The few images displayed in the auction hall instantly set the top-tier and super guilds in the second-floor private boxes on edge. They immediately relayed what they'd seen to their respective guild leaders.
"Guild Master, it's real! The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion really did get their hands on that thing!"
"Their information security is top-notch. Are you absolutely certain?"
"I've confirmed it—the images don't lie. But there are too many major powers and conglomerates here. Securing this will be tough; the funds I brought along might not be enough."
"Understood. I'll have people raise the money and wire it to you right away."
Because of those images on the auction stage, every major power quietly began scrambling to raise enormous sums, shrouding the entire venue in an indescribable air of urgency. Down in the first-floor main hall, the various major organizations could feel a storm brewing.
"That old fox from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion—he wants the superpowers and mega-conglomerates to tear each other apart, doesn't he?" The Nine Dragons Emperor clenched both fists, his eyes blazing with barely contained excitement. He turned to Long Wu at his side. "Quick! Tell Long Xue and the rest to liquidate every sellable resource in the Black Dragon Empire! Even those prime plots in Black Dragon City under my name—pledge them as collateral if you must! Whatever it takes, raise as much gold and Magic Crystals as possible. The more, the better!"
"Pavilion Master, isn't this a bit... reckless?" Long Wu was taken aback. Those prime plots in Black Dragon City were worth a fortune—countless people had tried and failed to buy them. If they pledged them as collateral and couldn't repay within the deadline, those plots would be gone for good.
"It's fine. As long as we get that thing, this cost is nothing." The Nine Dragons Emperor shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the images displayed on the elevated stage, eyes burning with wild ambition.
"Understood." Long Wu immediately contacted Long Xue.
Meanwhile, in another private box, Lu Xingluo—who carried himself with the refined elegance of a scholar—also rose to his feet, staring intently at the images put forth by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
"Excellent! This couldn't be better! Once I have this, the entire Dark Night Empire will fall into my hands, and no one will be able to stand against me!" Lu Xingluo laughed aloud.
"Congratulations, Guild Master! Once that happens, both the Scarlet Emperor and the Unyielding War Soul will be finished!" The tall bodyguard at his side, Zhong Langcheng, couldn't contain his excitement as he offered his congratulations.
"The funds I had you gather—where do things stand?" Lu Xingluo turned to ask.
"Rest assured, Guild Master. All the funds are in place." Zhong Langcheng smiled.
Nearby, in his own private box, Shi Feng gazed at the auction items the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had produced, and a tidal wave of shock surged through his heart.
"The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is truly formidable! They'd actually dare put something like this up for auction?" Shi Feng clicked his tongue in astonishment.
Only now did he begin to grasp why the Star Navigation Group had tried to prevent the Unyielding War Soul from attending the auction. If he were in their shoes, he would have done the same. He also finally understood why Mu Lingsha had been willing to offer up valuable plots of land in the Dark Night Imperial Capital just to participate in this auction.
Because what the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was auctioning was simply too staggering!
It wasn't a weapon or piece of equipment, nor was it a consumable item. It was the mining rights to an entire mineral vein!
If it were an ordinary mineral vein, even a top-tier guild wouldn't spare it a second glance. A Source Iron vein producing small quantities of Magic Crystals might make a superpower sit up and take notice, and a Magic Energy vein above that could spark an all-out war between superpowers.
But even Magic Energy veins and Source Iron veins—ones that drove superpowers to envy and covetousness—belonged to only the Second Sequence of mineral veins.
What the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had produced was a Magic Crystal Vein ranked at the First Sequence of the Divine Realm!
Judging from the images, while it wasn't a rich deposit, its value was incomparable to that of a Magic Energy or Source Iron vein. Securing it would be enough to supply the daily needs of two super guilds, with plenty to spare.
The primary mineral produced by a Magic Crystal Vein was, naturally, Magic Crystals. The extraction process was more laborious than for other minerals, but the accompanying byproduct ores were equally invaluable. Silver of Magic Energy was one such byproduct—one of the hardest ores in the entire Divine Realm, classified as an ultra-rare material. Weapons and equipment forged with it would carry the Indestructible trait.
The Indestructible trait meant that even when an item's durability dropped to zero, it would not be destroyed—its stats would plummet, but it could still be used.
That single trait alone made a chunk of Silver of Magic Energy worth roughly twenty gold coins on the market, and any piece that appeared would be snatched up in an instant.
Just as the second-floor private boxes were going wild over the images on the stage, Yuan Tiexin swept his gaze across the various powers in the boxes and smiled faintly. "Everyone has seen the item. If any of you are unfamiliar with it, you can find detailed information in the libraries of any Kingdom or Empire—there are very thorough records. However, I imagine no one here is ignorant of its value."
"Our auction at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is simple: highest bidder wins. However, we do not accept Credit Points. The winning bidder receives a forty percent stake—meaning forty percent of this Magic Crystal Vein's total output."
"Perhaps some of you don't fully grasp what forty percent of the output means. I won't go into specific figures, but I can assure you that this forty percent exceeds the total output of any single Magic Energy vein you know of. Moreover, the accompanying byproduct ores are all rare materials that will undoubtedly elevate your guild's crafters to the next level!"
"However, before we begin, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion must state one additional condition: the winner must dispatch a large number of experts and elites to be permanently stationed at the vein—a minimum of one hundred thousand personnel. If this condition cannot be met, the winning bid will be declared void, even if payment has already been made!"
"If everyone finds this acceptable, then let us begin the auction for today's most anticipated headline item. Starting price: one hundred thousand gold coins! Each bid must increase by no less than one thousand gold coins or two thousand Magic Crystals!"
After Yuan Tiexin finished speaking, the bustling hall fell deathly silent. In the first-floor main hall, the executives of the various top-tier guilds all drew sharp breaths.
Any desire to compete evaporated instantly. Setting aside the requirement to permanently station a hundred-thousand-strong garrison at the vein, the starting price alone was enough for every top-tier guild to bow out entirely.
One hundred thousand gold coins!
While they fully understood that the price was more than fair, hearing Yuan Tiexin actually say it still left them staggered.
Their various top-tier guilds had scraped together thirty to forty thousand gold coins for this auction with tremendous difficulty, and now they couldn't even qualify to place a single bid...
The forces in the hall that were comparable to top-tier guilds also fell silent. It was only now that they truly realized how vast the gap between them and the real superpowers was—they were living in entirely different worlds. They were nothing more than spectators at this auction, not even qualified to participate. Mere witnesses.