Chapter 43: Among the Strong, There Are Always Stronger

With a single bid increase of 200 subway coins, the eyes of everyone in the venue turned toward the bidder.

These were all elites from their respective worlds, chosen by various stations, and many of them had a high opinion of themselves.

But 1,500 subway coins was no small amount for anyone. Some even lowered their proud heads in defeat.

1,500 subway coins—it was more than most of them could afford, a truly disheartening blow.

Even Zhao Kuo was surprised. Spending 1,500 subway coins on this Skill Upgrade Card would require careful consideration, as it amounted to nearly half of his total wealth.

It just goes to show that among the strong, there are always stronger, and there's always someone higher up the mountain.

When Qi Tian, sitting next to Zhao Kuo, raised his bidding paddle, he didn't even blink—a sign of absolute confidence.

Qi Tian noticed Zhao Kuo's gaze and turned to him with a grin. "I made a bit of money earlier, but this still stings a little. What about you, brother? Are you interested in this Skill Upgrade Card too?"

Zhao Kuo shook his head, then raised his paddle.

"1,550 subway coins! Player 393 has raised the bid to 1,550 subway coins. Is anyone willing to go higher?"

On the stage, Yor smiled, clearly pleased with the price.

1,550 subway coins was no small sum for Zhao Kuo either.

But this Skill Upgrade Card was worth it!

[Can upgrade one of the user's skills]. After everything he'd been through, Zhao Kuo understood the importance of skills for players.

Take his class skill, ​**[Lucky Magic Bullet]**, for example. At level 1, it only fired one magic bullet. At level 2, it fired two, and the power increased. If it reached level 3, it would fire another bullet with even greater power.

But Zhao Kuo wasn't planning to upgrade his class skill. Instead, he wanted to upgrade…

However, while Zhao Kuo was determined to get this card, he also had his limits. If the price exceeded 1,800 subway coins, he would decisively give up.

To Zhao Kuo's surprise, after he made his bid, Qi Tian didn't follow up. Instead, he silently lowered his paddle.

Zhao Kuo was taken aback and glanced at him.

Qi Tian explained proactively, "1,500 was my psychological limit. I thought a sudden increase of 200 subway coins would scare everyone off, but… turns out you're a big spender, brother!"

So it was all an act… Zhao Kuo was speechless. It seemed that even among so many worlds, his wealth still placed him in the top tier.

In the end, Zhao Kuo secured the Skill Upgrade Card for 1,550 subway coins.

As the robotic attendant handed the card to him, Zhao Kuo examined it closely. The card had a mechanical wasteland aesthetic, with exposed gears constantly turning on its surface.

At the same time, the robotic attendant handed him a black card and explained, "Honored guest, every player who spends over 1,000 subway coins at the Dimensional Auction will receive a Primary Membership Card. This card grants a 2% discount at any station."

A 2% discount… Zhao Kuo was once again speechless, but it was better than nothing.

After saying thank you, he stored the black membership card in his inventory space and then tried to use the Skill Upgrade Card.

But the card in his hand showed no reaction.

Qi Tian, sitting beside him, chuckled. "The Dimensional Auction blocks all energy, including the use of items. You'll be able to use it once you leave."

So it wasn't a fake. Zhao Kuo breathed a sigh of relief and gave Qi Tian a grateful look.

To be honest, since entering the Dimensional Auction, Qi Tian had explained many things to him. Although Zhao Kuo didn't know what Qi Tian's intentions were, as long as the fangs hadn't been bared, Zhao Kuo didn't mind showing some goodwill.

The next few items up for auction were rather ordinary—small trinkets that weren't particularly useful.

After all, even if players had good items at this stage, they wouldn't put them up for auction. For example, if Zhao Kuo's car engine had appeared at the auction, it would have undoubtedly sparked a frenzy.

However, when the twelfth item appeared, it caught Zhao Kuo's eye.

[Ordinary Watering Can]​

[Using this watering can can speed up crop growth but consumes purified water.]​

Consuming purified water to speed up crop growth didn't sound like a great deal, but Zhao Kuo had the Fairy's Garden, which he used to cultivate magical crops. For him, it was definitely worth it.

The starting bid was 100 subway coins, with each increment no less than 2 subway coins.

Soon, the watering can was bid up to 122 subway coins. After all, most of the people here had stable food sources, and much of that food came from crops.

Speeding up growth was quite tempting.

But when Zhao Kuo called out a bid of 130 subway coins, the entire venue fell silent.

Player 393—the guy who had spent 1,550 subway coins on the Skill Upgrade Card. Competing with him would be suicide!

Everyone here was smart, and they naturally had their own thoughts.

Zhao Kuo touched his mask, thinking that 130 wasn't too high. He had been prepared to go up to 200 if necessary…

In the end, he successfully secured the ​[Ordinary Watering Can], adding another useful item to his arsenal. He planned to test it out as soon as he got back.

The auction had a total of 36 items and lasted nearly two hours.

None of the later items caught Zhao Kuo's interest, but it was worth noting that the only item to go unsold was still Zhao Kuo's ​[Lucky's Pistol], which was a little embarrassing.

"Alright, it's finally over. Brother, I hope we'll meet again at the next auction. I'm off now."

With that, Qi Tian disappeared from his seat.

"This guy didn't even ask for my contact info?" Zhao Kuo muttered, but he quickly realized that since they weren't from the same world, communication probably wasn't possible. It was a bit of a shame.

After all, exchanging ideas with elites from other worlds could be very helpful.

In the venue, the players who had participated in the auction gradually disappeared. However, Zhao Kuo wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he looked at Yor, who was sitting on a mechanical construct.

Yor was quite small, and sitting on the massive mechanical construct reminded Zhao Kuo of a character from a game he used to love.

Finally, when Zhao Kuo was the only one left in the venue, Yor rubbed her temples.

"You know, the longer you delay, the higher the probability and quality of the treasures you can get from my vault."

"Honestly, if it weren't for that lord's sudden arrival, I would've taken you into the vault right after the game ended!"

The last sentence was Yor muttering to herself.

She jumped down from the mechanical construct, adjusted the monocle on her nose, and said, "Are you ready? Welcome to… Yor's Treasure Vault."