Of course, before one could even think of doing such a thing, one had to be able to beat away those unhappy and unsatisfied fellows who wouldn't just allow their piece of cake to get stolen so brazenly!
Looking at the difference in power between the members of Umbra and these top powers, it was clear that this attempt to eat the cake whole was destined to fall flat.
So then, what exactly was Zaine doing? If she was truly so clever to think that she could outwit everyone in attendance, then she should have long predicted that something like this would happen.
So, the question then became, how was she going to resolve this current tense situation?
Zaine transformed into her full devil state, displaying her purple horns, long nails, heart shaped tail, bat-like wings and purple eyes. Even though it should have been impossible, she became even more s.e.xier, exuding pheromones that made people lose their inhibitions.
However, she wasn't doing this to bewitch those top powers, even if it would work. No, Zaine was allowing them to have a taste of her aura, so that they might understand who she truly was.
And as if she was clairvoyant, the malevolence directed at her became crooked and stifled. The ones sending it out had confused and constipated expressions on their faces.
That was the aura of a Royal Devil, right? This meant that she was one of Mephisto's three daughters, and looking at her low-profile behavior before today, as well as her intelligent scheme, she should be Mephisto's favorite child...
And she had introduced herself as a Morningstar… didn't that mean she was one of the mothers of Draco's children that was publicized recently?! If that was the case, putting aside her own backing…
Didn't that mean that Draco had Richmond, a Titled God, and Mephisto, the Devil King himself, to act as his guardian?
What the f.u.c.k?
What kind of backing was this? How was this fellow supposed to weather troubles in the world himself and grow to become a powerhouse? With a backing like this, many would have to think three times before even looking at him.
After all, Richmond was a single person who could still be dealt with, but Mephisto as the leader of the Devil Race was an entirely different story! If they, out of anger, decided to side with the demons during the next Great War, the whole human race might get wiped out this time around.
In fact, it might only be the pinnacle Rank 7 powers surviving afterward.
Of course, the backing Mephisto provided was not fool-proof. Because it was extremely hard to cross over to this realm from their own, he could only pay a terrible price to wage war with them... unless it was time for the Great War.
So, in essence, just like Richmond had once told Draco that his deterrence would last 3 years at best, Mephisto's deterrence also had a shelf life, which was until the Great War ended.
Yet for this current issue, it was enough to calm down the top powers. Putting these facts together, there was no need to act out right now, however they would certainly all remember this day.
Seeing that everything had simmered down, Zaine bowed. "I thank the various seniors in attendance for their understanding and forgiveness. Shall we continue the auction?"
"Just get on with it," Spoke a female voice from the room of the Vareas Penninsula Council.
Zaine smiled and nodded. "We shall now begin the bid for the fourth device, at 4.5 billion low-grade Aether Crystals. There is no minimum increment limit this time around."
There was a slight spell of silence before a withery old voice spoke out. "Send it over for the base price."
Zaine complied immediately, as this was what she had aimed for. She didn't dream that this one would sell higher than the last, but was content to get the same price for it.
After all, she was targeting the losing parties from the previous bids, and they lost their bids for a reason. It was even a stretch to expect them to fork out the same amount, but they were still able to by taking what dredges were left from others.
All of it was testament to just how hot this item was, they would only have lost the bid if they were 1 minimum increment lesser than the winning party, so they only needed to gather than amount using various means, hence the spell of silence.
Once the fourth device was taken away, the fifth one was also snatched in such a manner, with the formerly losing party paying the same amount as all the other winning parties before them.
Many merchants in the crowd were shaken by Zaine's boldness, and even more so because of its fruition. One should remember that this was an auction, not a marketplace.
In a marketplace, everything had a fixed price, though the vendor and buyer could still bargain. So, if Zaine stated this price in a marketplace, these same powers would have bought it quietly without a fuss.
However, this was supposed to be an auction! Here, the final price was decided by the flow of the bidding, not demand and supply! To arbitrarily increase the value of the same item to a different party was unethical, discriminatory and sc.u.mmy!
However, when one looked into the details and took it in for all angles with in-depth knowledge, they would only describe her act as clever but unwise. It was no longer unethical, but just dangerous if not done well.
Fortunately, Zaine had performed spectacularly!
So, the fifth device was also taken for 4.5 million medium-grade crystals, which was easier for the powers here to gather. After all, they only stopped their bidding to remain at the same price as those who bid with low-grade ones, not that they ran out of crystals.
This meant that some crystals escaped her whale mouth, yet Zaine could only sigh bitterly and let it go. It seemed as if she had developed Draco's endless greed, which could be attributed to the same phenomenon plaguing the women in his inner circle.
