I Gain Infinite Gold Just By Waiting-Chapter 207: Episode 45_SVIP (4)

Episode 207

Chapter 45: SVIP (4)

4.

An auction is simple: the highest bidder wins. Items with no set market price or whose value is hard to define are usually traded this way. Since the final price can set the going rate, both organizers and buyers must be extremely cautious.

Naturally, Buja hated this kind of transaction.

’Name your price? There’s no deal more skewed in the seller’s favor. That kind of thing should be abolished.’

Of course, if he were the seller, he’d love to use an auction. But in his life, Buja had rarely been the seller, except when unloading unwanted items. So he was stuck.

Still, what choice did he have? The auction had already started, countless people were participating, and the item Buja absolutely had to get his hands on was billed as the auction’s highlight.

’Whew. They always save this stuff for the very end. It’d be nice if they put it up early for once.’

In most novels, a useless-looking rock like this would be tossed into the early part of the auction to pad the lineup and draw some interest. Then, nobody would bid on it, and the protagonist would snag it for practically nothing. That’s how it usually went.

Reality, however, was different from fiction. The useless-looking ice rock had been dressed up as a treasure whose value was "not yet" confirmed, and it was drawing so much attention that plenty of people were visibly interested in bidding.

"What do you think we should do?" Buja asked, worried sick.

Next to him, Sergei, who had come running the moment he was called, was watching the early part of the auction with an intrigued expression.

"So that’s a special piece of ice only you can see, hmm? Fascinating."

An item whose stats were visible only to Buja. On top of that, Sergei had been told it was a class-exclusive item. He replied in a relaxed tone.

"When I participate in an auction, and something I want comes up, I usually choose one of two methods."

A 1-Star player. Sergei still had so little interest in dungeons that he hadn’t even cleared the tutorial, but he was a collector who cared so deeply about items that he’d gifted Buja the "World Tree Earrings."

He had taken part in countless auctions and always managed to get the items he wanted, so Buja listened closely.

"When people don’t know what I’m after, I place the highest bid on every single item."

Buja was left speechless. He leaned in, only to be hit with the shocking statement. He could only nod blankly.

A year ago, he would have blurted out, "Why?" in disbelief. Now, while he might not fully understand, he could at least accept it.

"There are usually one or two people planted by the organizers in any auction. Or there might be factions that just hate me. I might lose one or two items, but the odds of me getting what I want are extremely high."

"If they misread you and go after the wrong thing, they could take a loss, too."

"High bids and bold forfeits. Repeat that enough times, and most people won’t dare to mess with you."

Who would dare? Unless they were confident they could beat him with money.

"The second method is for when there is an item I absolutely must have, or when what I want is already public knowledge. Like today."

Sergei stared at the stone with a deeply serious expression, and his seriousness was contagious. This time, it was impossible to hide. Word had already spread across the community that with both Sergei and Buja participating, they had a clear target.

It couldn’t be helped. Both of them walked around decked out in Legendary items from head to toe. Were they really going to bid on the new Unique and Epic items from the Ice Castle?

Or buy monster corpses that weren’t in the Monster Guide? There were a few other miscellaneous items, but anyone could tell.

[The collector freak came to collect the mystery stone.]

[Heard he came because Buja called him?]

[Why would he? It’s not like he’s Buja’s lackey.]

[Either way, if they came together, they came to buy it.]

[The only thing to watch in this auction is the stone.]

Everyone knew the highlight of this auction would be the stone of unknown nature.

"What do you do in that case?"

When Buja asked, full of curiosity, Sergei’s serious face broke into a wide smile.

"I don’t hide it. I go into an all-out bidding war. To the very end."

Buja fell silent.

"This is my favorite kind of auction. I’m very happy you’ve given me the chance to enjoy one again."

In a way, it felt like he’d called the perfect person for the job, which gave him a slight chill. It was like watching a reflection of himself when he was gaming.

In any case, the auction proceeded smoothly, and soon enough, the highlight arrived.

* * *

The live-streamed auction was going wild.

[Wow, seriously, anything with Fly’s name on it is guaranteed to succeed.]

[Of course. If you don’t pay a premium, "those people" will immediately start flaming you. Nobody dares to bid low.]

[Yeah. It’s not even a charity auction, just a regular one, but nothing ever sells for less than its fair price.]

Since public auctions were rare, people who weren’t used to them couldn’t help but be shocked. Amounts that made you choke were thrown down in a single bid and accepted without a second thought.

You couldn’t help but wonder what the hell that item was to go for that much.

[Is this rigged?]

[Looks like they’re holding a public auction just to manipulate prices.]

[Are you stupid? Do you know how much they make? Why would they bother manipulating prices for that?]

[Yeah, true.]

