The Rare Combination and the Ghost Dragon Wings

Following the initial round of bidding, the auction stage began to present a dazzling array of exquisite treasures, ranging from armor, magic robes, and elixirs to weapons, magic staves, and potions. On one occasion, a low-level automaton crafted by an alchemist even appeared.

None of these items particularly piqued Su Han and her companions’ interest. However, witnessing the alchemically crafted automaton, even a low-level one, truly broadened her horizons.

The first half of the auction had yet to feature any truly rare treasures. Those who were actively bidding were mostly seated further back. The individuals in the front rows, not only wealthy and influential, were as shrewd as old foxes, each a cunning and seasoned player, yet none had made a single bid so far.

Another round of bidding commenced, and Su Weier, with a graceful smile, accepted a small silver tray from a waiting maiden. On the tray rested two transparent jade vials. One contained a cyan-colored elixir, while the other held a vibrant crimson potion.

The moment these two items were presented, they captivated everyone’s attention. It wasn’t that the potion and elixir were exceptionally rare, but rather the highly unusual sight of an Eastern elixir and a Western potion being auctioned together.

“Hehe, I imagine many of you are wondering why an elixir and a potion are being auctioned as a pair. To answer that, we must speak of their unique origin. As you can see, the cyan elixir is called the Barrier-Shattering Pill, capable of allowing a Mid-level Mage to break through and instantly become a High-level Mage. The crimson potion, known as the Rampant Ascent Potion, can directly elevate any mage below the High-level tier to the peak of the Mid-level tier! In other words, with these two items, you could even upgrade a Level One Mage Apprentice, fresh out of the magical academy, straight to a High-level Mage! Moreover, there are no side effects; the only thing they would lack is practical combat experience!” Su Weier explained, pointing to the potion and elixir on the silver tray with a radiant smile.

Before her words had even faded, the auction hall erupted. Countless eyes gleamed with avarice as they stared at the two jade vials on the silver tray, with small families in particular, their eyes burning with desire. What did this signify? With these two items, they could add a cornerstone to their family’s strength!

“Starting bid: one hundred and ten thousand green crystal coins!”

“One hundred and forty thousand!” No sooner had Su Weier’s announcement finished than a voice boomed from within the hall.

“One hundred and seventy thousand!” Clearly, many were interested in these two items, especially the smaller families, who were fiercely bidding, as if determined not to give up until they achieved their goal.

Su Han felt a pang of surprise. During the closed beta, there had only been potions, never pills. ‘Where did these elixirs come from? Had the game’s mechanics been altered?’ she wondered. Yet, after hearing their effects, she was equally astonished, and her gaze drifted to Akareya as she silently mused, ‘Akareya’s strength is probably far beyond that of an Archmage, isn’t it? For a mere potion, paired with an elixir, to have such miraculous effects and yet not be prohibitively expensive, would a princess of a nation truly not possess something even better? What a joke!’

‘Therefore, Akareya must definitely be hiding her true strength…’ Su Han’s mischievous eyes swiveled, sparkling with curiosity, as if deep in thought.

“Hmm? Does Sister Izaloth also need those items?”

“It’s not that I’m saying they have no side effects; on the contrary, the repercussions can be severe. Gaining levels without practical combat experience is quite unfortunate! So, I suggest you take your time.”

“Hmm, I was just curious. It’s unusual for an elixir and a potion to be paired on stage, and for their effects to be so complementary!”

“Actually, I just casually concocted this potion and elixir…” Bailuan mumbled softly from the side.

Though his voice was quite low, it still didn’t escape Su Han’s ears. “Huh? What did you say? You made them? And ‘casually’?” Su Han felt she truly couldn’t fathom the man before her.

“Oh, Brother Bailuan is very skilled in the ways of potions and elixirs!” Even Akareya chimed in, emphasizing his point.

Su Han asked, puzzled, “A High-level Alchemist? A Third-Rank Pill Refiner?”

“Call me whatever you like!” Bailuan stretched lazily in his chair, speaking with a languid, wicked charm.

“Hey, you scoundrel, clarify yourself!”

Within the auction hall, the fluctuating cries of bids echoed incessantly. In mere minutes, the price of the Rampant Ascent Potion and Barrier-Shattering Pill had soared by over a hundred thousand, now reaching a staggering two hundred and eighty thousand. This price was prohibitively steep for many, yet the smaller families were still fiercely competing.

“Three hundred thousand!”

“Yi Biko, you old geezer, don’t you dare compete with me! I’ll send you more of my Blood Coagulation Pills later!” declared a corpulent middle-aged man in the front row.

“To hell with you! I’ll send you a few healing potions later, will you concede these two items to me then?”

“Damn it, you two are enough! If you won’t buy them, I will. Three hundred and twenty thousand!”

However, just as Su Han thought the price would halt at three hundred and twenty thousand, a faint voice suddenly resonated from the second floor.

“Four hundred thousand!”

Her gaze followed the voice, eventually settling on a private room in the second-floor mezzanine. Su Han’s brow arched slightly. ‘Someone from the second floor is finally bidding!’

“Four hundred and fifty thousand!” The corpulent middle-aged man’s face creased into a mass of wrinkles as he pondered briefly before speaking.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, after the stout middle-aged man made his bid, another voice from the second-floor mezzanine followed with a new offer: “Four hundred and seventy thousand!”

