Chapter 186 The Auction

Dao Ying Nian Hua was going crazy, Hei Se Dai Biao was going crazy, and Mu Yun Dai Biao was going crazy too.

By coincidence, the three guild leaders had stated that they would temporarily authorize them with 10,000 gold coins each. This was because everyone had the same idea: a guild with a thousand members, ten gold coins per person, was nothing. But now the price had only reached a little over 1,000. The 10,000 limit provided a lot of room, and the guild could negotiate and raise more funds during this time. Even better, the battle could be resolved within 10,000.

As a result, just as the three of them had obtained this limit and barely felt confident, Han Jia Gongzi, whom they didn't consider a competitor at all, strolled past like a casual observer and casually raised the price to 10,000.

The three of them were dumbfounded, looking at each other in disbelief.

Xi Xiao Tian ignored them and nudged Yun Xiang next to him: "Start the timer!"

Yun Xiang, who had also been stunned, was reminded and quickly fulfilled his duty at Dao Ying Nian Hua's request, starting the timer. To create a sense of pressure, he used a countdown method: "30, 29, 28, 27..." Dao Ying Nian Hua counted seriously.

"No, this doesn't count." Dao Ying Nian Hua suddenly woke up from his dream and yelled.

Hei Se Dai Biao and Mu Yun Dai Biao also reacted and shouted, even louder than Dao Ying Nian Hua. The three of them suddenly united because they had a common opponent: the troublemaking, unreliable, and seemingly traitorous Han Jia Gongzi.

"What other requests do the three of you have?" Xi Xiao Tian said with a smile.

"Han Jia Gongzi, don't go! Come back here!!!" Dao Ying Nian Hua roared. After calling out 10,000, Han Jia Gongzi had wandered off again like nothing had happened. Was this an auction or a walk in the park?

How could Han Jia Gongzi listen to his calls? He just tilted his head, gave him a sideways glance, and left.

Fortunately, Han Jia Gongzi wasn't the only one from Caiyun Company present. Dao Ying Nian Hua turned to the other Caiyun Company players with a dark face and said, "What's going on? 10,000 gold coins, is your guild going to pay for it?"

These guys were also shocked by Han Jia Gongzi's behavior and were busy reporting to their guild leader, Gu Xiao Shang! When Dao Ying Nian Hua questioned them in this tone, they couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie and glared at Dao Ying Nian Hua: "Mind your own business."

Dao Ying Nian Hua wasn't fighting alone. Hei Se Dai Biao and Mu Yun Dai Biao were now his assistants, and they came over to offer their opinions: "How can you talk like that? You saw it too, the auction was going well, and you suddenly raised the price so high. What's going on?"

"What's going on? We're just scaring you! If you want it, bid. If you don't want it, give up. Why so much talk?" The Caiyun Company player's tone suddenly became even tougher because they had received instructions from their guild leader: "10,000 is just 10,000. We can afford it. What are you few useless guys making such a fuss about?"

The guys were ashamed of being scolded by their guild leader, but they also felt that Han Jia Gongzi's unconventional bid, which had made the representatives of the three major guilds look so shocked, was a very satisfying thing. So they happily sided with Han Jia Gongzi completely.

At this time, Yun Xiang's countdown had reached "ten," and he was already saying "nine, eight, seven, six."

"Stop, stop! The situation is special. We need time to consider." Dao Ying Nian Hua quickly came over to shout. He felt that the auctioneer wouldn't refuse this request, because a negotiation meant the possibility of raising the price, while stubbornly counting down would likely leave the price at 10,000 gold coins.

Xi Xiao Tian waved his hand, and Yun Xiang's countdown stopped. The people from the three major guilds breathed a sigh of relief, but the people from Caiyun Company started to complain: "What's going on? Is there any rule or not? Didn't you three say that the hammer would fall in thirty seconds? You changed your mind as soon as you realized it was disadvantageous? No way, keep counting!"

The three representatives were sweating profusely. Indeed, they were the ones who wanted to start the timer, and now they were the ones who wanted to stop it. It seemed a bit unreasonable to let them have their way. The three of them couldn't find any reason to argue, and they could only hope that the auctioneer would be a bit of a profiteer, and shamelessly comply with their request in their own best interest.

As a result, the auctioneer turned out to be so ethical. Xi Xiao Tian helplessly spread his hands and signaled Yun Xiang: "Continue."

"Five."

"Wait a minute!" The three parties were in tears.

"Four."

"Guild leader! 10,000 is not enough!"

