The capital city of the Eternal Kingdom, Reinhardt, was a sprawling metropolis of white stone and blue-tiled roofs, a place where the air hummed with the incessant chatter of thousands of players and the rhythmic ringing of bells.
It was the heart of trade, the seat of power, and—for the next few hours—the center of a financial earthquake.
Arthur moved through the city with the calculated anonymity of a shadow. He wore a simple, nondescript traveler's cloak, his hood pulled low to hide his appearance.
Behind him, his party had split up; Alfia and Meteria were scouting the local magic shops, while Nana and Cecil remained on high alert near the city gates.
Arthur reached the Great Player Auction House, a massive, domed structure that functioned as the central nervous system for Satisfy's economy. Inside, the walls were lined with holographic boards displaying the latest listings.
Arthur choose a corner seat then he pulled the Ai interface. Then he processed the inventory. It wasn't just a few items; it was a god-tier shipment of specialized equipment.
Seventy-three Epic sets, forty-eight Rare sets, twenty-five Normal sets, and—the crown jewels—six Unique sets. All of them possessed the rarest of regional modifiers: Upto 80% Cold Resistance.
"Registering now," Arthur gave the command and the items vanished from Arthur's inventory and listed on Auction list.
Arthur turned and walked away before the first notification hit the global boards. He didn't need to stay to see the chaos; he already knew the math.
Ten minutes later, the Reinhardt Auction House erupted.
"A NEW LISTING AT REINHARDT!" a scout from the Giant Guild screamed into his guild chat. "The 'Unknown Blacksmith' is back! And it's not weapons this time—it's Cold Resistance leather armor! Level 120 requirement!"
The news spread like wildfire through the high-ranker community. In the current meta of Satisfy, the northern territories—places like the Bone Valley and the Frost Peaks—were considered "Death Zones."
Not because the monsters were too strong, but because the "Freezing" debuff drained stamina and HP so quickly that even high-level Rankers could only survive for twenty minutes without any protective gear.
Chris, the leader of the Giant Guild and one of the highest-ranked players in the world, slammed his fist onto a table in the guild's headquarters at Pedro.
"Buyout the Rare sets! Now!" Chris commanded. "I don't care about the price. If we have fifty men in cold-resistant gear, we can monopolize the Ice Drake hunting grounds at North. We'll recoup the gold in three weeks!"
Across the cities at Croko Island, Peak Sword, the hot-blooded leader of the Silver Knights Guild, was having a similar meltdown.
"Vandal! Why are you standing there?! Bid on the Epic sets!" Peak Sword roared. "If the Giant Guild and especially Sakura guild gets that Unique grade armor, they'll lock us out of the Northern hunting grounds for the lifetime! This isn't just gear; this is a strategic asset!"
The Auction House boards turned into a blur of gold and red.
* The Normal Sets (Cecil's Work): 25 sets. Starting at 6,000 gold. Buyout at 9,000 gold.
* Status: SOLD OUT in 45 seconds. (Purchased by solo players and small mercenary groups).
* The Rare Sets (Arthur & Cecil): 48 sets. Starting at 20,000 gold. Buyout at 40,000 gold.
* Status: SOLD OUT in 2 minutes. (The Yellow Guild and Snake Guild fought over the last ten).
Then came the heavy hitters. The Epic sets.
[Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Armor]
Rating: Epic
Current Bid: 68,000 Gold... 75,000 Gold... 92,000 Gold...
BUYOUT TRIGGERED: 100,000 Gold.
Arthur watched the notifications scroll across his private interface as he sat in a quiet tavern three blocks away, sipping a glass of fruit juice.
100,000 gold per set. He had listed 73 of them.
The Giant Guild, the Silver Knights, and the Sakura Guild were cannibalizing their treasuries to secure the Epic gear.
To them, 100,000 gold was a steep price, but for a 5-piece set that granted immunity to the North? It was a steal. They viewed it as a 'Strategic investment'.