They were all obsessed! Riveting Night, the worst of them, did so many things that was similar to Draco, that the fellow even felt like he was a bad influence on her.
Now, Roma, Zaine and Hikari were picking up some things slowly over time. Sigh, to think that such lovely flowers would be corrupted by that cow dung…
The sixth item was also taken away by the losers from the previous bid, namely the Mages Association, Adventurer's Guild and Assassin's Guild.
They also paid out the same 4,500 high-grade Aether Crystals in the end. Their acquisition was almost immediate, showing that this amount did not even dent their vaults, which made Zaine clutch her chest in pain.
However, Draco soothed her soul by informing her of his plans to rectify this. He would make some more after the auction and sell it to these powers privately around the same cost in order to drain everything properly.
The amount of Aether Crystals in circulation had to be reduced, so that their value could be increased. Once they were down, Draco could push for the world to accept his new conversion rates outside the auction, and make the system recognize it.
Why would he do so? He would benefit so greatly that it wouldn't even be a joke!
Don't forget that the fellow could spawn high-grade and top-grade Aether Crystals as long as he stayed at Vita City-State! If he were to later convert them down, what would happen?
Not to mention that it meant that the higher the grade the more the potency. The value the system set was not due to market price alone, but the natural quality of the item.
If Draco managed to somehow get the system to recognize the new conversion rate, the potency of the crystals should change to fit the new rates. In other words, an important mechanic of the game would be altered!
Of course, the difficulty of doing so was like climbing Mount Everest n.a.k.e.d with one's family tied to their back. It wasn't something that could be realized just yet, if even at all.
Now, all that was left was the final device, the seventh one. Many in the crowd wondered what would happen to this outlier in the lineup.
Would it be used for a demonstration? That would be a waste though. Would it be sold for a top-grade Aether Crystal? That seemed likely, as only the Church of Light and War Maniac Pavilion had yet to bid.
Only they could possibly take out top-grade Aether Crystals to bid.
Oh, certainly the other powers had top-grade crystals hidden away from the public eye, but to use it for bidding? It was a pipe dream. You would have better luck asking them to hand over their leadership to you than to do that.
If it was just 1 top-grade crystal, maybe the Church of Light and War Maniac Pavilion might be willing to pay it out assuming the item moved them enough.
Truth be told, no one knew the depths of these two powers. The Church of Light's headquarters existed on an island that was nowhere to be found on the map, and the location for the War Maniac Pavilion's was also unknown.
The demons had never been able to reach them no matter how hard they tried, and they had been the top powers since time immemorial. Just look at the fact that only the Church could grant one the rights to become a deity, or hand out a Divine Chest/item.
At the time the old era had ended and the new era began, the Church of Light and the War Maniac Pavilion had been established, and there were whispers that the leaders were of the same blood, hence the close ties between both powers.
All eyes fell on Zaine at the moment. How did she plan to auction out this item to the bidders? The only ones who could pay at the same level were these top two.
"For the last item, we wish to gift it to the Church of Light and War Maniac Pavilion, in honor of their neutrality in all matters, as well as their staunch defense of humankind." Zaine announced with a deep bow, showing an unhealthy amount of cleavage to the crowd.
She didn't intend to tempt anyone, but what we wanted in life was not always what we got. As such, many nosebleeds erupted amongst the crowd.
Along with that, many felt shock and envy. To receive such items so easily… truly, being at the pinnacle of the world was a good thing!
Not only that, by gifting it to them, this prevented all the other powers from acting out using this excuse. To put it crudely, Zaine was publicly paying out protection money, so it was now up to these two powers to receive it or not.
Despite their high standings, many people felt like the top two powers were like wicked mafia bosses as they answered her.
"We'd be happy to accept your gift." Diana replied from their room.
"We thank the Auction House for their kindness." Madam Carrie also replied from hers.
Goddammit, they accepted! Now, it was three times harder for any unsatisfied power to act. They could only go home and nurse their anger in silence, waiting for Umbra to make a genuine slip-up before they could do anything.
Zaine smiled widely and clapped. "With all the items sold out, this brings an end to the First Player Auction. I'd like to thank everyone in attendance for your visit! We will now hold an after party for those who wish to attend. It will be held in Vita City-State."
At first, many powers and players wanted to leave immediately in a huff due to dissatisfaction, but when they heard that they would be able to visit Vita City-State, they decided to stay and go.
