｢Basic Phoenix Fire Potion – Consumable
Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Explodes upon impact to release Low-Rank Fire Phoenix flames in an area of 1km, dealing 700% fire damage and granting a <Seared> status.｣
Many players went crazy at this sight. After all, this potion by itself was pretty much as strong as one of the skills on the Semi-Legendary items that were sold in this auction!
Most of them had Common skills which gave 15% or less of their practical damage, so something that enveloped the full amount and even multiplied it by seven was game-changing!
A potion like this wouldn't pale too much compared to Rina's almighty Supernova that was a common reoccurring nightmare every now and then among the players who had actually ended up experiencing it for themselves.
A single serving might be able to kill a Captain Rank Boss in one hit, depending on that monster's relative strength of course.
As for the NPCs, they were greatly impressed. As a consumable, its value was far below that of the Semi-Legendary items that had just been introduced, yet the key was in its simplicity.
It didn't require one to have proficiency with a certain weapon type. It simply needed to be tossed out, and could even be placed as a trap, killing an enemy easily and safely!
With a weapon that possessed this same effect, one would have to get in combat range, and if one ended up with a speedy enemy like the Magic Hind, one would be in trouble.
After all, putting aside whether it was possible to land a hit on the monster, the Magic Hind might rush up and clobber the attacker to death!
Yet, it didn't change the fact that this was first and foremost an Epic potion - not Semi-Legendary - as well as the fact that it was a single-use item. Putting aside whether it deserved to be traded for with Aether Crystals, even its value in platinum wouldn't be too great.
As such, many parties with fewer low-grade Aether Crystals already calculated to buy it at a price range of up to 15 low-grade Crystals max.
However, what had both players and NPCs seated on their chairs like they needed to visit the loo was a certain potion among the group.
｢Basic Dragon Transformation Potion – Consumable
Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Transform a limb into that of a Low-Rank Fire Dragon for 1 minute.｣
It didn't matter whether one was an NPC or player, they all immediately had the same idea once they read the effects. That was naturally to transform an arm or leg into that of a Dragon's and furiously shave off the scales.
Such a thing would not disappear after the potion lost its effect, and it would be authentic Dragon Scales, ready for crafting, sale, or whatever other purposes the person wanted it for.
Of course, some thought about abstract things like a dragon's third leg, planning to shoot the fastest serving of 'dragon s.e.m.e.n' into a target and raise some half-dragon kids.
This was another viable and long-term idea that many Hidden Powers favored over something short term like scales. If they could get and i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e a Homines, that would be even better!
(Author's Note: The Homines are a strange humanoid species that look like mannequins. Eva bought one at the Bazaar. They have no genetic DNA of their own, so whoever 'spurts' in them or 'gets spurted in' by them would gain an offspring that is 100% a replica of the other parent's bloodline/genes.)
Then, there were the other three potions on display.
｢Panda Summoning Potion – Consumable
Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Spawn an energy lifeform with the abilities and full power of a Senior Pandaren Daoist for 25 minutes.｣
｢Panda Spirit Potion – Consumable
Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Gain the 'Pandaren Spirit' passive skill permanently.｣
｢The First Sin Potion – Consumable
Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness)
Effect: With the blessing of the Sin of Wrath, gain invulnerability for 1 second and a damage boost of 500% for the same duration. The user will become incapable of combat for 1 week afterward.｣
These potions! Each one was more tyrannical than the last. Even just the Dragon Transformation Potion was enough to upset the various powers in attendance, but this was above and beyond!
The Panda Summoning Potion would allow them to summon a Senior Pandaren Daoist Energy Lifeform. For scale, the Pandaren occupied the number 7 on the State of Being Rankings, and their numbers were few.
They had secluded themselves in the mountainous continent of Jinpo, meditating and aiming to reach transcendence. Even the Rank 6 Draco as well as the rest of the playerbase had hardly ever interacted with such races since their scope of activities was usually limited to human settlements.
Little was known about them, but many basic fundamentals had been unearthed over the centuries. After all, the Pandaren had to interact with other races occasionally, whether it was for trade or more commonly as a way for them to find their own Dao.
Through these interactions, the Ranks of their members became known to certain powers and a lot of the NPC guests. A Senior Pandaren Daoist was the equivalent of a High-Rank entity in terms of racial State of Being.
Such an entity could certainly provide immense help for 25 minutes, whether it was in a war, a crucial battle, a duel, a crusade, etc.
Then there was the Panda Spirit Potion, which gave a very special passive skill belonging exclusively to the Pandaren race. It was a special race locked skill on the level of Aether Production.
Basically, the Panda Spirit passive skill was what allowed the race of sage-like bears to cultivate internal force for their martial arts. With it, a person could switch to such a system for combat, though they would struggle without the actual manuals and techniques from the Pandarens themselves.
