Right now, Cario City looked like a hive of ants from up in the sky. Many people walked on the streets while carriages rushed through without a care for the wellbeing of pedestrians.
Today was the day of the First Player Auction. Every single player of the game - now reaching a whopping 95 million compared to the 50 million during the First Guild War - was headed towards this location.
If the scale of the cities in Boundless weren't so ridiculously maximized, it would be impossible for this many people to pass through such a location.
Even with the huge size, there was serious overcrowding going on in the Business District, where the Rank 7 Shop was located. Many people stood outside, waiting for their turn to enter.
Players didn't have to wait though. Like VIPs, they entered straight and were directed to the Auction Hall on the 7th floor. Amber had decided to extend the space so much that Draco could only see the top with his Eyes of Caelo.
Draco believed in his heart that such a thing should be impossible, but with a 'game master' like Amber here, it was made possible. She didn't really do anything anyway, she just took the default template and replicated it many times over.
Essentially, she entered the 'world editor' of Boundless and copy-pasted like she was on steroids. Naturally, this created the issue of space, but the Rank 7 Shop's 7th floor was a super mini small world anyway, so there was no problem there.
The next issue came in the form of viewing. Unless one had the Eyes of Caelo, there was a solid 0% chance they would hear or see what the f.u.c.k was going on down there, where the stage was set-up.
As such, screens that hovered in the air were spread out across the room, covering every 50 or so seats. Draco had no idea how they were made or functioned, but they were also part of the 'default template', so Amber hadn't magicked them from nowhere.
The seats were currently around 50% full. 90% of players were already in attendance, and the remainder were trickling in slowly, while only 30% of the NPCs had arrived.
The serf players of Umbra handled all of this. Tasking almost 1.5 million people - the number had grown from 1 million over time - with the job of seating and organizing more than 60 times their number.
However, the players weren't here to cause trouble. Putting aside whether anyone had the balls to cross Umbra, the actual members of Umbra were also in attendance, but they acted as guards.
Their sharp eyes and killing intent made many behave themselves, whether NPCs or players. Even the dark players who focused on espionage and murder behaved like normal law-abiding citizens here.
To put it in perspective, would you act a fool if you entered the cage of a Lion, even though it was 'tame'?
Draco, Riveting Night, and Clarent stood atop Luxia, who was currently hovering in the sky above the Rank 7 Shop. They simply gazed down on the masses that looked like ants to them, and felt the same too.
Currently, Clarent was telling heavily embellished tales about his youth to Luxia, in hopes to sway the Light Phoenix. As stated before, Dragons - just like humans - would bang anything if the opportunity arose, so Clarent was trying his luck.
Luxia might even have been amenable in a certain instance... but not when Clarent was small enough for her to gobble in one serving. Before chasing after skirts, the fellow should look in the mirror first!
Draco and Riveting Night were eerily silent though, just robotically gazing down upon the world. Riveting Night's face was locked into a frown while Draco was smirking.
Truthfully, the reason why Clarent might be bothering Luxia was because he was unsettled by the duo, which was also why Luxia might have been tolerating his nonsense as well.
Four hours passed, and the traffic outside the Rank 7 Shop had declined to a trickle. Everyone who was supposed to be in attendance was here, except a few major powers.
Another fact was that since these powers would be arriving soon, the members of Umbra had forcibly cleared a lot of space in front of the Rank 7 Shop for them to use.
As such, the multitudes of onlookers could only mount buildings and stand in other roads to take a glimpse. People were even selling spots to view the arrival of these powers at a premium of 50 bronze!
How many chances in one's life would they get to see all the pinnacle powers arrive in their grandeur? One should know that 99% of the world didn't know about the Bazaar or the Divine Auction. It was an event literally for the fabled top 1%.
To many, this would be a historic event. The ability to gather one's grandchildren and boast about it might make these grandkids feel like they were their best grandpa/ma.
Soon enough, the first major power arrived. Surprisingly though, it was the Adventurers Guild that made an appearance.
They came in a procession of men and women with leather armor and spears/bows/swords at ease. They looked lax and were even chatting as well as bantering with each other on their way.
In the center was a group of older men and women, most of them Draco recognized from when he had turned in the Subjugation Quest. At the time, the elders of the Adventurer's Guild had given him a reception, and some random clerk there got promoted for serving him.
When these people reached the Rank 7 Shop, they stopped and waited, yet not so silently. Some of their group were flirting, though the women who were receiving these attempts reached for their weapons… and almost drew blood.
Next came the Mercenary Guild. They were a power Draco had not interacted with yet because their paths did not cross, but that did not make them less of a powerhouse.
A guild like theirs didn't need anything from Vita City-State either, so they hadn't bothered to show up. One thing that was interesting to note was that the Mercenary Guild and the Adventurer's Guild had beef.
Both sides had a very similar entourage, only that the Mercenaries wore thick hide armor with metal padding here and there. When they arrived, the Mercenary Guild based themselves at the extreme end of the area, and both sides glared at each other.
