Chapter 28: The Auction

Legendary Relic!

It is a genuine legendary relic!

A legendary relic that could only be known through scattered stories and historical rumors suddenly appeared right before their eyes!

Yakushi Yuan, Ying Rushi, and even Shang Xinlei instinctively wanted to stand up. If the Thieves’ Den hadn’t forced their seats firmly, they surely would have started fighting.

It wasn’t that they wanted to claim it for themselves, but they simply wanted to admire this legendary weapon up close!

For messengers who had grown up listening to all kinds of historical legends and were well-versed in relics, just touching, looking at, or even smelling a legendary relic was enough to bring immense joy and longevity to their bodies and minds!

“Such immense power…” Yakushi Yuan’s voice trembled. “No wonder this is the sword of the Great Ancestor Zhou… it truly is a legendary relic…”

“Is this what ‘legendary’ means?” Ying Rushi murmured. “Even if it’s only a first transformation, it’s much stronger than any third transformation relic I’ve seen.”

“Black Wolf, you see now, don’t you?” Shang Xinlei suddenly said. “Just now, Yellow Dog said there would be a reward of a legendary relic, yet you didn’t believe it!”

It sounded like Shang Xinlei was standing up for Yan Qing, but Yakushi Yuan and Ying Rushi immediately realized—right, Yan Qing was very certain there would be a legendary relic reward just now. How did he know?

But Yan Qing was actually more surprised than they were.

“You all know so much about the Thieves’ Den, don’t you know that the Thieves’ Den can transform stolen goods into legendary relics?” Yan Qing asked. “Hasn’t anyone ever successfully completed a mission before?”

Yakushi Yuan and the others exchanged glances.

“All I know is that the Thieves’ Den can travel anywhere in the world.”

“Same here. Everyone guesses that mastering the Thieves’ Den means you can appear anywhere in the world, even beyond the Central Plains…”

“But I’ve never heard of the Thieves’ Den successfully stealing anything…”

Yan Qing was also shocked. According to their accounts, the Thieves’ Den had appeared numerous times, so many people knew its details. Yet, in all those missions, no one had succeeded?

Then he reconsidered and realized this might be the truth.

After all, judging by how eagerly they drooled over the legendary relic, if any previous Thieves’ Den mission had succeeded even once, the information that the Thieves’ Den could transform items into legendary relics would never have been kept secret. Messengers wouldn’t think of the Thieves’ Den as a secret realm capable of teleporting anywhere, but rather as a resource realm that reliably produces legendary relics.

As for why Yan Qing knew why the Bingzi Pepper Forest would transform into a legendary relic…

Wasn’t that obvious? He designed this dungeon himself!

That’s also why he limited the dungeon’s level range to between 10 and 39—once players reach level 40 and establish their foundation, legendary relics become very easy to obtain, so a dungeon producing legendary relics wouldn’t be very attractive.

But for low-level players between levels 10 and 39, it’s difficult to acquire legendary relics through conventional means, except through Yan Qing’s newly designed dungeon!

Moreover, to increase its appeal, Yan Qing suggested that the power attributes of these low-level legendary relics be drawn from the Tier 0 attribute pool, rather than Tier 2 or Tier 1.

The legendary attribute pool has three levels: from lowest to highest, T2, T1, and T0. Most legendary relics contain one attribute from each tier. A fully completed legendary relic has two T1 attributes and one T0 attribute. There are no relics with one T1 and two T0 attributes because that would be too difficult to balance.

But the Thieves’ Den only produces first to third transformation legendary relics. No matter how powerful, once players reach the fourth transformation, these relics become worthless. So why not give the Thieves’ Den’s legendary relics three T0 attributes? After all, first to third transformations are just transitional phases for players; even the most powerful three-T0 attribute legendary relic would be nothing but a toy.

Fortunately, Yan Qing found that his suggestion was accepted.

Each effect of the Bingzi Pepper Forest alone could serve as a main attribute for an ordinary legendary relic. “Fief” greatly enhances the strength of teammates, “Pillar of the Nation” significantly boosts one’s own power, and “Overturn Heaven” is the most absurd— even in the T0 attribute pool, it’s top-tier. It increases attack power, attack range, and grants an unshakable super armor state. Although it only lasts for one battle, it’s enough to completely turn the tide.

The trouble was, the scene he had imagined was unfolding.

The greed on Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake’s faces was barely concealed. All of them gazed at the Bingzi Pepper Forest with hungry eyes. Yan Qing had no doubt that if any of them could touch the Bingzi Pepper Forest, they would immediately retreat to their rooms, “log out” back to reality, and never return to the Thieves’ Den.

Commonly known as hoarding gear.

As the saying goes, once the Brotherhood’s Sword appears, there are no brothers left.

This is why Yan Qing designed the mission rewards to be so outrageous—only something that extreme could spark internal strife among players. The core gameplay of this dungeon is to make players scheme against each other, backstab, and turn jealous and enraged. On the surface, it’s PvE, but in reality, it’s PvP.

Yan Qing truly thought his design was genius.