But more important than that was the interest in the highlight.

[You haven’t seen anything yet.]

[Sergei hasn’t placed a single bid so far.]

[Why? What’s going on?]

If there was something he wanted, Sergei would participate in any auction, public or private. Whether he sent a proxy or showed up in person, he did not hesitate, so his habits were well known.

[Sergei has two bidding methods. Either he bids the highest on everything, or he bids the highest on just one thing.]

[What’s the difference?]

[The first is when he has more money than he knows what to do with, and the second is when he’s short on cash?]

[Please stop with the "Sergei is short on cash" jokes. There’s not much difference. "How much" doesn’t mean anything to him. The only question is whether he buys it or not. The ones who get scared are his competitors. Honestly, the first method is better for them. For items he’s not particularly interested in, he’ll drop out easily once the price goes over a certain point. So the people who want those items might not get them cheap, but they can at least still get them. The second method is different.]

[How?]

[If Sergei participates in an auction and only bids on one item, then that item has only two possible fates. Either Sergei wins it, or the sale gets canceled.]

[Wait, what?]

—Even for something he’s locked onto, he’ll coolly walk away once the price goes over a certain threshold. Of course, that threshold is dozens of times higher than the expected price. Naturally, if you’re the one competing with him, are you really going to accept the item at that price? That would be insane. Even if you have as much money as Sergei, you probably don’t want that item as badly as he does. Whether it’s the organizers’ scheme or some other faction trying to stir things up, you just end up eating the fee and walking away.

—So only the auction house wins?

—You think that’s a win? If an auction Sergei participates in ends up like that even once, that auction house’s credibility hits rock bottom, and no one will ever participate again.

With all those stories swirling, Fly’s auction continued. How would it turn out? One couldn’t help but be curious. How would Fly react? Would he participate in the bidding, too?

With the tension thick in the air, an unexpected participant shattered the silence.

“Ten billion dollars.”

The confident bid echoed through the hall, leaving it stunned.

* * *

Even the auctioneer was stunned, wondering if he had misheard. Of course, with Sergei participating and with rumors that this was the item he was after, everyone had expected the price to go high.

But for the very first bid to be ten billion dollars? On top of that, even after hearing the amount, Sergei, who had come with him, hadn’t so much as lifted a finger.

Confusion on top of confusion. Those who had been planning to bid had no choice but to hesitate.

’Is this not the item?’

’Did Sergei put him up to this?’

’But I heard Sergei registered in person this time, not through a proxy.’

It didn’t make sense to think Buja was bidding on Sergei’s behalf; if you registered in your own name, you had to receive the item yourself. Even if Sergei gave Buja the money afterward, that wasn’t the issue.

’That’s not Sergei’s style.’

’He shows up himself and then uses a proxy?’

’They don’t have a proxy relationship to begin with.’

Even if the highlight of the auction was the stone of unknown nature, that wasn’t the only item up for sale. People had dismissed the other items as nothing special, but there were actually a few very rare pieces that had been announced in advance.

’Is he going after the secret item?’

’I heard Fly slipped in a secret item at the very end.’

’Damn it. That must be it!’

The reason they’d overlooked this arguably crucial detail was that it was a regular feature of Fly’s rare auctions. Sometimes the items were good, but they tended to be practical rather than flashy, not the kind of thing that would fire up a collector’s desire.

On top of that, the secret item was usually a "donation in disguise," so many people who wanted to support Fly’s guild participated. Some said it was just a vehicle for tax evasion, but there was no evidence to support that claim.

Because the items were framed that way, nobody paid them much attention. But with things playing out like this, everyone’s eyes naturally shifted in that direction.

If they had thought it through more calmly, their judgment might have been different.

“Bid accepted.”

But there was no time. The auctioneer, who had been briefly stunned, carried on like a pro, and those who were more interested in the "rare item Sergei is after" than the "mystery stone" failed to place a bid.

The latter group simply gave up in the face of the overwhelming amount. Ten billion dollars.

Once the bid on the stone of unknown nature was accepted, Buja and Sergei rose from their seats without a backward glance and left. That was it.

They hadn’t just stepped out to use the restroom. The secret item that eventually came up was, as usual, a good item, but nothing that would stir a collector’s soul.

Only then did people realize.

—We got played.

—Did we, though?

—Who got played?

—...It’s a little ambiguous.

Objectively, the people who had been aiming for the item Sergei wanted had been played. Because in the end, there was no item Sergei had been after.

But the spectators didn’t care about that. They only cared about one thing.

—Who got played here? Was it Buja, who bought an ice rock for ten billion dollars? Or was it Fly, who sold a mystery stone for ten billion dollars?

With the end of the auction, a legendary mystery was born.