A Frenzied Auction, a System-Level Question

But the father insisted that the primary goal of the guild's development should be to establish its reputation, and everything else would follow naturally.

In retrospect, the results have indeed been remarkable.

From now on, when players talk about auctions, they'll probably only look for Starlight Auction House!

After the price climbed to 20 million, the other guilds began to hesitate, but Legion Guild remained resolute and determined to win.

Just when everyone thought the treasure would eventually fall into the hands of the Legion Guild, a voice suddenly interrupted the auction:

"Fifty million." An unimaginable number came from VIP room number one.

It's Chongxing!

"Chongxing Cheater really made his move! I knew he wouldn't just stand by and watch!"

"Chongxing is too extravagant, actually daring to confront the Legion Guild head-on!"

"Isn't that obvious? Putting aside his previous profits from selling equipment and running dungeons, just from these two Territory War, he monopolized an entire city; who knows how much he've earned."

"Although the Legion Guild is large in scale, it is not like Chongxing, who can act alone and make decisions freely. I'm afraid it can't keep up, right?"

"No wonder even the Cheater off items; it's to raise Gold Coin, isn't it?"

Indeed, the official forces, who initially thought they had it in the bag, began to waver after Chongxing- intervening.

Especially since he was "Know by Heart" with the funds, he lacked the authority to allocate more than 50 million guild funds, so he had to immediately request instructions from his superiors.

He soon received instructions to withdraw from the auction.

"Just as I expected." It wasn't surprising to receive such a Know by Heart reply.

Although he knew that his superiors valued the Jade Book Golden Pages, he was unwilling to exhaust his financial resources for it.

Their Chongxing is different from that of someone walking alone.

A large membership size is both an advantage and a burden.

Focusing on overall development, they cannot easily squander huge sums of money.

Moreover, they have various methods to force the other party to ask questions according to their own ideas.

That saves us from spending another 50 million Gold Coin.

How hateful!

In the past, would a businessman like this dare to challenge a regular army?

Isn't that just courting death?

The only option is to make money and run, otherwise you'll just be exploited.

Now, even if he grits his teeth and fights to the death, he may not necessarily be the victor.

This is all because there are people above them who are suppressing them.

Never mind.

"Giving up is a pity."

"If it could be handed over to us, the research team in our association might be able to uncover even more value from it," a member of the management team suggested in a low voice.

"Should we try negotiating with Chongxing? Explain our intentions to him; maybe he'll be willing to give it to us."

"Know by Heart," she glanced at him helplessly.

Do you think he's the kind of person who can consider the big picture? Or do you feel he's easy to talk to?

"Isn't it because some people keep using the 'big picture' to fool others while actually enriching themselves? How many fools still believe in the big picture and the collective?"

"The key is that even those who believe in the big picture and the collective will not reach the top. Look at those outstanding figures, the true geniuses in various fields, who among them believes in the big picture?"

"Aren't they all rushing overseas to win big prizes?" Know by Heart shook his head.

Since they met Chongxing, this person has consistently shown an attitude of caring only about his own safety and being indifferent to the plight of others.

Asking him to consider the bigger picture might provoke his anger on the spot, so it's best not to bring it up.

"...Hmm, you're right." The person who made the suggestion also knew that the idea was impractical, so they simply stopped insisting.

After all, times have changed.

The first half of the auction ended with the final item fetching a high price of 50 million, and then the second half began.

"In the second half, we will adopt a player-mandated trading format, such as barter."

"We have already received requests from some players, and now extend a trading invitation to all Earth players. Those interested can contact our staff via private message."

"We have already assigned a dedicated liaison officer to handle this."

Gongzi Su pointed to one side of the auction hall—where a row of players wearing special headgear sat.

These players, with the help of certain items, can receive private messages from all other players in real time. After filtering out invalid information, they promptly transmit the valid messages.

"Players on-site can submit transaction requests directly to us, and we will contact the client on their behalf."

This auction format is something many people are seeing for the first time.

Of course, some people already knew.

Zhang Mingzhen thought to himself that the commission he had posted to find clues about the level 80 dungeon should also be used to gather information in this way.

"The first commission!"

"The client needs to find players who can convert attributes, whether through special items or innate abilities—such as temporarily converting strength attribute into intelligence attribute, all of which are being considered."

"The reward will range from 50,000 to 100,000 Gold Coin, depending on the specific results!"

This idea of attribute conversion has been proposed by players before, but it ultimately failed due to the high difficulty of implementation. Unexpectedly, some people are still unwilling to give up.