"Three."

"How did it get to 10,000 so quickly? What's going on?"

"Two."

"No time to explain. Can we add more?"

"One."

"Wait!"

Wait your ass! The last thing the three parties received in the final second was such a reply from their guild leaders, and they felt a sense of desolation in their hearts.

"10,000 gold coins, first time." Xi Xiao Tian began the formal three-second countdown of the auction, giving the three of them another three seconds of opportunity. Messages were being sent like crazy.

"No time, reply quickly! Is a 20,000 limit okay?" The three of them shouted in unison.

"10,000 gold coins, second time."

There was no news from the guild, and the three of them were about to cry.

"10,000 gold coins, third time." Xi Xiao Tian's right hand had already been raised. Although he didn't have a hammer in his hand, swinging this hand down was no different from the hammer falling.

"18,650 gold coins!!!" At this moment, someone let out an angry roar. Everyone turned to look, and they saw Dao Ying Nian Hua with a ferocious look on his face. This price came from his mouth.

Dao Ying Nian Hua hadn't received a reply from his guild leader either, but unlike the other two representatives, his status in Zongheng Sihai was quite high. Wu Shi Zhi Jian was the guild leader, but Dao Ying Nian Hua also had equal say. What Wu Shi Zhi Jian had more of were some system permissions that a guild leader possessed. And in this regard, Wu Shi Zhi Jian wouldn't argue with Dao Ying Nian Hua. The two of them were old buddies.

At this time, after waiting for a long time without a reply, Dao Ying Nian Hua hardened his heart and simply decided to raise the price himself, and then informed Wu Shi Zhi Jian. Wu Shi Zhi Jian was still discussing with people in the guild when he learned that Dao Ying Nian Hua had already raised the price to 18,650. He was shocked, not because he was surprised that Dao Ying Nian Hua had taken matters into his own hands, but mainly because, in an auction, it was okay to raise the price slowly, but how could he raise the price by more than 8,000 gold coins in one go? What was he doing so impulsively?

Dao Ying Nian Hua's raise gave everyone another thirty seconds of negotiation time. The major representatives succinctly reported the situation here to their guilds and asked for instructions. At this time, Han Jia Gongzi also returned like a ghost, looked at Dao Ying Nian Hua, and said, "Good math!"

Han Jia Gongzi raised the price to 10,000 gold coins in one breath, an increase of 8,650 gold coins. According to the system's auction rules, this was the minimum bid. It was hard for Dao Ying Nian Hua to add the price according to this number without missing a single penny.

"What do you want to do again?" Dao Ying Nian Hua hoped that this person would quickly end the auction when he wasn't around. He had a hunch that Han Jia Gongzi wasn't really here to auction, but just to cause trouble. Caiyun Company said that this auction might be a trick by Qian Li Yi Zui and Jian Gui, but wasn't Han Jia Gongzi their most familiar comrade-in-arms? Could it be...?

Dao Ying Nian Hua couldn't help but suspect, and Hei Se Dai Biao and Mu Yun Dai Biao also looked at Han Jia Gongzi expectantly, forgetting to ask their guilds for the results.

"Could this person be...?" Everyone had this thought in their minds. Han Jia Gongzi really didn't disappoint them. He waved to Xi Xiao Tian and said, "30,000 gold coins, thank you."

Everyone's faces turned pale. Han Jia Gongzi turned around, took out a wine glass, poured himself a glass, raised it slightly to everyone, drank it all in one gulp, and smiled, "How is it? Didn't disappoint everyone, did I?"

At this time, the three major representatives received replies from their guild leaders: "Okay, the latest negotiation result is that each guild will pay 30 gold coins per person, a limit of 30,000. Don't worry and bid boldly!"

The three of them read this message blankly, a hint of bitterness sliding across their lips. They replied together, "It's already 30,000."

"What?" The guild was in an uproar. This auction was really a climax today!

Dao Ying Nian Hua wasn't so irritable anymore. He calmly sent a message to Wu Shi Zhi Jian: "Stop bidding! I think Han Jia Gongzi might be up to something."

"Oh? What if he's not up to anything?"

"If he's not up to anything? Then Gu Xiao Shang will get the quest. You'll be satisfied too, right?" Dao Ying Nian Hua said.

"Well, not bad." Wu Shi Zhi Jian pretended.

Hei Se Dai Biao and Mu Yun Dai Biao had the same view. They strongly condemned Han Jia Gongzi's behavior and said that continuing like this would only lead to a bloody battle. It was unnecessary. It was better to give up.

