Chapter 2131 - Auction House Opening
Shi Feng stared at the stone token in his hand, deep in thought.
Could this be the reward for being the first person to link an NPC Auction House?
The Silver Auction House Certificate had been a rare sight among first-rate Guilds in the past. It was easy to imagine how difficult it was to upgrade a Bronze Auction House Certificat to Silver rank.
Aside from a bonus reward, Shi Feng couldn’t think of any other possibilities for this unexpected boon.
After considering the matter for some time, Shi Feng decided to stop worrying about it. Instead, he tapped on the certificate and inspected its Attribute Panel.
[Auction House Certificate] (Silver Rank)
Token to manage Auction Houses. Can be used to move the resources available in owned Auction Houses. Can be used to collect 15% revenue from owned NPC Auction Houses. Increases NPC Auction Houses’ popularity by 30%.
Amazing! It’s so much better than a Bronze Certificate! It’s no wonder Auction Houses with a Silver Certificate had grown so rapidly in the past! Shi Feng was ecstatic after reading the certificate’s information.
The Bronze Auction House Certificate only granted players 10% of an NPC Auction House’s revenue. This referred to the processing fees charged when players used the Auction House’s services. There was simply no comparison to a player-built Auction House, which allowed players to collect 100% of the Auction House’s revenue. However, since far more players used NPC Auction Houses than those who used the player-built versions, 10% was an exceptional amount of money.
Meanwhile, the Silver Auction House Certificate provided an additional 5% of profits. This was equivalent to obtaining half the management rights to a second NPC Auction House.
The Silver Certificate also increased the NPC Auction House’s popularity by 30%. This was akin to a 30% increase to the Auction House’s promotion speed, an effect the Bronze Certificate didn’t offer at all.
As NPC Auction Houses developed, they became larger and more extravagant. They would also gain more Auction House Rooms for sale, which would drastically increase the Auction House’s profits.
Most importantly, Auction House Certificates weren’t the same as the NPC Auction Houses themselves. While an NPC Auction House could acquire new owners, Auction House Certificates could not. The certificates were considered personal possessions. Even if a player lost their original NPC Auction House and won another, they would enjoy the benefits the Silver Certificate provided through their new Auction House.
If the various superpowers find out that Zero Wing has this, they’ll likely do everything they can to take White River City’s Auction House from us in the next Auction Arena, Shi Feng thought to himself as he smiled.
As time passed and White River City’s Auction House continued to develop, the profits the Auction House generated would increase. Eventually, this city’s Auction House could earn more than two NPC Auction Houses in other cities.
So far, most superpowers had only secured two NPC Auction Houses. If Zero Wing could win another in the future, it could earn the income of three and a half NPC Auction Houses. At that time, Zero Wing’s financial prowess would even be considered above average among superpowers. Furthermore, Zero Wing could link its NPC Auction Houses to its Guild Auction Houses.
Even superpowers would have to think twice before trying to compete with Zero Wing’s financial strength.
Shi Feng then left White River City’s Auction House and made his way to Stone Forest Town.
Although he had already obtained the Auction House Certificate, he physically needed to visit each to use the certificate, linking them.
Stoneclaw Mountains, Stone Forest Town:
As Shi Feng walked down the town’s main street, he could see how much the town had begun to decline. Aside from new players, very few experts and merchant players roamed the town.
When Stone Forest Town had been at its peak, it had housed more than 800,000 players. Now, there might not even be 300,000 players in the town. Moreover, Stone Forest Town had only been an Intermediate Town during its glory days. It was now an Advanced Town and occupied several times the space, yet it had slightly more than one-third of its player population during its heyday. This made the town’s look even bleaker.
Even the superpowers who had wanted to lay claim to the town, had lost interest.
The only reason that Stone Forest Town still attracted players was its Advanced Auction House and Battle Arena. If Zero Wing City’s Battle Arena hadn’t been so crowded, there wouldn’t be so many players visiting Stone Forest Town now.
After a short moment, Shi Feng arrived before the Zero Wing Auction House.
As he entered the building, He noticed that only a small number of players conducted business in the hall. Moreover, these players were under Level 50, with most only around Level 30. They were pitifully weak compared to mainstream players, who had already reached Level 60.
If Stone Forest Town weren’t located next to the Stoneclaw Mountains and had an Advanced Auction House, not even these players would waste their time here…
By now, there were a plethora of low-level grinding spots available, since most players had outgrown these maps. Low- level players could also find an expert to power-level them in high-level maps. Obtaining top-tier, low-level weapons and equipment wasn’t a concern anymore, either. Players simply had no reason to grind in the Stoneclaw Mountains.
Some players might still value the Magic Crystals the Regional Dungeon produced, but players past Level 50 couldn’t actually enter the Dungeon anymore. High-level experts couldn’t power-level their low-level comrades in the Dungeon, either. Naturally, there was a qualitative difference between a player’s leveling speed when they had an expert’s assistance and the leveling speed of a player without such help. By abandoning their chance to catch up to the frontline players to grind for Magic Crystals, players were placing the cart before the horse. After all, high-level maps had far more opportunities and resources available.
Of course, there were bound to be exceptions. For example, Workshops and Guilds’ money-farming teams would gladly grind in the Stoneclaw Mountains. Magic Crystals would always be sought after in God’s Domain, regardless of players’ levels. Even Zero Wing had sent its low-level members to grind in the Stoneclaw Mountains for Magic Crystals in exchange for GCPs.
Glancing at the players in the hall, Shi Feng made his way to the staircase in the corner and proceeded to the Auction House’s top-floor. This was also where the Auction House’s warehouse was located.
After entering the warehouse, Shi Feng took the Auction House Certificate from his bag and started chanting an incantation. As he did, the magic arrays on the ground lit up with a silver glow as they resonated with the Auction House Certificate in Shi Feng’s hand.
When he had finally finished the chant, a set of doors appeared in the middle of the warehouse. The doors were made entirely out of Black Luminaries Stone, and they led to the warehouse in White River City’s Auction House.
Shortly after, the doors parted, and a group of well-armed NPC soldiers emerged. They were all Level 180, and their leader was a Level 180, Tier 3 Knight.
NPC administrators from White River City’s Auction House then followed, flooding into the warehouse.
When the parade of NPCs ended, the sound of a system notification reached Shi Feng’s ears.
System: The setup for Zero Wing Auction House’s teleportation array is complete. Do you wish to open the shared warehouse now?
After calming himself down, Shi Feng said, “Open!”
Suddenly, the Auction House interfaces for the Zero Wing Auction House and the White River City Auction House changed, giving visiting players access to items from both sources.