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“One and a half million!” the rich player shouted angrily. He glared at the young nobleman with a look that could kill, his fury palpable.

“Since you like it so much, you can have it,” the young nobleman said indifferently, glancing over. After speaking, he let out a mocking smirk.

The rich player felt his lungs nearly burst from anger at the sight. Although he had won, it felt far worse than if he had lost. Mocking laughter and jeers echoed around the room, making him blush with embarrassment and tremble all over.
Humiliation. Utter humiliation!

‘Kill him. I must kill him!’ His fury knew no bounds; this pitiful being had made a fool of him, and all he saw was red.

He stared intently, clenched his fists, and took a step forward, ready to pounce. However, he immediately cooled down upon noticing the Level displayed above the young nobleman’s head.

Level 30! His opponent could nearly kill him with a single blow!

Everyone noticed his sudden transformation from fierce eagle to cowering rabbit, and they were all confused. Why had he stopped the fight? They had been eagerly waiting for the fight to start.

Upon closer inspection, the players understood why. He was a Level 30 NPC. It was simply too much. Even if he came to humiliate them, there was nothing they could do!

In the end, the rich player purchased the Rare Equipment he desired for an exorbitant one and a half million, earning the title of the biggest fool.

The auction continued.

The third item up for auction was a rare material. Both players and NPCs participated in the bidding, but it wasn’t intense, and a player quickly claimed it.

The fourth item was another piece of Rare Equipment. The bidding became intense, and it was eventually claimed by a Guild master of a substantial Guild for 450,000 gold.

“Young Master Zhang, isn’t this Equipment very useful to you? Why didn’t you bid for it?” S.K.Y. suddenly asked from his VIP seat.

“The value for money is too low. I can buy a lot of materials to earn Empire Prestige with that money and trade it for one Rare and five Uncommon pieces of Equipment in the store,” Taurus explained.

Now that players could spend money to purchase Equipment in the store, many big Guilds seemed to be throwing money away. Especially Taurus’ [Death of Love] Guild. Not only did he spend money, but he also paid his important members to do the same.

This marked the beginning of the Great Whaling Era.

“But the equipment from the store is all mass-produced. Their attributes aren’t as good as this one,” S.K.Y. said in confusion.

“Why do we need such fancy attributes in Rare Equipment? We’re aiming for Epic Equipment anyway.”

To him, Rare Equipment were merely temporary items. Only Epic Equipment was worthy of his noble self.

“That’s true,” S.K.Y. nodded, turning his attention back to the auction stage.

As the auctioned items were purchased one by one, the atmosphere grew even more lively. In the VVIP guest room, Yaeger was so bored she considered taking a nap. Although the equipment and materials sold for a good price, they were merely tiny portions. Fine as an occasional snack, but they wouldn’t sate her appetite.

Meanwhile, Kastina beside her was on an adrenaline high, deeply invested in the proceedings. This was because every single cent earned here would belong to her and Yaeger. This was their shared property.

‘Money isn’t everything, but you are nothing without it. I want to earn lots and lots of money to build my own faction!’ Kastina thought, gently clenching her fists.

As a powerless and non-influential princess, her situation in the Empire was no better than Yaeger’s. No, it was actually worse. At the very least, Yaeger could rely on Alicia.

Soon, the auction reached its halfway point.

“Next, we will auction an exceedingly rare treasure. I’m sure all of you have heard of magic crystals, right? If not, it doesn’t matter. Magic crystals are crystallized Magic Essence. They are versatile, incredibly valuable, and exceedingly rare. They are categorized into seven grades: white, yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and black. The darker the color, the purer and richer the Magic Essence contained within. Naturally, the value increases with the darkness of the color. Today, our Imperial Auction House is fortunate enough to acquire a batch of the highest grade of magic crystals: Black Magic Crystals. Let’s examine them now.”

After speaking, the auctioneer clapped her hands. The next moment, a staff member ascended the stage, carrying a black metal case.

The moment he saw the case, Viscount Yelu’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Finally, the show is about to begin!” In the VVIP guest room, Yaeger sat upright, her senses heightened as she stared at the auction stage.

‘It’s about to happen!’ she thought.

Beside her, Kastina gazed at the displayed Black Magic Crystals with excitement. Only she and Yaeger knew that these Black Magic Crystals were genuine.

All the players on the scene were stunned. They knew nothing about Magic Crystals beyond what the auctioneer had mentioned. While they sounded valuable, their exact purpose was unknown.

Unlike the players, the natives at the auction knew more about Magic Crystals. They were all shocked as they saw the ten Black Magic Crystals projected by light magic.

The sheer number of Black Magic Crystals made them incredibly valuable. Unfortunately, they were rather small. If they were larger, their value would be much higher.

“These Black Magic Crystals have been appraised by our professional appraisers and are completely genuine,” said the auctioneer.

Viscount Yelu nearly burst into laughter upon hearing that.

‘Huhuhu, completely genuine… How ridiculous. Soon, I’ll teach you the true meaning of cruelty!’ he thought.

“The bidding starts now. Ten Black Magic Crystals, starting at fifty million,” the auctioneer announced.

The scene fell into dead silence. The price was simply too high. The players were confused. How could these crystals be worth so much? The natives, however, didn’t react much. To them, such a starting price was entirely reasonable.

“S.K.Y., it looks like these Black Magic Crystals are useful to the natives,” Taurus remarked from his VIP seat.

“It seems so,” S.K.Y. replied indifferently, pushing up his nonexistent gold-rimmed glasses.

“Should we participate or not?” Taurus asked, uncertain.

Without understanding the exact purpose of Magic Crystals, he was hesitant to spend his money. However, he felt a strong desire to claim such rare treasures for himself.

“Let’s not, Young Master Zhang. Look, those natives seem to want it badly. If we join in now, it will be a tough battle,” S.K.Y. advised.

They had a lot of money, but that didn’t mean they could spend it recklessly.

“I see. Then I won’t participate,” Taurus said calmly after a moment of thought.

As the saying goes, fine steel must be used on fine swords. He planned to conserve his money for Epic Equipment. Thus, he decided to set aside these temporarily useless Magic Crystals and let others fight for them.

Just as the auctioneer finished speaking, many people prepared to raise their number plates and start bidding. But at that moment, the handsome young man with dull blond hair acted faster, shouting, “Don’t even bother competing with me. One hundred million!”

His bid killed all enthusiasm in the room. Nobody made a single sound.