Chapter 368 - 367: The Golden Auction House

Chapter 368: Chapter 367: The Golden Auction House

When Shatterer first got this item, he must have seen the same line of text. His choice was clear—he stabbed it into his chest and obtained the power of Grace.

But Seraphina Sinclair was not Shatterer.

Her concern was whether this item would bring other negative side effects.

’What if... once it’s in, it can’t be pulled out?’

’What if this is some kind of irreversible sacrificial ritual?’

’Or, more directly... why did Shatterer kill so many other second-ranked survivors?’

’Was there a direct connection between that, the so-called price, and this long nail?’

That brief description was too much like a spell, luring one into an abyss. Seraphina Sinclair knew she absolutely could not make a decision based on such flimsy evidence.

The allure of an S-Class item was undeniable, but the word "price" combined with the description "stab into the heart"...

"Doesn’t sound too good," Seraphina Sinclair murmured. Her gaze fell upon the word "price," lingering for a moment before she finally made up her mind.

A silver light flashed, and a flat, palm-sized square box appeared in her hand. ℴℴ𝘮

This was another little trinket Miller had given her during a previous trade.

Seraphina Sinclair had once asked him how he got so many little gadgets, and he had just laughed, saying they were just small things he’d made himself. Time had passed since then, and they hadn’t been in contact for a while.

She carefully used the edge of the box to nudge the Bone Nail inside, then quickly snapped the lid shut, as if it contained some kind of terrifying monster.

The icy, sinister chill was mostly blocked, but a faint, almost imperceptible coldness still seeped through the metal.

This only convinced Seraphina Sinclair further that it was not a good thing.

She wrapped the metal box in several more layers before carefully placing it inside her Silver Moon Earrings.

’Later... if I encounter a danger I can’t overcome, or if I find more definitive information about the price and the Grace, then I’ll consider using it.’

’Or perhaps, in some trading place, it could be exchanged for something more reliable and even more valuable.’

For now, she was alive and well, her strength steadily increasing. There was no need to gamble her life on a power filled with unknown risks.

After all, even though Shatterer possessed Grace, didn’t he still fail to survive his encounter with her?

This fact gave Seraphina Sinclair the greatest confidence.

She stood up, stretching her slightly stiff body after sitting for so long, then suddenly paused.

’A trading place?’

The phrase she had just thought of resurfaced in Seraphina Sinclair’s mind.

’Besides the trade channel and private trades, there was...’

The Golden Auction House!

Seraphina Sinclair was instantly energized.

The mobile cabin had already stopped in the Wind-carved Fissure. She could go train her Speed whenever she wanted.

Besides, with Sunflower on a hunger strike, she didn’t have her daily movement tasks. If she didn’t take this opportunity to look around, she’d never find a better time!

’Besides... what if she could buy even better quality sunshine at the auction house?’

’Wouldn’t that solve her current predicament?’

Thinking of this, Seraphina Sinclair glanced at her Black Fog Coin balance.

117,653 Black Fog Coins!

Seraphina Sinclair’s pupils dilated instantly. ’How did she remember her Black Fog Coin balance being only a little over thirty thousand last time she checked?’

’But now it was...’

Seraphina Sinclair counted the digits on her finger. Six! A six-figure number!

A full one hundred and ten thousand!

This sudden, enormous fortune made the usually calm Seraphina Sinclair’s breath catch for a moment.

’That extra eighty thousand...’

Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t done any major business recently. In fact, she had mostly been spending Black Fog Coins and materials to buy other people’s items. There was only one possibility for this extra eighty thousand.

It was Shatterer’s.

Someone at the top of the leaderboards would naturally have some savings.

Plus, he had hunted down so many other second-ranked survivors; it was only normal for him to have this many Black Fog Coins. But as for how many lives that number represented, Seraphina Sinclair had no way of knowing.

She shook her head, pushing the distracting thoughts aside.

’Money is just money. It’s a tool.’

’How she used it was up to her.’

Now, this windfall gave her much more confidence about going to The Golden Auction House.

Seraphina Sinclair took out the entrance ticket for The Golden Auction House. After she used it, the ticket stretched and elongated, turning into a notification panel before her, just like what happened with the Invitation Letter for the Black Mist Coliseum.

[Welcome to The Golden Auction House! Auctions, consignments... you can conduct any reasonable transaction! But be warned, this is a place of absolute peace. Violators will be sanctioned!]

[Trade is the spark of civilization, and also the abyss of desire. May you find what you seek, pay what it is worth, and forever maintain your clarity.]

As the line of proverb, flowing with golden light, appeared and faded away, the panel in front of Seraphina Sinclair fully expanded, transforming into a stable and magnificent golden Lightgate.

The frame of the Lightgate was carved with intricate patterns of gears, scales, and coins, which rotated silently, exuding an aura that was both alluring and solemn.

Seraphina Sinclair took a deep breath and stepped through.

When her vision cleared, she found herself standing on the edge of a corridor paved with warm, smooth white jade.

Looking up, she couldn’t see a ceiling, only an endless expanse of slowly flowing golden clouds.

On either side of the corridor were countless floating golden boxes of varying sizes and transparencies, stacked in layers and spiraling upward until they disappeared into the depths of the golden mist.

Each compartment was shrouded in a faint membrane of light that obscured the scene within, revealing only vague silhouettes.

Some were humanoid, while others were clearly monstrous in shape.

The corridor she was in seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg of this grand structure.

Besides her, many illusory golden figures stood nearby. Seraphina Sinclair deduced that these must also be survivors, though she didn’t know why they appeared this way to her.

Applying that same logic, she figured she must look the same way to others.

Seraphina Sinclair lifted her foot, about to explore her surroundings, when a panel popped up before her eyes:

[Your wealth has been detected to meet the VIP threshold (holding over 100,000 Black Fog Coins). Unlocking advanced guidance mode.]

After Seraphina Sinclair finished reading the text on the panel, the solid ground beneath her feet began to vibrate faintly. The bustling golden figures around her seemed to retreat, and a path paved with pure light silently extended before her, pointing deeper into the auction house’s hall.

[Please follow the guide to the VIP area to enjoy superior browsing, bidding, and privacy protection services.]

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow slightly.

’As expected, money is the universal currency. Even The Golden Auction House, which seems absolutely neutral and rule-based, has its own invisible class divisions.’

Without hesitation, she stepped onto the path of light.

With a single step, the surrounding clamor seemed to be filtered through a layer, becoming muffled and distant.

Soft curtains of light rose on both sides of the path, faintly shrouding her figure and providing a degree of visual concealment.