Just as everyone was marveling at the superpowers' financial might, the astronomical bid of 60,000 Magic Crystals had barely held for a few seconds before a new price erupted from one of the second-floor private boxes.
70,000!
"Are Magic Crystals just rocks?" The players in the first-floor main hall had gone numb.
An increase of ten thousand Magic Crystals in a single breath.
Only superpowers could afford to play this kind of game. Before, they had only known that superpowers should never be provoked because the gap between them was simply too vast. Now it seemed that gap was even greater than they had imagined.
"80,000!" Beichen Tianlang shouted without hesitation.
The stakes of Thunder Island were simply too enormous, and this was a critical moment. Their Battle Wolf Guild naturally couldn't afford to drop the ball, so the guild had specifically shipped over three hundred thousand Magic Crystals for the sole purpose of securing the last three passes.
Securing these three passes to increase their entry slots was secondary — the real priority was ensuring that no other faction obtained them.
The moment Beichen Tianlang finished his bid, the Miracle Guild immediately countered with a new price.
The major factions fought like madmen, each bid now climbing not by a thousand but by ten thousand at a time. In less than one minute, the three Thunder Island passes had been driven up to the staggering price of 250,000 Magic Crystals.
"They're really going all out." Shi Feng muttered, genuinely shocked by the bid.
He had long known the price would be high, but he had never expected that just three passes would be enough to fully repay what he owed Feng Qianyu in Magic Crystals.
"Sister Qianyu, what do we do? We don't have that many Magic Crystals on hand," Qing Huang said anxiously.
The one bidding 250,000 Magic Crystals was the Nine Dragons Emperor. If he got those three passes, their side would definitely be suppressed in the struggle for Thunder Island.
Feng Qianyu's fine brows knit together tightly.
She had never expected things to develop to this point.
If any other faction obtained the passes, it wouldn't matter much. But if the Nine Dragons Emperor got them, she would truly have no chance at the Grand Pavilion Master position of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion.
After pondering for a moment, a sly curve appeared at the corner of Feng Qianyu's lips, though her smile carried a hint of wistfulness. She then contacted Shi Feng once again.
"Captain Ye Feng, I'd like to borrow three hundred thousand Magic Crystals from your Zero Wing Guild," Feng Qianyu said with a slight smile. "Of course, I won't be borrowing for nothing. I'll put up two golden shops from among the three great NPC cities of the Apocalypse Empire as collateral. If I can't return four hundred thousand Magic Crystals within seven days, those two golden shops will belong to the Candlelight Trading Company."
"Sister Qianyu!" Qing Huang was startled. "Those two golden shops are the very foundation of the Phoenix Pavilion!"
Although the Apocalypse Empire was vast and home to numerous players, NPC cities with over five million players were extremely rare. At present, only eight NPC cities met that threshold, including the imperial capital. The two golden shops Feng Qianyu offered were located in the city centers of two of the seven remaining major NPC cities.
The value of these shops was no less than that of the Candlelight Trading Company in White River City. How could she just offer them as collateral?
"Don't say more. I understand everything," Feng Qianyu said firmly.
This left Qing Huang at a loss for words. Given the Phoenix Pavilion's current state, how could they possibly gather four hundred thousand Magic Crystals in just seven days?
"Truly worthy of the Fairy Queen — decisive and flawless in everything she does." Shi Feng couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Feng Qianyu was willing to pledge those two golden shops as collateral. Regardless of whether she won or lost, she wouldn't come out behind.
If she won, she could retrieve the shops directly. If she lost, the two golden shops would go to the Candlelight Trading Company, not the Zero Wing Guild. The Candlelight Trading Company and the Zero Wing Guild were quite different entities — although both belonged to him, if the shops went to Candlelight, Feng Qianyu held a twenty-percent share in the Trading Company. The stronger Candlelight became, the larger her dividends would grow.
Moreover, borrowing three hundred thousand Magic Crystals in one go was equivalent to seventy-five thousand gold coins — several times the cost of the two shops. What seemed like a risky gamble had actually minimized potential losses to the lowest possible level.
"Captain Ye Feng, what's your decision?" Feng Qianyu asked with a light laugh.
As Shi Feng gazed at Feng Qianyu through the video link, an odd illusion suddenly struck him. Clearly she was the one borrowing, yet it felt as though the initiative had been in Feng Qianyu's hands all along, not his.