Chapter 442 - 441: Tier 7 Auction (part 1)

Chapter 442: Chapter 441: Tier 7 Auction (part 1)

At the same time, the surrounding kingdoms had begun paying attention to his existence, with spies quietly entering his territory in an attempt to discover the true strength of the monster forces that had conquered an entire kingdom.

Alix finally leaned back in his chair.

"Let’s see how things are progressing."

With a thought, the familiar System interface appeared before him.

A translucent blue screen floated quietly in front of his eyes, its numerous lines of information glowing softly within the otherwise quiet chamber.

[ALIX]

[Level: 600]

[Population: 410,561,726]

[Need to Level Up: 500,000,000]

[Gold Coins: 123,535,742]

[Erevaris Kingdom]

[Capital City: Noctaris City]

[Cities: 63]

[Soldiers: 14,460,239]

Alix stared at the numbers for several seconds.

His eyes lingered on the gold coin count.

"123,535,742..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"In just months, I’ve already earned almost one hundred million gold coins from that dungeon."

The amount was certainly impressive.

For ordinary kingdoms, one hundred million gold coins would be an astronomical fortune. Even the three great powers surrounding his territory would probably need considerable time to accumulate such wealth, especially if they are using Qi Stones maintaining armies, cities, cultivation resources, and their own low-grade dungeons.

However, Alix wasn’t satisfied.

Not because the dungeon wasn’t profitable.

Quite the opposite.

The dungeon was far more profitable than he had initially expected.

The problem was that his current goal required an absurd amount of money.

Alix raised his hand and tapped the System interface.

"The teleportation portal..."

A second window appeared.

[Large-Scale Teleportation Portal]

[Function: Allows the transportation of massive numbers of individuals between designated locations.]

[Price: 300,000,000 Gold Coins]

Alix’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Three hundred million."

He currently possessed a little over one hundred twenty-three million.

That meant he was still short by roughly one hundred seventy-six million gold coins.

Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be an impossible amount to obtain. The dungeon was already generating enormous profits, and if its current income remained stable, he could accumulate the required amount within several months.

Alix’s fingers lightly tapped against the armrest.

"But I don’t have several months."

His expression became thoughtful.

The surrounding kingdoms were already moving.

The spies he had deliberately allowed into his territory would eventually return with their reports. Once the surrounding powers understood that the monsters occupying Alnera Kingdom were not a disorganized horde, but an actual civilization capable of governing the territory, their interest would only increase.

And the appearance of a high-level dungeon would make everything even more complicated.

Alix didn’t want to wait until his enemies gathered their forces before expanding his own.

He stared at the System interface for several seconds before closing it.

"How can I make a large amount of money quickly?"

He leaned back and closed his eyes.

The first solution was obvious.

The dungeon.

But even with its extraordinary income, accumulating hundreds of millions of gold coins would still take time.

There was another option.

Alix slowly opened his eyes.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

His expression remained still for a moment.

Then, a smile gradually spread across his face.

"An auction."

He sat upright.

"That’s it."

Alix’s eyes began shining with interest.

The surrounding kingdoms were already interested in his territory.

The three great powers were investigating the dungeon.

Everyone wanted resources.

Everyone wanted treasures.

And among all the things capable of attracting the attention of powerful forces...

Very few could compare with a Tier 7 item.

Alix slowly stood from his chair.

"A Tier 7 item."

He walked toward the enormous window overlooking the City.

Below him, the capital continued functioning normally.

Monster soldiers patrolled the streets.

Merchants moved between shops.

Caravans entered and left the city through the massive gates.

Humans and various monster races walked through the streets together, with the city showing none of the chaos that outsiders might have expected from a kingdom ruled by monsters.

Alix looked at the bustling capital.

"If I announce that I’m auctioning a Tier 7 item..."

The surrounding powers would come.

There was no question about it.

A Tier 7 treasure wasn’t something that could simply be purchased from an ordinary merchant.

Even the three great powers in this region possessed limited access to such treasures. Their strongest experts were only around Tier 7, and a powerful Tier 7 weapon or artifact could significantly increase the combat strength of their strongest individuals.

It was something they could not afford to ignore.

Alix’s smile widened.

"I don’t even need to sell it cheaply."

He already possessed numerous Tier 7 weapons and artifacts.

He returned to his desk and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

"First, I’ll announce the auction."

His fingers tapped lightly against the table.

"Second, I’ll make sure every major force hears about it."

"Third..."

His eyes narrowed.

"I’ll make them compete."

The more powerful the guests, the higher the final price would become.

-----

The following morning, Alix received the first response.

It arrived shortly after breakfast.

A monster messenger entered the working chamber carrying a sealed letter and respectfully placed it upon Alix’s desk before stepping back.

The seal belonged to one of the three great powers, and judging from the fact that the other two letters had arrived almost immediately afterward, Alix already knew what they were going to say.

He broke the first seal.

His eyes moved across the contents.

Then he opened the second.

Then the third.

After reading all three letters, Alix leaned back in his chair and let out a quiet chuckle.

"So that’s their condition."

The three great powers were interested in the Tier 7 treasure.

Very interested.

However, none of them was willing to enter the City.

They didn’t trust Alix.

That was understandable.

Alix had conquered an entire kingdom in a remarkably short period of time, and his forces were composed primarily of various monster races. To the surrounding powers, this City was enemy territory, regardless of how peaceful the streets appeared.

Alix placed the letters beside one another and smiled.

"That’s reasonable."

He didn’t hesitate for even a second.

"Fine."

The messenger standing nearby immediately lowered his head.

"My Lord?"

"Tell them I agree."

Alix picked up one of the letters again.

"The auction will be held in a neutral city."

----

Several days later, the atmosphere inside Silvercrest City had become extremely tense.

The city lord, Marcus Valerian, sat inside his office with both hands pressed against his temples.

A stack of letters covered his desk.

Every single one carried the seal of a major force.

One belonged to the kingdom.

One belonged to the sect.

And one belonged to the clan.

Marcus stared at them with an exhausted expression.

"What kind of trouble did I get myself into?"

His normally well-maintained office had become a complete mess.

Documents were scattered across the desk.

Maps had been pushed aside.

Several cups of tea sat untouched.

The city lord had barely slept for the past two nights.

The reason was simple.

An auction was going to be held in his city.

Normally, that would have been excellent news.

An auction involving a Tier 7 treasure, however... That was an entirely different matter.