Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Chapter 281: As soon as he stepped out the door, Su Ming’an was taken aback by the sheer number of people before his eyes.

"Outer Area tickets for sale, auction-style, capped at 170 Points, bid directly if you want! Only three left, seize the chance!"

"Is there any Core Area available? I’ll take one for the Core Area! Inner Area is fine too!"

"Hey, buddy, you think you can find Core Area tickets on the street? You need to check the Player Auction House on the forum. Right now, a Core Area ticket has been bid up to 700 Points, and they’re in short supply with none left to sell. Doesn’t matter how many Points you have, you won’t be able to get one."

Before, Su Ming’an had heard that the auction house was a massive circular structure, adopting a circular zoning system. Sitting at the very center were the Adventurer Players who could participate in the bidding. They could enter without tickets and had their respective seat zones; once they found their spots, they could sit down.

Other Casual Players who could only watch weren’t so lucky—though there were truly seats prepared in the billions, tickets still cost money and even had a hierarchy, with fewer available as the level increased. They could only enter if they bought a ticket; otherwise, they could only watch the live stream in bars and teahouses.

The circular auction house, from the outside to the inside, was divided into The Fringe, Outer Area, Inner Area, and Core Area.

The Core Area was right next to where the Adventurer Players sat, the best spot available for the audience. With the help of the hovering screens, they could clearly see the Adventurer Players.

A ticket for the Core Area, bid up to 700 Points, was specifically in terms of Casual Players.

Casual Players earned Points much more easily than Adventurer Players, who could never have the risk of being wiped of their Points. As long as they diligently did their respective jobs, even the lowest daily earnings could keep them stable.

Seven hundred Points, though high for Casual Players, was still an acceptable price for high-level lifestyle-oriented Players. Tickets were so precious that some people would rather forego the chance to see top-ranked Players and opt for a ticket to The Fringe, just to experience the atmosphere. It was normal for tickets to the innermost area to be bid up to 700 Points.

Sometimes, people tend to complain that the lives of Casual Players are too comfortable.

But what one gains, one also loses; most people, however, fail to see this.

Following the crowd, Su Ming’an headed for one of the "World-Class Service Area Transit Channels" to line up and enter.

After observing for a moment, he realized that today indeed had a festive atmosphere akin to the New Year.

Perhaps because of being overly suppressed in recent days, once faced with such a world-class event, Players’ reactions were particularly enthusiastic. Along the way, Su Ming’an saw jubilant people, their faces lit up with smiles as if going to an amusement park, and even children appeared as if they were on a spring outing.

Reflecting for a moment, he understood.

The era needed heroes, and human nature admires the strong.

Previously, these people could only watch those top-ranked Players through a screen, unable to approach despite their desire. Now, with this opportunity, akin to seeing a top diva’s concert tour, they naturally seized the chance to use their own eyes to get a good look at the peak Players who normally only appeared on screens.

Su Ming’an saw that many people held onto their tickets tightly in their hands, as if clutching treasures, sweating with nerves. On both sides, some scalper Players were selling tickets at undoubtedly exorbitant prices.

Suddenly, he heard a scalper shout:

"—Core Area ticket! System verified, 100% genuine Core Area ticket! One thousand two hundred Points each, if you want it, come quickly, only one left—!"

With that cry, a wave of people was instantly drawn over.

"Can you make it a bit cheaper?" a man adorned in gold and silver immediately spoke up.

"Boss, you’re willing to pay one thousand two?" The person beside him showed an astonished expression.

"It’s all my fault for hesitating earlier and not acting in time. If I had, I would’ve snatched up that seven hundred Points ticket in the Player Auction House. Damn it, I really wish I could chop off that indecisive past self of mine..." the man said, full of regret.

"One thousand two, and that’s it. If you want it, trade directly; the price is firm!" the scalper was resolute in his position.

After hesitating for a moment, the man clenched his teeth:

"Bought it!"

As he made his bid, the crowd around him let out bursts of exclamations as if they hadn’t expected a hidden wealthy player among them.

