Chapter 59: The Auction
The ninja starter village was abuzz with anticipation as the upcoming auction gripped the hearts of all players, especially the major factions, who were determined to win the resource map and family token.
Everyone understood the significance of the family token.
Three tokens meant three factions would stand out as official powers recognized by the game's mechanics.
And even though everyone assumed more tokens would appear later—knowing the game merchant's habits—the first batch carried unique meaning.
Just like when the Mist Alliance secured the first kill of the Ghost General: though the cost was high and nearly bankrupted the Hidden Mist Village, the rewards were immense.
They established a foothold in the game and recruited countless independent players, remaining the largest force in the game to this day.
Being first always came with immense influence and prestige.
That was also why Fang Yi chose to auction the first three family tokens rather than sell them at fixed prices.
At this tense moment, something happened that shocked the entire player base.
"The head of the Merchant Alliance was assassinated in the real world!"
"I heard some faction feared the merchants' wealth, so they secretly killed the leader while he was logged into the game."
"Now the Merchant Alliance is in disarray, fighting over the dead leader's assets and completely distracted from the auction. Brutal move."
One player shook his head, saying, "He has only himself to blame. Even though he was a merchant player, someone at his level had the combat power of a jōnin. Any disturbance should've been nothing—but he refused to buy a protection shield."
The protection shield protects a player's real body while they're logged into the game.
It wasn't expensive, yet the Merchant Alliance's head had been too stingy to buy it. His death wasn't undeserved.
As a result, the number of players buying protection shields skyrocketed.
No one could guarantee they wouldn't be attacked. Dying in-game was one thing, but being assassinated in real life while playing was a different story. No one wanted to regret being stingy.
"The Merchant Alliance had the best shot at winning a family token. Such a pity…"
Unscrupulous merchants.
Through buying low and selling high, these players—many of whom had lowly social status in the real world—banded together and ended up wielding wealth rivaling the Five Great Ninja Nations.
Because merchant players weren't good at fighting, all the gear and items passed through their hands. Though their personal strength barely improved, their wallets swelled constantly.
"Mist Alliance is massive, but after hunting those powerful corrupted creatures, their finances are probably the weakest."
"I'm betting on the Rock Army. They don't have many players, but every one of them is an elite from Iwagakure. I hear they're going all in for a family token!"
"Did you all forget the new faction, Dawn? That woman claiming to be a noble from the Land of Rain is absurdly wealthy. Is the Land of Rain really that rich?"
This auction didn't concern most regular players.
They understood this was a battle between major factions.
Some even started betting on who would win the tokens.
The biggest surprise was that most people believed Konoha would make a huge move.
Everyone thought the quiet Hidden Leaf had stockpiled resources and was ready to shock the world.
[Auction Has Begun]
All players saw a hammer icon appear at the bottom of their interface.
Tapping it granted access to the auction house.
In an instant,
every player could see the auction items and who was bidding.
At that moment,
members of the Mist Alliance had gathered together.
Mei Terumi sat with her brows tightly knit.
As players suspected, Kirigakure didn't have much money left.
But they had large reserves of low-tier equipment.
So when the Merchant Alliance dropped its guard, they sent one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to assassinate the merchant leader in the real world.
The Alliance was thrown into chaos, scrambling over inheritance rights and too distracted to compete.
Seizing the opportunity, they sold all their low-tier gear to merchants at low prices, raising substantial funds.
"If we can't get a family token now, it'll be a huge loss."
"Lady Mizukage, funds are secured."
"Good. No matter what, we must win a family token!"
Other ninja villages also pulled out all the stops, scrambling to gather enough resources for the auction.
[First Auction Item: Soul Forest (East) - 30-day Lease]
Starting bid: 5,000 reward points.
The display scrolled slowly, revealing the first item.
Every player watching held their breath.
They all knew how valuable this was.
The Soul Forest, covering the entire Death Soul Mountain Range, had east, west, south, and north zones.
It contained massive quantities of soulwood and soul-soaked soil—critical resources.
Before the Ghost Mage was slain, most of the forest was crawling with ghost troops.
Any attempt to gather resources involved risking death and losing progress.
But now,
the game merchant had designated a central safe zone.
Whoever won the lease could build defensive walls, banish all ghost energy, and mine freely for 30 days.
[Huang Tu: 8,000 points]
[Elder of Sand: 10,000 points]
[Light of the Mist: 12,000 points]
The price soared rapidly.
Mei Terumi clenched her fist.
"Chojuro, gather all Mist players' points. Promise them the village will compensate them later."
Even though it was only a 30-day lease,
everyone knew that was just a formality.
With all the resources they could gather in that time, they'd earn enough points to extend their dominance permanently.
It looked like a lease.
But in reality, it was a golden ticket to establish economic control.
"Yes, ma'am."
Chojuro nodded grimly and began contacting Mist players.
In the end, Mei won the auction—but at great cost.
[Light of the Mist has won the 30-day lease of Soul Forest (East) for 120,000 points. Congratulations!]
The announcement flashed before every player's eyes.
"Mist sure has deep pockets. I heard they're also training crafting players. And they still have money to bid?"
"Must be nice living in an ocean full of resources. Not like Sunagakure where they can't even afford underwear. Jealous much?"
"You bastard! Mock us one more time and I'll hunt you down in real life!"
"I still think Konoha is gonna pull something big. Just you wait."
As the players chattered, more items were unveiled.
The rest of the Soul Forest was split between Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Sunagakure barely won the smallest section with a bid of 90,000 points.
Originally, a player called [Wealthy of the Land of Waves] was still bidding—but after Sunagakure issued death threats and promised to bathe the Land of Waves in blood, he backed out reluctantly.
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