100,000 gold coins!
The moment Velen's words fell, everyone present gasped audibly.
Such an astronomical amount of gold coins—they wouldn't even dare to dream of it.
Could this young man actually produce such a sum?
The white-haired maiden stared at Velen skeptically, her tone mocking:
"Heh, 100,000 gold coins? You think it's that easy to just run your mouth? If you can truly produce it, what harm is there in letting you join the Watchers' Legion?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Velen's lips curl into a faint smile. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a storage pouch, and handed it over directly.
"100,000 gold coins, please verify."
His confident demeanor and calm action left the white-haired maiden momentarily stunned. Disbelieving, she took the pouch and immediately infused it with her mana to inspect.
Gold coins!
Inside the pouch, an enormous pile of gold coins was stacked like a small mountain!
A quick probe revealed it to be no less than 100,000 gold coins—all of excellent quality!
"100,000 gold coins? You really have 100,000 gold coins?!"
The white-haired maiden's eyes widened in shock, unable to suppress her exclamation.
She had seen such wealth before, but Velen—aside from being handsome—seemed utterly ordinary. How could he produce such an immense sum at once?
Everyone else present, hearing her words, turned their gazes toward Velen in unison.
Could this person really produce 100,000 gold coins?
There had been no rumors of such a hidden tycoon in their midst!
Had they encountered a secret magnate?!
After a brief moment of astonishment, the white-haired maiden suddenly felt a jolt in her heart.
This is bad!
Just now, she had publicly promised that if Velen could produce 100,000 gold coins, she would let him join the Watchers' Legion.
Now that he had actually done it, was she really going to let him join?
But the Legion only accepted elites. Adding someone as unremarkable as him would waste precious resources meant for the Legion. Worse still, she would become a laughingstock among the other family prodigies.
She absolutely could not allow this person to join!
Thinking this, the white-haired maiden glanced at Velen and shook her head slightly.
"The fortress is still in its infancy. There's nothing here yet. You should reconsider whether you really want to join…"
Velen decisively interrupted, "If 100,000 gold coins isn't enough to establish the fortress, I can provide additional funding to speed up its development!"
Joining the Watchers' Legion was tied to his system mission and his future; Velen had no intention of giving up so easily.
"But you're joining the Legion for access to resources, right? The fortress isn't established yet, so there are no resources at the moment, and the future isn't guaranteed either."
"That's fine. Resources can be bought with gold coins. If it's a matter of money, then there's no problem at all!" Velen replied earnestly.
The white-haired maiden: "…"
So, you're rich?
Does having money make you invincible?
She had already been reluctant to recruit anyone, and now this random upstart was using his wealth to humiliate her!
The white-haired maiden snorted coldly, her eyes narrowing as a sly smile appeared on her face.
"Fine. From this moment on, you are a member of the Watchers' Legion."
Hearing this, Velen sensed something off about her smile, but the system's notification promptly chimed in:
"Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission. Reward: 100 luxury points!"
"Congratulations, Host, for reasonably flaunting 100,000 gold coins. Reward: 100 luxury points!"
"Current luxury points: 200.
[Luxury points can be used to upgrade ranks and draw rewards, including potions, skills, bloodlines, artifacts, etc. Additionally, flaunting items from the system's reward pool can yield more luxury points!]
Reading the system prompt, Velen's eyes sparkled with excitement.
These luxury points were incredibly versatile!
However, with only 200 points, he still had too few.
At that moment, the white-haired maiden chuckled softly and said, "Since you're so wealthy and now part of the Legion, come with me to the Stellar Auction."
Stellar Auction?
The name sounded familiar to Velen. A moment of recollection brought clarity.
The Stellar Auction was a famous chain auction under the Stellar Commerce League, renowned across the Titan Galaxy.
It was also the largest auction house on Uranus, offering an unparalleled variety and quality of items.
The only downside? Everything was outrageously expensive.
Curious about the Stellar Auction, Velen nodded in agreement.
...
Stellar Auction.
As a frequent destination for Uranus's elite, the venue was resplendent, bustling with activity, and lively as ever.