“Hehe, Patriarch Grella has bid four hundred and seventy thousand green crystal coins. Do any other esteemed gentlemen wish to raise the price? If not, then this Barrier-Shattering Pill and Rampant Ascent Potion will belong to him!” Su Weier’s seductive voice attempted to entice further bids from the lecherous attendees, but upon seeing the staggering sum of four hundred and seventy thousand, no one dared to bid again. She then struck her auction hammer down.

After the elixir and potion combination was sold, the subsequent items failed to fetch any significant prices. Several items were even successfully claimed for their starting bids. Though Su Weier was slightly displeased, the earlier combination of the elixir and potion had more than made up for her quota.

However, after several quieter rounds, the next item immediately brought the excitement surging once more. Even Su Han found herself feeling a pang of envy.

“Next, we present one of our auction’s three ultimate treasures!”

On the crystal platform, a pair of jet-black ghost dragon wings, emanating an eerie, chilling aura, appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the item we are about to auction is, I daresay, a rarity that few have ever seen. These are the wings of a Yinglong, a direct descendant of the Dragon Race. However, they have undergone a special transformation by a Necromancer, becoming a pair of alchemical wings. As for their efficacy, I need not elaborate. To fly through the sky, one would typically need to be at least a Transcendent Mage! Knights would require a Heaven-tier rank, though Mech Pilots are an exception!” Su Weier’s words clearly implied: ‘You cannot fly until you reach a certain rank, but with this item, you can!’ She continued, “The only way to utilize these Ghost Dragon Wings is to bind them through a drop of your blood. Furthermore, you must feed them three drops of your essence blood daily to prevent a backlash.”

‘A Yinglong! And a Necromancer Alchemist! To actually refine them into Ghost Dragon Wings!’ Su Han’s heart pounded with a silent alarm. Necromancers were rare in [The Other Shore] because their magic was lethal and insidious, making them hunted and reviled like rats. Yet, during the closed beta, there was a hidden alchemist among the Necromancers who refined the wings of a certain race into alchemical magic equipment. She never imagined he could refine them into Ghost Dragon Wings, and that they would appear in this world! That wasn’t even the crucial point; the critical fact was that this was a Yinglong! A Yinglong that was but a step away from transforming into a true dragon! And its wings were simply refined into Ghost Dragon Wings? Su Han found it utterly inconceivable. A Yinglong was an existence even more formidable than ancient dragons!

‘That guy is truly terrifying. Could he have also transmigrated to this world?’ she wondered. ‘Otherwise, where would something like this come from?’

“That’s right, all seventy-three closed beta players transmigrated to this world, just like you. However, there were only two spots for gender reassignment, and unfortunately, we claimed both of them!” Bailuan said, leaning close to Su Han’s ear, discreetly avoiding Akareya’s notice.

“What? Why didn’t you say so sooner!!!” Su Han was utterly dumbfounded.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Akareya asked. “Brother, you didn’t bully Sister Izaloth, did you?”

‘It’s nothing…’ ‘This is going to be a headache!’ Su Han’s heart was filled with a sense of helplessness. Those who could enter [The Other Shore]’s closed beta were all prodigious talents; she had only scraped by through sheer luck. Now they had all come to this world where murder wasn’t a crime, and they all had protagonist-like setups… only she didn’t.

To think that Necromancer Alchemist could craft such terrifying items even during the closed beta. Now that he had personally arrived in another world, how formidable would he be? He was likely no less formidable than Bailuan. Although Bailuan possessed a cheat device, that individual was definitely a complete and utter pervert!

“Oh, the misery of my fate!” Su Han sighed to herself, silently lamenting.

“What are you afraid of? This young master will protect you!”

The jet-black Ghost Dragon Wings exuded a thin, black mist. The mist seeped into one’s skin, penetrating to the very bone marrow, sending shivers down one’s spine and prompting an involuntary shudder. One could even detect a faint scent of blood.

The moment these so-called Ghost Dragon Wings appeared, everyone in the auction hall fell into an immediate hush, gasping collectively, their hands trembling, unable to utter a word. Even those less discerning, upon seeing this item, sensed its profound significance. The crowd on the first floor began to stir with excitement, those in the second-floor mezzanine were similarly agitated, and many in the third-floor mezzanine, where Su Han was seated, were already rubbing their palms together in anticipation.

These so-called Ghost Dragon Wings captivated everyone in the auction hall. After all, merely possessing this item could elevate one’s strength by more than a mere notch, allowing them to strike down foes with unseen stealth and escape beyond any pursuer’s reach.

“This thing is quite interesting!” Akareya observed with keen interest.

“This item is more flash than substance for you. Don’t you have a Holy Light Unicorn? Once it breaks through to a sixth-tier bloodline, it will grow wings and be able to fly, which is far superior to this thing!” Bailuan remarked, his expression inscrutable. “Also, do you truly believe it only requires three drops of essence blood daily? I tell you, it’s at least ten drops, and ten drops every single day! Even a Transcendent Archmage could be drained to exhaustion!”

Akareya dismissed the idea after hearing this, but others were different. The entire hall was in an uproar; this could truly be considered an ultimate treasure!

“Hehe, I’m sure you all understand the rarity of alchemical wings. Therefore, after careful deliberation, these ‘Ghost Dragon Wings’—if ranked by grade—would be considered Epic equipment! The starting price is one million green crystal coins! Now, let the bidding commence.” Su Weier said with a sweet smile.