Chapter 378 - 377: Anonymous

Chapter 378: Chapter 377: Anonymous

A detailed description of the Team Certificate appeared on the light screen, exactly as Seraphina Sinclair remembered.

As she expected, the reaction in the public chat was somewhat lukewarm.

"Using this now? It’s too early! Who can find five people they can trust these days? Even if you did, how long would you last?"

"It’s useless. Better to spend the money on consumables for self-defense."

"You can’t really say that. Some Species are naturally social, or have special talents that require coordination... But for solo players like us, it’s pretty much useless."

"300 Black Fog Coins for this? You’d be better off buying two sets of E-level Healing Potions."

Sure enough, the bids were few and far between.

After several seconds, a single bid appeared: 350 Black Fog Coins.

Another ten or so seconds passed before the second bid came in: 400 Black Fog Coins.

The bidding slowly crept up to 550 Black Fog Coins before stalling.

The auctioneer began the first call: "550 Black Fog Coins, going once. This is a certificate to lay the foundation of a team, a rare opportunity..."

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t worried.

She estimated the item’s value to be between 600 and 800 Black Fog Coins, so the current price was still within a reasonable range.

Sure enough, just before the second call, the price jumped to 600 Black Fog Coins.

"600 Black Fog Coins, are there any more bids?"

The auctioneer’s voice was meant to be rousing, but the public chat’s reaction remained cold. Most bidders showed little interest in the item.

Seraphina Sinclair waited patiently.

If the final price was around six hundred, she would still make a small profit after the 5% handling fee. It was better than the item just sitting in her possession.

Just when she thought the bidding was about to conclude, a new bid suddenly refreshed on the screen: 1000 Black Fog Coins.

A direct jump of 400 Black Fog Coins!

The public chat instantly erupted:

"Whoa! Which big shot just made a move?"

"1000? Are they insane? Is this thing really worth that much?"

"Maybe a major player really wants to build a permanent team?"

"Maybe not a major player, just a rich fool?"

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow slightly.

’This price has exceeded my expectations. That’s a good thing.’

She looked at the bidder’s identifier—a standard number with no VIP Badge. It seemed to be a guest from a regular private room.

’Looks like they need this thing urgently.’

The auctioneer’s voice now held a measure of genuine enthusiasm. "1000 Black Fog Coins! This guest has bid 1000 Black Fog Coins! A very bold bid! Are there any other friends willing to follow?"

A brief silence followed.

Just as the auctioneer was about to start the countdown...

Black Fog Coins.

Another standard number placed a bid.

"Oh? 1100 Black Fog Coins! A new competitor has appeared!" the auctioneer immediately followed up.

The first bidder, who offered 1000, seemed to hesitate for a moment but quickly raised the bid: 1200 Black Fog Coins.

The second bidder followed closely behind: 1300 Black Fog Coins.

The price rose back and forth between the two, quickly breaking past 1500 Black Fog Coins with no signs of slowing down.

The public chat’s sentiment shifted from surprise to that of a crowd enjoying the show:

"They’re fighting! They’re fighting!"

"What’s with these two? Did they lock horns or something?"

"Could they be shills? The auction house driving up its own prices?"

"Doesn’t seem like it. Their numbers are both standard. And for a minor item in an E-level auction, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble, would it?"

"Maybe this Team Certificate has some hidden function we don’t know about?"

Even Seraphina Sinclair felt a flicker of surprise.

She was certain it was just an ordinary Team Certificate, with nothing special about it.

’Could it be... that these two bidders have some sort of history or conflict with each other?’

The price had already climbed to 2000 Black Fog Coins.

The first bidder seemed to be losing steam, as their bid increments shrank to the minimum of 50 Black Fog Coins each time.

The second bidder, however, appeared more composed, steadily raising the bid by more than the minimum 50 each time.

Finally, when the price settled at 2350 Black Fog Coins, the first bidder stopped bidding.

"2350 Black Fog Coins! Going for the third time! Sold!" The gavel fell.

"Congratulations to this guest for successfully winning the Team Certificate!"

Looking at the final sale price, Seraphina Sinclair felt a pleasant sense of surprise.

From the 2350 Black Fog Coins, after deducting the 5% handling fee, she should have received 2232.5. However, The Golden Auction House only gave her 2232 Black Fog Coins.

’They can round down like that?’

Seraphina Sinclair had some objections, but they were a powerful establishment, so there wasn’t much she could say. Besides, the price was already far higher than she had anticipated.

The guide system’s voice chimed in at the right moment, tinged with a hint of subtle flattery. "Valued guest, your consigned item has been successfully sold for a final price of 2350 Black Fog Coins. After deducting the handling fee, the funds have been transferred to your account. Congratulations."

Seraphina Sinclair nodded. Her gains from this auction were indeed significant.

Not only had she bought the Portable Ecological Maintenance Device that might solve the Sunflower’s problem, but she had also purchased a card to complete her collection book.

Best of all, she had unexpectedly recouped a significant amount of her funds through the consignment sale.

The messages in the public chat also expressed a profound sense of "envy, jealousy, and hate" toward the consignor who had gotten so damn lucky.

"Holy crap, a Team Certificate sold for 2350? Am I seeing things?"

"The consignor really hit the jackpot, running into two whales locking horns like that."

"So jealous. I couldn’t save that much even if I worked my ass off for half a month."

"Officially jealous! Share some of that luck with me!"

"Maybe the seller knew it had some hidden value? We’re just too clueless to see it."

"Get real. They just got lucky and stumbled into it."

Seraphina Sinclair automatically filtered out these pointless discussions. Whether it was luck or something else, the only thing that mattered was that the Black Fog Coins were now securely in her pocket.

The auction continued, but the subsequent items failed to cause much of a stir.

However, a minor squabble broke out in the public chat, involving the very two people who had competed for Seraphina Sinclair’s Team Certificate.

It started when the one who lost the bid offered a higher price, but unfortunately for them, the winner had no intention of selling.

Furious at the rejection, the loser demanded the winner reveal their Zone and ID. The winner, unintimidated, posted them directly.

Seraphina Sinclair had no way of knowing whether the information was real or fake.

But then, unexpectedly, the person who had demanded the ID replied with two words spoken with utter conviction: "You’re finished."

Seraphina Sinclair found this odd and waited quietly for a while before she found the answer.

"Hey, friend, you were too reckless. The moment you do that, The Golden Auction House assumes you intend to cancel your anonymity and does it for you automatically. Now anyone who clicks on your avatar can see your specific Zone and ID."

Startled, Seraphina Sinclair scrolled up, found the person’s message, and clicked on their avatar just as the comment described. Sure enough, she could see their Zone and ID.

’So much for privacy.’

Seraphina Sinclair scrolled down a bit and saw that the participant from the impromptu auction who kept asking questions was also there. They had immediately followed up on the explanation, asking: "So as long as you don’t show any intention of going public, you’re completely safe?"

The guest who was explaining things to the crowd was clearly a helpful sort. Seeing the question, they elaborated a bit more.

"Of course not. Anonymity has a price. If you’re willing to pay more Black Fog Coins than what the anonymity is worth, you can see the information hidden beneath it."