Raine glided through the gates and into town. He nodded at the guards who didn’t bar his path. His mood couldn’t possibly be better. Not only did he get to have a thrilling fight, he also managed to deal a crippling blow to Righteous, and made a great impression on a very promising potential recruit. The only thing bringing down his cheer was the complete lack of decent drops from the thugs. There were only three tutorial pieces, and those were the best items.
He shrugged off the insignificant downer, running his gaze across the barren streets. For a brief moment, he stood stunned. Intellectually, he understood the streets would be empty, seeing it, and feeling it sink in was an entirely different monster. As the first settlement in the Tri-glades with crafting facilities, Vile Peak Town became a major hub for normal players. The daily bustle was so intrinsic to the town’s identity, that the few Vaaterran’s laughing, cajoling, and conversing like regular humans felt empty and wrong.
A pang of sadness for what was lost settled into the pit of his stomach as he set off at a brisk pace. He arrived at the local bar: Blung’s Pickhole. The common room was as empty as the rest of the town. Raine ordered a drink, slammed it down, and left.
[New resurrection location bound: Vile Peak Town]
His next order of business was at the local auction house. As an intermediate town, this auction house was linked with every other intermediate and minor town in the Tri-glades. Meaning anything he posted for sale would be seen by tens of thousands of players, once they made it out of their starting villages.
There were multiple minor towns he could have visited before entering the Recluse Mountains. They were popular hubs for starting players as they gave easy access to level five through ten monsters. Unfortunately, as the obvious link between starter villages and intermediate towns, they were also a cesspool of PVP madness. All too often, merely visiting one resulted in multiple deaths.
While walking, Raine finished editing his most recent video and uploaded it to the forums with the tagline: Thinking of joining Righteous? Watch this first! He used a pseudonym, not wanting to tie his new name to a smear campaign against a well known guild. He chuckled, imagining the comments blowing up when word spread that fifty lost to one man.
He arrived at the auction house, his cheer completely restored. At three stories, it was the second largest building in town. Dozens of stalls that looked reminiscent of a public bathroom lined the outside of the bottom floor. Through double doors, Raine caught a glimpse of similar stalls on the inside of the first floor. He was well aware that most never received permission to go beyond the first floor, and he was looking forward to being the first.
Raine double checked that his Rock Crusher title was set and approached the doors. An immaculately dressed Vaaterran greeted him with a deep bow. He wore an easy smile, his tone and the inflection in his words indistinguishable from a real person, “Greetings, young master. Can I be of assistance?”
In a few patches, they would gain memories, more realistic emotions, and a significant boost in overall combat potential. Being polite and making friends with them was second nature after living in their world for so long. Raine returned the bow, “Greetings, I’m only here to post a few items on the general market. I’m new to this, is there anything I need to know?”
“If that is the case, then I can certainly assist you, young master. There is a one time registration fee of fifteen copper. Additionally, there is a monthly fee for each unsold item in the amount of ten percent of its total price. If the item does not sell within nine months, it becomes property of the auction house. If you accept these terms, I can take your registration fee and guide you in posting your items.”
“Nine months?” Raine questioned, gradually leading the Vaaterran to the end of the conversation.
“Yes, young master. Each post must include an upfront ten percent sales tax.”
“I think I understand. So it’s ten percent up front, then an additional ten percent every month until the full price of the item is reached, at that point, it becomes property of the auction house?”
“That is correct, young master. Do you accept these terms?”
“No. I don’t. I have no desire to pay an upfront sales tax. Is there any way to avoid that fee?”
“Certainly, young master. If you become an honorary member of the auction house, that particular fee will be waived.”
“Excellent. How do I become a member?”
“The process is rather straightforward. You must be a title holder, show your ability to acquire rare or unique items, and answer a short questionnaire. I see you are already a title holder, do you have any rare or unique items that would show the auction house your sincerity?”
Raine withdrew his Momentus Acceleration and Class Change Tokens, “Are either of these acceptable?”
The man nodded amicably, “Those are quite sufficient, young master. Please, follow me.” He led Raine inside and to a desk near the wide stairs. After a few traded whispers with a pretty woman manning the desk, he turned back to Raine, “Mrs. Stonewhall will conduct your questionnaire, young master. I wish you luck.”