The grand auction hall was especially impressive, filled with prominent figures engaged in animated discussions as they awaited the upcoming event.
"The Crystal Suite has been opened. Did some big shot arrive today? Why wasn't there any prior notice?"
"No idea. I heard the general manager personally arranged it!"
"Tsk, tsk. It's rare for the general manager to make an appearance."
"Who cares who it is? At an auction, the highest bidder wins!"
In the Crystal Suite on the second floor, under the watchful gazes of the crowd below, the white-haired maiden sat on a plush beast-skin sofa with Velen and the envoy. Through a one-way crystal screen, they observed the auction items on display.
As the daughter of a Duke, Anastasia held a special status.
Even though she had been dispatched to this remote, untamed planet, the auction house's general manager dared not neglect her, promptly arranging for her group to occupy the most central Crystal Suite.
After watching for a while, Anastasia pointed at a sharp-looking sword in the auction hall and said,
"Velen, since you're not an awakener, you wouldn't know how expensive resources for awakeners are. See that first sword? The starting bid alone is 10,000 gold coins. The world of awakeners and ordinary people are entirely different worlds!"
Velen gazed at the sword in surprise.
Even though he wasn't yet an awakener, the sword's sharp aura stung his eyes.
He couldn't imagine how terrifying its unleashed power would be!
However, a starting bid of 10,000 gold coins seemed… too cheap.
Recovering quickly, Velen calmly nodded and responded with a simple, "Oh."
Anastasia, seeing his changing expressions, assumed he was overwhelmed by the auction's grandeur and merely trying to feign composure.
She chuckled lightly. "No need to put on a brave face. Since you've joined the Watchers' Legion, I won't treat you poorly."
With that, she handed Velen a white scroll.
"This is a Light Shield Scroll. It can only be used once, but in a critical moment, it could save your life."
Hearing this, Velen felt a bit touched.
Though Anastasia seemed difficult to get along with, her gesture of concern wasn't bad at all.
Just as he was about to accept, the system suddenly issued a warning.
"As a tycoon, you should spend lavishly. How can you accept something for free? Accepting this will result in a deduction of 100 luxury points!"
Seeing the blood-red system prompt, Velen's eyelid twitched.
Although the scroll seemed valuable, luxury points were undoubtedly more enticing.
He immediately declined with firm conviction: "Miss, please keep the scroll. I already have too many of them to use."
Anastasia: "…"
Is this guy for real?
The envoy laughed and said, "Velen, the Light Shield Scroll is no ordinary item. It's one of the young lady's prized possessions, a rare defensive tool. The starting bid alone would be 30,000 gold coins! In most fortresses, it would be treated as a trump card. If not for the fact that you haven't awakened yet, the young lady wouldn't have offered you such a precious item."
Looking at Anastasia, Velen realized she was probably someone with a cold exterior but a kind heart.
Noticing Velen's complicated gaze, Anastasia said indifferently, "Don't overthink it. I just don't want the first person I recruited to die for no reason."
Velen smiled and suddenly asked, "If I were to buy out everything at this auction, how much would it benefit the fortress?"
The envoy pondered and replied, "With so many valuable items, it would likely accelerate the Watchers' Legion's development by 50 years!"
"Do you have something in mind?" Anastasia asked, raising her gaze to Velen. "If you really can buy out everything, I'll personally recommend you to the mother planet's Legion when the time comes."
Understanding that Anastasia, as the fortress's leader and mentor, had the authority to recommend ordinary watchers for advanced training on the mother planet—a dream opportunity for countless awakeners—Velen made up his mind.
He pressed the red button on the armrest without hesitation.
"Honored guest, confirming once again: Pressing this button will reserve the entire auction, purchasing all items at five times their starting prices."
Five times the starting prices!
The Stellar Auction's appraisal standards were extremely high. Most items sold for no more than three times their starting bids. But to buy out the entire auction would cost five times the starting prices!
Scanning the text flashing on the crystal screen, Velen clicked Confirm without hesitation.