Draco laughed at Riveting Night's silly antics. If she was able to spout such nonsense, it meant that she was definitely fine for the most part. He breathed an audible sigh of relief from that.
It then hit the fellow that even though they were technically overpowered when facing other players, against other elements of the game they were nothing but very big ants. Reincarnation or not, 15 years of knowledge or not, Draco realized that the two of them had been on the verge of true death this time if not for very convenient circ.u.mstances, as if some higher power wanted them to survive at the cost of consistency…
"May I ask my Lord if the fusion was successful?" Madam Carrie ventured with a smile. Even though she knew the answer, she still wanted to ask just to be sure.
"Yes, it was a success thanks to your help, Madam Carrie." Draco replied while bringing Riveting Night up to her feet. She shook off her dazedness and returned to her idle stance which made even a high-tier individual like Madam Carrie feel a slight bit of danger.
"Haha, nothing like that, My Lord. I was just trying to help you out in the name of the Church." Madam Carrie laughed gaily.
Draco gazed as Madam Carrie with admiration and respect, a feeling mirrored by Riveting Night who stood beside him. How could he not understand her words? She had used her personal privileges - which might get her into trouble - in order to have Draco owe her a favor, which she unhesitatingly passed to the Church of Light.
Draco might be a Rank 1 Avenger currently but his future was limitless before he got the divine treasure chest. Now however, with these acquisitions, it was to the point were Gods would feel envy. A favor that could be redeemed from such a talent in the future was an enormous boon, even more than receiving the Dragon Soul. Instead of keeping this to herself, she passed on the right to utilize this favor to the Church. What devotion! What selflessness!
What was even more amusing to Draco and Riveting Night was that the Church would only use this favor when the next Great War broke out. After all, who was to say that Draco would give a shit about the war? A power like him could roam the lands freely and even the Demon King would send him gifts to prevent his participation.
Utilizing the favor to have him participate would increase the chances of survival for the human race by more than half!
Still, if the Church knew that Draco's whole world domination plan hinged on the Great War, how would they feel? After all, it was through participation in the Great War that Draco realized that he could accrue enough benefits to reach the level cap and break through the void.
The Great War was a large scale conflict that erupted between the human and demon races once a thousand years had passed between the last one. The devil race usually sat by the sidelines and played a role similar to what Draco did for the two outposts in the War of Attrition. They would provide weapons and mercenary assistance to the weaker side at any point in time and extend the conflict as long as possible while profiting.
That was why the devil race was despised, but tolerated. You never know when you might need their help in a future Great War, so it was better not to burn all bridges.
The Great War was not fought in the way you were thinking.
Humans were, unfortunately, the weaker side in this conflict since demons were born with natural advantages. They also lived in a parallel plane that had much less resources, so they had to fight from day 1 in order to survive. This made them ferocious, cunning and very battle hardened unlike most humans who lived banal lives while leaving the combat stuff to others.
This meant that, to describe the Great War in game terms, it was a siege defense. The goal wasn't to wipe out the invader but last long enough for the hidden powers to band together and seal the breaches the demons used to enter this plane.
Since the hidden powers couldn't take part in the fighting, it was left to all the other combatants in the world to fight off the never ending waves of vicious and clever opponents who had the same skills as they did, but utilized them better.
As you could imagine, the survival rate was abysmal.
Humans hated demons with such burning passion that it was imprinted in every single person's bloodline. Demons hated humans too, but not for the same reason. The hate was simply due to the fact that they felt humans were retards.
A world with such lush resources and abundant worldly energy, yet you couldn't subdue it? Have you seen the demon realm? It was half barren wasteland and half hellish inferno, yet we were able to survive. You couldn't even develop much with all that was around you? Then you didn't deserve to have it!
The number of demons compared to humans was almost 7:1. Since every demon was a fighter by nature, it further put humanity in a tough spot since only a minority were adventurers or fighters of any kind. The rest were mundane or Tradeskill individuals.
There was no way Draco and Riveting Night would be missing such a party!
The next Great War was about two and a half years away in real time. Since 1 hour in real time was worth 4 in Boundless, it meant that it would be ten years within the game.
(Authors note: When they say, 15 years of past life, 7 years of past life etc, they're referring to Boundless time. Real time hardly passed otherwise wouldn't the Lucifer Lineage have long sorted out their issues and come for their now world popular prodigy?)
In their past life, all they could do was hide and fight pitched battles while praying for intervention more often than not. All players had been caught off guard, since log out was prohibited during the event.
This time however, they were equipped to take advantage of this heavenly pie! There wasn't nearly enough living things to kill in their plane to help them reach level 400, but during the demon invasion, experience and loot gains for killing the enemy faction were more than doubled! With enough effort, they could reach the level cap if they played it right.
After all, how did Richmond reach where he was currently? The undying fart had participated in multiple Great Wars. Without even partaking in the actual fight, his level had risen to the point where the next Great War would see him reach the cap easily!