It was a truly valuable potion that was on the level of something Legendary for possessing a mere Epic Rank. Then again, this was precisely why Draco had crafted it.
Potions that offered more useful and special effects would always be highly respected, unlike potions like Angel's Kiss and All-Sight that were common to Master Rank Alchemists.
Anyone at their level could purchase a few Angel's Kiss and All-Sight potions by paying a good sum to acquire it, but a potion like this one was something that could not be chanced upon easily.
Draco could have drunk the potion himself, but he wasn't in a hurry. He still had his bloodline and subjective magic to master, so adding more to his plate would show short-sightedness and basic greed.
Besides, he had the recipe for it as its creator. Not to mention he also had Pair Dadeni to handle the 'cost of business' for him.
Truly, the day the system bestowed these two items to the fellow, it had created the means for the fellow to give it endless trouble!
After this was the last unique potion, and the one that made the various pinnacle powers unsure as to whether they should bid yet or not. After all, they were only supposed to pop out for the final stage items, but some of these were just too tempting.
The First Sin Potion was the best potion many of these powers had seen in the last few hundred auctions they had visited. This was a potion that granted the elusive invulnerability, although for only one second.
Draco having 5 seconds of invulnerability every time he respawned seemed mild because he was an Immortal Adventurer, but just imagine it from the perspective of an NPC, especially a pinnacle power.
What could one do with 1 second of invulnerability? In the real world, very little. In Boundless? A lot. Far too much to list.
For defense, an NPC about to be squashed to death by a monster or another party could drink this at the last second and weather the attack, especially if it was the opponents' trump card.
Then with the 500% damage boost, one could retaliate with their own trump card against their foe!
As for offense, one could use this to raid a normally impossible boss. If one had a Legendary item with a powerful active skill, they could wipe an entire Legendary Dungeon or even Divine Dungeon if they were smart about it!
This potion simply had too many uses, and its value was practically at the tier of the Dragon's Blessing, yet the latter won out by offering something permanent. Of course, since the NPCs could realize this, how could Draco or Zaine let them go?
Since they dared to attend with their Aether Crystals, it was better for them to leave the resource with Draco so that he would safe keep it for them!
"The Basic Fire Phoenix Potion is set at 10 low-grade Aether Crystals, and it shall be the first bid item for the second stage of this auction. Please be aware that there is only one in stock for each of these potions, so make sure to buy them at all costs." Zaine announced with a knowing smile. "As for the increment, it is a minimum of 1 low-grade Aether Crystal."
When the various parties heard that there was only one in stock for each of the potions, they were rendered speechless. Since it could be made, it meant the creator - Draco - should have the recipe.
Being the creator of a potion or equipment granted one a higher chance of success compared to others, so it was not like he could never make another one.
Yet he deliberately chose to only make one of each for the auction, clearly using the hunger marketing strategy. The truly painful part was that even though many could discern this, there was little they could do that would change the fact that they would have to bid in hopes of getting it.
Io and behold, a slightly fierce bidding war came about.
"11 low-grade Aether Crystals!"
"12 low-grade Aether Crystals!"
"14 low-grade Aether Crystals!"
"15 low-grade Aether Crystals!"
Soon, the price climbed to almost 23 low-grade Aether Crystals, which was far above an Epic potion's usual price in platinum. The ones bidding were the middle-tier guests, who formed the majority of the bid force.
As for the low-tier guests like the players and those NPCs that only had one or two low-grade Aether Crystals, they could only watch on silently with constipated expressions.
Many players had become unhappy with the whole arrangement and tried to leave, but the members of Umbra stood in the way of the exits. The rule was that no one was allowed to leave till the end, and the players kept silent.
This was not solely out of fear of Umbra, as the general player base outnumbered the guild members, but because of the terms of the First Player Auction Event.
｢The First Player Auction – World Event
Description: The First Guild Umbra are hosting a grand auction in Cario City's Rank 7 Shop. All players who attend the event will be rewarded!
Note: Once attending, the auction cannot be exited halfway, or the rewards shall be nullified with a penalty getting extracted.
Rewards: 1 gold, 1 Uncommon Treasure Chest and a 10% off on all purchases made in the Rank 7 Shop for the next 14 days.｣
These rewards were even better than what was given for attending the First Guild War. As such, the 45 or so million new players had arrived in a heartbeat, thinking that the system was truly too generous.
Those fellows slandering the game in the media and protesting against it were simply liars.
As for the old players who had attended the last one, they had hesitated greatly. After all, they had already fallen for the same honeytrap the last time, and instead of coming out on top, they almost got ruined by the Emergency Quest.
Luckily, the system had waived all penalties for death with the exception of durability, so most of the 70 silver the players had earned in the reward for the First Guild War got spent on that.
Even worse was the fact that more than 97% of them had bet on Myriad Cards and Lorebinders during that event, making the system the biggest winner.