Next was the Mages Association. A group of wizened old men in mage robes and pointy hats came down from extremely stylish carriages with the emblem of the association on them.
Among them were a few youths, probably their best young talents. Maybe they were brought here so that they could watch and learn? Then again, it did seem as if the Adventurer's Guild and Mercenary Guild brought a lot of miscellaneous people here.
After the Mages Association were the Cario Continental, Vintage Islands, Vareas Penninsula, and other councils. They also came in carriages, though less fancy than the Mages Association.
Next was the Church of Light, who came down from a stairway that seemingly led to heaven. This particular sight awed the crowd, and even Draco and Riveting Night were moved.
The Merchant Guild arrived with the most pomp so far, using a magitech airship from the old era's Magical Engineers. Draco's eyes sharpened when he saw this, and he used his Eyes of Caelo to inspect the airship.
｢Basic Air Traversal Device – Device
Rank: Epic｣
Unfortunately, he could only see the name and Rank for now, but that was all he wanted. Draco frowned when he realized that he would only gain the design for one when he reached the Master Rank in Magical engineering, which was light years away from him.
When the Merchant Guild landed and disembarked with their high-end attire and arrogant smiles, the crowd went abuzz. So far, the best entrances that got the crowd moved to their souls was the Church of Light, which represented the pinnacle of holiness and the Merchant Guild, who represented the power of wealth!
Even a long-extinct device from the old era that should cost millions of platinum in this era could be sourced/bought by them!
Finally, the area went quiet as everyone looked in a certain direction. It wasn't down, around, or even in front. It was up!
Draco and Riveting Night saw a huge Lesser Drake with minor Draconic blood in its body snaking through the skies with a fleet of men and women on its back.
They all wore a variety of attires, some in tribal attire, some in armor, some in robes. One thing they all shared was a wild and uncontrollable aura around them, as well as an intense killing intent that made even the members of Umbra stifled to the point that they could only look away.
Before going down, these people first approached Luxia and stopped a respectable distance away. The leader of them was Myrine, with Diana standing right beside her.
It seemed as if these two women were really important to the War Maniac Pavilion. Both of them were toned amazonian-like beauties with bronze skin and tribal wear.
The difference was that Myrine had her hair cropped to chin-level, while Diana had a warrior's ponytail. They both observed Draco with not so subtle hints in their eyes.
"Hello there, Draco." Diana greeted with a slight smile.
"And hello, Riveting Night." Myrine added with a smirk.
Riveting Night simply harrumphed and looked away. In the previous timeline, she hadn't known these two, but the War Maniac Pavilion had favored Darkrow.
As such, she did have some ties to them, which was why she was more tolerant. Besides, Riveting Night did feel that these two women had something outstanding about them, but she simply disliked them for the fact that they wanted to bed Draco without caring for his soulmate's approval on the matter.
If only they knew that the approval of Riveting Night was the most important step, they would bother her instead.
Myrine and Diana simply chuckled before focusing on Draco. "We are interested in seeing the lineup of items before the auction begins so that we may prepare accordingly. What would it take to acquire this?"
Draco pointed to the Rank 7 shop calmly. "The list will be shown sequentially during the auction."
Despite his cold rebuttal, the two women didn't seem the least bit offended or bothered. Instead, they seemed excited, as if resistance from their target was what they loved to see.
"Then we shall stop bothering you and attend the grand event you are hosting for us." Diana replied with a shake of her head.
Just when Draco and Riveting Night expected them to have the beast glide down, all of the people on its back jumped off, plummeting straight to the ground.
Including Draco and Riveting Night, every onlooker was flabbergasted, except those from the other top powers. They simply had an expression of 'goddammit, these fellows again'.
Diana and Myrine surfed the air itself like it was a wave which made Draco's breathing still. He had seen and heard of this skill before, called Windwalking, but it was at least, a Legendary skill.
To think both Diana and Myrine would have it. As for their colleagues, they all plummeted straight down without a care on their faces.
Just when people thought they would turn into roadkill or a meat paste, the ground tremored as a loud 'BOOM!' echoed out. Many people were shaken off their feet as they gazed at those who just landed stupidly, as if each one of them was some sort of superhero.
All of them were pristine, and in fact, it was the concrete beneath them that had drawn the short end of the stick in this battle. What even boggled the mind was that Diana and Myrine hadn't yet landed.
As for when they did, it wasn't with a heavy tremor, but a soft tap. As if choreographed, they both landed with their right toe first, then relaxed on the ground with smiles.
"Hello everyone, it's great to see that all of you have come to be part of this glorious event, even you two groups over there." Myrine pointed to a group of people clad in red leathers and another that was clad in black leathers.
Everyone else - except the top powers again - were absolutely shocked. Wasn't that the Thieves and Assassin's Guild? Just when had they appeared here?
Many people felt a chill crawl up their spine as they instinctively felt their throats and checked their wallets only to find out that everything was fine. They breathed a sigh of relief and swore never to cross these two guilds.
