Chen Tian arrived in Water Moon City, where countless ice-blue bodies of elves resided. They were water element and ice element spirits. Chen Tian also discovered many players constantly entering the city.
Chen Tian became puzzled. Why would an elven town have so many players?
The Winter Kingdom was an elven domain, a region inhabited by ice and water element spirits. Players rarely came here.
Later, Chen Tian went to a notice board and began reading. He instantly became interested, stroking his chin and saying, "An auction? I wonder if there will be any items that can lift my seal. Let's go take a look!"
Then, Chen Tian, along with other players, headed towards a certain location, which was Chen Tian's destination: the Elven Auction House.
The Water Moon City's grand auction, held every three years, had begun. Players and NPCs could acquire desired items through bidding. Since this auction was held only once every three years, the items appearing were extraordinarily rare.
No player or NPC wanted to miss out. Chen Tian also thought he might find an item to break his seal, so he wanted to go and see.
The Elven Auction House was located in the center of the southeastern area. Before Chen Tian stood a massive building. Its architectural style resembled a blend of a hotel and an ancient pavilion from the real world. It had a total of seven floors, and each floor was incredibly vast.
The sheer size of the main hall could be gauged even from the entrance, capable of accommodating a large number of people.
As Chen Tian stepped through the entrance, the ice-blue, transparent walls and floors made him feel as though he had entered a world of snowflakes. Chen Tian immediately took a photo; the scenery was quite beautiful.
He then approached the counter, where an elderly NPC stood. The elder respectfully said, "Respected adventurer, how may I be of assistance?"
"I wish to participate in the auction. What are the requirements?"
"Adventurers require a substantial amount of Epoch Coins to participate in the auction, with a minimum capital of seventy million. Furthermore, the higher your capital, the more advanced the items you can bid on."
"May I ask, adventurer, if your capital is sufficient? If it is, please open your inventory for this old man to see and to verify your identity!"
Chen Tian heard the old man at the counter and twitched the corner of his mouth. "Uh, my inventory can't be opened. What should I do?"
Chen Tian suddenly remembered that his inventory was sealed, and he couldn't take out Epoch Coins. Otherwise, would Chen Tian's Epoch Coins be enough to participate in the auction?
It was laughable. If completing so many quests and defeating bosses yielded no Epoch Coins, then the game would be incredibly stingy.
"Hahaha! Kid, if you don't have money, just say so. Why are you making excuses here? If you don't have money, scram! Don't block my way, young master!"
A arrogant and imposing voice rang out. Chen Tian frowned deeply, then turned his head and ignored the speaker.
Seeing Chen Tian glance at him and then ignore him, the youth became enraged. He then opened Chen Tian's status panel and looked at Chen Tian with a ferocious expression. "A mere commoner dares to ignore me? You're seeking death!"
Instantly, the youth slowly moved his hand, and a terrifying hand blade shot towards Chen Tian's neck. A black and white light emerged from Chen Tian's embrace and collided with the hand blade. Simultaneously, the youth staggered back a few steps.
"What's going on? This guy, what was that just now?"
Qing You was Chen Tian, then shouted furiously, "You dare to fight back, brat? Just you wait, you just wait!"
Then, the youth slowly ran out of the main entrance. Chen Tian paid him no mind. He was merely a level thirty-five player, clearly a noble player. Chen Tian didn't even want to see players in noble mode; they annoyed him.
This was because some noble players, relying on their high status, felt superior and completely disregarded other players. It made sense, though. Noble players naturally possessed both power and wealth. As long as they didn't break the rules, they could do as they pleased. They didn't even need to complete quests to obtain any item they wanted.
Chen Tian truly hated these noble players. Just like Qing You earlier, who clearly relied on his status and mode to demand Chen Tian yield the way. Chen Tian hadn't even bothered to acknowledge him. Anyway, Sisi was here, and he wasn't afraid. Sisi's combat power could now contend with players up to level forty-five, so Chen Tian had some self-preservation ability.
Therefore, one shouldn't cower from those they shouldn't. A head-on confrontation was the way to go. As for the consequences, Chen Tian had already guessed them: that guy would likely find people to surround and kill him. But it would be useless against Chen Tian.
Chen Tian continued to converse with the elder. The elder spoke calmly, "Adventurer, please rest assured. It is normal for the inventory to be unusable at this time. During the auction period, your gold coins can enter and exit freely. However, after the auction, your inventory will revert to its original state. This is a setting of the auction house, designed to prevent situations like yours."