Of course, those who went against this choice had profited so greatly that their lives had changed.
Still, the 50 million old players showed up today because it was too big of an event to pass up. Major things had happened in the First Guild War, which had matured them and shown them so much more of the game.
This time would likely be no different. Funny enough, this was the exact reason Draco even brought them here, enforcing that these players truly had matured when it came to understanding Boundless.
The Basic Phoenix Fire Potion's bidding ended with the final price at 27 low-grade Aether Crystals. It was still a hefty sum compared to those who used this amount to buy upgradeable Semi-Legendary weapons, but the buyer was red-faced with joy.
It was an old woman who looked slightly pretty with her lightly wrinkled skin and reasonably well-shaped body despite her age. She was like one of those demure noblewomen who remained slim their whole lives while maintaining a great skin tone.
What she wanted to use it for that made her so happy was lost to all onlookers, but it was clear that in her heart, she felt she had gotten it cheap. This surprised Zaine, as she precisely began with this potion expecting it to sell averagely.
However, Zaine was forgetting that unless one lived in the shoes of another person, one could never truly understand their situation, but only assume or estimate.
It was possible that a serious event was occurring in her life that this potion would be able to resolve, so to her, the subjective value was far greater than the objective price.
Zaine shook her head and moved on. "Next is the Basic Dragon Transformation Potion. This item is set at 50 medium-grade Aether Crystals. The increments can only be made with 1 medium-grade Aether Crystal per bid."
When the crowd heard this, they froze as silence descended on the area for a split second. After all, the jump from low-grade Aether Crystals to medium-grade ones was a serious shift in the tempo of the auction.
A medium-grade Aether Crystal was valued at 10,000 platinum on the market, but its availability was limited. In a given month, only 10 could come out of the prominent Aether mines around the human-side of the world.
This was why the 700 Draco had presented at the Divine Auction made the pinnacle powers go mad. The market price was only there to keep it stable as well as give a point of comparison.
If one were to value it by scarcity alone, the price could reach around 100,000 platinum per crystal, which was usually the price it ended up being sold in auctions and the like.
Every bid for such a resource was supposed to be set at 10,000 platinum per crystal in every auction worldwide by unspoken law.
Almost no one in the world sold Aether Crystals in a marketplace using the market price, unless one was extremely lucky and found a fool. Then again if you found such a fool it might very well turn out, that the 'fool' might get the last laugh...
So, for the potion to be worth 50 of them at the base was… mad! Even the objective value of the potion did not agree.
The Basic Dragon Transformation Potion should be worth around 150,000-250,000 platinum, but at the market price, 50 medium grade Aether Crystals were equivalent to 500,000 platinum!
Even average swindlers in wretched rags would be more honest than this!
However, no one was able to voice out their disgust, not due to fear, but due to logic clamping their throats. After all, they all knew what the potion would be used for once they got it.
As a battle potion, the Basic Dragon Transformation was a top-tier one, which was why its estimated objective price was so high. However, the 'other' uses for it made its value shoot into millions of platinum.
As such, the current price could also be described to be too cheap! It was this paradox that had shut up the crowd and left them feeling very smothered.
Of course, this was referring to NPCs. More than 98% of players were absolutely lost at this time, not knowing what was even going on.
Zaine had an aide bring her a seat and sat down, flipping open a book as she waited for the crowd to process this information. Since she had given the price, they could start bidding whenever they wanted.
This action snapped most parties out of their ruminations, and the bidding war began.
"55 medium-grade Aether Crystals!"
"59 medium-grade Aether Crystals!"
"63 medium-grade Aether Crystals!"
"68 medium-grade Aether Crystals!"
The speed at which it was climbing chilled the hearts of many guests who understood the value of Aether Crystals.
Even if the item was great, they expected the bids to climb as slowly as for the previous items, where every increase was accompanied by the relevant parties introducing themselves and asking for face from their colleagues. But who could have known that such large jumps would be made?
However, this didn't stop the current situation. The bids soon climbed to the eighties, and during all of this Zaine remained nonchalantly seated on the stage while reading her book.
Quite frankly, many felt that this whole situation was ridiculous. This shouldn't be called the First Player Auction, but the First Bizarre Auction.
Even telling someone of these events going on would sound like a tall tale or a person's fever dream, but it was happening live and colored.
The Basic Dragon Transformation Potion's bids closed at 98 medium-grade Aether Crystals. Just a little bit more and it would have reached 1 high-grade Aether Crystal!
It was this fact that made the bidders stop. Even though many wanted it desperately, losing a high-grade Aether Crystal was no joke. Such things were scarcer than medium-grade ones.
In a given year - not month this time - only 1 or 2 could come out of the mines. It had already turned into a tradition that whoever was lucky enough to get one, would invite the other mine owners for a feast, which was a polite invitation to boast about their luck. As such, the total count over the centuries would not be too impressive.