Davian from the Cario Continental Council smiled. "Since Lady Diana and Lady Myrine from the War Maniac Pavilion are here, we would like to see what guidance you have for us."
All the other powers looked over at the same time, also awaiting the words of the War Maniac Pavilion.
"We don't dare to give any orders. We are just here to view the ensuing spectacle and ensure that everything runs smoothly." Diana answered with a nonchalant tone.
"Ah, okay then. Let us not waste any time furthermore and attend this grand event." Davian chuckled, leading the other powers inside.
Once everyone entered, the crowd burst into a heavy discussion. Arguments, cries, and cheers broke out as many people began to chatter amongst one another.
They all discussed the marvelous event they had just witnessed with different opinions. Some felt it was grand, some felt it was meh, some felt it was bad.
Draco and Riveting Night tuned out such fellows, instead choosing to blink right into the 7th floor of the Rank 7 Shop. Even though there were spatial runes blocking that, how could the security system lockout its owner?
They appeared on the stage together, which caught the attention of everyone here. A bit of time had already passed, enough for the pinnacle powers to enter their VIP rooms at the top, meaning that everyone was seated.
As soon as the Evil Duo appeared, the place went silent. Nobody wanted to miss what they had to say as the creators of this event.
Draco smiled and stepped forward. "Welcome everyone, to the first auction of Umbra's Rank 7 Shop. We Immortal Adventurers call it the First Player Auction, which has a significant meaning where we come from."
"Some of you are here hoping to acquire some goods that might be useful to you that would be hard to find anywhere else. I dare say with absolute confidence that nothing we present will be something common."
"But of course, until the items are shown, my talk must seem cheap. Without tiring your ears with an unnecessary speech, let me introduce the host of our auction."
Draco gestured towards the backstage, and the curtains parted to reveal Zaine who came out in a light blue dress that hugged her form tightly.
Many male players and NPCs felt their throats become parched and even some females who were amenable to such things were moved.
Seeing Zaine having the effect he anticipated, he went backstage with Riveting Night, leaving the show for Zaine to handle.
Zaine confidently looked at the crowd and surveyed the millions of people here, of which 60% were gazing at her with intense l.u.s.t. If it were before Draco, she would have exploded from satisfaction, but now it merely put a smile on her face.
"My name is Zaine Morningstar, and I belong to the Lineage of Draco Morningstar." Zaine introduced herself with a curtsy that made her chest the focus of her body.
Many fellows had a nosebleed and began to fantasize, but when their minds parsed her words, their happiness fled and was instantly replaced by endless jealousy as well as hatred.
"F.u.c.k, that Draco bastard! He is not content with Riveting Night or that other dark-skinned woman called Roma… he wants to dip his fingers into such a beauty as well?!"
"Goddammit, I vote to delete the fellow from existence! I thought I was a king because I finally managed to retire from v.i.r.g.i.nity with a hot elf, but now I only feel sadness!"
"It's not that big a deal anyway and Draco is the top player after all…"
"Woman, can't you see we are venting our envy and hate? Why do you have to bring logic into this matter?"
"Ah? Erm… sorry then?"
The men in the crowd cursed and insulted Draco vehemently. Anyone could see that he brought Zaine here to flex that his beauties were unparalleled under heaven and that they could only look but not touch.
Draco sat in the overseer's office and felt all the negativity flow towards him. Like a wine connoisseur taking a sip, he had a content look on his face as he sighed with pleasure.
"Simply marvelous…"
If the fellows knew that their hate was a lovely tonic for the fellow, just how stifled would they be? At this moment Draco felt like he understood why Lucifer also loved being hated or seen as evil…
Zaine went on to introduce the rules of the auction. "As you should know, the only currency accepted for bidding is Aether Crystals, regardless of grade. Some items will have fixed minimum bids and increment rates in Aether Crystals only."
The players in the crowd who came here with super pomp and arrogance on their faces suddenly froze as they heard this.
Aether Crystal? What the heck was that?
The various NPCs saw the confusion of the players and snickered meanly. They witnessed Draco's plan unfold, and they felt that he was truly wicked.
Zaine ignored the ignorant players and focused on the NPCs as she continued onwards with the auction.
"Now, I would like to present the first item of this auction, which - like everything else today - is a special creation made by Draco himself, the very first and only Grandmaster of Enchanting in this age!"
An item was brought out from the back, and it's covering was removed to unveil a gleaming spear that looked greatly flexible.
｢Unnamed – Spear
Rank: Semi-Legendary
Effects:
Passive 1 – Eternal Growth: The user can sacrifice experience points to grow this item's rating.
Passive 2 – Penetration: Every piercing attack by this weapon deals 150% piercing damage and ignores 30% of target's physical defense and resistance.
Active 1 – Sonic Thrust: Send out 150 thrusts of your spear within 1 minute that deals 30% extra damage but has 70% less accuracy and drains 20% more stamina. Cooldown: 3 days.
Further abilities can be unlocked by sacrificing experience points. 0% of 15,000% needed to upgrade to Legendary Rank｣