Chapter 377 - 376: Golden Auction

Chapter 377: Chapter 376: Golden Auction

The complimentary drink was a glass of sky-blue sparkling water, garnished with a slice of lemon on the rim.

It came with a white straw. Seraphina Sinclair held it, leaned over, and took a sip.

The drink tasted familiar, a lot like...

Seraphina Sinclair frowned, took another small sip, and after savoring it carefully, confirmed she wasn’t mistaken.

’This flavor... Isn’t this just the lemonade I used to drink all the time in my past life?’

’Is this considered some kind of high-class item in this world?’

Seraphina Sinclair was puzzled, but it was free, so she certainly couldn’t complain.

Suppressing her internal commentary, Seraphina Sinclair ate the unique meal at a leisurely pace, her gaze returning to the auction interface.

There weren’t many items left to be auctioned, just a mix of E-level and D-level things that were pretty much useless.

The heated discussion in the public chat had completely died down. Many participants had already left or were simply making small talk. The previous brief mentions of species fusion and royalty didn’t reappear, as if they had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t place any more bids. To her, the remaining items wouldn’t even serve as a nice little bonus, so there was naturally no need to buy them.

By the time the final item was presented, less than half of the participants remained.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the item on the stage, and after confirming it was of no use to her either, she left the auction.

VIPs had quite a few privileges, but initiating an impromptu auction was a one-time-only deal.

For the rest of the time, all Seraphina Sinclair could do was wait quietly.

She wasn’t one to sit idle. Bored with waiting, she simply closed her eyes and began to use the time for meditation.

Even though the increase in attribute points was minuscule, every little bit counted. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, after all.

Even a teenager understood this principle; there was no reason for Seraphina Sinclair not to seize every available moment.

Besides... meditation really was the fastest way for her to restore her Spirit.

Once Seraphina Sinclair entered a deep state of meditation, the room fell completely silent.

The guidance system scanned Seraphina Sinclair a dozen times with its human-interest-detecting sensors, but it still couldn’t figure out whether this human was asleep.

Out of concern for its guest, the guidance system slowly reclined the chair Seraphina Sinclair was sitting in.

’Ensuring the guest is well-rested is also part of my duty!’

Seraphina Sinclair only opened her eyes when the afternoon auction was about to begin.

The guidance system had been debating for a while whether to wake its guest, so when Seraphina Sinclair woke up on her own, it let out a genuine sigh of relief.

Seraphina Sinclair paid no mind to what the guidance system was doing. The consignment system was now open, and she had to select an item to put up for sale.

’Runes... I already sold those last time. If I sell them again, people could easily guess I’m the same person as the VIP from this morning.’

’If I buy something again, I’ll draw way too much attention.’

’The guidance system said that after the auction, survivors get a one-time privilege to move between districts.’

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t afraid of trouble, but she didn’t like to attract it either. After all, it would just waste her own time.

She sorted through the items in her Silver Moon Earrings and finally took out a Team Certificate she had gotten from Shatterer. It didn’t have a grade, but it wasn’t particularly rare, so she should be able to sell it at the auction house.

After she selected the item, the auction house’s recommended starting price popped up.

Black Fog Coins.

The same starting price as that monster compendium.

Seraphina Sinclair found it strange, but she quickly understood.

’The auction house doesn’t just cater to humans. A monster compendium might be a hot commodity among humans, but just as the public chat said, it’s basic knowledge for other species.’

’So, even if some prices seem strange to me, they must be perfectly reasonable from the auction house’s perspective.’

Seraphina Sinclair had no objection to the 300 Black Fog Coin starting price. After she accepted, the auction house notified her that she had gained entry to the auction.

Now, all she had to do was wait patiently.

The hands on the clock slowly moved to three in the afternoon, and the afternoon auction began right on time.

This formal auction seemed different from the impromptu one she had started as a VIP. Not only was there a professional auctioneer, but the messages in the public chat were also refreshing two or three times faster!

Seraphina Sinclair listened intently to the auctioneer’s opening remarks, but when she realized his speech had nothing to do with the items, she turned her attention to the rapidly scrolling public chat.

"Welcome to the biggest auction in the entire Golden Auction House!!!"

"Biggest auction? The guy above must be new. You know why it’s called The Golden Auction House? Because the biggest auction is the monthly Gold Auction!"

"Exactly. This is just an E-level auction hall. There aren’t even any C-level items. How dare you call this the biggest auction? Any random D-level auction would completely blow this one out of the water."

"HAHAHA! This is great! Just great! I hang around the lowest E-level auction halls all year just to witness the amazing things newbies say."

"You mean like that guy?"

"LMAO, newbies are always so full of passion and... well, ignorance."

"Quiet down, it’s starting, it’s starting!"

The auctioneer’s voice rang out at the perfect moment, impassioned yet elegant:

"Honored guests, welcome to The Golden Auction House’s E-level regular auction. I am your auctioneer for this event, Number 07."

"In the moments to follow, we will together witness a series of fine items find their new owners."

"The rules remain the same: the highest bidder wins, and all sales are final once the hammer falls."

"And now, let us present our first item—"

Seraphina Sinclair watched quietly. The first item of the afternoon session was a D+ Level item, its quality clearly higher than those in the impromptu session she attended that morning. It started at 1800 Black Fog Coins and sold for 4200 Black Fog Coins after several rounds of bidding.

The second item, the third... The pace was brisk, with items ranging from weapons and special materials to blueprints and information cards of all kinds.

The items were all graded between D-level and D+, and the bidding was far more intense than in the morning session. The discussions in the public chat mostly revolved around the practical value or cost-effectiveness of the items.

Perhaps because this was a more formal auction, there was almost no off-topic chatter in the public chat.

Her Team Certificate was scheduled as the fifteenth item.

After the hammer fell on the previous item, the auctioneer paused briefly before continuing in an introductory tone:

"This next item is rather special. It is not a piece of equipment or a consumable in the traditional sense. However, for those explorers who wish to gather companions and establish order on their endless journey, it may prove to be a crucial cornerstone. Allow me to present—the ’Team Certificate’."