Chapter 116: Boss Wu Resigns

Seeing that his "Invincible Slash" skill book listed at the auction house was finally garnering attention and sparking heated discussions on the world channel, Zhang Shan felt a bit restless. He really wanted to head back to the city to see if anyone had actually started bidding on it.

However, the map where he was grinding monsters was simply too far away; the trek back would take over forty minutes, which was too much of a hassle.

"Maybe I should check the forums first," he thought. "People should be discussing it there, too."

Posting on the world channel cost money, so people generally only said a few words and wouldn't chat much unless necessary. It was hard to glean any crucial information there. The forums, however, were free to use; if anyone had placed a bid, it would likely be posted there.

After logging into the forums, Zhang Shan immediately spotted several threads regarding his auction. He clicked on one with the most replies.

The title read: "Starting bid of 100 million: Who will take home this god-tier skill book?"

Most of the replies below were similar to those on the world channel, with some people debating the strength of the skill, while more were criticizing the seller for being greedy. A small group was discussing whether anyone would actually buy it.

"With such a greedy price, there’s no way anyone will buy it. The seller probably doesn’t even want to sell; they just listed it to show off."

"Don't worry, someone will buy it. Haven't you noticed the gold coin prices on the exchange? Ever since this auction hit the news, gold prices have been rising. Big spenders are definitely hoarding gold."

"Damn, I didn't even notice that. I’ve got a few dozen gold coins on hand—should I put them on the exchange for a high price?"

"You're thinking too much. Gold production has been high for days since the game launched. As long as the whales are willing to spend, even collecting hundreds of millions of gold won't cause much of a price fluctuation."

"The person above is right. There are over a hundred million players now. Even if only one percent sell gold, that's over a hundred million coins if everyone sells just a hundred each. Not to mention professional gold-farming groups—the market isn't short on gold."

"Does that mean the skill book might actually sell?"

"Of course. Don't underestimate the big spenders. As long as you have the goods, you don't have to worry about them not being able to afford the price."

"Then I’m going to go grind more monsters. Maybe I’ll drop a divine artifact, become an overnight millionaire, and live in a villa by the sea!"

"Buddy, it's broad daylight; stop dreaming. A divine artifact? Have you even finished your purple gear set yet?"

"Look here, a whale has made a move! No explanation needed, here's the screenshot."

This user uploaded a screenshot of the auction progress. Someone had indeed placed a bid—at 100,000,001 gold coins.

"Dude, did you Photoshop this? I’m still out grinding; otherwise, I’d have to go see for myself. Is there really such a rich whale out there?"

"It’s real. I’m in the city and just checked. These whales are terrifying; they truly don't care about money."

Someone had actually bid! Haha, he had to tell Boss Wu. There was no point in him working anymore. He could quit his job, and if they split the money, they’d each get 50 million—more than they could earn in dozens of lifetimes.

Zhang Shan stopped grinding and logged off to call Boss Wu. Currently, "New World" couldn't facilitate communication with people outside the game who weren't online; he had to log off himself. Rumor had it that this technical issue was being worked on and might be improved in the future.

The call went through.

"Boss Zhang Shan, any instructions? I'm still at work."

"Check the forums. Our skill book sold! You don't need to work that job anymore."

"Damn, it really sold? Someone actually bought it at that price? Poverty has limited my imagination."

"It seems to be real. Everyone on the forums is saying so. I'm out grinding and can't return to the city yet."

"Forget about grinding! Go back and check. Dammit, if it’s really sold, I’m handing in my resignation this afternoon."

"Alright, you're hardcore. I'll go back and check, then call you again."

It seemed Boss Wu was even more anxious than him. Forget it, he might as well go back; with this hanging over his head, he couldn't focus on grinding anyway.

After clearing a wave of army ants, he began the return-to-city cast. Upon arriving, he teleported straight to the auction house to check the status. Haha, someone really had bid, and it wasn't just one person—a second bidder had added another ten million gold.

Were the dreams he had last night actually coming true?

He quickly notified Boss Wu. The call connected again.

"Haha, it's definitely going to sell! Someone has already bid 110 million."

"Damn, you can't back out of a bid, right? Doesn't that mean it's guaranteed to sell?"

"Exactly. Get your resignation ready. We'll split the gold after the auction ends tonight."

"I'm going to tell my wife first, then I'll go find my boss to resign."

"Alright, hanging up. I have to go back to grinding—another forty-minute run."

"Are you kidding me? We're talking tens of millions, and you can't spare forty minutes?"

"Heh, hanging up."

Zhang Shan felt elated as he logged back into the game. He had truly made money, and he had brought Boss Wu along for the ride. Even though he had to split the gold, he didn't feel a hint of regret. A friend who could help you and support you during tough times was rare. Being able to help Boss Wu made him genuinely happy. Their cute little child would be able to go to school in Pengcheng now, instead of being left behind in their hometown.

With 50 million gold each, they could easily buy a house, and with a little more, a villa by the sea wasn't just a dream. Once the money was in hand, he would talk to Boss Wu about them becoming neighbors.

Calming his excitement, Zhang Shan browsed the auction house for some cheap materials before preparing to head back out. He teleported to the city gates, and just as he was about to set off for the Ant Mountain map, he received a call from Wind and Clouds One Knife.

"Brother Six-Barrel, where are you?"

"In the city, about to go grind. Any good news?"

"Qingqing just dropped a dungeon scroll. We're planning to run it. Do you want in?"

"Damn, how could you leave me out of such a good thing? When are we going, and where are we meeting?"

"We'll start after lunch at one o'clock. Meet at the guild headquarters."

Zhang Shan checked the time. It was almost noon; with only an hour left, there was no point in running all the way back out. He decided to hang around the city, grab some lunch, and then log back in when the time came.