“Thank you,” Raine bowed again and the man returned to his post outside. Turning to Mrs. Stonewhall, Raine introduced himself, “My name is Alaric, I’ll be in your care, ma’am.”
She was strongly spoken, professional yet warm and personable, “Well, you’re certainly a cordial one. Aren’t you, dear? Are you entirely certain you’re ready? I must warn you, it may only be taken once per month and failing does have some penalties,” her smile was sweet, perfectly hiding the depths of despair that awaited anyone who failed.
“Yes ma’am, I’m prepared.”
“Very well then. May you succeed where many others have failed,” with those cryptic words, the inside of the auction house vanished, replaced by complete blackness.
The only thing visible was Mrs. Stonewhall behind a short pedestal a few meters in front of him. She beckoned him forward and Raine complied. She motioned to a hand-shaped indent in the top of a pedestal and he complied by resting his hand inside. The grooves perfectly matched the size of his hand, just like the last time he’d gone through this particular version of hell.
The pedestal lit with a warm inner glow and Mrs. Stonewhall smiled sweetly, “This is a truth stone. Please refrain from fibbing, or you will automatically fail. Do you understand?”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Yes, ma’am. I understand.”
The glow remained consistent and she nodded lightly before continuing, “First question: Who commissioned the first auction house in the Fierpont Imperial Capital in the year FC897?”
The starting question was always a variation of the same information. The taker would either be required to know who built the auction house, commissioned it, the location, the year, or its first manager. Raine of course knew these answers by heart, “The Great-grandson of Emperor Fiernidus the Immaculate, Roheim Fierpont the fifth.”
The pedestal held its glow and her smile widened, “Wonderful. And why did Roheim Fierpont the fifth have such an honor, and not his glorious Great-grandfather?”
Raine snorted, “It was hardly an honor. He was on the verge of exile. His only salvation lay in inventing a method to bring considerable additional tax income to the Imperial family. The auction house served this purpose, and brought him some measure of fame before his unfortunate passing.”
The pedestal pulsed twice, its radiance settling at a slightly brighter glow than before. Seeing the reaction, Mrs. Stonewhall’s eyes widened, “A double answer. How rare. Another of those, and you’ll be done. Otherwise, there are two additional questions.” Raine nodded, focusing intently as she continued, “What is the unequivocal secret to amassing wealth?”
Raine sighed, relieved to get one of the easiest questions she could have asked, “Growth. Earning a sum through toil or sale should always be considered merely the first step. Investing that sum into assets, either physical or intellectual, and allowing it to grow, is the only guaranteed path toward wealth.”
The pedestal once again pulsed twice and glowed a solid white. “Congratulations on passing the assessment,” she blinked slowly, her next words causing Raine’s heart to skip a beat, “Would you like to continue for a potential bonus reward?”
“Uhh, what?”
“Due to being the first of your kind to pass this exam, and for receiving a perfect score, you're eligible for a bonus question. I must warn you, failure will trigger the law of five.”
Raine flip-flopped between excitement and dread as he considered the implications. Had he failed the regular test, he would be locked in the local library for a week, not counting time spent outside the game. Ultimately, that wouldn’t have disrupted his plans much, since there were crafting facilities in the library that he could use.
However, five times that punishment would see him trapped every waking hour for well over a month. In that time, he would easily be passed in level by average players, let alone skilled ones like Froust. If he tried and failed, it would be faster to make a new avatar and take the three week penalty.
If that was the risk, just how good must be the reward? It could easily be superior to his cursed ring, and would definitely be more valuable than the dagger. Raine’s greedy heart hammered, dollar signs appearing in his eyes.
If she asks another of the fifty random questions from the regular test, then it’ll be an easy win. If it’s a completely unknown question, there’s a good chance I’ll be utterly screwed. The known answers were compiled over thousands of failures from players across the globe, getting a new one right on the first try is incredibly unlikely.
Didn't I already decide to throw myself headfirst into every challenge and seize every opportunity? This won’t be the last one I encounter and hesitating like this could instantly backfire. This is the last time, from now on, its full throttle.
Raine nodded firmly, pressing his hand into the pedestal, “I'll do it.”
“Very well,” she watched him with a critical eye, her drawn out pause ramping the pressure. When she finally spoke, Raine’s eye twitched, not at all recognizing the question, “Of the two hundred and seventy wonders of our glorious world, Vaateaire, which is fundamentally the most difficult for the human brain to comprehend?”
