Chapter 371 - 370: Flame Attack Purification Rune

Chapter 371: Chapter 370: Flame Attack Purification Rune

"You all think it’s worth it but only raise the bid by 50 Black Fog Coins? Who are you trying to fool? Even if I didn’t want this rune, I’d still offer a hundred! 1100 Black Fog Coins!"

"Heh, if you really didn’t want it, why are you bidding? I bet you’re just saying that to stop others from competing with you!"

’Is that how it works?’

These people had probably been to auctions before. Some of them might not even be survivors.

Seraphina Sinclair watched the comments in the public chat, studying them intently.

’If there’s something I want, I should learn from these people and post some ’misinformation’ in the public chat too!’

"There’s not much to say about this item’s value. The grade is clear, and the description is obvious. It’s a proper attack rune that also has a purification effect, which is actually pretty rare. People who need it will want it badly, and people who don’t will see it as a piece of trash."

"Exactly. But I still don’t get it—can’t these Rune Masters just standardize the names for their runes? The last time I saw a rune with a similar effect, it was called something like the Giant Flame Rune. Who would’ve guessed these two runes do basically the same thing??"

"Oh, I get it! So it’s like bubble tea names, right?"

"Bubble tea? That’s a human thing."

"I think you’re looking for: Fluffy Puffy Yum-Yum Bubble Cloud Tea! It’s just regular pearl milk tea, lol."

"Hey, don’t knock it. The Runic Realm could really learn a thing or two from bubble tea shops about naming conventions. Not your whatever-fluffy-puffy stuff, of course. With a normal bubble tea, no matter how fancy the name, you see ’Taro Swirl’ or ’Cheese Foam’ and you know what you’re getting."

"So, by that logic, this rune should be called the Flame Attack Purification Rune!"

"That name is hideous."

"But you can’t deny, it’s direct and easy to understand. It sounds awful, but you know exactly what it does just by hearing the name, which would make buying it much easier."

"I support this! I support this! Down with unnecessary frills! Bring back primal joy and convenience!"

"What primitive monkey posted that?"

Seraphina Sinclair quietly watched as the price, amidst all the banter, slowly climbed to 2800 Black Fog Coins.

As the price climbed, the number of bidders dwindled.

Where before, a new bid might pop up from anywhere, now the bidding was down to a few consistent participants.

"3000."

A new, anonymous bidder jumped in, raising the price by 200 Black Fog Coins in one go.

The public chat fell silent for a moment.

"Whoa, looks like one of the real experts couldn’t hold back any longer."

"Isn’t that about the right price? Five D-level runes, so 600 each. That’s already premium pricing for a standard auction, isn’t it?"

"What is the poster above talking about? Do you even know what’s going on? This is an E-level auction house, not the C-level and B-level ones you’re used to. D-level runes are a rare sight here. On top of that, for someone who needs this, it’s a top priority. Forget 600 Black Fog Coins—even a thousand would be a reasonable price."

A few comments agreeing with this one popped up, but they were immediately followed by a skeptical question:

"That can’t be right. If it’s so valuable, why hasn’t the price gone up in so long?"

"First time at an auction?"

The rhetorical question, dripping with smug superiority, hung in the public chat for a moment before being buried under a wave of "?" replies.

"Some of you veterans need to get off your high horse. You didn’t know this stuff on your first day either! Let me explain for everyone: to keep the entire auction under an hour, each item has a fixed time limit. That’s why the bidding only gets really intense right before an item’s time is up."

This person not only gave a clear explanation but also managed to insult the smug commenter in the process.

Seraphina found this amusing. She glanced at the price—it was already at 4200 Black Fog Coins. Still a ways off from the 5000 mark people in the chat were talking about. Reassured, she went back to reading the messages.

"Didn’t everyone participating in this auction have to consign an item? If you do the math... doesn’t that mean each item gets less than thirty seconds on average? So why has this one been up for so long?"

"Because not all consigned items get selected. You think that fee you paid was because your item didn’t sell? The truth is, it probably never even qualified for the auction block."

"That’s right. To guarantee the experience for all bidders, the first item at a pop-up auction like this one always belongs to the distinguished guest whose consignment triggered the event. The entire tone of the auction is set by this first item."

"As long as the first item is decent, the rest of the lots won’t be too shabby. That’s why I’m still here."

"Got it, got it! So that’s how it is! Thanks for the info, everyone!"

"What else am I missing? Please, experts, share some more secrets!"

"Oh, there’s more! Aren’t you all curious why the bidding on these five runes has been a slow back-and-forth for so long, and why nobody seems to be in a rush?"

Seraphina was curious about that, too!

She glanced at the current price: 4600 Black Fog Coins. They were back to raising the bid by fifties.

Seraphina held her breath, waiting for the "insider" in the chat to explain.

A few seconds later, a new line of text appeared: 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Simple. It’s because this is the distinguished guest’s consigned item. The auction house is anything but stingy with its spe~cial~ guest~. All the other items have to give up a bit of their time for this lot. So, this single item gets a fixed ten minutes on the block!"

"What?! Ten minutes?! Are you kidding me?!"

"No wonder it’s dragging on! I thought it was just two whales feeling each other out..."

"So that’s the VIP privilege? That’s insane! What about the rest of us with items later on?"

"Calm down, ’people after.’ Like we said, this is the distinguished guest’s opening lot, meant to set the tone. A good sale proves this pop-up auction is worth something, which convinces more people to stick around for later items. The auction house isn’t stupid; they’ll balance the overall time."

"That’s easy for you to say... but ten minutes is still way too long. If my consigned item even makes it to the block, does that mean it’ll only get one or two minutes of screen time?"

"Look on the bright side, friend. The first lot warms up the crowd so the real gems that follow can fetch higher prices. You’ve got the wrong mindset. Is the auction house here to let you score a deal? No, it’s here to help you sell your stuff for top dollar!"

"That’s true..."

Watching these discussions, Seraphina understood.

’So that’s how it works.’

’This VIP privilege is certainly interesting.’

After the brief commotion, the price resumed its climb.

[Anonymous]:4650.

[Anonymous]:4700.

The back-and-forth continued.

As time ticked down to the last thirty seconds, the rhythm of the competition changed in a flash. The slow, drawn-out bidding war was shattered in an instant.

[Anonymous]:5000!