Chapter 217: The Path of Otherworldly Microtransactions Begins! (1/3)

P.S. The chapter number is incorrect; it actually follows the previous chapter. Please ignore the chapter number, the author will correct it...

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Hearing Nalan Hongwu's words, Fang Qi's face twitched. "He truly is a wealthy man..."

"A single piece of equipment for a hundred crystals?!" Everyone froze in their tracks upon hearing Nalan Hongwu's words!

One had to remember that this was virtual equipment, not a physical item!

Although An Cheng's previous purchase of runes had set a precedent for buying virtual goods, this was no longer a matter of a few crystals like last time—it was a hundred crystals!

Such a vast amount of crystals was by no means a small sum, even to some minor nobles!

Of course, those present who knew Nalan Hongwu's identity understood that this handful of crystals was but a single hair from nine oxen to him, yet selling a virtual item for over a hundred crystals was still terrifying enough!

Even though many took into account the upcoming tournament prizes, such an occurrence still dealt a heavy blow to their values, prompting many to stop involuntarily, as if wishing to bear witness to this very moment!

"Who has equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen'?" Many players who had previously competed also began to help ask around.

"Don't hide it! It's a hundred crystals!"

At that moment, several mages traveling with Bai Lang said, "Brother Bai... I have a piece of equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen' in my stash... and it's Unique..."

"Don't sell it!" Bai Lang's face darkened. If such an item got out, how could Ice Mages even play the game?

"And a staff with the Teleport skill!"

While Fang Qi was still dazed, Nalan Hongwu strode forward in a burning rush. "Kid Fang! Is that staff of yours with Teleport charges for sale?!"

"This old man will offer..." Nalan Hongwu calculated with wide eyes, "Two hundred crystals!"

The moment Nalan Hongwu spoke these words, another wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

"Two hundred crystals?!" One had to know this was merely a Magic piece of equipment; originally, such an item was only slightly useful under specific circumstances, and with its low drop rate, how many people would even notice it?!

To think that now, it would actually command a price of two hundred crystals!

Fang Qi shrugged. "As the referee right now, this boss's equipment is absolutely not for sale."

Nalan Hongwu: "..."

"I have a pair of Magic gloves here with 'Cannot Be Frozen'!" Just then, an instructor from Lingyun Academy shouted out.

"I have a Hawkmail here! A Unique armor with 'Cannot Be Frozen'!" The person shouting...

Fang Qi took a look: it was Dong Qingli.

Although she did not lack money, she was immensely interested in this affair; this was truly a novelty—could virtual equipment actually be sold?

"A Unique item?" Nalan Hongwu hurried over. "Come, let this old man see its attributes!"

Dong Qingli quickly opened the game, and by this time, a crowd had practically packed the space behind her!

"Why hasn't anyone come down yet?" On the large screen, the match had already concluded, and there seemed to be no other movement at the moment.

Jiang Xiaoyue could not help but glance toward the stairway leading up to the second-floor competition room.

"Quick, come upstairs and look! They're selling equipment upstairs!" Someone called out from the stairwell. "A hundred crystals for a piece of equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen', someone is buying!"

"A hundred crystals?!" At this moment, even the players who were still in the middle of their games, upon hearing the voice through the external communications, almost entirely logged off in a frenzy, removed their virtual headsets, and ran upstairs.

"A hundred crystals for a single piece of equipment?!" Not only the Eldest Princess Ji Yu, but even the Second Prince, Mu Donglai, and others, as well as Lan Mo and Jun Yangzi, looked at each other in mutual bewilderment.

They almost doubted whether their own ears had deceived them!

One had to know that as the premier artifact-refining sect of the Great Jin, most of the lower-quality spiritual artifacts produced by their Blue Flame Sect could not even fetch such a price!

"Come, let's go take a look!" The crowd still seated on the sofas exchanged glances and hurriedly rushed upstairs.

And at this moment, Dong Qingli opened the game:

Hawkmail (Scale Mail),

Defense: 119

Required Level: 15

+10% Faster Run/Walk

+96% Enhanced Defense

+15% To Maximum Cold Resist

Cold Resist +15%

Cannot Be Frozen

Everyone was dumbfounded upon seeing these attributes; if a Paladin with maxed-out cold resistance wore this equipment, how could an Ice Mage even play the game?!

"Holy crap! It was actually given! A hundred crystals!"

"Why haven't I found such a good piece of equipment!"

Quite a few people grew green with envy!

"Who else has equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen'?!" At this time, An Cheng also began to shout, "A hundred for good attributes, fifty for poor ones!"

The moment An Cheng spoke, it instantly provoked another round of exclamations: "Another one offering a hundred!"

"What do we do now...?" The spells in Diablo were powerful indeed, but who could have expected such equipment to exist?! A total of two Ice Mages from Bai Lang's group had made it into the top sixteen, and their faces instantly turned ashen.

"Switch to another element when you face him!" Bai Lang said with a dark expression. "Didn't they give us a skill tree specifically for the tournament?!"

Nalan Hongwu put on his new equipment with immense satisfaction, looking at his Paladin character with a cheerful grin; the more he looked, the more delighted he became. Originally left utterly helpless by Ice Mages, he now finally regained some confidence in seizing the championship. He then asked once more, "Does anyone have equipment with the Teleport skill? Two hundred crystals!"

A normal staff with Teleport skill levels required a Sorceress to cast, but there was a type of attribute with a maximum number of skill charges that any class could use. Nalan Hongwu had seen Fang Qi use it before, so he naturally coveted it now.

Even with a limited number of charges, it was still enough to pose a massive threat to mages.

"Aaaah...!" Yu Liang wailed from the side. "I saw one in the merchant shop earlier, but I didn't have enough gold on my character to buy it!"

After all, such things truly had little practical use under normal circumstances; they were not only expensive but also exceedingly rare.

"If there is a second one, this old man wants it!" At this moment, Elder Fu also spoke up. "I will also offer two hundred! And for equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen', a hundred crystals!"

"This lord will also purchase a piece of equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen'!" An Huwei spoke out as well at this time.

"Two hundred crystals for a staff with Teleport! A hundred crystals for equipment with 'Cannot Be Frozen'!" Song Qingfeng could no longer sit still either. Although he was not as wealthy as Nalan Hongwu or An Huwei, the Song Family was no small faction after all, and with his family valuing him more and more lately, he could still bring forth this amount of money to secure a high ranking.

The entire place was in an uproar!

This was a transaction involving thousands of crystals in one go!

There was nothing strange about spending thousands of crystals to buy spiritual artifacts, but utilizing such expenditures on virtual goods was something everyone had never even dreamed of before, let alone witnessed!

Though the purchases of equipment now were all for the sake of the upcoming matches, in the grand scheme of things, a door that had originally been firmly shut seemed to have swung open before everyone's eyes.

In the end, everyone managed to get their hands on equipment with "Cannot Be Frozen," but the gear with Teleport was ultimately purchased by Nalan Hongwu alone.

However, since there was still some time before the next match began and the fixed prices for the equipment remained, a wave of item-farming fervor was immediately ignited throughout the entire shop!

Not only that, but this game once again attracted a large influx of new players.

"I truly didn't expect this..." Nalan Mingxue murmured with a strange sigh as she walked downstairs while sipping her Cola.

"It is simply unbelievable!" Lan Yan said, clicking her tongue in wonder.

"I want so badly to play games, farm gear, and make money too..." Jiang Xiaoyue said, her face twisted in a sorrowful pout.

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