As the final second of the countdown struck zero, the thick mist cloaking the central auction platform stirred, rippling like liquid starlight. A low, harmonic chime echoed across the entire citadel—deep and majestic—reverberating through the countless dome-seats and even causing flickers of starlight to dance across the silver platforms orbiting the citadel.
Then, from within the mist, a silhouette emerged.
It was a tall, androgynous figure clad in a robe woven from starry threads—its body glimmered faintly, like a constellation come to life. Its face held no features, only a smooth, blank canvas upon which different expressions would ripple in shifting patterns of light.
This was no real person. This was the Auction Spirit—a sophisticated virtual being created by the Virtual Star World itself.
The moment it stepped fully onto the stage, its voice rang out—crystal-clear, without emotion yet filled with power.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the In-House Auction of the Star Auction Virtual House.
"Today’s auction consists of thirty items—each appraised at the minimum of Legendary Noble Rank and above. The order of appearance has been determined and sealed by the Vault Protocol of the Star Network.
"Please keep in mind that the currency of In-House Auction is Star Crystals of equivalent rank to the auction items, and to bid for items, you need to let your Soul Star Watch scan all the Star Crystals in your possession, to make sure there won’t be any foul play.
"Your privacy and all the information are protected by SAAI, and we keep all the rights to use it in case of any malefactor or malicious intent."
As the Auction Spirit raised its hand, a luminous screen appeared high above the stage, visible from every seat in the citadel. A glowing list of thirty encrypted item names scrolled in elegant starlight script, their ranks temporarily hidden except for their number. But three items at the bottom shimmered slightly brighter than the rest—items No.28, No.29, and No.30!
The entire citadel stirred with silent anticipation.
"Seats have been locked. All verified participants may now engage in the auction interface using the command window within your domes," the Auction Spirit declared, and a soft pulse triggered the emergence of a holographic panel in front of every attendee.
It displayed the following features:
"Live Item Feed
"Bid Input & Auto-Bid Options
"Item History & Spec Sheets
"Anonymity Control
"Personal Funds Tracker"
The interface was quite easy to use, and almost everyone knew how to use it since most of these features were regular features of the out-house auction as well. Many auction servers also used them.
The Auction Spirit continued, "Each item will be introduced and displayed with a ten-second review window, followed by a three-hundred-second live bidding session.
"Please try not overbidding without sufficient backing, or it will result in immediate disqualification and blacklist from the Star Auction Virtual House."
A ripple passed through the dome seats as some cautious bidders quietly readjusted their initial auto-bid limits through bid input and auto-bid options.
"Now... Let the auction begin."
The mist on the stage rippled again, and the first item materialized within a crystalline display—a serpentine black dagger flickering with runic craftsmanship.
Its name appeared above it in starlight letter:
[Item No. 01: Deathcoil Venom Fang – Advanced Legendary Noble Rank Weapon]
[Item Details: Discovered in the Forbidden Serpent Lands of Great Cosmic Continent of Leo, capable of bypassing certain spiritual defenses, and with an active spell imbued in it, [Fatal Venom Strick] capable of poisoning Legendary Noble with a fatal poison, and even Tier-1 Legendary Lords will be affected by this position]
[Starting Bid: 10,000 Legendary Noble Rank Star Crystals]
The moment the first item was revealed, bids began flying in instantly. Although it was only a Legendary Nobel Rank weapon, it could also affect a legendary lord, which was a scarce property.
Furthermore, more of the attendees were either Fable Legendary State or Legendary Noble State experts, and they wouldn’t miss this chance to acquire such a weapon.
The price spiked, plateaued, then rose again in a fierce tug-of-war between a few rich Fable Legendary and Legendary Noble bidders whose dome-seats flickered subtly with activity.
Eventually, the time reached the end, and the final bid was locked in with a deep chime. The item vanished.
"Sold for 500,500 Star Crystals (Legendary Noble Rank)!" the Auction Spirit announced emotionlessly.
The next moment, the second item was revealed just like the first one.
[Item No. 02: Noble Revival Elixir – Advanced Legendary Noble Rank Potion]
[Quantity: Three Vials (100ML Vial)]
[Item Details: An excellent alchemy product created by the First Disciple of the Elixir King, Lord Alchemist Cleifan! It can literally revive any Fable Legendary and Legendary Noble from the verge of death from any injuries and make them 100% healed. It is also an antidote for any poison below Legendary Lord Rank. It can also heal Legendary Lords up to 15%, depending on their injuries.]
[Starting Bid: 50,000 Legendary Noble Rank Star Crystals]
This second item was even more compelling than the weapon because it was a rare elixir, and it was the ’Revival Elixir’ at that, which had been invented by the Elixir King!
Although this Revival Elixir was only a ’Noble’ rank version, the ’King Revival Elixir’ can achieve the same effect, but on the Legendary Kings! That’s why all Legendary Kings coveted the Revival Elixir with infinite demand but no product.
To this day, the Elixir King had only sold 4 King Revival Elixirs publicly, and rumor had it that they were sold for a mind-blowing price. Some rumors even state that a King Revival Elixir was sold for 10 Elemental Planets!
Now that a ’Noble Revival Elixir’ has appeared in this auction, and it was created by the Elixir King’s first disciple, who was also quite famous, no less, so there wasn’t even a need to consider its authority. There were even three vials, not just one, on top of that!
Lastly, to make this product appear in the Inn-House Auction was an achievement in itself.
A terrifying bidding war started, as those domes on the seats flickered like twinkling stars, and this time even those floating ’star-seats’ joined the fray, and the price increased like crazy.
In one of the Star-Seats, a charming high-orc with noble features and bearing was looking at the fierce bidding war on her screen with a hint of pride and arrogance. She was precisely the creator of those Noble Revival Elixirs, Lord Alchemist Cleifan.
Cleifan muttered, "Master was right, today’s auction is special, and it’s my chance to gain more recognition. It’ll be easier to fight for a spot in the Grand Alchemy Domain! I wonder what her thoughts are right now..."
The time finally reached the end, and the final bid was locked in with another deep chime. The item vanished and was claimed as the Auction Spirit announced.
"Sold for 5.95 Million Star Crystals (Legendary Noble Rank)!"