Chapter 451: Bidding for What Was Lost
Unable to help himself, GimmeABlade shot Shadowfall_Four a glance.
If it weren’t for the man’s loyalty and unquestioning obedience, losing the Guild Creation Token yesterday would have been enough for GimmeABlade to remove him from the guild entirely. The whole situation with the Rabbit Knight, that dangerous and unpredictable enemy they had created for themselves, traced back to Shadowfall_Four’s decision to target him in the first place.
It wasn’t that GimmeABlade feared making enemies. In fact, Shadowfall had made plenty over the years. The problem was timing. Until their assassins became strong enough, provoking someone whose abilities they couldn’t measure was simply reckless.
Still, there was a silver lining. Shadowfall_Two, Shadowfall_Three, and Shadowfall_Four attracted plenty of attention. Other players and guilds watched them constantly, assuming they represented the core strength of Shadowfall. Few people realized that what they saw was only the surface.
GimmeABlade’s gaze shifted toward Shadowfall_One. The true elite force of Shadowfall operated under Shadowfall_One’s command, hidden from public view and rarely appearing before outsiders. Those players were the guild’s real foundation, the assassins who handled the jobs nobody else could.
Thinking about those elites and the abilities they possessed, even someone as reserved as GimmeABlade couldn’t suppress a faint smile. While he was lost in thought, Shadowfall_One began speaking.
"We absolutely cannot provoke Old Vine Auction House."
His cold voice immediately drew everyone’s attention. The seriousness in his tone made it obvious that this wasn’t merely a suggestion, it was an order that came directly from the guild leader himself.
He swept his gaze across the room before continuing. "Old Vine Auction House first became famous because of Dominion’s first Guild Creation Token. Most players think it was pure luck. They assume anyone who obtained that token would have achieved the same result. But that’s missing the real issue."
"Merchant Alliance Auction House and Gold Coin Auction House both have powerful guilds backing them and more money than most people can imagine. Old Vine Auction House has neither. It’s run by a single person, and Old Vine barely invested any starting capital when Dominion launched. Despite that, he’s managed to stand on equal footing with both of them and split the auction market three ways. Luck doesn’t explain that."
Shadowfall_One paused briefly. Neither he nor GimmeABlade had ever met Old Vine personally, which only made the man more difficult to understand.
"Before Nightmare Auction House appeared, those three controlled the entire auction market, and competition between them was ruthless. Everyone knows Merchant Alliance blocked Gold Coin’s expansion. Gold Coin retaliated by killing Merchant Alliance members outside their auction house. Both sides stole materials, intercepted deliveries, sabotaged business deals, and fought openly in the streets. Merchant Alliance even placed advertisements directly outside Gold Coin’s property just to provoke them. They’ve used every method imaginable to weaken each other, legal or illegal, clean or dirty. If it hurt the competition, they did it."
"But despite all that, neither side ever targeted Old Vine. They watched him rise from nowhere and take market share from both of them, yet neither one tried to stop him." Shadowfall_One shook his head. "Think about that."
"When Soulfire Guild hired Old Vine to acquire several rare quest materials, neither Merchant Alliance nor Gold Coin interfered. If either of them had been handling that deal, the other side would have driven up prices, sabotaged negotiations, and caused problems from start to finish. But when Old Vine handled it, they stayed completely quiet."
A trace of admiration appeared in his voice. "Those two don’t play fair."
His thoughts drifted to Merchant Alliance’s owner, CryptoWarlord, a capable man with excellent business instincts, impressive connections, and enough ambition to make most people uncomfortable. On the surface he acted refined and professional, but anyone who underestimated him because of that usually regretted it.
"CryptoWarlord isn’t the type to sit back and watch a competitor grow stronger," Shadowfall_One said. "And he’s definitely not the type to let someone climb over his head."
Both he and GimmeABlade knew that much firsthand, which was exactly why Old Vine’s situation felt so strange. Despite Old Vine’s success, CryptoWarlord had never made a move against him. Not once.
"And that’s not all." Shadowfall_One continued. "Every major auction hosted by Old Vine attracts both CryptoWarlord and GoldDiggerIRL. They always show up, talk with him, and make their presence known. But Old Vine has never attended events at either of their auction houses."
The implication was obvious. "So don’t provoke Old Vine Auction House. Even if Old Vine himself decides to ignore you, Merchant Alliance and Gold Coin might not."
He let the warning sink in before adding another reminder. No matter where they operated, they needed to stay alert and pay attention to details. Besides, auction participants could hide their identities completely, and even Old Vine himself might not know who the Rabbit Knight really was. If that was true, targeting Old Vine would accomplish nothing.
Shadowfall_One looked around at the gathered members before returning to the subject that concerned him most: the Rabbit Knight.
"That Rabbit Knight stole our Guild Creation Token." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Anyone bold enough to do that isn’t someone we’ll only meet once. There’s a good chance our paths will cross again. If you encounter him, don’t act recklessly. Gather information first. Learn what he’s capable of."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "There’ll be a generous reward for anyone who provides useful intelligence."
"Understood?"
"Understood!"
The response came instantly, loud and unified. The discipline of the group left little room for doubt.
GimmeABlade nodded with satisfaction. Shadowfall_One had handled the briefing well. Then he added his own instruction. "One, exchange the gold early."
Everyone understood what he meant: the Guild Creation Token. No matter what happened, GimmeABlade intended to compete for it. Whether through bidding or force, Shadowfall would become Dominion’s tenth guild.
The thought made his expression darken. He was about to spend a fortune buying back something that should have belonged to him in the first place. Even someone with his self-control couldn’t completely suppress the irritation.
’Damn it.’
His jaw tightened. The Mythic Artifact in his hand, the Ice Goat Horn, spun through the air before releasing a burst of power toward the Unicorn Sheep surrounding him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive surge of Water-element energy erupted outward, spreading across the battlefield in a wave of freezing blue light. Fifteen level 40 Unicorn Sheep were caught in the attack, and less than ten seconds later, every one of them lay dead.
"Move." GimmeABlade didn’t even spare the corpses a second glance. "We’re going deeper."
His voice was cold and decisive. Their real target lay farther ahead. The level 48 Darkhorn Sheep roamed the deeper regions of the area, providing far better experience, and more importantly, that was where the Frozen Darkhorn Sheep spawned. The Ice Goat Horn he carried had dropped from one of those rare monsters, and he intended to find another.
