Chapter 203: Priam is a Sure Bet!

Chapter 203: Priam is a Sure Bet!

"Ymir," greeted Priam as he entered the merchant's pavilion. "I trust that all is well?"

"Everything is well, Lord Priam," smiled the elf as he stepped forward, clad in a Roman toga that showcased impressive bulging muscles. It was clear the merchant knew how to handle himself. "I see you've brought someone along."

"Indeed. Ymir, meet Marquess Esmée, one of my rivals and a distinguished guest. Esmée, this is Ymir Saharn, a wandering merchant who's settled in Oasis."

"Pleasure, Merchant Ymir," said Esmée, nodding respectfully. "Hope our trade dealings will prove fruitful."

"Likewise, Marquess," replied Ymir, clasping his hands. "Looking forward to doing business with you." He then turned to Priam. "I reckon you're here for the Auctions?"

"Indeed."

"If you would be so kind as to follow me."

The merchant led them to the center of his tent, where an altar as black as obsidian rested. A holographic screen floated above, displaying many items.

"You can place your items on this altar and set a price," explained Ymir. "The item put up for Auction is then stored and will be transported by the Secret Network if purchased. Sun points will be directly added to your account; no need to come collect them. Buying works the same way."

"Excellent," replied Priam.

"What's the altar's level?" inquired Esmée.

Priam turned to Ymir, clueless about what she was referring to.

"Rank I," Ymir turned to Priam to explain. "Currently, I'm a Tier 0 Merchant of Rank I for the Sun Shop, which limits the number of items of different Tiers you can auction simultaneously."

"Nothing's free in this world, eh?" grumbled Priam. Esmée suppressed a smile. "How many items can you auction at once?"

"At Rank I, ten Tier 0 items or one Tier 1 item. Each subsequent rank multiplies this number by ten, while each Tier takes up ten times the space of the previous Tier," explained the merchant.

As Priam furrowed his brows, his add-on translated the merchant's words into a chart.

[Merchant Rank T0 - Auction Details:

Rank I - 10 T0 items / 1 T1 item

Rank II - 100 T0 items / 10 T1 items / 1 T2 item

Rank III - 1,000 T0 items / 100 T1 items / 10 T2 items / 1 T3 item

...]

"For a small community like Oasis, Rank II will do for now unless you want to sell high Tier items. This limit mainly impacts kingdoms and powerful factions that sell billions of items daily," commented Ymir.

"Or small factions selling mighty items," grimaced Priam.

"Not necessarily. If you were Tier 2, your Sun Shop would have connected you with a Tier 2 merchant, who could have auctioned ten Tier 2 items from Rank I. The equivalent of a thousand Tier 0 items."

Priam sighed. It made sense and wouldn't have affected him if he wasn't trying to sell an item out of his league. No Tier 0 was supposed to acquire a treasure as rare as the one he borrowed from Sumstreh. Guess the System wants to discourage that kind of generosity...

Glancing at Esmée, Priam decided not to inquire further. The princess didn't need to know he was in possession of a divine realm fulcrum’s shard. Which must be a Tier 5 item. So, I'll need at least Merchant V to sell it, and Merchant VI if I want to sell something else simultaneously.

It was going to cost him a hefty one hundred eighty-five thousand Sun points. A sum he could afford thanks to his latest Achievement.

"I'll upgrade the altar's rank," declared Priam.

Sun Shop - Territory

Merchant II (10 000 points) - Summons a T0 Merchant... or increases Ymir Saharn's authority to Rank II. Requires Shop or Forum. ACQUIRED

Merchant III (25 000 points) - Summons a T1 Merchant... or increases Ymir Saharn's authority to Rank III. Requires Shop or Forum. ACQUIRED

Merchant IV (50 000 points) - Summons a T1 Merchant... or increases Ymir Saharn's authority to Rank IV. Requires Shop or Forum. ACQUIRED

Merchant V (100 000 points) - Summons a T2 Merchant... or increases Ymir Saharn's authority to Rank V. Requires Shop or Forum. ACQUIRED

Merchant VI (250 000 points) - Summons a T2 Merchant... or increases Ymir Saharn's authority to Rank VI. Requires Shop or Forum.

