Thunder Island was no longer a secret to the major powers.
Even any second-tier guild with half-decent intel knew about it by now.
The great superpowers were all scrambling to collect Thunder Island entry permits, but those permits were far from easy to obtain. Every superpower had paid an astronomical price just to secure a handful, investing manpower and resources beyond imagination.
Each additional permit meant ten more experts could enter Thunder Island, which in turn meant a greater advantage once inside.
So the superpowers had been offering sky-high prices to buy permits on the open market, attracting countless adventurer parties to sail out to the Sea of Death and farm sea beasts for drops. Yet not a single adventurer party had managed to obtain a permit so far.
And here was the Candlelight Auction actually auctioning off permits…
Just a brand-new guild hosting an auction, yet it had already produced two treasures that made even the superpowers sit up and take notice — not to mention the final prize, a slot in the Holy City. How could anyone not be stunned?
"The second item has been revealed. The starting bid is three thousand Magic Crystals, with a minimum increment of one hundred Magic Crystals per bid. Let's begin!" Melancholic Smile announced the starting price.
The figure sent a fresh wave of shock through the adventurer parties on the first-floor hall. It was outrageously high — yet the major powers sealed in the VIP boxes on the second floor weren't fazed in the slightest. If anything, this price was cheap compared to their own acquisition cost of one thousand gold per permit.
But once Melancholic Smile declared the bidding open, the superpowers in the VIP boxes wasted no time.
"Four thousand!"
"Forty-three hundred!"
"Forty-seven hundred!"
"Five thousand!"
…
The major powers — who had barely cared about this Candlelight Auction beforehand — went into a frenzy, completely locking out the first-floor players. Even a casual bump in the bid exceeded the entire net worth of most experts present, leaving many free agents who had come to spectate on the verge of tears.
Even some second-tier guilds in attendance felt this auction was simply above their league — the gap was too vast.
As for the players and guilds who had been calling the Candlelight Auction greedy, they had shut their mouths for good.
In the end, Feng Qianyu secured the Thunder Island permit for eight thousand three hundred Magic Crystals.
"Guild Master, are we really letting Feng Qianyu walk away with the permit?" Long Wu asked Jiu Long Huang, puzzled.
"It doesn't matter. Anything more and it wouldn't be worth it. It's only ten slots, after all — Feng Qianyu won't be making any big waves with that," Jiu Long Huang said dismissively.
Long Wu thought it over and had to agree. The gap in slots between their side and Feng Qianyu's was enormous. An extra ten slots wouldn't change the big picture.
With the second auction item concluded, Melancholic Smile once again gestured toward the screen on stage, which still hadn't changed its display, and smiled. "Now we begin the third auction item — yet another Thunder Island entry permit! Starting bid: three thousand Magic Crystals! Let's begin!"
"You've got to be kidding — another one?!"
The venue erupted in stunned cries.
Thunder Island permits were notoriously difficult to obtain. Owning even one was already impressive. And now there was a second one?
Feng Qianyu, in her VIP box, was genuinely surprised as well — though mostly delighted. On the surface it was just one more permit, but the difference between bringing in ten people versus twenty was enormous. And if there was one faction here with the most Magic Crystals to throw around, it was hers.
The moment bidding started, the price of the Thunder Island permit rocketed to eight thousand.
Unlike before, every major power took this one extremely seriously. They all understood clearly what it meant for a single faction to suddenly gain twenty additional slots, so the competition was even fiercer.