Thirty seconds passed, and the three major representatives didn't make any moves. Xi Xiao Tian counted down one, two, three, and the three of them still didn't move. Han Jia Gongzi smiled and raised his glass to everyone again, saying, "Thank you."

"30,000 gold coins, Caiyun Company, sold!" Xi Xiao Tian's hand finally fell. The auction ended here. Gu Fei and the others hiding in the dark were gnashing their teeth. They had also listened to the entire auction process. They had every reason to believe that Han Jia Gongzi had seen through something and was deliberately messing things up.

"Congratulations." Xi Xiao Tian greeted Han Jia Gongzi and said.

"You're welcome. Call them out!" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Call who?" Xi Xiao Tian asked, puzzled.

"Still hiding?" Han Jia Gongzi patted the pile of wood behind Xi Xiao Tian.

"What's wrong?" Xi Xiao Tian continued to be at a loss.

Han Jia Gongzi raised his head in this direction. The people he brought all came forward. "Knock it down." Han Jia Gongzi pointed to the pile of wood. Those people immediately came up and pushed and shoved, but the round logs didn't move at all.

"What are you doing?" Xi Xiao Tian asked strangely. At the same time, there was a rush of messy footsteps around. Caiyun Company's team broke into the logging yard. Han Jia Gongzi waved his hand and pointed to the piles of wood around: "Move them all away and take a look."

"Wait!" Xi Xiao Tian suddenly stood up to stop them.

"What's wrong?" Han Jia Gongzi smiled meaningfully and sent a message to Gu Xiao Shang, telling her to prepare for battle. Gu Xiao Shang understood and secretly ordered in the guild channel. The people of Caiyun Company gradually surrounded the piles of wood.

Xi Xiao Tian calmly pointed to the NPC Weite on the pile of wood next to him and said, "This is the NPC for this quest, and the quest's plot is related to the piles of wood around. Your current behavior is destroying the pattern of these piles of wood. If the quest cannot be accepted because of this, who will be responsible?"

"Oh, I wonder what the quest plot is that's related to these piles of wood?" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Count the number of piles of wood." Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Oh? A counting quest? You don't even have the ability to complete it?" Han Jia Gongzi smiled.

"Of course, there are parallel contents. We have no problem counting, but we tried the battle to kill the NPC, but we couldn't pass it. But now that you've dismantled the piles of wood, I can't guarantee that the quest will still be there. Once you can't get the quest, but we've already given up in vain, will you still pay 30,000 gold coins?" Xi Xiao Tian said.

"I see, that's simple. We'll accept the quest first, then dismantle the piles of wood. That's okay, right?" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Oh, if you still can't get it, then it's just that the system doesn't have this setting. We'll admit we're unlucky." Xi Xiao Tian said.

"You've paved all the escape routes!" Han Jia Gongzi smiled.

"Accept the quest?" Xi Xiao Tian confirmed.

The quest needed to be accepted by the guild. Gu Xiao Shang had arrived at this time and was called over by Han Jia Gongzi. After nodding, Xi Xiao Tian pretended to send a message. After a while, he nodded: "Okay, we've given up the quest. As long as you accept the quest, please pay the money."

"Okay." Gu Xiao Shang nodded. The NPC Weite was on the pile of wood. Gu Xiao Shang was about to go up to accept the quest when Han Jia Gongzi leaned over to Xi Xiao Tian and said, "Is there really a quest?"

"Of course." Xi Xiao Tian smiled.

Gu Xiao Shang had already gone halfway up when Han Jia Gongzi suddenly had an idea and quickly said, "Wait, wait, don't go up yet."

Gu Xiao Shang turned her head, expressing her confusion.

"Is this pile of wood sturdy enough?" Han Jia Gongzi suddenly walked forward and patted the pile of round logs.

"What do you mean?" Xi Xiao Tian asked.

"If we dismantle the pile of wood and can't accept the quest, you'll still pay the money. That's okay, right?" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"As long as we get paid, we don't care." Xi Xiao Tian shrugged.

"What does this mean?" Gu Xiao Shang was puzzled.

"Come down!" Han Jia Gongzi signaled Gu Xiao Shang to come down and called the players over: "Dismantle the pile of wood. Don't dismantle the others, just dismantle this pile."

