Chapter 370 - 369: Temporary Auction

Chapter 370: Chapter 369: Temporary Auction

"Yes. This is one of the VIP privileges, limited to once per day. The auction will be held on the public auction channel, meaning it is open to all online participants. However, please be aware that auctions held outside of the fixed sessions may receive less attention, meaning the number of participants will be significantly lower."

"Additionally, since the lots are provided by the auction participants, the quality of the items will also be significantly lower."

The first point was tolerable for Seraphina Sinclair, perhaps even an advantage.

’After all, with fewer bidders, the chances of the price being driven up are lower. If I need to buy something, I could get it for a much better price.’

’But the latter part is a bigger problem. If the quality is too low, I might not be able to find anything good at all.’

’Before I decide, there’s one more question...’

"Can I only participate in one auction each time I enter the auction house?"

This question was very important.

’If I can only join once, then I should definitely wait for the three-hour auction this afternoon. But if there’s no limit, I’ve got time to kill. I might as well join in.’

’Who cares if the quality is a little poor? If I don’t go to the auction house, I can’t buy anything at all. Just having the opportunity to browse the goods is good enough. This is no time to be picky.’

"Of course not." The guide system answered quickly, as if afraid this esteemed guest might misunderstand something. "Each time you enter the auction house, you can choose to leave at any time. Only at eight o’clock, when the auction house closes, will all survivors be forcibly ejected."

Seraphina Sinclair understood the rule perfectly. After all, eight o’clock was late in the evening; it was about time to head back anyway.

"Then," Seraphina Sinclair’s fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest of the glowing chair. "If I were to use this privilege now," she asked calmly, "what is the procedure? What do I need to prepare?"

"The esteemed guest should select an item to auction and provide a reserve price. The auction house will conduct a quick review, which usually takes no more than five minutes. Once approved, you can set the starting bid and bid increment. The auction will then begin immediately, displayed on the public channel for one hour."

"The commission rate is the same as for the fixed sessions and will be automatically deducted from the final sale price."

"Please note, items that fail to sell will be returned, but the listing fee incurred from consigning the item will not be refunded. As an esteemed guest, you are exempt from the listing fee."

"’Listing fee...’" Seraphina Sinclair repeated.

’So there really is no such thing as a free lunch. The so-called VIP privilege just waives some of the fees. The real money must be in the commission they take from a successful sale.’

’And this listing fee serves two purposes: it helps cover the auction house’s costs and incentivizes survivors to put up better items to avoid paying it for nothing.’

’Killing two birds with one stone, indeed.’

What Seraphina Sinclair needed to do now was to choose an item to consign.

’Of course... since I don’t have to pay the listing fee, I can put up any old thing.’

Seraphina Sinclair rummaged through her Silver Moon Earrings for a long while before pulling out the Sealed Broken Copper Mirror she’d gotten from RookSolosGruel.

’It’s related to the sun, but I have no idea what it actually does. I might as well use my free daily appraisal to find out.’

"I want to use my free appraisal service on this item." With a thought, Seraphina Sinclair took out the broken copper mirror.

The guide system said nothing.

A moment later, a soft golden light descended from above the platform, enveloping the copper mirror.

The light swirled around it, as if performing a detailed scan.

A few seconds later, the golden light receded, and lines of information appeared on the glowing screen before Seraphina Sinclair:

[Name: The Shattered Dawnmirror (Sealed)]

[Overall Rating: B-level (Sealed, currently only displaying E-level traits)]

[Type: Special Item / Growth-Type / Abnormal Status]

’The information from this appraisal is incredibly detailed,’ Seraphina Sinclair thought, inwardly shocked.

[Description: A fragment of a copper mirror, tainted by the ancient aura of the dawn. The surface is riddled with cracks, and the edges bear marks of scorching and defilement. It seems to have once reflected some unspeakable entity, suffering severe contamination and damage in the process, and was subsequently placed under multiple seals. The mirror itself retains faint, but highly unstable, ripples of purification and insight.]

[Appraisal Note: This item is deeply sealed and contaminated. Its true abilities and rank are severely suppressed.]

’It’s a B-level item!’

Even as a sealed and broken item, its overall rating was still a high B-level. One could only imagine its original worth.

Seraphina Sinclair’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

’It’s sun-related, and it’s a growth-type item... I absolutely cannot sell this!’

Carefully, Seraphina Sinclair stored The Shattered Dawnmirror in the deepest recesses of her Silver Moon Earrings. She resolved not to show it to anyone until she found a safe way to break the seal.

’In that case, I’ll have to choose something else to start the temporary auction.’

Her gaze swept over the inside of the Silver Moon Earrings again.

’Maybe... I’ll use the talismans I’ve drawn?’

’They’re useful and rare enough. They should fetch a good price.’

Seraphina Sinclair took out a full five sheets, and following the guide system’s suggestion, set the starting bid at one thousand Black Fog Coins, which came out to only two hundred Black Fog Coins per talisman. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

But this was an auction, not a sale at a fixed price, so Seraphina Sinclair agreed.

The auction began soon after she submitted the items.

On the glowing screen, an image of five neatly stacked talismans appeared, alongside the brief description Seraphina Sinclair had submitted:

"Five [Moon Flame Evil Cleansing Talismans] (D-level). These talismans fuse the pure radiance of Moonlight into a unique flame, creating a Moon Flame Shock with both searing and purifying properties. They deal considerable fire damage to physical targets and have a significant cleansing and dispelling effect on incorporeal beings like Spirits and spiritual remnants!

Starting Bid: 1,000 Black Fog Coins. Minimum Bid Increment: 50 Black Fog Coins."

The number of online participants displayed at the top of the auction interface slowly climbed to around two hundred. Compared to the fixed sessions, which regularly drew thousands or even tens of thousands of people, this was indeed a sparse crowd.

However, the bidders seemed quite interested in the talismans, and the chat box quickly came to life.

"A D-level talisman? You don’t see those often."

"Very specialized. It would be incredibly effective against certain types of monsters."

"A set of five for a starting bid of a thousand... that’s two hundred each. Not too expensive. I just wonder how good they actually are."

"The auction house approved them, so their effects should be legitimate. No idea who the Rune Master is, though. Most of those guys give their talismans the most random names, and if they don’t add a clear description, you have no clue what they do. This seller actually gets it."

"This quality is pretty impressive for a pop-up auction. The highest-level item you can find in an E-level auction house is D-level, so this is top-tier. I bid 1,050."