For some, this war was a calamity! For others it was an opportunity! This was what separated common people from the ones destined to lord over everything under heaven!
"Would my Lord and Lady wish to attend the Divine Auction?" Madam Carrie offered, bringing Draco out of his reverie.
Draco remembered that the Divine Auction should be starting in a few minutes and nodded. After all, even though he had traded off all his Dragon's Blessing potions for a Divine Treasure Chest and 100 reputation with the Church of Light, he still had to monitor the sales of the Dragorugio sets.
Alternatively, he could sell the design for the set as well as the potion, but he held off on that for now. It would be much better to trade it with a race other than humankind, since it was established that human resources weren't able to handle the stuff Draco could bring in yet.
"We surely would love to. Please lead the way, Dear Madam." Draco replied while doing some calculations. In his past life, he had been unable to visit the Divine Auction till later which he regretted greatly. Putting aside this whole event of his creations, the other items put up for sale were great in their own ways.
Draco might have lucked out to create two absolutely unique items, but one must remember that the key to their high value lied solely in the help that the Dragon Soul provided. Without it, the items wouldn't even have possessed the right to be in the Cario Continent monthly auction, much less the Divine Auction.
Madam Carrie snapped her fingers once again, returning the whole crew to her office. Once there, the Aide took over and led Draco as well as Riveting Night to the highest VIP room that was usually unoccupied during most events like this. It was probably reserved for extremely important guests that the Church of Light, a superpower no weaker than the War Maniac Pavilion, had to respect or face the music.
Inside the room, Draco and Riveting Night were mind boggled to see that… this too was a super mini small world!
What the shit?
Were super mini small worlds like cabbages nowadays, eh? They turned left, there was a super mini small world. They turned right, there was a super mini small world.
Sigh…
This super mini small world was about 10km2 with an ambient aesthetic that was centered around the sky. Draco and Riveting Night quite literally stood on clouds that were drifting above the ocean. The sky was blue and the sun's rays were muted in terms of heat and light intensity, so they were able to see with ease.
There was a constant breeze that had normal air density instead of the expected slightly thin variation that should've existed at this height.
The Evil Duo immediately fashioned a couch with a nice coffee table in front of them as they sat down to watch the auction. A few clouds on the side converged to form a large screen, which was technically a window into the auction.
The Aide, who had been about to direct them on what to do, was silenced before she could even speak.
Draco and Riveting Night could see that the auction room was stuffed to the brim with different people of different races who were here to nab whatever useful items they could. All of them looked affluent to an extent, though there were the occasional few who tried to remain lowkey.
However, no one who was allowed to attend the Divine Auction was simple.
Soon enough, a young girl of about 14 years of age came onto the stage with a smile. She was pretty cute, with blond curly hair and bright green eyes. Her face was round and chubby, displaying her childish cuteness and perfect pinchability. She was the kind of daughter a father could never say no to.
"Hello everyone!! Welcome to this month's Divine Auction!!" She shouted while waving energetically.
Quite literally everyone in the audience broke out into an indulgent smile. These were people who killed, backstabbed and generally performed what would be called evil in our world on a daily. Yet, before this chipper little miss, they were like elder brothers and sisters who were being entertained by their silly little sister.
It wasn't just the looks, but an actual ability this little miss possessed. It was gentle aura that would enable relaxation and calming thoughts to the audience when she was within a certain range of them.
Why would the audience allow themselves to fall under her spell? Because there were no negative effects! Why would the Church use such a naive girl as a hostess for such a grand auction? Because her aura kept the audience civil while within the Church!
They didn't need a fluent host who could raise prices of items with a glib tongue, because all the things sold here would gather obscene prices just by themselves.
"My name is Shizura! I would like to introduce the first item of the auction!" The Little Miss said while gesturing to an item that was being brought to the stage.
When it was unveiled, the audience's eyes were riveted on it to see what item would be used to kick off this particular Divine Auction. Everyone cast their own identification skills that were either maxed out or completely unique.
Riveting Night didn't bother, since her means of identification were still too common. Instead, she quietly waited for Draco, who had the most superior means under heaven, to share the details with her. After identification, he transferred what he saw to her on a private message.
｢Pavo's Guard – Tower Shield
Rank: Epic
Def: 10000
Effect:
Passive 1 – Deflection: 30% of all direct damage is deflected regardless of source.
Active 1 – Unparalleled Defense: A metaphysical barrier of golden light manifests and possesses unlimited defense for it's duration. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 day｣
The audience seemed to breathe heavily when the item came out, but Draco shook his head. On paper, this was a good shield but it wasn't actually that great in reality. The simple fact was that Epic items possessed a single passive and a single active skill. Legendary items seemed to possess two passive and one active skill, probably.
Draco wasn't sure about Divine items since he only received the Eyes of Caelo just an hour or so ago. Besides, the game had stated that it's utility had been suppressed because it was currently trying to break his bloodline seal. If it wasn't for his perfect resonance with the item, he'd likely have less passives than he already did.