It would be even better if he didn’t have to participate in this dungeon himself.

“I know some information about the Thieves’ Den from other secret realms,” Yan Qing said dismissively.

“Yellow Dog,” Yakushi Yuan suddenly said, “there’s no doubt that you contributed the most to this mission.”

Yan Qing sighed inwardly when he heard this.

People like Black Wolf always argued; when she thanked you, it meant trouble was coming.

“But if you want to compete with me for the Bingzi Pepper Forest, I won’t hold back,” Yakushi Yuan glanced around. “Same goes for all of you.”

Ying Rushi smiled but said nothing, silently gripping the hilt of her Brave General Sword.

Shang Xinlei seemed frightened by Yakushi Yuan and trembled uncontrollably, yet as she shook, she drew her weapon and spun fiercely—both timid and fierce.

“Put down your weapons,” Yan Qing said calmly. “You won’t need them.”

As if to echo Yan Qing’s words, new text appeared on the Thieves’ Den’s luminous screen:

“Bingzi Pepper Forest Theft Case”

“Mission Difficulty: Very Easy”

“Mission Completion Rating: Sweat and Toil” (Ratings from lowest to highest are: Not Worth Mentioning, Struggling, Sweat and Toil, Extraordinary, Monumental)

“Mission Completion Reward: 30 Thief Points”

“Thief Points can be accumulated and spent only within the Thieves’ Den. They cannot be traded. If you lose access to the Thieves’ Den, all Thief Points will be reset to zero.”

At the same time, a number appeared before each person—it read 30, representing their current Thief Points.

Then the screen shifted again, but this time, it was different for each person. Yan Qing could only see his own:

“Yellow Dog’s Mission Settlement List”

“Uncover the Underground Prison of Anguo Temple: 5 points”

“Rescue the Innocent: 5 points”

“Burn Anguo Temple: 10 points”

“Milestone Completion Progress: Suspects 1/10, Demolition Team 1/1”

“You have earned an additional 20 Thief Points”

Yan Qing’s Thief Points immediately soared to 50. He glanced at the others: Red Snake had 30 points, indicating no extra points, as she hadn’t helped much besides stirring up trouble; White Fox had 33 points, likely because she provided snake skin rope; Black Wolf had 40 points, clearly because she directly killed four martial monks, the only battle in the mission.

Everyone looked at their own and others’ Thief Points, then glanced at the Bingzi Pepper Forest in the center of the stone table, quietly piecing things together.

Click.

The glowing “disc” on the Thieves’ Den ceiling suddenly opened, dropping three items: a ring, a manual, and a pill.

“Based on the thieves’ mission completion status, the Thieves’ Den has selected three items from the treasury as additional rewards.”

“Storage Ring”

“Grade: First Transformation Common”

“Effect: Grants you a quick slot bar, allowing you to retrieve items from the Storage Ring at any time.”

“Evaluation: Better than nothing.”

/

“Random Advanced Skill Beginner Manual”

“Usage Requirement: Must have mastered any basic skill.”

“Effect: Instantly comprehend an advanced form of a basic skill.”

“Evaluation: A master can open the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. Without a master, you’ll never truly understand it in a lifetime.”

/

“Comprehension Pill”

“Quantity: One”

“Effect: Increases comprehension by 30 points for seven days.”

“Evaluation: You’ll regret taking it.”

Each of these items had its own use. The Storage Ring, though lowest in grade, was a rare item even in this world and within the game, as it provided a quick slot. Unlike players who had system storage, people in this world lacked such convenient storage methods, making a Storage Ring invaluable for holding crucial items.

The Advanced Skill Beginner Manual didn’t refer to common skills like Thunderblade Technique, but true advanced skills like “Advanced Blade Technique” or “Advanced Footwork.” Many high-level relics require advanced skills to use, so this manual was not to be missed.

The Comprehension Pill was straightforward and powerful—a 30-point comprehension boost meant 30% more experience for seven days. For those willing to grind, its value could exceed the other two items.

But no matter how good these three were, none could compare to the legendary relic Bingzi Pepper Forest!

“All mission rewards are as follows: Bingzi Pepper Forest, Storage Ring, Random Advanced Skill Beginner Manual, Comprehension Pill.”

“We will now begin the auction phase. You may bid on items using Thief Points. The minimum bid is 5 points, with increments of at least 5 points. Thieves who have already bid have priority in the next round.”

“The first item is Bingzi Pepper Forest. Thieves, please place your bids.”

After reading the rules, Ying Rushi’s eyes flashed sharply, and she immediately shouted, “Black Wolf—”

But before Black Wolf could speak, Yan Qing took the lead:

“I bid 36 points!”

“Yellow Dog bids 36 points for Bingzi Pepper Forest.”

“No one else here can surpass 41 Thief Points; Bingzi Pepper Forest belongs to Yellow Dog.”

Under the burning gazes of the other three, Bingzi Pepper Forest slowly floated before Yan Qing, who reached out and grasped it!

Bingzi Pepper Forest—secured!