Chapter 153: The Finale of the Auction

The Shadow Dance Greaves, a Level 33 Silver-grade equipment. The entire auction house fell into a momentary silence, followed immediately by an uproar. Thief-class players stared with burning gazes, while other classes wore expressions of disappointment, all secretly thinking why, oh why, was this not an equipment for their own class.

Equipment for the Thief class had always been priced slightly lower than that of other classes. After all, for a team, the Thief class was often dispensable, unlike tanks and healers who were absolute essentials for any group. Even equipment for other output classes commanded higher prices than a Thief's. Today's situation, however, was rather anomalous. The moment Spirit Eye's voice trailed off, the Thief players below immediately initiated fierce bidding.

"1,100 gold."

"1,200 gold."

"1,300 gold."

Each incremental bid exceeded 100 gold, causing the players in the venue to gasp in astonishment. This turn of events exceeded even Ye Chen's expectations. He had anticipated that high-tier equipment for the Thief class might suffer a brief cold reception, but he had never expected such intense enthusiasm. Looking toward the players who were placing the bids, understanding dawned upon him instantly.

Frost Butterfly—needless to say, a RMB-warrior among Thieves, never short on cash.

Ferocious Tiger Bloodblade—this fellow had popped up again. Word had it that he had switched allegiance and joined Legend. With Legend backing him and a powerful family supporting his endeavors, he certainly faced no financial pressure during the bidding.

Wolf Striding the World—the premier Thief of the Evil Wolf clan. Rumor had it he was the young master of a large corporate conglomerate in reality, so everyone knew what that implied.

"My luck is truly exceptional today; the wealthiest Thieves in Lieshan City have all gathered here. It should fetch a very respectable price," Spirit Eye whispered privately, her voice carrying a faint trace of joy.

While the two of them were speaking, the price had already climbed to 1,800 gold. In the end, Ferocious Tiger Bloodblade could not match the two financial heavyweights and withdrew in dismay. Only Frost Butterfly and Wolf Striding the World remained in contention. However, the two of them stopped escalating the bids further. Wolf Striding the World cast a distant glance at Frost Butterfly and said in a loud voice, "Miss Frost Butterfly, let's not keep shouting like fools. Let's put it this way: 2,300 gold is my limit. If you can afford more, take it."

"Since that is the case, then I am terribly sorry. My limit is 2,500 gold. These Shadow Dance Greaves belong to me." A hint of a smile appeared on Frost Butterfly's face.

Upon hearing this, Wolf Striding the World offered his congratulations with great gentlemanly decorum and calmly sat back down. He did not seem angered by his failure to secure the Silver-grade equipment. However, through his eavesdropping capability, Ye Chen knew that this outwardly graceful and dashing young master was actually vicious and ruthless. He had already contacted a team of Thieves and intended to track Frost Butterfly down and kill her so her equipment would drop.

At 2,500 gold, the Shadow Dance Greaves had sold for a very impressive price. Counting the other two Thief equipment pieces Frost Butterfly had purchased earlier, she had spent a total of 3,900 gold. Ye Chen was quite satisfied, so he magnanimously sent her a private warning: "You had better be careful of that Wolf Striding the World, lest you lose both your equipment and your level."

Upon hearing this, Frost Butterfly's body trembled slightly before returning to its normal state. She replied with a light smile, "Many thanks to the top expert. I will remember this favor."

"Oh? You aren't even a little suspicious?" A hint of slight surprise colored Ye Chen's tone.

"Heh, is there any need to be suspicious? I am well aware of Wolf Striding the World's hypocritical facade; it is not the least bit surprising that he would pull something like this. Besides, as the number one expert of Lieshan City, Brother Ye seemingly has no reason to deceive me," Frost Butterfly's voice was crisp and melodious.

"The number one expert of Lieshan City?" Ye Chen was slightly taken aback.

"Of course. Could it be that Brother Ye does not check the rankings? You have already surpassed Monk Dingyuan and become the number one person on Lieshan City's level leaderboard," Frost Butterfly's voice carried a trace of envy.

Only then did Ye Chen pull up the level leaderboard to take a look. Sure enough, although they were both at Level 38, his experience had already surpassed Monk Dingyuan's, propelling him to the top spot!

Being the highest-leveled player among a hundred thousand people did not elicit any overwhelmingly intense feeling, Ye Chen thought with a hint of self-mockery. Still, standing at the very peak had its own appeal; he imagined his eldest sister and the others would be both shocked and delighted. Of course, Ye Chen was not naive enough to think that being the highest level made him invincible—level was not an absolute representation of overall strength.

"Mad Wolf Battle Axe, Level 35 Berserker-class Silver-grade equipment..."

As Spirit Eye produced the final auction item, everyone's gaze refocused on the auction stage. Ye Chen, however, noticed that Frost Butterfly had already retreated into a corner and quietly used a Town Portal Scroll. A moment later, Wolf Striding the World, having withdrawn his gaze from the Mad Wolf Battle Axe, discovered that his target had vanished. Checking in with his Thief comrades lying in wait outside, he found no trace of Frost Butterfly either, and his expression instantly turned pitch black.

The Mad Wolf Battle Axe once again sparked a bidding frenzy. As the player demographic with the most adherents, Berserkers never lacked wealthy individuals. Players of this manly profession tended to make their moves just as manly. After a fierce competition, this Level 35 Mad Wolf Battle Axe was ultimately won by Breaking Wind God of War from the Breaking Wind family at a high price of 3,500 gold. With this, the small-scale auction came to a perfect conclusion. Ye Chen's total earnings had reached a staggering 8,800 gold, falling not far short of the price of a single high-tier Gold-grade equipment.

