Given the magnitude of the incident in the game, the game forums, as a hub for information exchange, were buzzing with activity. However, Xiao Hua, after filling his belly at ten o'clock in the evening, didn't visit the forums, so he was unaware that due to his actions, Andrew had caused chaos in the mines.
Upon logging back in, Xiao Hua appeared in a small icy plain about a kilometer away from the low-level mine. After leaving the mine earlier, he had intended to return to Snowfall City, but extreme hunger forced him to log out after walking just a kilometer.
As he made his way toward Snowfall City, Xiao Hua attempted to contact Old Fei from Treasure Pot. The mines were no longer an option for him, and although he could still mine at ore veins in the wild, these were typically found near monster spawn points above Level 30, which was too dangerous for his current level.
Thus, Xiao Hua decided to sell his Crystal Ores and use the proceeds to level up. Crystal Ores could be easily purchased with money, but Rainbow Crystal Ores were a different story. On the one hand, there were very few Grandmaster miners, and on the other, those who were Grandmasters usually had a steady clientele. An ore like the Rainbow Crystal, which everyone needed, would attract numerous buyers once word got out.
The use of Rainbow Crystal Ores was simple: They could be added as additional materials during equipment forging to enhance the attributes of the resulting item. For example, a two-handed sword with standard attributes of Physical Attack 200-300, +30 Strength, and +10 Agility could potentially become a weapon with Physical Attack 210-330, +33 Strength, and +12 Agility after the addition of a Rainbow Crystal. The increase in attack and attribute points could range from 1% to 10% and 1 to 5 points, respectively, depending on the number of Rainbow Crystals used and the forger's luck.
A good equipment blueprint, combined with Rainbow Crystals, could result in effects comparable to seven levels of equipment enhancement. This explained why both high-level equipment blueprints and Rainbow Crystals were extremely expensive, and why Master Forgers became highly sought-after professions, with major guilds employing several of them.
To sell the ores, one would typically approach ore merchants, but these traders were notorious for their unfair prices. Xiao Hua didn't know them personally, so selling to them would likely result in a significant loss. Instead, he chose to contact Old Fei, as the auction house would likely purchase Crystal Ores. Even if he took a slight loss, it would still be better than dealing with the ore merchants.
"Boss Fei, are you there?" Xiao Hua sent a private message to Old Fei.
"Ha ha, just hanging out. Brother NotSteal, do you have something good for me again?" Old Fei promptly replied, eager to assist a client who had conducted transactions worth millions.
"It's nothing special, just a few ores—Crystal Ores. Does your auction house buy them?" Xiao Hua asked simply.
Crystal Ores, not special? Old Fei was a bit speechless. Although the cost of Crystal Ores prevented their price from skyrocketing, very few people would ever say they weren't valuable!
"We do buy them! However, brother, you know that Crystal Ores need to be sold at the right time to make a profit. We need liquidity and can't wait for the highest price, nor can we operate at a loss. So, we offer 25,000 gold per ore with a quality of 5 or higher. Anything below 5, we can't accept. This price applies to everyone," Old Fei explained.
The price of 25,000 gold was slightly lower than Xiao Hua's expectation of 30,000 gold, but Old Fei's reasoning made sense. Selling five ores would mean a difference of only 20,000 to 30,000 gold, which Xiao Hua could overlook. What mattered most was having funds to get through the next few days. As for the quality of the Crystal Ores, they were all grade 7 or higher, as they were stolen from Andrew.
An hour later, Xiao Hua returned to Snowfall City. After storing the Rainbow Crystal Ore and Andes' Pickaxe in the warehouse, he called for a carriage to take him to the Treasure Pot auction house.
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Old Fei greeted Xiao Hua warmly and promptly paid him 125,000 gold for the five Crystal Ores.
Xiao Hua, eager to level up, didn't waste time with pleasantries and prepared to leave the room to buy dozens of Magic Bombs to blast monsters.
"Hold on, brother NotSteal," Old Fei said hastily.
"What's up?" Xiao Hua asked, puzzled.
