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The expansive Imperial Auction House resembled a grand villa in its opulence and scale. Spanning five floors, the building was impressively structured. The basement served as storage for the auction lots. On the ground floor were the main lobby and the appraisal room. The second floor featured the principal auction hall. Administrative offices occupied the third floor, leaving the fourth floor currently unoccupied.

Currently, the main lobby was bustling, predominantly with players.

“Fifteen percent commission? That’s outrageous!” a player blurted out upon seeing the auction’s commission rate.

“Quit your complaining; a commission is standard. What, did you expect a charity?” another player retorted with disdain.

While a 15% commission rate might seem steep, it wouldn’t cost the sellers since the fee was passed on to the buyers. Naturally, this meant that the overall price of each item would increase. Yet, this was something beyond their control.

Unbeknownst to the players, this 15% commission was merely the starting point; it was set to gradually increase over time. Yaeger understood well the theory of the boiling frog.

“Wait, there’s an additional fee for appraisal?” Another person exclaimed as they grasped the full details of the auction process.

“Yes, as we need to compensate our appraisers. But of course, dear guest, you have the option to trade without our appraisal services or hire an external appraiser,” explained the staff member.

“This seems rather dubious!”

“Dubious? That’s rather ignorant. Don’t you pay for external appraisals anyway? Trust me, the fees here are considerably lower,” another player chided, clicking his tongue.

“Stop wasting everyone’s time, peasant. My time is worth hundreds of thousands per minute!” A player interjected impatiently at that moment.

Upon hearing that, the other player turned to retort but stopped short upon recognizing the speaker as the Guild Master of a major guild; he swallowed his words. No way could he afford to offend such an influential figure!

Initially, the crowd in the main lobby dismissed the boastful remarks as mere bravado, but upon recognizing the speaker, a collective shock rippled through the room. It quickly became apparent that he wasn’t boasting at all; if anything, he was understating his true status.

The speaker was none other than Taurus Zhang, the eldest son of the influential Zhang Family from Huadu. Standing next to him was his well-known associate, S.K.Y. Both were celebrities within the Linhnan server’s gaming community. Their reputations were a mix of admiration and notoriety.

Positively, their guild was renowned for its formidable power and wealth, commanding respect and fear alike. Negatively, they had been humiliated by Princess just the night before, becoming the subject of ridicule which tarnished their image severely.

Yet, considering their high-profile status, such dramatic swings in public perception were not unexpected. Above all, Black-hearted Princess’ overwhelming strength and sway within the Linhnan server set her apart significantly from her peers.

In this context, being defeated by her might even be seen as less of an embarrassment, given her stature. However, for prominent figures like Taurus and S.K.Y., the public defeat was particularly humiliating. Had any lesser-known player suffered the same fate, the impact on their reputation would have been minimal.

Once the initial shock of Taurus’ domineering presence wore off, normal operations resumed in the main lobby. Players set their starting bids, paid their deposits methodically, and collected their receipts.

Participants could later use these receipts to claim their proceeds from sold items. The procedure turned out to be more complicated and less convenient than anticipated. Nevertheless, the presence of a third-party guarantor reassured many, making the cumbersome process worthwhile.

“These procedures are rather cumbersome. It would be great if we could streamline them,” Yaeger murmured, peering through the small window of the appraisal room.

Given the notable name above her head, it was imprudent for her to appear in the main lobby.

“I mustn’t scare away these little kittens.” Turning away, Yaeger returned to her seat contemplatively.

Five professional appraisers were seated around her. Upon realizing that the mysterious figure in black robes and a mask was a high-ranking official of the auction house, a nervous silence fell among the appraisers.

One appraiser was visibly nervous, sweating profusely under the scrutiny. His gaze flitted about the room, betraying his deep thoughts and unease. Yaeger observed these subtle shifts among the room’s occupants, a playful smile hidden beneath her mask.

Half an hour later, the main lobby remained bustling with activity.

The entire procedure mirrored the tedium of banking paperwork, marked by inefficiency and prolonged waiting times. Luckily, opening sufficient counters mitigated the waiting times to some extent.

A digital-style notification board to the right of the main lobby continuously displayed updates about new items, resembling a modern, enchanted advertisement display. This board allowed players to easily locate items of interest.

“What did you manage to find?” Taurus inquired, lounging on a sofa in the VIP area, as S.K.Y. took a seat beside him.

“Quite well; I’ve secured a tenth of the materials already. We might complete the collection today. The reopening of this auction house has truly been a boon,” S.K.Y. responded, adjusting his imaginary glasses with a note of excitement. The prospect of defeating Black-hearted Princess filled him with an intense thrill.

“Indeed, our long-awaited goal might be realized within the next three days,” Taurus mused, taking a sip of his tea.

To him, Black-hearted Princess was as good as defeated, his thoughts now turning to her imminent downfall. He envisioned her screaming in despair, begging for mercy like a defeated foe. Ultimately, she would become nothing more than a toy in real-life.

‘What a thrilling prospect!’

Just then, a newcomer stepped into the appraisal room. According to the auction house’s policies, only VIP guests—those of significant influence or bearing exceptionally valuable items—were granted access to the appraisal room.

Regardless of their background, they were all seen as lucrative opportunities… or rather, esteemed clients.

Yaeger turned her attention to the newcomer. The man was portly, around forty, dressed in opulent attire. His ordinary appearance was occasionally betrayed by a cunning gleam in his eyes.

‘At last, it begins.’

A smirk played across her lips, her amusement evident. She had expected disturbances in the main lobby, yet here they were, directly in her presence, going straight for the heart of the matter.

This bold move genuinely surprised her.

‘Well, let’s see what you’ve got planned.’

“I have a highly valuable item I’d like to auction,” declared the portly middle-aged man plainly.

With that, he set a black case down on the table. The case, crafted from an unidentified metal, featured faintly glowing runes and a mechanical combination lock. It was apparent that the case held something out of the ordinary.

“Let’s take a look inside before deciding,” suggested Yaeger.

Her voice, altered from its usual tone and muffled by the mask, would only be recognizable to those close to her.

The man shot a puzzled look at Yaeger but swiftly masked his confusion. He proceeded to enter a sequence of passwords and opened the case. Immediately, an eerie black light flooded the room.

As the black light faded, a collective gasp escaped the room’s occupants. Even Yaeger, taken aback, couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

“Could this be?”