eagerly awaiting.
Starting a few days ago, the Legend of Kaloran forum had been suddenly filled with countless spoiler posts, springing up like mushrooms after the rain.
Whether it was by coincidence or not, every post pointed to the same location: a three-story building near the Main City arena.
The time was set for the first day after the new version update, exactly at eight in the evening. The news that the auction would feature epic set equipment and a D-rank Boss pet egg spread rapidly throughout the Kaloran world, even attracting the heated attention of many players from international servers.
By now, unless one was a solo player with a severe case of social anxiety, almost everyone in the Chinese server's Main City knew about the player-organized auction, where epic set equipment and D-rank world boss pet eggs would be auctioned off.
It had been several weeks since the game officially launched. Players had adapted to Legend of Kaloran's gameplay, with substantial improvements in their levels and equipment. No longer were they being beaten up over and over by beginner mobs like during the early days.
However, even now, purple epic equipment remained elusive for most players. Not only was the price outrageously high, but the supply in the market was extremely limited, leading to a situation where even those with the means struggled to find anything to buy.
Even the most famous pro teams couldn't necessarily obtain a single piece of purple epic equipment; as for regular players, it was out of the question.
Every piece of purple epic-grade equipment provided stat bonuses far exceeding those of blue rare-grade gear. Under the current circumstances of Legend of Kaloran, anyone who could produce one or two pieces of epic equipment would be making a big move—enough to amaze a multitude of ordinary players.
What's more, the finale of this auction was actually a complete set of epic equipment. Its value went without saying; no player could possibly resist such temptation.
Not to mention, it was rumored that the highlight of the auction would also be a D-rank world boss pet egg. For all the major teams, this was the true reason for their feverish excitement.
Little Persimmon Puppy's marketing strategy was simple and a bit crude, but also undeniably effective. At the very least, the promotional impact was immediate.
Shutting down the forum, Cecilia tossed her phone onto the pillow, turned, and asked Gu Yanxi, "It's almost time. The auction starts at eight. Shall we head out now?"
"Mm, I'll follow your lead,"
Gu Yanxi nodded, visibly excited as she put down her own phone.
The words "auction" alone invoked images of high-class gatherings, reserved only for the upper crust of society. Although Gu Yanxi's family had some assets, she had only seen such occasions in movies. Now that she could finally experience it for herself, she had been eagerly anticipating it for a long time—her black eyes even sparkled with a faint gleam.
Noticing her excitement, Cecilia found it amusing and shook her head slightly, choosing to say nothing.
According to the information Cecilia had gotten from Little Persimmon Puppy, she could practically picture what tonight's auction would look like—a crowd wielding weapons, loudly bidding as if buying groceries at a market, perhaps even chaos if things went wrong.
To guard against sabotage from Little Persimmon Puppy's competitors, Cecilia had to personally oversee the event herself.
Maintaining order had never been an easy job, from ancient times until now.
But this time, Cecilia had a considerable stake in the auction. To ensure her own items sold smoothly, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and bear it tonight, no matter how reluctant she felt.
Despite saying they were "setting out," all the two girls actually did was lie on the bed side by side and put on their VR helmets.
With a flash of white light, a few seconds later, Cecilia and Gu Yanxi were transmitted to the broad Main City plaza.
Game time synchronized with real-world time. Since it was already evening in reality, the central plaza was illuminated brightly, bustling with people as night fell.
Having learned her lesson last time, as soon as Cecilia landed in-game—before any players could notice them—she quickly grabbed Gu Yanxi's hand, and the two of them dashed off, ducking into a dimly lit, rarely frequented alley.
They navigated twists and turns through complex paths. Over a dozen minutes later, Cecilia led Gu Yanxi across half the Main City to arrive at the vicinity of the three-story building.
She glanced at the time. It wasn't yet 7:40—almost half an hour before the auction's official start. Yet, an area once deserted was now packed with players eager to attend, a dense throng as far as the eye could see. A rough estimate suggested that within two hundred meters, there were already several thousand people gathered.
Some players were laughing and chatting; others looked impatient, anxiously waiting. Some were even recording videos using in-game tools, circling the building and muttering commentary—obviously, those typical game streamers hoping to ride the hype.
"Why are there so many people here?"
Gu Yanxi was stunned by the crowd.
"Little Persimmon Puppy's promo worked too well. With so many people, the venue can't possibly fit them all. I wonder how she'll handle it,"
Cecilia replied, hiding herself in a shadow under a streetlamp, clearly a little exasperated.
As if on cue, her private message window flashed below her field of view.
[Little Persimmon Puppy: Lia-sis, only twenty minutes to go. How soon can you make it here?]
[Cecilia: I'm already at the door. There are way too many people—one lobby can't hold them all.]
[Cecilia: ?]
[Little Persimmon Puppy: I only invited a few big teams from China and abroad—about 60 people. The rest are just here for the excitement, and they won't leave even if I try to shoo them away. They can stay, but they're not getting in anyway.]
[Cecilia: Okay.]
[Little Persimmon Puppy: Anyway, are you and Yan-sis together now? Come around to the back door—I'll meet you there.]
Closing the private message window, Cecilia took Gu Yanxi in a wide circle to a shadow at the back of the building.
There were far fewer players here than out front, and most were well-equipped—not your average players. Little Persimmon Puppy stood by the rear entrance in a tailored black suit and skirt, waving at them from afar.
Leave of Absence Note
Something's come up these past few days, and I'm not feeling well. I'll be taking two days off—sorry...