"Ha ha, our auction house is planning a grand auction soon, featuring your Icefield skill book as the main attraction. If you have the time, please come. I'm sure there will be items you'll need," Old Fei said with a smile.
An auction?
Xiao Hua's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision. "Sure, when is it?"
"Seven days from now, on March 25th, at 9 PM. We'll start advertising the day after tomorrow. You're one of the first to know, ha ha," Old Fei chuckled, pleased that Xiao Hua agreed to attend.
With the Icefield skill book as the main item, Old Fei didn't worry about attracting wealthy bidders. Xiao Hua, with his millions, would likely bid aggressively on anything he wanted, which would only help boost the auction's success. However, if Old Fei knew that Xiao Hua had spent three million in just a few days, he might have choked in frustration and called him a spendthrift.
The auction was scheduled for seven days later, and the funds for the town guild upgrade token were already in place. There was no issue with funding. However, when Old Fei mentioned that advertising would begin the day after tomorrow, Xiao Hua found it odd. After some thought, he realized the reason. Old Fei was waiting for the guild upgrade token auction to conclude. Afterward, he would launch a massive promotional campaign. At that time, many guilds would have accumulated substantial funds, but only one guild would secure the token. The others would be left with unused funds, which would be ready to be spent on the Icefield skill book.
The guild upgrade token auction would undoubtedly raise the bidding atmosphere in the Chinese server of Second World to its peak. By choosing this moment to promote the auction, Old Fei would not only capitalize on the hype but also enhance the reputation of the Treasure Pot auction house. It was a win-win situation.
Understanding this, Xiao Hua couldn't help but admire Old Fei's strategic thinking.
"I'll definitely be there," Xiao Hua nodded as he left the trading room.
Not long after Xiao Hua departed, the thin young man from the previous encounter entered and shook his head at Old Fei.
"My appraisal skill couldn't be wrong. A few days ago, he definitely didn't know Mining," the young man said calmly.
"Where did he get these Crystal Ores? There aren't many Master miners in Snowfall City, and those who find these ores usually sell them directly to people they know. Besides, it's only been a few days. How could he have mined five of them? And the quality of these ores is unusually high," Old Fei mused, examining the Crystal Ores. The lowest quality among the five was grade 7, with two at grade 8, one at grade 9, and one at grade 10—a truly remarkable quality!
At the store downstairs in the Treasure Pot building, Xiao Hua bought fifty sets of Magic Bombs. Used together with his phantom, he could consume five sets per hour, meaning the fifty sets would last for ten hours. With careful use, the 120,000 gold would last until the evening of the day after tomorrow.
Traveling northwest to the snowy forest, Xiao Hua headed to the White Ape spawn area and began blasting monsters.
Killing monsters for leveling can be a monotonous task, so even those who enjoy gaming often struggle to focus solely on leveling for extended periods. People usually take breaks to do other activities. However, there are those who play games solely for the purpose of leveling and equipping themselves, with no interest in anything else. Xiao Hua didn't dislike killing monsters for experience, but he wasn't entirely focused on it either. Instead, he found ways to make the process enjoyable and less repetitive.
For instance, when using Magic Bombs, he aimed to maneuver his phantom to gather groups of five to six White Apes into the same circle with a radius of one meter, so they could all be damaged by a single bomb. The White Apes were tall, making it challenging to encircle five or six of them within a one-meter radius unless they were stationary. Despite the difficulty, Xiao Hua occasionally managed to injure all the apes with a single bomb, though more often, he could only hit three or four.
It was possible, albeit challenging, which fueled Xiao Hua's competitive spirit. This process became more like a mini-game, where he strived to achieve the maximum score by pushing the limits. Mini-games have a unique ability to make time fly by unnoticed!
Immersed in the fun, Xiao Hua had already spent six to seven hours bombing monsters. It was now around 6:30 AM, and he had used up most of the fifty sets of Magic Bombs, leaving only twenty sets. Although he had intended to control his usage, the exhilarating feeling of rapidly increasing experience points made it difficult to stop!