Sun points: 317,979 (-185,000)

Ymir opened his mouth, glanced at Esmée, then closed it. The merchant nodded respectfully.

"One last thing: you can send a message to the seller if you want to buy an item instantly. Be careful not to use this functionality for remote communication, as the System will ban you from the Auctions."

"Understood," replied Priam.

"If you need me, I'll be close by," nodded the merchant before stepping away. Ymir wasn't dumb; he must have realized Priam had rare items or a large quantity to sell. In either case, the elf would earn a comfortable commission.

"I’m going to do some window shopping," joked Priam as he connected to the altar's terminal. He planned to wait for Esmée to leave before auctioning the fulcrum.

"Likewise."

A stream of data flooded Priam's mind before his system took control.

[Auctions:

Truth Serum (Rare/T0) - Territory: Klogash/Wanderings Islands - A serum concocted by Klogash clan alchemists from the venom of certain snakes. Capable of forcing a Tier 0 whose will hasn't crossed the first threshold to speak the truth for twenty-seven minutes. The subject then has a high chance of dying.

Actual bid: 1 269 Sun points. Auction ends in 214 hours.

Teleportation Scroll (Epic/T1) - Territory: Meenals/Death Trench - A scroll capable of teleporting a Tier 1 somewhere in the Death Trench from a nearby border.

Note: with the Necro event, it's a creative way to commit suicide... Or to off your mother-in-law.

Set of twin portals (Mythic/T0) - Territory: Pnothl/Sky Ring - Title says it all. Range: 100,000 kilometers. Capable of linking Elysium to a spatial pocket. Enchanted against spatial disturbances. Enchanted against temporal disturbances. (See complete list of enchantments).Legacy Core (Rare/T1) - Territory: Pnothl/Sky Ring - A core containing memories of a Tier 1 who survived 8 Tribulations at Tier 0 and 6 at Tier 1 and unlocked Mastery - Sword III. Note: Two ideal/mythic sword skills detected. If you're fated, they're yours.

"Millionaire before twenty," laughed Luc. "I could kiss the man. Betting on him is like playing the lottery, except I'm sure to win!"

One of his teammates rolled her eyes, and Maya understood it wasn't the first time Luc had said that.

"And what are you going to do with that money?" asked Kenzo. A million contribution points was a colossal sum—enough to ask the guild to power level him up to Tier 2. Nothing was guaranteed—the Tribulations made sure of that—but the required resources, knowledge, and experience were served on a silver platter.

"I'll bet it again on a Mythic Achievement, of course," smiled Luc. "If he wins, I'll be a billionaire."

Kenzo and Maya widened their eyes. "You're going to bet it all?!"

"The Var Elegis succeeded, didn't he? Our Priam can do it too!" exclaimed Luc before checking his ocular implant. "I have to hurry, or my odds will drop. Leader, Vice-leader," he greeted before running off towards the Mercenaries' Casino.

Watching their subordinate run off, Kenzo took on a thoughtful expression.

"Are you going to bet too?" asked Maya.

"Well... It's easy money, don't you think?"

Maya hesitated before sighing. "There hasn't been a Mythic Achievement for a Tier 0 in a century. This Arnold NetSky is a monster."

"But Priam is going to attempt it," replied Kenzo. "Tier 3... It's madness, but there are still five months until the next Reunion."

"... I'll bet half of my pay," said Maya. "If I lose, you and Luc are going to have a rough time."

"I'm not forcing you to... Is there a problem?" asked Kenzo as he saw Maya staring into space. Her expression was that of someone checking an ocular implant.

The captain of the human mercenaries sighed. "Colonel Wang Lin wants to see us. Let's quickly shower, we'll meet in the Hall of Glory in three minutes," ordered Maya as she entered her quarters.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 557

Constitution 860

Agility 552

Vitality 840

Perception 714

MENTAL:

Vivacity 505

Dexterity 587

Memory 426

Willpower 1 028

Charisma 631

META:

Meta-affinity 520

Meta-focus 350

Meta-endurance 354

Meta-perception 221

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 42

Potential: 9 969

Tier 0

Sun points: 317 979 (-184 877)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 164 days 18 hours 37 minutes 52 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200