The people of Caiyun Company immediately got busy, transforming into laborers in the logging yard, coming over to move the pile of wood. The players were simple and crude. They didn't care about the structure. They just pulled out whichever log was convenient. In no time, the pile of wood collapsed in a heap. The NPC Weite on top of the pile of wood couldn't stand still and fell down. The players of Caiyun Company were already waiting for instructions. They were all prepared for battle at this time, but there was no one in the rolling pile of wood as Han Jia Gongzi had said. The representatives of the three major guilds hadn't left yet. They were watching Caiyun Company's actions and were a bit puzzled. Many ordinary quest players heard the commotion here and ran over to watch, discussing what kind of large-scale quest this was.

Xi Xiao Tian waited for the rolling round logs to stop, as if nothing had happened. Then he said to Han Jia Gongzi, "Now the money can be paid. As for whether there's a quest or not, we're not responsible."

Han Jia Gongzi's face was very ugly. Could it be that he had miscalculated this time? But the fact was in front of him. There was no ambush in the logging yard. He had thought that these piles of wood were hollow, and there were players hiding inside. The NPC Weite was on the pile of wood. To accept the quest, you had to climb up. If the piles of wood were empty, and the support was pulled out, Gu Xiao Shang would immediately fall into a trap and be slaughtered. Han Jia Gongzi was sure that the other party's auction was just a prelude to this step, but there was no one... What was even more fatal was that since there was no quest now, the other party had already gotten away with it thanks to the previous setup. These 30,000 gold coins had to be spent.

Gu Xiao Shang didn't care so much. She took a few steps forward to talk to Weite, but the boy only said a few silly lines. He didn't look like he had a quest. Xi Xiao Tian looked at Han Jia Gongzi with great sympathy: "That's really unfortunate!"

Han Jia Gongzi looked at Xi Xiao Tian, didn't say anything, and casually took out three money bags from his pocket. Perhaps there was a quest, perhaps there wasn't, but because of Han Jia Gongzi's misjudgment, there was now a situation where there was no quest but the gold coins had to be paid. Han Jia Gongzi didn't hesitate and decided to bear it himself. He threw the three money bags to Xi Xiao Tian and said, "You're ruthless."

"Likewise." Xi Xiao Tian smiled and turned to Gu Xiao Shang and said, "It's a pity that Guild Leader Gu didn't get the quest. Perhaps you can try to pile the wood back up and send the NPC up again to try."

Dao Ying Nian Hua and the other two guild representatives were watching with great pleasure at this time. There was no quest, but they still had to pay, and Han Jia Gongzi was paying out of his own pocket. There was such a pleasant thing in the world. The three of them had worked hard to avoid laughing out loud. Dao Ying Nian Hua and the others had been ruthlessly extorted by Han Jia Gongzi many times, and they felt like their eyes had been opened when they saw him lose 30,000 gold coins for nothing.

Gu Xiao Shang walked up to Han Jia Gongzi and said, "You're a rich man!"

"So-so." Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Don't say I'm not generous. Come, I'll give you 20,000 gold coins. Don't be too distressed." Gu Xiao Shang said.

"No need, it's just a small amount." Han Jia Gongzi said.

"What do you think about this?" Gu Xiao Shang was also a straightforward person. She didn't push back and forth with Han Jia Gongzi and threw the money directly at Han Jia Gongzi.

As a result, Han Jia Gongzi didn't catch it at all. He let the two money bags fall to the ground, kicked them back like trash, and said, "The quest definitely doesn't exist, but there's one thing I'm not sure about now. Is this some trick by Qian Li Yi Zui and the others, or is it a money-grabbing scam set up by this girl?"

"If it's a trick set up by Qian Li Yi Zui and the others, the purpose shouldn't be money, right?" Gu Xiao Shang said.

"Of course not..." Han Jia Gongzi said.

The other three major guilds had already withdrawn their troops the moment the hammer fell on the 30,000 gold coins. Of course, they were still concerned about the quest. In addition to leaving the three representatives, they also left a few people to see if there was an opportunity to pick up any cheap stuff. As for the others, they returned to their respective positions. Those who were running quests continued to run quests, those who were doing reconnaissance continued to do reconnaissance, and the guild leaders led the remaining members back to the area around the resurrection camp to garrison.

"Guild leader, there's a situation ahead!!!" Yun Zhong Mu Di, who was returning to the resurrection camp, suddenly received a report from Eagle-Eye Sniper.

A figure turned out from a hundred meters ahead of their team, standing against the wind, with a dark purple long sword stuck in the ground next to him.

"It's a bit difficult to deal with a thousand people. If it's two or three hundred, we can still try..." Gu Fei nodded, turning the ring on his hand.