Chapter 124: The Auction (Part Five)

Just as expected, once Fei'er announced the auction of the final item, Young Master Romantic called out an unprecedented price: 50 million!

It seemed he was determined to win it, but unfortunately, there was someone with the power to challenge him. A calm, steady voice came from the VIP room next to ours: "60 million!"

"It looks like the 10 million in funds I prepared won't be needed," Murong Shanshan remarked helplessly.

I asked in surprise, "Who is next door?"

Murong Shanshan leaned over to look into the neighboring room, then turned back and said seriously, "It's a man!"

Everyone was momentarily speechless. Xu Lin took a look as well, and after a while, she smiled and said, "I don't recognize him. He isn't among the top ten players."

"Let's see how things develop..."

Young Master Romantic continued to raise the price bit by bit, and the powerhouse next door matched him without hesitation. Before long, the price was approaching 100 million. The increments of their bids gradually slowed down; it seemed that spending hundreds of millions on a virtual item was still not easily accepted by everyone.

"95 million!"

"97 million!"

Young Master Romantic grew impatient and immediately raised his bid to 100 million!

The powerhouse next door remained silent for a long time. Just as Young Master Romantic thought he had secured the Guild Creation Permit for 100 million, a voice came from next door that nearly drove him mad: "110 million!"

Lu Xuehan and I were overjoyed, and Xu Lin beamed with a sweet smile. With 100 million, the 25 percent commission alone would be enough to keep her living comfortably for the rest of her life.

Ignoring the fierce battle raging outside, Lu Xuehan and I began to calculate our shares. "We'll split the money from the Guild Creation Permit fifty-fifty. We also have the 800,000 from the equipment sold earlier and the 500,000 from the scrolls. We'll split those equally too, although that unscrupulous capitalist will still scrape off a significant chunk~"

"Lin Fan, who are you calling an unscrupulous capitalist?" Xu Lin looked at me with a smile and continued, "How about this? Since you and Xuehan have certainly earned quite a lot, and this equipment wasn't something I farmed myself, I feel bad about exploiting you further. This time, if the two of you pay a combined fee of 10 million, you won't have to pay any more fees in the future. You can keep everything you earn from here on out. How does that sound?"

If anyone else had said that, I would have thought it was a rip-off. But given the current situation, Xu Lin's decision was undoubtedly a massive green light for us. At a 25 percent commission rate, I alone would have been stripped of over 20 million, but now, the two of us together were only being charged 10 million.

I was in a great mood. After a moment of thought, I declared, "Tell you what, Xuehan doesn't need to pay. I'll cover the fee for both of us. Also, I'll give everyone in our studio a bonus of 5 million. That's generous enough, right?"

Xinyu stared at me in disbelief, too excited to speak. Xu Lin smiled and asked, "Is there a share for me?"

"Of course! Everyone except Xuehan gets one!"

Murong Shanshan blinked and whispered to me, "Are you crazy? You're just giving away tens of millions? Tens of millions!"

I smiled and replied in a low voice, "I'm on my own, what do I need so much money for? Besides, there's plenty more..."

"Sigh..." Murong Shanshan sighed and whispered, "When will you ever think about yourself..."

The tug-of-war outside had reached a fever pitch. The price of the Guild Creation Permit had soared to 200 million. Aside from Young Master Romantic and the powerhouse next door, a few others who had been watching from the sidelines joined the fray. It seemed that quite a few people coveted the title of the first major guild in Silver Moon City. It was no surprise—the first guild to be established would surely attract a large number of top-tier experts.

Soon, the price skyrocketed to 300 million. Those who had been sitting on the fence finally bowed out, leaving only Young Master Romantic and the "powerhouse" to battle it out.

Murong Shanshan pursed her lips and smiled. "It's nearing the end. The guy next door still looks calm, but Young Master Romantic's face across the way is starting to look like liver."

She was right. Although Young Master Romantic was wealthy, 300 million seemed to be his limit. The man next door was clearly a major boss himself; otherwise, his voice wouldn't have sounded so firm and decisive.

"400 million!"

The powerhouse's bid went straight to 400 million. Young Master Romantic finally gave up, sighing to the beautiful female rogue beside him...

Fei'er let out a sultry laugh and announced, "That concludes today's auction. Congratulations to player Blood Red for winning the Guild Creation Permit! My friends, I will see you all next week. By the way, at everyone's request, I have created a character a few days ago—an Elf Rogue. As for the ID, it's a secret for now, but in a few days, I'll be in Silver Moon City!"

I didn't care much for what the flirtatious host had to say. My focus was entirely on the numbers in my bank account. Dazed, I looked at the balance: after deducting the 5 percent fee—20 million—from the 400 million, 380 million remained. With my previous savings, my bank card now held over 400 million. It was the first time in my life I had seen such a number.

I transferred 190 million to Lu Xuehan, 10 million to Xu Lin, and gave Xinyu her 5 million bonus on the spot. I still had over 200 million left. Damn it, I could finally stand tall and no longer have to worry about the auntie downstairs laughing at me for not being able to afford a shirt that cost more than 20 yuan!

It was already 11:00 AM. I looked at everyone and said, "How about we head to the hotel now for a good lunch? Oh, and Murong Shanshan, wait for us at the school gate; we'll be there soon."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Murong Shanshan smiled and asked, "Can I bring Keke along?"

"Of course, let's go now, we'll be quick!" Since we were already treating eight people, we might as well make it ten for a full table.

...

After logging out, Xu Lin called the others out. We put on our coats and headed out. Liu Yun and Li Qing still wore their cold, icy expressions, their eyes devoid of any human emotion—incredibly indifferent. Fortunately, I was used to it and didn't feel uncomfortable. Perhaps I was just numb, or perhaps I preferred not to reveal my true thoughts to others. In this line of work, that was unavoidable.

Xinyu wore a pink sweater, her full, prominent bust nearly bursting through the fabric. Her pure white casual pants perfectly outlined her alluring curves, and her lovely face was glowing with a charming smile. A single coquettish glance from her was enough to make my heart race.

"Lin Fan, do I look pretty today?" Xinyu asked with a giggle.

I couldn't find the words to answer. After a long pause, I finally said, "Very..."