"Wait, isn’t that Frisis from the Ranica Guild..."

"It’s him. No wonder he’s spending big. That guild is a major forging guild, and equipment is so valuable now..."

"Once a player with a secondary occupation starts to level up, they’re like a points-making machine. I really envy those talented guys..."

The scalper was all smiles, but Frisis looked pained, clutching the ticket tightly in his hand and forcibly turning his head away as if to prevent himself from regretting his decision.

"B-boss, then, then what about me..." His henchman held a ticket to the Fringe.

"You go with Boris and the others. I’ll go on my own first..." Frisis’s face was red with distress, as his decision had cost him dearly: "Damn it, if it wasn’t for wanting to see my idol, Su Ming’an, I wouldn’t have done this... I must make it worth my while today, I must watch him thoroughly, from start to end—"

Su Ming’an, sweating profusely, passed by them.

Blending into the crowd, Su Ming’an listened to the surrounding conversations and realized more about his current situation.

It seemed that the actions of the United Group and other organizations had been a bit too much?

Wherever he went, whichever group he approached, he could hear his own name...

"We believe the worst phase has passed, after all, the strongest player is still here..."

"I’m so excited, Emma. I got a ticket to the Core Area. We can actually see the Number One Player in person..."

"Su Ming’an will be at the auction today, right? I came specifically for him..."

"Soloro, you must do the interview properly today. Take advantage of the crowd dispersing after the auction and rush in. Grab any high-ranking players you can, nail the topic, and get a huge scoop..."

"Based on the previous situation, is it possible that all organizations will make way for Su Ming’an, letting him bid the minimum price for all items?"

"That’s unlikely, I don’t think so..."

Packed in the throng, Su Ming’an kept hearing his name echoed over and over, as if he were listening to a legion of parrots. At the same time, names like "Noel," "Edward," and "Mizushima Kawa Sora" were also hot topics among the crowd.

In such moments, people seemed to give extra attention to high-ranking players.

...After all, this was the first major gathering of top-ranked players since the start of the World Game.

Even in this gathering, other people were not just onlookers. They could actually participate.

Following the crowd, Su Ming’an gradually saw the teleportation vortex at the end of the street.

It was a swirling vortex, at least three meters tall and eight meters wide, accommodating several people entering at once.

The scene in front of him was like dropping dumplings into boiling water, as the surging crowd squeezed into the white light and then disappeared, leaving the rest to continue pushing forward.

Among them, many who were hoping to get lucky without a ticket were teleported elsewhere, unable to blend in.

Passing through the white vortex, the familiar sensation of teleportation came over him.

Su Ming’an heard the system voice in his ear:

A bright white light enveloped him completely.

When he opened his eyes again, Su Ming’an saw a long transparent corridor.

Invisible barriers surrounded him, and below was a crimson carpet; he was the only one in this long passageway.

Looking down through the transparent barriers to either side, he could see a multitude of people below, their various hair colors interwoven, the packed crowd resembling a colorful carpet.

...He was in an aerial corridor, and, judging by the looks of it, an exclusive one for him alone.

The corridor was not stuffy; he could feel a gentle, cool breeze coming from the front, like air conditioning.

Compared to the players below, slowly inching their way forward and about to become a mashed mess, his treatment seemed sky-high.

He noticed that the players below were emerging from the surrounding teleportation swirls.

These swirls were probably what the sky broadcast mentioned, the "hundred thousand available teleportation channels." Clearly, these people didn’t enjoy the same privilege as him with a personal channel; they had to slowly squeeze their way in with the crowd.

Su Ming’an was curious about the structure of this passageway, and he squatted down to tap on it.

It felt as hard as a typical Defensive Barrier.

The people below probably couldn’t see him as he observed that many were looking up as though they couldn’t see him at all.

This must be an invisible passageway, so he casually took off his Cloak.

"Good day, Sir."

As he squatted down to knock on the barrier, a gentle female voice tinged with curiosity spoke beside him.