In Arthur's eyes, it was a stock clearance. He knew he could make these sets at a rate of five per day thanks to his passive skill 'Royal Administration's' buff and if he had the leather.
To the world, he was a god-tier craftsman; to Arthur, he was just cleaning out his warehouse to make room for the Black Iron project.
In the back of the Auction House, a man with a sharp gaze and a red bandana—Ribon, a scout for the elite Tzedakah Guild—searched the listings frantically.
"Nothing," he muttered, his shoulders sagging. "I checked the Consumables and Projectiles column. No 'Mythical Jaffa-Silver Arrows.' The Blacksmith hasn't replenished the stock."
The Tzedakah Guild, led by the beautiful and deadly Jishuka, had been hunting for the creator of those Jaffa Arrows for weeks. They didn't care about leather armor; they wanted the man who could manipulate Jaffa and Silver.
He turned back, disappointed, missing the fact that the man who had listed the bear armor was currently walking past him out the door.
By the time the sun began to set over Reinhardt, Arthur's "Great Haul" was complete.
[Financial Summary: Reinhardt Auction]
* Normal Sets: 25 x 9,000 = 225,000 Gold - 5% tax = 213,750 Gold
* Rare Sets: 48 x 40,000 = 1,920,000 Gold - 10% tax = 1,728,000 Gold
* Epic Sets: 73 x 100,000 = 7,300,000 Gold - 15% tax = 6,205,000 Gold
* Unique Sets: 6 x 400,000 = 2,400,000 Gold - 20% tax = 1,920,000 Gold
Total Net Profit after tax: 10,066,750 Gold.
Arthur looked at the number in his inventory. More than ten million gold. It was a sum that could destabilize the economy of a small kingdom. It was enough to buy Baron Lowe's loyalty ten times over.
But Arthur wasn't going to buy the Baron. He was going to bury him.
"You're smiling," Nana said, appearing at his side as they reached the city gates. "Did the 'Gods' give you more gold?"
"The 'Gods' didn't give me anything, Nana," Arthur said, his eyes reflecting the orange glow of the twilight. "The adventurers of Reinhardt just paid for our next three months of research and development."
As they boarded a private carriage, Arthur's mind drifted to the politics of the region.
He knew he could solve the Winston crisis in an afternoon.
With his high affinity and his potential recognized by Earl Ashur, he could easily secure a letter of introduction to Earl Steim, the ruler of the North.
Lord Steim was a man of integrity; if he knew Baron Lowe was getting bribes to conspiring with the Mero Company to loot the villagers land and home, Lowe would be executed by sunset.
But Arthur waited.
He was waiting for Grid.
He knew the "Protagonist" of this world's original path was destined to clash with the Mero Company.
If Arthur stepped in now and cut away the cancer known as Valmont and Lowe, the narrative would divert too wildly.
He needed Grid to obtain Pagma's Rare Book. He needed the "Fool" to become the "Blacksmith" to act as the face of the revolution while Arthur operated from the throne of the shadows.
Beside he needed Huroi and Euphemina, and the Mero vs Smithy is the only way they could got acquainted.
'Enjoy your small kingdom for a few more days, Valmont,' Arthur thought, looking toward the distant mountains. 'I could have cut your neck weeks ago. But a fool needs a stage, and I'm saving your neck for the guy who currently thinks moldy bread is a luxury.'
Arthur leaned back against the carriage cushions. He had 10 million gold, a Level 120 party, and a mine full of Black Iron. The "Unknown Blacksmith" was the talk of the world, but the "Prince of the Eternal Sun" was just getting started.
"Cecil," Arthur called out to the girl sitting across from him. "We aren't going back to winston. We will go hunting but this time in northern peaks. I want to see the efficiency of my handiwork. Besides, we should extended our workmanship reach besides giant bear leather, don't you think?"
Cecil grinned, her eyes flashing with a competitive fire. "I'll have my Spears ready, let's go hunt something in the cold peaks."