Chapter 75 -75-The Ten Private Suites and the Auction Rules
...
Zone 3.
Death Guild Headquarters.
Just like Lucy, Ace was also frantically gathering wealth from his subordinates.
But unlike Lucy, whenever Ace accepted their money, he made promises to the guild members.
"Don’t worry. At this Zone-wide Auction, I’ll definitely fight to win back auction items that will benefit all of us!
Once that happens, surpassing Zone 1 and catching up to Zone 5 will only be a matter of time!"
Ace patted his chest as he made the guarantee.
...
Scenes like this were playing out in Zone 1 and Zone 4 as well.
Only John of Zone 5, when faced with requests from Overlord Guild members, chose to ignore them.
He had always held the same view:
He alone was enough to enter the auction.
If more Overlord Guild members joined, it would only give others something to use against him.
"I wonder if this auction will have any Codices of Classes?"
Leaning back in his chair, John quietly pondered.
Just then, the long-awaited server-wide auction announcement finally arrived.
[Server-wide Announcement: The Zone-wide Auction has officially begun. Invitations will now be sent to the top 1000 players on the Wealth Ranking!]
An invitation prompt immediately appeared before John.
[Would you like to join this Zone-wide Auction?]
"Yes."
John chose to accept without the slightest hesitation.
In the next moment, his body was enveloped in a pillar of white light and vanished from the spot.
[Welcome to the Zone-wide Auction. Here, you may bid for any item you desire!]
[As one of the top ten players on the Wealth Ranking, congratulations—you have been granted an exclusive private suite!]
As the two notifications rang out, John came back to his senses.
He found himself already standing inside an elegant private room.
A faint fragrance lingered in the air.
In front of him was a one-way floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire venue.
A plaque hung by the door.
On it was written a single number:
1
John walked to the window.
Looking down, he saw that the densely packed seats below were already filled with the figures of many players.
Above the regular player seats were nine luxurious private suites.
From where he stood, John could clearly see every person inside those suites.
But his own suite sat at the very highest point in the entire venue.
No one could possibly spy on him.
Only John could spy on others!
This was the privilege of being first on the Wealth Ranking.
"Tsk. The power of money."
John shook his head slightly, returned to his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.
...
At the same time, within the nine suites below,
the top ten players on the Wealth Ranking had also noticed the special suite above them.
Their gazes flickered as they each sent requests to open a call with that room.
Unfortunately, every single one vanished without a trace.
Still, they managed to establish a shared chat channel among themselves.
[Lucy] (Zone 2, Thunder Guild): "Everyone, I’m in Suite No. 2. What about you?"
[Edward] (Zone 1, Glory Guild): "Suite No. 3."
[Ace] (Zone 3, Death Guild): "I’m in No. 4."
[Lucy]: "Looks like the suites are assigned according to the Wealth Ranking."
[Grey] (Zone 4, War God Guild): "So Suite No. 1 belongs to that bastard John."
At those words,
everyone in the suites raised their heads in unison and looked toward the room above them.
Unfortunately, the privacy of Suite No. 1 at the very top was airtight. They could not窥see the slightest thing inside.
...
Inside Suite No. 2,
Lucy’s beautiful eyes shimmered with a strange light.
"I already gathered the funds of my entire guild, and I still can’t surpass John.
Just how much wealth do you have, to remain so utterly unshaken?"
...
Inside Suite No. 7,
Grey’s face was dark and gloomy, and the armrest of his chair creaked under the force of his grip.
"Damn it! John slaughtered the players of Zone 4 as he pleased.
I’ll pay back part of that debt right here at this auction!
Let’s see how many rounds of bidding your wealth can endure!"
A sinister expression appeared on his face as he spoke.
It was obvious that he was already planning to stir up trouble in the auction to come.
As for the other seven suite occupants, without exception, they were all stunned by John’s wealth.
At the same time, they were also deeply curious.
Who exactly was this John, this man who never showed his face?
How could he suppress so many players across the entire server and even seize first place on the Wealth Ranking?
...
The nine hundred or so players seated below also noticed the ten suites floating above them.
Naturally, most of their attention was focused on Suite No. 1.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity, confusion, and puzzlement.
They all wanted to know who exactly was inside Suite No. 1.
Although they could not see what was happening inside, their minds had already conjured up all kinds of images of an absurdly wealthy magnate.
The fact that Suite No. 1 hovered high above everyone else’s heads
was enough to prove just how exalted its occupant’s status was.
Whoever was inside,
that person’s wealth was absolutely enough to crush everyone else present.
...
Just as the players were making all kinds of guesses about Suite No. 1,
a notification suddenly rang throughout the entire venue.
[Please maintain silence throughout the hall. The auction will now officially begin!]
Everyone immediately shut their mouths and stopped talking.
Even John rose to his feet, his gaze landing on the central auction stage.
With a dazzling golden special effect descending from above,
a man in a simple robe appeared on the high platform, though numerous money pouches of different colors hung from his waist.
His face was utterly ordinary, but his smile made him seem exceptionally approachable.
His information was revealed before all the players present.
[Mystic Merchant Harun]
[Level]: Unknown
[Description]: The first revealed Mystic Merchant, and also the wealthiest among all Mystic Merchants.
The treasures in his possession are beyond anyone’s imagination.
Look forward to just how many incredible items he will bring out in this Zone-wide Auction!
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Mystic Merchant Harun struck the table heavily with his auction hammer.
Sweeping his gaze across the audience, his voice rang through the entire hall.
"I will now announce the rules of the auction."
Every player present straightened up, instantly focusing their full attention.
Harun’s voice echoed through the venue.
"First: This auction will have no starting prices, and likewise no buyout prices.
All players may raise the bid without limit!"
"Second: Whenever an item is successfully purchased, the corresponding amount of gold coins will be automatically deducted from that player’s wallet."
"Third: Auctioned items will be transmitted directly into the player’s inventory through spatial power.
There is no need to worry about them being stolen."
"Fourth: The interval between each bid must not exceed three seconds!"
"Fifth: Once this auction ends, everyone will automatically be teleported back to their respective Zones."
...
After the five rules were announced,
every player in the hall revealed eager expressions.
They could no longer wait to spend the wealth they had accumulated for so long and bid on the items they wanted.
After all, everyone present ranked within the top 1000 of the entire server’s Wealth Ranking.
Buying one or two items would naturally be no problem at all.