After all, doing this gives you a significant advantage when doing dungeons.

Many bosses have different resistances.

Some have high physical resistance, while others have high Spell Resistance.

After waiting for a while, Gongzi Su thought the commission was going to fall through, but unexpectedly received a call!

No one knew who the contact was, only that Gongzi Su had received a message: someone possessed similar abilities, but there were limitations to their use, and further discussions with the client were necessary.

With Gongzi Su acting as the mediator, the commission was successfully completed.

He then announced that the commission had been finalized on the spot.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

"If someone can really convert energy, then certain innate abilities would be truly extraordinary—like those directly linked to specific attributes!"

"The world is truly full of wonders; other people's talents are incredibly diverse, but mine are everywhere..."

After witnessing that entrusted transactions were indeed feasible, more and more players contacted Gongzi Su to submit their requests, and many of them completed the transactions on the spot.

Finally, it was Zhang Mingzhen request a commission.

"The person who issued this commission made no attempt to conceal their identity; it was none other than the great god Chongxing."

"He offered a reward to all players for clues related to the level 80 dungeon. The reason is well known, so I won't go into details."

"The reward will be based on the value of the clues provided, but the maximum commitment is—to meet any one of the other party's conditions, within acceptable limits!"

"Such an opportunity is once in a lifetime; everyone must seize it."

Zhang Mingzhen had no intention of concealing this commission.

Now that the entire server knows he's searching for clues about the level 80 dungeon, there's no point in hiding it anymore.

As Gongzi Su finished speaking, everyone present, from the players to the spectators in the surrounding area, was captivated.

For the top player in the game to make such a promise, the reward is truly enormous—whether it's leading a team to victory or obtaining equipment, it far exceeds what current players can achieve.

However, clues to level 80 dungeons are indeed hard to come by.

Most people have barely crossed the level 70 threshold, how could they possibly be approaching level 80 dungeons so quickly?

Even with tempting rewards, they dare not take the risk easily.

If incorrect information is provided, a good thing could turn into a disaster, and in that case, dying once would be the least of your worries.

For a long time, no one contacted Gongzi Su.

Even Zhang Mingzhen felt that the hope was slim.

Just then, a liaison officer sent a message: a player said that he might have encountered the relevant prerequisite dungeon, but failed and quit early due to insufficient strength, and it was impossible to determine whether it was directly related to the level 80 dungeon.

Even so, it was still a special mission scenario.

He hesitated whether he should tell Chongxing, worried about disappointing the master.

There are no other contacts at the moment.

Gongzi Su truthfully relayed the situation to Zhang Mingzhen, leaving the decision to him.

Upon learning that someone might have clues, even if it was uncertain, Zhang Mingzhen naturally wouldn't rule it out.

So he added the player as a friend and they agreed to explore the mission location again another day, hoping to find new clues.

Aside from hunting monsters and climbing the Trial Tower, he had nothing else to do right now.

The player named "Haoran" is from the Seventh Major District and is a Swordsman.

The God's Domain Game has undergone several minor internal updates, so it naturally does not need to be taken offline.

This includes job adjustments, name and skill changes, all in order to adapt to the local culture.

For example, Swordsman might be called a knight in the West.

Zhang Mingzhen planned to go to the Seventh Major District after the auction to explore the place known as the "Sword Cavern" with him.

Even if it's not a dungeon, it might contain special quests that could yield unexpected rewards.

He then proceeded to handle other entrusted matters.

It must be said that tasks issued through the Starlight Merchant Guild of Commerce are often extraordinary.

Some people searched for materials they had never heard of—names like Zhang Mingzhen were nowhere to be found, not even in the records of the Chamber of Commerce or official documents. It's truly baffling where the client found such information.

Some people search for specific individuals, perhaps having learned of the whereabouts of certain people with extraordinary abilities, believing that finding them will bring them good fortune.

Some people are also looking to buy equipment with special attributes, such as items that combine unconventional attributes like evasion, blocking, and Fortune. This is probably some players trying out new paths.

Previously, some players had proposed the idea of a "Fortune build" for equipment, which sparked a lot of discussion among players.

There are countless game strategies and tactics.

Just like those online games before.

These requests also broadened the horizons of many players, who realized that there were so many "out-of-the-box" people around them.

Their unconventional approach might truly pave another path for Earth-based players.

This is vitality.

Gao Linzhi exclaimed, "A vibrant scene of life, with everything flourishing, is right before my eyes!"

