No matter the reason, for players that abandoned the first nuclear bomb, they absolutely had to fight for the second one.
The first had sold for 4.3 million—that was the benchmark. Now, everyone had a rough idea for the second.
Besides, the first one had been won by Sleepless. Though he was only the vice president of Eastern Dragon, he was essentially the one calling the shots for all of the guild’s in-game activities.
There was no need to explain Eastern Dragon’s background. Even if just following the trend, people had to bid.
As for Sleepless, there was no need for him to compete for the second one.
The only regret was that the one he had obtained wasn’t unique.
If it had been the only one, even if he kept ‘Art Star’ hidden, just possessing the detonator would have given him some leverage over other players.
In the end, the second nuke was won by our old friend Flames of War Everywhere for 5.7 million.
Damn it, why are you always second?!
Just when everyone thought it was all over, Yulia on stage clapped her hands again.
And then… the third one appeared.
“Let the bidding begin!”
Someone finally couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, politely asking, “Excuse me—little sister, just how many of these things are there?”
Yulia smiled. “This is the last one. No more after this!”
Seriously, no more—any more would just be cruel!
Since this was the final one, many gritted their teeth and went all in.
In the end, the third nuke was secured by wzc for 5.9 million.
With that, the secret auction came to a perfect close.
The remaining formalities and hospitality were left entirely to Breeze Chamber of Commerce—they were familiar with handling these things.
Aria watched as Yulia walked over and gave her a thumbs-up. “Xiaoya, I have to say, you really have these outsiders wrapped around your fingers.”
“Well, it’s just business. As long as our goods are flawless and the quality is solid, maximizing profits within reasonable limits is just common sense.”
“Fair point.”
One was willing to cheat, the other was willing to be cheated—a win-win!
Aria did a quick calculation. The auction had netted her a gross profit of over 40 million. After deducting the small cut for Breeze Commerce Guild, she still made over 30 million gold.
Even though she was royalty, she couldn’t let her people work for free.
With this much money, who knew what kind of miracles she could pull off?
The outsiders had a saying: There’s nothing money can’t solve. If there is, you just haven’t thrown enough at it.
A bit exaggerated, sure, but that was the magic of gold!
As for Yulia, she had only sold the last three big guys and made nearly 16 million.
She glanced at her quest log, where one objective stood out:
[Setting a Small Goal
Task Details:
Unit: Gold Coins — (92%)1]
Almost there—just 8% left, meaning 8,000,000 more.
The reward is rainbow-tier… I can’t wait to see what it was!
The days following the auction were uneventful.
But after a couple more days, rumors inevitably started spreading.
Originally, everyone had agreed to get rich quietly.
Since we were invited this time, we’ll probably be invited again next time. Let’s keep it a secret and split the benefits among ourselves.
But things like equipment and skills, once bought, had to be used.
And once used, people would ask questions. A little bragging here and there, and the secret started leaking.
Soon, the forums were flooded with details about the auction.
When other players saw that there had been a secret auction, they immediately felt cheated.
I’ve got money too! Why wasn’t I invited?
Hell, I didn’t even know it was happening!
Looking at the leaked gear—and even skills—many felt like they had been shoved a lemon in each eye.
So damn jealous!
What could they do?
First, bombard the official site with complaints.
Under-the-table dealings! This has to be under-the-table dealings!
This wasn’t the first time the devs had been flooded with complaints about ‘balance issues’.
And by ‘balance issues’, it meant: If someone else has it, I should too.
They thought that after leaving the starter zones and gathering in the same main city, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen anymore. Yet here they were.
Well, no—it was not only the Huaxia server.
On the international forums, the Huaxia server was being flamed constantly.
All the good stuff goes to you guys, and we’re left eating dust? Unfair!
Setting aside the international drama, the Huaxia server’s developers knew exactly what was going on internally.
Because among the auction’s attendees was the biggest mole of all—a government plant.
It’s her again…
This NPC is really… awesome!
Of course she is! The Huaxia server is far ahead of the other servers!
As for the uproar within the Huaxia server?
That’s a minor issue. Just take the heat—we’re used to it.
So, the official response was the same as always:
[Regarding player concerns about fairness, we offer the following explanation:
‘Otherworld’ is an ultra-large-scale, AI-driven simulation reality game. We minimize manual external interference, allowing the world to develop organically. All special events are initiated by NPCs autonomously—there is no under-the-table manipulation.
For players encountering difficulties, we recommend actively engaging with NPCs, fostering positive bilateral relations, and perhaps treating them as real people for optimal results.]
To most players, this announcement was just shifting the blame.
But Yulia sensed the underlying message.
By emphasizing the ‘realness’ of NPCs, they were clearly laying the groundwork.
She wondered how many would pick up on it.
Even if they didn’t and kept treating it as just a game, it didn’t matter.
The Huaxia people had a fine tradition—actively responding to national policies.
It doesn’t matter if they don’t fully understand this ‘AI-driven simulation’ stuff. If they say treating NPCs like real people is better, then do it—we might get rewards out of it!
Once this announcement dropped, the wealthy players who had scored big at the auction were thrilled.
So the devs are saying whatever benefits we got, we earned?
Great! No more hiding—time to show our cards!
Soon, more details about the auction items circulated, leaving those who missed out seething with envy.
The attendees flexed, the outsiders seethed, and the international players happily flamed the Huaxia server.
Everyone has a bright future.
But they weren’t stupid—while they bragged about some things, truly critical secrets like the nukes remained hidden.
This storm was confined to the players. As for the NPCs, they carried on as usual.