He looked up and saw a woman in a crimson uniform and a black pencil skirt standing before him, her hands stacked neatly at her abdomen, legs straight, a standard posture for a service staff member.

"Sir... Do you have any questions about this place? I am your exclusive personal secretary for this auction event. I will be answering all your questions for the duration of your visit." The woman seemed puzzled, unsure of what he was doing squatting there.

"Oh, no, it’s nothing," Su Ming’an stood up as if it were no big deal: "Exclusive personal secretary?"

"Yes." The woman smiled appropriately: "Given your esteemed status, I have been assigned to provide you with exclusive personal service. You may call me Noel. For any matters during the auction event, you may command me to assist you."

"Exclusive... Do other players have one too?"

The woman shook her head.

"In this auction event, only you are entitled to an exclusive personal secretary," she said softly: "This passageway, too, is your very own SVIP red carpet channel. Even other esteemed players among the top ranks only have an ordinary VIP channel shared by ten."

...Here we go again.

As soon as Su Ming’an heard this, he knew the organizers were at it again.

Every time there was a world event that exposed him to the eyes of the world, this sort of differential treatment would come into play, stark and obvious, as if they wanted the whole world to see.

With no one behind others, but a "honey" behind him serving tea and water... it was like stepping on the other players’ faces.

"If you have no further questions, please follow me inside now," Noel gestured: "Through this passageway, you will arrive at the Adventurer Player auction area, where I will lead you to your exclusive seat."

...There was no turning back now.

Su Ming’an knew he couldn’t exactly shoo this woman away. He didn’t know her identity, not even if she was a living being, so he couldn’t afford to act against the organizers.

"...Let’s go," he said.

Noel nodded, leading him across the long carpet toward the end of the corridor.

When he saw the wide-open doors at the end of the corridor, he was surprised by the sight inside the auction venue.

Contrary to his expectation of an indoor cinema-like setting... it was a bright blue sky with white clouds.

An outdoor auction venue.

It was a vast outdoor auction space, as if a separate area had been carved out.

Before he had even reached the doorway, the devilishly noisy cacophony of sounds poured through the doors from the corridor, the clamor of voices mingling with the vast expanse outside, making him momentarily think that he had returned to the opening ceremony of the World Game.

Simultaneously, he saw the floating auction stage in the center of his field of vision, extremely clear and bright.

The auction stage was still empty at the time, surrounded by a transparent Defensive Barrier.

The entire auction venue was shaped like a depression with raised edges and a lower center. The floating height of the auction stage was roughly level with the Adventurer Player seats in the center.

As far as the eye could see, rows upon rows of endless seats crisscrossed the venue. The crimson seats, resembling grains of rice, were embedded in the ground, and by now, many Adventurer Players were already seated in them.

This was a bidding area solely for Adventurer Players, only they were allowed to enter. As for Casual Players who came to watch, they were kept on the outside.

However, the core viewing area for Casual Players was just a step away from the highest Adventurer Player seats, which justifies the ticket price.

Before stepping out the door, Su Ming’an could hear players moving above him.

"Where’s the third-tier player area... Damn it, no attendants to guide, it’s killing me."

"There, the red area at the central height, for top-ranked players. If you really can’t find your spot, just head towards there."

"Are you trying to get me killed? Peak, top-ranked, first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, fourth-tier, each area can only accommodate players of a fixed evaluation level, sitting in random areas may lead to who knows what consequences."

"—Whoa, hold on, what’s that place? Why is there a separate glass space?"

"Damn, I just noticed, it stands out so much, practically like a VIP lounge..."

"So cool! So damn cool! That’s, that’s just too cool! Who is that for..."

Listening to the players’ comments above, Su Ming’an felt a sense of unease, a feeling that he had been arranged into this without his knowledge.

"Ding dong!"

Just then, the sound of a system notification suddenly chimed.

Someone had sent him a communication.

He accepted the call, and Lv Shu’s face appeared on the video screen.

"Su Ming’an," Lv Shu’s voice sounded somber:

"There’s trouble in the Main God World."