And so, the various powers and players here filed off for Vita City-State. As for the top powers, they got there with relative ease while the players had to queue to use the Portal Center.
Thankfully, the Portal Center in Vita City-State had been built, and its quality was higher than that of any other kingdom or empire since it was built by the Mages Association to honor their agreement.
Unlike others, people could carry heavy loads, enter with mounts, and even use carriages to pass through. Its reach was also far greater, being able to enter the 'starting towns' of new continents, though the price for that was extremely heavy, 100 gold.
It was able to allow the 95 million players to arrive, though the logistics of it gave those working at these Portal Centers nightmares for decades to come.
The after party was held the next day, as transferring 95 million people was not a joke, even with portals. It was quite a grand event, and many powers were surprised by the budding City-State's progress.
They had only visited once, on that day where they had come to negotiate, and the City-State had almost been an endless land of plains back then. Now, the plots were slowly being filled with shops, hotels, inns and the like.
There was also the budding noble district in the center, surrounding the Aether Hall, as well as the residential area for the citizens, which was just outside the noble district.
They were much smaller in size compared to the other service/business buildings, but they stood out due to their prime location, at the heart of the city-state.
Many players were shocked when they saw these benefits. Only very few knew of the qualities here, and the rest were ignorant. Once they saw it, they also went mad like the NPCs.
Many inquired how to buy land, but the NPCs who rented the place answered them by first laughing at them derisively. Only a minute later, when they got their breath back, could they tell them the conditions. When the players heard them, their faces went black and blue, almost making them vomit.
It was impossible! Unless they were part of the original 3,000 members of Umbra, getting land here was not easy. Even the new members that had since been recruited were still undergoing testing and evaluation before they were given such rights.
Still, many consoled themselves that they could enjoy the other benefits like the experience boost. Also, many spent most of their money from the First Player Auction event on items.
After all, for the same Common/Uncommon Rank sword that would cost a certain amount outside, they could get this item that was 15% better for the same price.
Was there even a decision to be made? Since they had the spending power, these players did not hesitate to spend. This was capitalism at its brightest and best!
The budding economy of Vita City-State was so greatly invigorated by this that it caused an amazing chain effect. The Tradeskill players among the playerbase paid everything they had and more to work alongside these NPCs in their shops.
As for renting their own shop, forget it. They were light years away from being able to afford such a price.
Many combat players also drooled when the mercenaries described the lucrative Field Zones within the Paradise Lands. They would earn 3 times more if they accompanied them to spelunk these areas than if they ran normal dungeons or Field Zones.
The issue was, now that players had been introduced to Vita City-State and were enthralled by the benefits, they were unwilling to leave, regardless of their various footholds in other cities/kingdoms.
This was all after the banquet of course, which lasted a total of two days. Players were given free accommodation in the hotels for the first night, displacing many others who wanted to reside in such buildings.
The top powers checked up on their various estates and nodded satisfactorily before promptly leaving, since they had other things to do.
As for the matter with the players, more than 70% had to reluctantly leave, as they either could not afford to stay or had different obligations elsewhere.
The few that were able to stay behind were cut down by about 90% after a week, as these players had blown through their money and could no longer enjoy the city's benefits.
The remaining ones were mostly semi-pro and above players belonging to the Tradeskill category, with a few combat players of the Elite Rank and above. They were able to earn a lot from their daily work that they could still afford to stay in the hotels while earning a good profit.
Draco could only sigh when he saw the difference between the occupation of NPCs and players. In any good MMORPG game, it was only the activities of players that could give rise to rapid progress in any facet of the game's world.
In these past 10 days, the boost Vita City-State had enjoyed was ten times greater than in the 14 days before they had arrived. Players were crucial to the growth of a city, even if they were all Rank 1 noobs.
Just imagine what would happen if they all hit Rank 2. What they could give back to the City-State would be twofold!
As for the Uncommon Treasure Chest the AI gave out, hehe. 99% received super strong Common items, which made them feel pain but it was good enough to accept.
There was of course, the 1% who got lucky striking gold, and their stories served to alleviate the suspicion of the others that their rewards had been tampered with.
After all, it was so suspicious that both their gold and their treasure chest had been stolen away 'legally' by the circ.u.mstances. It felt like an elaborate plot between Umbra and the system, but that was impossible… right?
But that was inconsequential. On the 14th day after the First Player Auction, Draco heard from Slim Fatty that her brother was on the last stages of his quest, and they would be coming out soon.
Naturally, he took this to mean that Money Lover and Sublime Notion would be emerging as well, so he waited for them patiently.
It was time to see if Legendary classes really lived up to their name!