On that note, this Epic item had an impressive active skill and the passive wasn't bad for an epic shield. However, the duration for the active skill was crap and the cooldown was far too long.
Then again, the standards of these two old monsters who had lived to an age after the Great War was naturally higher than the NPCs of this timeline. What others saw as an impressive item was just average in their eyes.
"Okay everyone, the minimum bid for this item is 100,000 gold! Only increments of a minimum of a 1000 gold are allowed!" Shizura stated while making an idol-like pose.
"Ready…"
"Auction start!"
The moment she hit the pad with the hammer, the auction began in earnest.
"150,000 gold!"
"200,000 gold!"
"300,000 gold!"
In no time, the price of the item surpassed half a million worth of gold, which left the Aide breathing heavily. Draco and Riveting Night weren't too surprised, as in their past lives, they had behaved similarly same for this kind of thing. It was like owning a Ferrari Enzo then visiting to a car sale where people were fighting over a brand new Hyundai Azera. Sure, the car was great and had many benefits in the eyes of current buyers, but after tasting the power of a Ferrari, you couldn't be excited about a Hyundai no matter what.
The price soon capped at 700,000 gold which was pretty impressive for an Epic item of this caliber. The warrior who had won the item's face was flushed with exhilaration. With enough time, he would be able to develop into a true powerhouse with this item! Coming to the Divine Auction was worth all the trouble!
Others could only look on in envy. Clearly, this fellow had a bright future ahead of him!.
The next item was brought out and then the next and the next. One would expect the lineup for the Divine Auction to be limited due to criteria, but that couldn't be father away from the truth. Even though Epic and above items were rare, those were finished products. There were a lot of epic materials and resources that were tradeable here.
In fact, finding legendary materials wasn't impossible in the Divine Auction, but that would be near the end of the auction. The Divine Auction never advertised the items that were to be auctioned beforehand if they surpassed a certain criteria. It made the reveal all the more intense as each party fought for it like it was the end of the world.
Draco remained still during the whole time, occasionally tickling the ear of Riveting Night or fondling her idly. Like a cat on the lap of its master, she purred from the attention and m.o.a.ned from the caress. The Aide's face was long flushed as she tried to ignore the sounds she was hearing. This was a church for God's sake! Have some awareness!
Can't you see that this little sis is a pure maiden? Why do you have to spoil me like this?
"For our next item, we have a unique set of weapons and armor that was crafted by an Immortal Adventurer." Shizura teased with a cheeky smile.
Immediately, the crowd sat up. A unique set you say? And it's made by an Immortal Adventurer? Could it be…?
"That's right, everyone! This is the creation of that Draco guy, who's probably in here somewhere! If you're out there Draco, hi!!" Shizura waved happily.
Immediately, sharp glints flashed in the eyes of the audience. Before, when they looked at each other, there were hints of friendliness. However, when Draco's items were mentioned, everyone looked at the other as if to warn them. F.u.c.k off when This Daddy/This Mommy bids!
The sets were displayed for the audience to inspect, which they did.
｢Dragorugio – Set Equipment (5 piece)
Rank: Semi-Epic
Effect;
- With 2 pieces equipped: Grant the passive skill 'Flame Master'
- With 3 pieces equipped: +15000 Fire Resistance
- With 4 pieces equipped: +1000 Fire Mastery
- With 5 pieces equipped: Grant the active skill 'Fire Domain'｣
｢Flame Master – Passive skill
Fire damage +10%
Fire resistance +10%｣
｢Fire Domain – Active skill
Effect: Create a fiery domain in an area of 50*10 yards around user which boosts damage and movement speed by 5% and reduces enemy defense and attack speed by 15%.
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
When they saw the set equipment, the crowd held their breath. If Draco pushed his True Sight further, he would be able to see everyone's heart rate increase. The whole audience felt a pounding in their chests as their breathing became labored.
Exaggerated reactions? Not so!
What was the key difference between NPCs and players? The penalty of death! If a player died, they respawned with varying penalties. If an NPC died, unless they were resurrected using special means, that was it for them!
A set like the Dragorugio set, which was only Semi-Epic, wasn't that great enough to earn a base price of 300,000 gold. What made it so valuable was the skills and set effects. Fire was one of the most common branches of magic in the world due to it's destructiveness.
The Dragorugio set was obviously marketed to warriors or at least, melee classes. What was it that melee classes feared the most? Ranged fighters! Especially mages! Fire mages were the absolute worst of the lot!
The resistance bonuses on the set were absolutely ridiculous! Even a relatively weak hidden power who had specialized in fire magic/element didn't have this much resistance naturally.
With this set, roaming the demon world would be a cinch, though no one considered that of course.
"The minimum bid is 300,000 gold! Only increments of 10,000 gold are allowed! Let the bidding… begin!"