Chen Tian was delighted to hear this. There was such a setting? Was Time Epoch so meticulous? Chen Tian now understood that this game had perfect explanations and settings for different states, ensuring that players would not be affected at specific times.
For instance, in Chen Tian's current situation, as long as he was within the auction house, his Epoch Coins could enter and exit his inventory freely. But once he left, it would be completely sealed.
This was also implemented to ensure that players who had their inventories sealed for special reasons could still participate in auctions.
Chen Tian waved his hand, and instantly, countless round gold coins slowly appeared before the elder. The round gold coins piled up like small mountains. Soon, four small mountains appeared before the elder.
The elder was shocked. Was this the wealth a single player could possess? This was almost comparable to a noble!
"I wonder which floor of the auction these Epoch Coins qualify me for?"
Chen Tian said indifferently. He came to the auction hoping to find an item to lift his seal. If not, he would at least see if there was anything else that could help him.
"Esteemed adventurer, please wait a moment while I tally it."
The elder slowly drew a screen with his left hand. Instantly, above the four small mountains of gold coins on the table, the table opened to the left, creating a void. The Epoch Coins poured into it.
The elder then said calmly, "Adventurer, your capital has qualified you for the seventh-floor auction. Here is your pass. Additionally, you may purchase one item during the auction period without spending any Epoch Coins."
"Mm!"
Chen Tian took the card from the elder and looked at it. The card was golden, with shimmering stripes on both sides, resembling QR codes. In the center of the card was Chen Tian's portrait, and below it was written his assets: a staggering three hundred fifty-eight million Epoch Coins.
This asset level was comparable to a minor noble. This was largely thanks to the boss rewards Chen Tian received during the anniversary event.
Although he received many items, Chen Tian couldn't check their information because his inventory was sealed. He didn't bother with them, deciding to deal with it after the seal was lifted.
Just as Chen Tian was about to enter the first floor of the auction house, countless soldiers suddenly appeared and surrounded him. Chen Tian's expression turned cold.
"Kid, kneel and apologize, and this young master will spare your life!"
Qing You slowly appeared before Chen Tian. Four or five soldiers surrounded Chen Tian. Chen Tian's expression remained calm. "Since you wish to die, I shall fulfill your wish. However, large-scale combat is forbidden in the auction house. Let's have a scene PK!"
Chen Tian said coldly, then opened his electronic interface. Instantly, the surrounding scene flickered. When Qing You and his companions recovered their senses, they found themselves in a forest.
Chen Tian looked at the surrounding soldiers. They wore ice-blue armor and carried ice-blue transparent swords and spears. Their bodies seemed to be made of ice, and they were like robots, emitting no aura.
"Puppets? Sisi, finish them quickly. They're all just level thirty-five."
"Roar!"
As Chen Tian spoke, a black and white light shot out from Chen Tian's embrace. It spun rapidly in a circle, and with numerous explosions, the soldiers surrounding Chen Tian were blown apart.
Qing You looked at the colossal figure before him and was terrified. The black and white tiger, with its terrifying aura and ferocious eyes, bared its sharp fangs and stared intently at him.
"No, you can't kill me! I am a noble. Even if I revive after you kill me, the nobles won't let you go."
"Sisi, devour him!"
Chen Tian casually picked his ear. Nobles, what was so great about nobles? It was just right to kill him once; your noble status would disappear. It was good to break his arrogance.
Once noble players were killed, their status would disappear. Upon revival, they would assume a different identity. This was also to maintain the interests and balance among nobles.
It was like a player becoming the crown prince of a kingdom. If he fully matured, he would rule the nation. But upon death, that identity and player information would be erased, and no NPC would remember him. Otherwise, if the crown prince died and revived, died and revived, wouldn't the kingdom fall into chaos?
One must understand that the power struggles among nobles were the most terrifying. Some even instigated wars to become emperor. If the crown prince didn't die, how could they cease their ambitions?
In short: Born into royalty, one must fight for power. Born into royalty, one's life is not their own.
You had to fight for that position, whether you wanted to or not. If you fought, you had to fight to the end, because no one wanted to be sentenced to death. Dynasties changed like eras, with transformations occurring above. Positions were not permanently fixed, and people's hearts were not always beautiful.
Chen Tian paid no mind. After killing the annoying flies, it was time to see what was at the auction. As for the nobles, so be it if he offended them. Chen Tian wasn't afraid.