Shiiiiit! How are there that many wonders?! Okay, calm down, calm down. I have a few minutes to figure this out.
The wonders aren't restricted to monuments and natural formations. There's books, proverbs, phrases, and paradoxes as well. The phrasing makes me think it's one of the latter.
It’s probably not a paradox. Sure, some of them are incredibly complex, but that’s only due to a lack of information. After all, if we knew where all the aliens were, the Fermi paradox wouldn’t be much of a paradox! The rest of them are the same. Paradoxes are born purely of ignorance, and that’s hardly a complicated concept.
The few wonders that are books aren't exactly easy to find and read. Doing so grants immense power to the reader, and usually binds them together until death. That's all rather simple to understand, and nothing I've heard about those books was complex.
No, I need something fundamentally impossible to wrap the mind around. Something like: folding a paper forty-two times would result in a thickness that reaches the moon. Or, one million seconds is twelve days, while one billion seconds is thirty-one years. Mentally bridging that gap and guessing a trillion seconds is almost thirty-two thousand years is something nobody gets right. But this is for the auction house, and all their questions revolve around finances in some way.
I'm definitely on the right track. But which is the most difficult. She specifically said ‘for humans,’ that's important. Machines can calculate any number instantly, but humans are easily confused by multiples multiplying off themselves. Even the most brilliant minds can quickly get lost when-that's it!
With a confident smirk, Raine answered, “Compound interest.”
Suddenly, Raine found himself back inside the main floor, Mrs. Stonewhall’s sweet smile beaming at him. Every employee turned his way, creepily moving at the exact same time and speed, “Congratulations!” They clapped in sync and Raine returned his focus to Mrs. Stonewhall so he wouldn’t have to look at the too-wide smiles they wore.
“You are now our very first honorary VIP. In addition to a lifetime sales tax deduction, you now have complete access to any public or private auctions held within any of our official territories. As for your bonus, you will be permitted to enter the third floor of any auction house once. I must advise you to take this visit with the utmost seriousness as even kings and emperors would wage wars for unfettered access. The items you will find there are often of incalculable value, so do not enter without sufficient funds.”
Raine’s jaw dropped. This time, he had really struck gold. He must have misunderstood how bad the penalty for failure was going to be, because this reward was truly priceless.
Of course he had heard of the mysterious third floor of the auction house, everyone had. Entering was another thing entirely. The number of people confirmed to have climbed that last set of steps could be counted on one hand. Supposedly, it didn’t matter which auction house he chose as their third floors were all connected. Far more amazing was the rumor that even legendary items could be found there. Those were so valuable that the most powerful guilds would be lucky to acquire even one after tens of in-game years.
His feet itched with the desire to immediately dash up the nearby stairs and sate his curiosity. He held himself back with a ratcheting breath, a goofy grin plastered on his face, “Thank you, Mrs. Stonewhall. I will take your advice with the gravity it deserves.”
“Very wise of you, Mr. Alaric. Now, is there any further assistance you require?”
“No, I think I’ve got it from here,” with a friendly wave, Raine left and approached the nearest cubicle.
He accessed its interface, pulling up a list of every available item for sale in the entire tri-glades—encompassing just over fifty minor towns and ten intermediate, though nothing was available yet in the latter. With deft movements, he sorted the armors by light, medium, and heavy, then the weapons by type. His vision swam and he licked his lips when he couldn’t find a single piece of level ten gear available. If only his duplicate drops from the croglocks sold, he would likely have the wealth to match even the largest guilds.
Once he diligently confirmed the average prices, he placed just over two hundred pieces of dull trash, tutorial, and common equipment for sale. Considering the glaring dearth of options, the base prices he was able to get away with were outright robbery. Additionally, he set every item to auction, rather than flat sale. Meaning that after the first person bid, a twenty-four timer would start, allowing the price to potentially rise several-fold.
Raine practically skipped out of the auction house. He pulled an item from his pocket, running his thumb over its pristine, smooth surface.
[Mysterious Sprocket: Made of an incredibly durable and valuable material. Will fetch a high price if sold to any blacksmith. If, however, you can discover the identity and location of its creator, even more fabulous rewards may be in store]
Feeling like all his plans were coming together without a hitch, Raine set course for his next destination; the temporary offices of Melacor Inc.