Chapter 107: Snatching

On the auction stage, Ling Tong's face was faintly flushed with excitement. Although she had hosted numerous auctions that yielded thousands of times more profits, they had all been in the second district, where she had joined this industry midway through the game's development. She had always yearned to preside over an opening auction for a new district, and now her wish was about to be fulfilled—and it would be perfectly realized.

With a light smile, she placed the five [Bright Hymn] items one by one onto the display stand, gazing at the scorching eyes of thousands of players below. Ling Tong chuckled softly and introduced, "These are the final five bronze equipment pieces today, along with one of the closing items. These five pieces are not sold individually because they form a set, known as [Bright Hymn], suitable for the Holy Priest profession. Now, let me carefully explain to everyone the specific attributes of the five components and the additional attributes of the set."

As Ling Tong elucidated the properties of the [Bright Hymn], exclamations rang out from time to time in the auction house, especially from the holy priestesses, whose eyes gleamed with fervor. Ye Chen had no doubt of their spending power; most of these girls hadn't come alone, and often several bodyguards flanked them. People often said that women's and children's money was the easiest to earn, a phrase Ye Chen had once doubted, but now he believed it.

In moments, this set, which originally cost around a thousand gold, had risen to 1300 gold—and there were no signs of the price stalling. Ye Chen didn't need to incite it; these women competed with far more frenzy than rational male players. Thus, Ye Chen hadn't bid, yet the set's final price still broke through the 2000-gold mark, reaching a staggering 2300 gold!

Looking at Ling Tong's slightly smug smile on the stage, Ye Chen couldn't help but admire the woman. She not only knew how to do business with men but also excelled at doing business with women. Without her prodding, those female players wouldn't have been so frenzied, nor would the price have been so outrageous. First Auction Master of Ye Hua Liu Jin, and truly deserving of the name.

With these successful precedents, Ye Chen's confidence in auctioning his pills surged. With a woman like her, perhaps he could even sell for an astronomical price.

The bronze equipment auction concluded, and the players in the venue all exclaimed in exhilaration. Although most hadn't participated in the bidding, watching players nearby throw away thousands of gold coins was an exciting sight in itself. Moreover, these would be valuable talking points upon returning home, boasting to teammates who missed out on the opportunity, savoring their envious gazes, and one could say the trip had been worthwhile.

Holding a exquisite round plate with a round, smooth white pill on it, Ling Tong gently placed the plate on the display stand and smiled seductively with a flushed face toward the crowd below: "The items to be auctioned next can all be considered closing auction pieces. The first to appear is this White Tiger Pill. After consuming it, one can obtain 1.5 times the experience."

Ling Tong had barely finished speaking when the venue fell into a profound silence, every eye fixed on the round white pill, burning with fervor. Those high-level players eager to climb the ranking list had reddened their eyes, but someone remained clear-headed. A bald-headed monk immediately stood up and asked, "Miss Ling Tong, such a heaven-defying pill surely has restrictions, right? Please reveal them quickly so we don't get our hopes raised in vain."

"Hehe, Ling Tong was about to say that. This White Tiger Pill can only be consumed three times per day by each person, with each dose lasting half an hour. Most importantly, this pill is only available for use by players below level 25. However, I believe many friends will still be interested in this pill. If you are a player below level 25, purchasing it will allow you to level up rapidly. If you are a player above level 25, you can give it to your female companion below level 25. A beautiful smile is worth a thousand gold. I believe everyone will not be stingy with a few dozen gold coins." Ling Tong introduced in a gentle voice, her words even more provocative.

Although the White Tiger Pill's attributes weren't as overwhelmingly heaven-defying as the players imagined, the atmosphere in the venue quickly grew lively. In fact, there weren't many players above level 25 in the entire venue; 22-23 was considered high, while most hovered around 20, and even some flashy rich kids were at 17-18. This pill was exactly what they needed most, and for those high-level players, glancing at the female companions clinging to their arms and coquettishly hugging them, one could guess that those experts were cursing whoever had crafted such a pitfall-inducing pill. They were about to be bled dry.

"Miss Ling Tong, I wonder how many of these pills you have prepared. If possible, I plan to purchase 50. Money is no issue." It was still the bald-headed monk speaking. This 19-year-old fellow now had an excited face; the poor monk, the most grueling profession in leveling, must have been tormented to madness by the leveling process. This guy wasn't short of money. Ye Chen had seen him buy six bronze equipment pieces in one go earlier, though he didn't have the level to wear them yet. He definitely wouldn't care about a few hundred gold coins for this White Tiger Pill.

However, before Ling Tong could respond, someone jumped up discontentedly: "What big tail wolf are you pretending to be? You don't lack money, but do we? We don't lack money either! I'll take 100. I take 50, my woman's 50. No shortage of money!" Saying this, he hugged his nearby seductive female companion and stood up proudly. That seductive female archer was also excited, snuggling up to the man with a coquettish whine.

Someone had thrown the first brick, inspiring followers behind them. Those who fancied themselves not lacking money stood up one after another to clamor, while the remaining family members looked sullen. In terms of power, this Lie Mountain City was indeed under their control, but in terms of wealth, they weren't lacking either. Yet those were public funds earned through painstaking effort by the family, how could they be so recklessly spent? Even if some family executives themselves were in good economic condition, it would be embarrassing to stand up and flaunt their wealth; they couldn't afford to lose face.

"Everyone, listen to me, listen to me. In total, we only received 45 of these pills in our batch. Considering everyone's needs, we will split them into 15 auctions, three pills each time, exactly a day's supply. The base price for three pills is 40 gold. Please bid freely." Ling Tong's words were like oil poured on a fire. Items that needed to be competed for now had only this much, so the Eight Immortals crossing the sea would each display their divine abilities—whichever had more money.

"45," "50," "55."

The moment Ling Tong finished, everyone began competing fiercely. Now, what they were buying wasn't the pill but status.

It skyrocketed to 80 gold, and only then did the upward trend slow. Many players unable to bear the price withdrew unwillingly, and finally, the first batch of three pills was sold at the high price of 120 gold each to the bald-headed monk.

Watching Ling Tong's small hammer fall, Ye Chen clenched his fists in excitement. 40 gold per pill, netting 30 gold each. Even if the remaining 42 weren't sold at this price, they would probably be close. This time, he was truly rich, fabulously wealthy. Thinking about it, he was really a country bumpkin; in the past, he had positioned Dragon Soar as a trading target, but the truly good buyers were these independent rich men.

Ye Chen seemed to already see countless gold coins beckoning to him.