Life will find its own way. As long as you don't suppress it, attack it, or shackle it, it will find the most suitable path for survival and development through self-iteration.

The Starlight Auction lasted for a full four hours.

Not only did they build a reputation for the guild by selling a large number of high-quality items, but they also accumulated a huge amount of Gold Coin.

While in the past everyone believed that the major official guilds that occupied territories were more financially powerful, now everyone agrees that the "Starlight Merchant Guild" may be the richest in the God's Domain.

The successful auction brought fame to the Starlight Merchant Guild.

At the same time, they also officially announced the establishment of the first business alliance in the God's Domain.

The alliance members are located in various regions, and players are encouraged to trust the alliance and support its trading and commission models, thereby attracting many players to join.

The Starlight Merchant Guild's status as the number one merchant guild in the God's Domain is now beyond dispute.

In Gao Linzhi's view, they were clearly trying to become the model of the Adventurers' Guild in order to seize the ecological niche of the regular army.

This isn't because most players don't trust the regular army.

In reality, most Ordinary Player still trust Legion Guild more.

After all, they aren't top-tier players; they don't have any top-tier talent or equipment, so they shouldn't be considered part of the big picture.

Conversely, Legion Guild, at least in terms of overt trust and stability, are far more reliable than private guilds.

Especially among Dragon Han players.

After the auction, Zhang Mingzhen returned to his personal residence, intending to place the Golden Toad he had won there and test its effects.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into his home and took out the Golden Toad, a system notification appeared:

"Conditions meeting the special mechanism have been detected; the 'Spirit Child System' system has been activated in the Advanced Home."

"Consume 'Golden Toad (Rare Item)' x1 to exchange for 'Golden Toad Spirit Child System' x1?"

I never imagined that a level 5 homestead could unlock new features using rare items.

What exactly is this "Spirit Child System"?

Zhang Mingzhen hesitated whether to exchange for it, unsure of the purpose of the Spirit Child System.

However, the Golden Toad itself has a limited durability; if it could be replaced with Spirit Child System, it might be able to be used for a long time.

"Exchange it!" he finally decided.

Since it's a mechanism unique to advanced homesteads, it shouldn't be completely useless.

System notification: "Congratulations to player 'Chongxing' for obtaining the bound Spirit Child System - Golden Toad Child."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chubby Doll wearing a bib and with a pigtail tied on top of his head appeared at his feet—it was indeed a "chubby" Doll.

Zhang Mingzhen even felt that the two might be about the same weight.

The Doll squinted its big, bean-sized eyes, and when it smiled, it looked just like a miniature Maitreya Buddha.

"Father!" The little Golden Toad immediately began to acknowledge its father upon appearing.

"What did you say?"

What utter nonsense!

Zhang Mingzhen immediately felt a pang of regret for exchanging the Golden Toad for this "thing".

He simply couldn't feel any affection for children.

After all, he was neither married nor in a relationship, and he harbored a certain fear of the new era.

He also found it difficult to feel any pity for a "lump of flesh".

No wonder it's called "Golden Toad Child"; this Doll's true form is most likely Golden Toad in disguise.

Look at that round, chubby belly, that little fat boy covered in soft flesh... Luckily, his skin is smooth and there are no bumps, otherwise he probably would have made him disappear on the spot.

"What are your skills? Show me." He was determined that if this little thing wasn't of much use, he would immediately send it back to be remade.

However, he immediately dismissed the idea as soon as it crossed his mind.

He thought of the mechanics of the God's Domain, which stipulated that indiscriminate killing of rare NPCs would be punished.

This is clearly a constraint imposed on the powerful in the God's Domain Game, preventing them from turning God's Domain into the Elder Scrolls V.

"Master, I can concoct medicine! I have many skills!"

"We can also purify existing medicines—we, the Golden Toad Clan, are born experts in medicine!" The chubby Doll raised its round face, keenly aware of the displeasure of the person in front of it, and changed its words.

"Alright, from now on call me Master. Now, try refining this pill."

He didn't want any "son," and casually took out an optimized Great Restoration Pill and handed it over, wanting to see if this pill, which had been improved by the player, could be further refined.

"Yes, Master, I'll try."

A chubby little hand took the pill and then put it in its mouth to chew.

Zhang Mingzhen stared at the Golden Toad Child swallowing and spitting out the pills, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper—this purification method was truly unbearable to watch.

In just a few breaths, the round little creature spat out a golden pill that shimmered with light.

The pill was crystal clear, with a faint spiritual light swirling around it, clearly quite different from the previous Great Restoration Pill.