Chapter 177: The Golden Auction House

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: The Golden Auction House

With this in mind, Seraphina Sinclair opened the small group chat and searched for "Invitation Letter."

As she expected, the group was also discussing the item.

"The Invitation Letter for the Black Mist Coliseum... everyone’s seen it, right? Any thoughts?"

"It’s a mix of risk and opportunity. The usual rules for this godforsaken place. But I do have some intel: in the E-level Coliseum, the monsters in the first five waves are around F to E- Level, and their numbers increase with each wave. Starting from the sixth wave, E+ Level monsters appear. You all saw the regional channel, right? The strongest player from Team Keep-It-Up probably got done in by the elite monster on the sixth wave."

"An E+ Level elite monster... facing one alone wouldn’t be a huge problem for us. But it’s continuous combat inside The Coliseum, which will be incredibly draining. The key is, we have no idea what the later waves will bring."

"I’m going to give it a try. My goal is to survive at least ten waves and see if the rewards get a major boost."

The chat log ended there.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the last person who had spoken. It was Nightingale, and...

His profile picture was already grayed out.

He was gone.

Seraphina Sinclair had seen a lot of him, relatively speaking. Since entering this world, the only videos she’d watched were the vlogs he filmed. He had been quite active in the group, too; Seraphina would almost always see his posts whenever she opened the chat.

Although they’d barely exchanged a few words, he was still a familiar face, in a way.

’And now he was dead.’

Seraphina Sinclair lamented his passing for a moment before pushing the thought from her mind.

She had grown a thick skin. ’In a hellhole like this, who could say for sure they’d survive?’

Seraphina Sinclair scrolled down. Some said Nightingale had overreached and died challenging the Black Mist Coliseum; others claimed he’d run into a path BOSS. For the latter reason, a few people had even @-mentioned her, wanting to buy information on path bosses.

But Seraphina Sinclair had been busy earning Black Fog Coins and hadn’t had time to check what was being posted in the small group chat.

Besides, she hadn’t encountered any path bosses. Even if they wanted to buy information, she had none to sell.

She patiently read for a little longer and finally found a useful message.

[Frostleaf]: I’ve been in The Coliseum. E-level Invitation Letter. Made it to the eighth wave. PM me if you want the details.

"The eighth wave! Incredible, @Frostleaf!"

"Holy crap, you were the first to take the plunge? You’ve got some serious guts!"

"No doubt about it, you and Blacktiger are the real big shots here."

Seraphina Sinclair opened a private chat with Frostleaf, intending to ask for the details.

[Blacktiger Ford]: How much are you selling the Black Mist Coliseum info for?

There was no reply. They were probably busy.

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t in a hurry for a response. She was just asking so she could have a better idea of what to expect.

’This is a good time to collect some fragments and craft a few Invitation Letters.’

「Regional Channel.」

[Blacktiger Ford]: Buying F-level Invitation Letter fragments. PM me with your price. The more, the better.

The message immediately caused another stir in the regional channel.

"Master Blacktiger is collecting fragments now? F-level ones?"

"Of course the top players are all going to grind The Coliseum. At this rate, we should just call it the Masters’ Private Gym instead."

"Who said this crap was worthless?! I just sold my fragments cheap to a Traveling Merchant, and now Master Blacktiger is buying!! Damn it all!"

"I have two F-level fragments! Master, take a look! Only 50 Black Fog Coins!"

"Are you dreaming, person above? Daring to sell F-level fragments for 50? I’ll sell mine for 30 each! Master, buy from me first!"

"Master Blacktiger, I have an F-level fragment, you can have it! All I ask is that you share some intel on the F-level Coliseum after you clear it!"

...

In short, thanks to the bizarre one-upmanship unfolding in the regional channel, Seraphina Sinclair ended up receiving over a dozen F-level Invitation Letter fragments as gifts.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.’

She opened her private messages to see what on earth these people were thinking.

"Master, you’re looking for the special F-level Invitation Letter fragments, right? I happen to have three. They’re no use to me since I’m too scared to go in, so you might as well have them! Just... if you get any important info later, could you remember me?"

Seraphina Sinclair read the private message, then glanced at several other similar ones—all offering to "gift" her fragments in exchange for getting on her radar or receiving a sliver of information in the future. The corner of her mouth twitched.

Of course, she understood their thinking.

’They were using F-level fragments they were too scared to use themselves and couldn’t sell for a decent price to invest in a top-ranked, seemingly methodical player. If they could get some key information or a bit of help from her down the line, it would be a massive windfall.’

Seraphina Sinclair disliked owing favors, especially the kind that were presented as free but came with unspoken expectations.

After a moment of thought, she went through the messages one by one and sent Black Fog Coins back, paying 15 Coins per fragment.

’There. All settled.’

A few tactless people even sent the Black Fog Coins back, and Seraphina Sinclair made a mental note not to waste any kindness on them in the future.

When the transactions were done, she had "bought" 14 fragments for 120 Black Fog Coins.

Combined with the one she had unboxed herself, she had just enough to craft five Invitation Letters.

Seraphina Sinclair combined the 15 F-level fragments and received two gray [Invitation Letters to the Black Mist Coliseum (E-level)] and one...

She picked up the solid gold card and used Insight.

[Admission Ticket to The Golden Auction House (E-level)]

[Description: An entry voucher to the mysterious Golden Auction House. The holder may use this ticket to participate in an upcoming E-level anonymous auction. All manner of rare items may appear, from exotic materials and special blueprints to Skill Books, and even one-of-a-kind Legendary Equipment. All transactions are settled in Black Fog Coins. Please prepare your currency!]

[Note: All forms of conflict are prohibited inside the auction house. The highest Level for items at an E-level auction is E-level! Entry is forbidden to individuals in debt or with assets totaling less than 100,000 Black Fog Coins! This ticket is a single-use consumable; it will expire after the auction concludes.]

[Remark: A proving ground for power and wealth. Are you ready?]

Seraphina Sinclair held the card, surprised. It felt warm to the touch, its edges inlaid with fine gold thread.

’It was normal for F-level fragments to combine into an Invitation Letter for the Black Mist Coliseum. But for them to mutate into this kind of... admission ticket?’

She examined the card for a moment. The craftsmanship was exquisite; it was clearly no ordinary item.

’I’ll have to ask the waiter tomorrow for the specifics on these invitations. Hopefully, it knows something.’

’I’m too tired for The Coliseum today, and The Golden Auction House won’t let me in while I’m in debt. I’ll just have to put these invitations away for now.’

"Time to open the rest of the boxes."

She sighed, muttering to herself as she opened the remaining Supply Boxes.

The drop rate for F-level invitation fragments was surprisingly high. Or perhaps her luck was just holding out. After opening all the F-level Supply Boxes, Seraphina Sinclair managed to craft one more Invitation Letter to the Black Mist Coliseum.

Next were the E-level Supply Boxes.

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t particularly interested in E-level invitation fragments. They would craft into D-level Invitation Letters, and she wasn’t confident she could clear a D-level Coliseum just yet.