Having collected all the gold coins, Ye Chen bid farewell to Spirit Eye and departed directly from the Yehua Liujin Auction House. Although he was quite eager to rush straight to Level 39 and equip the Lich's Staff, knowing that he had to strive tomorrow for the Martial Soul Secret Realm and the Sword Demon's Proof, he had no choice but to log off and head to sleep.

When he woke up, it was already past nine in the morning. Had Lingyue not come over to call him for lunch, he would never have woken up naturally.

After partaking in Lingyue's loving breakfast and dragging her out for a short stroll to deepen their affection, the two returned to the studio, parted ways, and logged back into the game to prepare for the Martial Soul Secret Realm opening that afternoon.

Gold-Hiding Mountain in the northern outskirts of Lieshan City served as the mineral gathering hub for the entire Lieshan City. All life-profession players who had learned the Mining skill spent several hours here every day. No matter what status you held outside, here you possessed only a single identity: a miner. Once you learned the Mining skill, you were destined to sweat profusely for hours on end; the life of a miner was invariably grueling.

Clang, clang, clang...

Inside a Level 3 mineral cave on Gold-Hiding Mountain, Ye Chen was stripped to the waist, swinging his blackened pickaxe with all his might. With every swing, he muttered under his breath, "50 gold, 50 gold, 50 gold, 50 gold..."

After God knows how many strikes, a crisp ding suddenly echoed in his ear. Looking down into the mineral pit, he spotted a fist-sized piece of golden ore that had been knocked loose. Ye Chen hurriedly picked it up with a face full of delight.

[Gold Elemental Stone] (Level 3 Rare Ore): An ore condensed from gold elements. When added during weapon forging, it increases the durability and sharpness of the weapon. Other uses unknown.

"Ha, how many pieces have I mined? Is it up to 100 yet?" Shielding his eyes from the dim light, Ye Chen tossed the Gold Elemental Stone into his backpack and excitedly sent a private message to 2058.

"Yes, you've got a full 115 pieces now. Tell me, aren't you tired? You've been mining for a solid three hours straight. Moreover, take a look at the other miners in the same cave as you—they're practically on the verge of tears," 2058 said, sounding somewhat speechless.

"Only a fool wouldn't be tired. The game design for mining is utterly infuriating; consuming stamina is one thing, but having to factor in a fatigue sensation as well? After mining for three hours, I'm barely in better shape than a dead dog," Ye Chen gasped for breath, glanced at the surrounding miners glaring daggers at him, and offered an awkward smile. Leveraging 2058's advantages, he had practically monopolized all the rare mineral veins in the entire cave, leaving those poor fellows with nothing to mine but ordinary ores.

"Then why are you pushing yourself so hard?" 2058 messaged back.

"I have no choice; this is all money! According to your guide, once these Gold Elemental Stones enter the Martial Soul Secret Realm later, they can all be converted into gold coins. A single piece of Level 3 rare ore is worth at least 50 gold—where else can you find a deal like that? Still, this should be enough for now. Counting the items I swept up from the market earlier, I've gathered 300 Gold Elemental Stones. More than enough profit," Ye Chen muttered as he put away his pickaxe, donned his armor, and tore open a Town Portal Scroll to return to Lieshan City.

By this time, it was already two-twenty in the afternoon. The Martial Soul Secret Realm, which had shaken the entirety of God's Descent, had been open for a full twenty minutes. Yet, not a trace of anxiety could be discerned on Ye Chen's face. The resurrection point was situated not far from the teleportation point, visible from afar. While the beams of white light at the teleportation point were sparse, the white light at the resurrection point resembled a torrential downpour, countless and innumerable. The beams of resurrection light hovering above the entire resurrection point had merged into a massive, sprawling sheet.

A single beam of white light equated to a fallen player. With white light filling the sky, no one could possibly calculate how many people had died. All nearby players stared at this spectacle with stunned expressions.

"I'm not going back, I'm not going back! No matter what anyone says, I am never setting foot in that Martial Soul Secret Realm again today. Two levels—I've dropped two levels."

"Dropping levels is one thing; my weapon even dissolved into slag. My Bronze Battle Axe..."

"Those Gold-Devouring Beasts are terrifying. They eat equipment; I can't take it."

Listening to the clamor and discussion drifting from afar, a hint of a smile surfaced in Ye Chen's eyes. True to form, 2058's guide was as reliable as ever. The Martial Soul Secret Realm was a massive cake, producing all kinds of martial souls capable of enhancing player strength. Naturally, its initial opening would undoubtedly spawn numerous powerful martial souls that would henceforth be difficult to encounter. Driven by profit, countless players chose to charge into the Martial Soul Secret Realm at the very first opportunity. However, pioneering any map was bound to be exceedingly dangerous, and a new map facing all players of God's Descent like the Martial Soul Secret Realm was doubly so. Gold-Devouring Beasts acted as a barrier within the realm; these monsters devoured metal equipment from players. Since nearly all players wielded metal weapons, and heavy-armor classes were clad entirely in metal gear, the outcome was entirely predictable. Stripped of their equipment, players were like lambs to the slaughter—relying solely on their base attributes, no one could withstand those Level 40-plus elite monsters.

The Gold-Devouring Beasts' ability to consume metal terrorized all players, while the Gold Elemental Stone served as the key to neutralizing that ability, making the value of this ore self-evident.

Contemplating the gold coins soon to fall into his hands, Ye Chen smiled faintly and strode toward the Martial Soul Secret Realm in the southern outskirts.