"200 gold — this person's lost her mind!"
"If I had that kind of money, I could buy a level 40 Dark Gold weapon!"
The crowd in the hall turned their gazes toward the woman who had placed the bid, and every last one of them froze in shock.
Her level was a staggering 41.
Among the players present, those who had even reached level 40 could be counted on one hand, and every single one of them was an expert — Mu Yun of Hundred Flowers Palace, Leng Qiu of the Mystery Pavilion, both renowned figures within their respective guilds. Yet even they were still a considerable distance from level 41. This woman, however, had reached it.
Such a powerful expert, yet she wore no guild emblem whatsoever. It was truly astonishing.
"Who on earth is Banxia Qingcheng?" Mu Yun stared at the woman before her, whose beauty was in no way inferior to her own, her expression filled with astonishment.
She had looked into nearly every well-known expert in the Star Moon Kingdom. She even knew a great number of the top players in the major guilds, yet she had never seen or heard of this person before.
But reaching level 41 was not something an ordinary expert could accomplish — let alone a free player.
It wasn't just Mu Yun who was surprised. Leng Qiu of the Mystery Pavilion was equally stunned. The Mystery Pavilion's information network was incredibly comprehensive, and he had just run a search. There was absolutely nothing on Banxia Qingcheng. It was as though the woman had materialized out of thin air.
Not only did she pose a significant threat, she was also filthy rich.
By all rights, someone like that should not have gone unnoticed. With the Mystery Pavilion's intelligence network, even a player who had shown any kind of performance in a small city would have been catalogued. Yet he had found nothing at all on Banxia Qingcheng. It was far too peculiar.
200 gold was nothing to Mu Yun or Leng Qiu, but they weren't fools either. Knowing the price far exceeded what the Advanced Mana Armor Plates were worth, they had no intention of continuing to compete, so in the end they conceded to Banxia Qingcheng.
After that, the bidding for the remaining Advanced Mana Armor Plates bounced back and forth among the three of them.
In the end, Banxia Qingcheng spent 200 gold on each one, leaving the spectators utterly flabbergasted.
If it had been a guild player, that would have been one thing — guilds had more people, which meant more gold flowing in. The major guilds like Hundred Flowers Palace and the Mystery Pavilion, in particular, were a different story entirely. But 200 gold was an astronomical sum for an ordinary player. Even top-tier experts couldn't produce that kind of money.
Yet Banxia Qingcheng had spent 600 gold in one go to purchase three Advanced Mana Armor Plates. Her wealth was beyond comprehension, and from the look on her face, spending 600 gold didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. The crowd's curiosity about Banxia Qingcheng's identity only deepened.
After all, a level 41 female expert — no matter which guild she ended up in, she would be treated as an honored guest and courted by every major power.
Several guild representatives had already quietly sent Banxia Qingcheng private messages, hoping she would join their ranks, with promises that the compensation terms were entirely negotiable. Without exception, every single message was deleted. She had zero interest in any of them.
After Banxia Qingcheng purchased three Advanced Mana Armor Plates, the remaining seven were split between Mu Yun and Leng Qiu. As for the rest of the guilds and players, they were simply there for the spectacle.
Just when everyone thought the auction was over and was preparing to leave, a voice rang out and set the crowd ablaze once more.
"This auction has come to a successful close. In four days, Candlelight Trading Company will hold its first Grand Auction. The venue will remain the same, but the items on offer will go far beyond Advanced Mana Armor Plates. There will be a large number of precious goods, including Bronze Mounts — we guarantee everyone's satisfaction. As for the grand finale, it will be entry passes to the Titan Sacred City. We hope everyone will spread the word!"
The announcement concluded, and the entire hall erupted into a wave of goosebumps.
Most of the attendees had no idea what the Titan Sacred City was, but they understood all too well what a Bronze Mount represented.
In the Divine Realm today, many top experts had already crossed level 40, which meant the era of mounts had truly begun. But obtaining a mount was far from easy.
Ordinary players were already tearing their hair out over acquiring a common mount, let alone a Bronze Mount. Such things were extraordinarily rare even for the elites of the major guilds. Any guild that obtained one would immediately assign it to its top players — there was no chance they would put it up for sale.
And yet Candlelight Trading Company had just announced that their Grand Auction would feature Bronze Mounts for purchase. How could anyone not be excited?
After the announcement, many free experts began rubbing their hands together, their eyes gleaming with ambition. They were determined to compete for a Bronze Mount.
After all, this was not something an ordinary expert could easily obtain — it took luck. But if it simply came down to gold, these free experts just might have a fighting chance. If push came to shove, some were even prepared to spend a large number of Credit Points to exchange for gold.
A Bronze Mount was no ordinary mount. It was not only faster in movement speed but also possessed combat-assistance capabilities. The difference might seem trivial to average players, but for experts like them, it was critical. Often, they were separated from soloing a powerful monster by the slimmest of margins. With a Bronze Mount's aid, their survival and hunting capabilities would receive an enormous boost. Even if it meant spending a considerable amount of Credit Points, they would buy one — it was an investment in their own future.
"You've got to be kidding me — is the Zero Wing Guild really that short on funds that they'd even sell entry passes to the Titan Sacred City?" Leng Qiu was utterly astonished. The average player had no idea what the Titan Sacred City represented, but he did. News of the Pantheon had already circulated among superpowers like his, and he knew full well just how precious a Titan Sacred City entry pass was.
"Interesting — this Zero Wing Guild. Everyone assumed they wouldn't be able to withstand the Blackwater Guild's assault, but it seems people have been underestimating Zero Wing's resources," Mu Yun remarked with a knowing smile after hearing the announcement, clearly having developed a fresh interest in Candlelight Trading Company's Grand Auction.
After the auction ended, as player after player filed out of Candlelight Trading Company, they found a group of level 39 experts gathered outside the entrance — when had they arrived? — their killing intent palpable. Every single one of them bore the Blackwater Guild emblem. The ordinary players who saw them hurriedly gave them a wide berth, terrified of provoking trouble.
"That's the one who bought the Advanced Mana Armor Plates?" A tall man clad in silver-white battle armor stepped directly into Banxia Qingcheng's path, his voice sharp and accusatory.