A hush fell over the Inn as the auction began, and activity slowed down to a near halt. Most guests traveled to Umbragard city, but even those who didn’t want to participate in the auction could watch it from the comfort of wherever they were, as long as they were inside the Inn.

Most people were watching because the auction itself attracted them, but many were watching because of the rumors that had spread over the past year. Word was that there was an otherworldly beauty, a woman whose graces enchant the stars themselves, and that she would be leading the auction.

Legend of her fiery hair and fantastic presence had spread across the Inn, and many had come specially just to gaze upon her enthralling visage. They were not disappointed.

"Every time there’s a new item, I will introduce it, and talk a bit about the item - unless a similar or identical item has already been auctioned off earlier. A base price, and a minimum raise amount will be declared for each item. Anyone at all can raise from anywhere inside the Inn so long as they are watching, but unless you have a sufficient MP balance, or unless you pay instantly, your raise will not be recognized - regardless of your background or credit rating.

"Certain items have more than a base price. The original owner of the item, whether it be the Midnight Inn or a private party, may request certain items or treasures in exchange for a specific auction item. In that case, only a barter system will work, and no amount of currency can influence the auction.

"Lastly, the entire auction is held anonymously. No one will know the identity of whoever is buying the items, unless the buyer reveals their identity themselves. Regardless, any attempts to intimidate or coerce other guests in an attempt to prevent bidding or forced purchases will be dealt with immediately. Depending on the scale of the transgression, punishment ranges from total banishment from the Inn to actual imprisonment. Please behave responsibly."

Mary spoke slowly, yet in a firm voice - completely professional in her demeanor. The impact of such a scene stunned the Inn into silence. Lex could not feel her presence, but everyone

else could. Even those who did not know what a Dao Lord was could tell that she was something special.

It was for the sake of this very impact that Mary had stayed relatively hidden for the entire past year, suppressing her own desire to mingle with the crowds.

Comparatively, those sitting in the private booths near the auction stage already knew about Mary, as did a majority of those who had preregistered for the second segment of the auction.

Still, only Celestial Immortals came. Although the Innkeepers promise of safety remained undisputed within the Inn, who could say for certain that the crazy monkey wouldn’t find them somewhere outside in the rest of the universe. So, they all still opted to stay at length for now.

Lack of surprise did not lower the impact of Mary’s appearance though. Unlike the Innkeeper, who never displayed his aura or presence, Mary only kept her aura restrained, yet let her presence remain unrestrained.

She was a Dao Lord. She stood at the supposed peak of the universe. There was no reason why she shouldn’t be recognized. In fact, letting her presence loose instead of restraining it was a more believable act than the Innkeepers complete and total restraint.

"Well then, let’s get started. We’ll begin with a commemorative item, of sorts. Painted by a long time resident of the Inn, this painting captures the hustle and bustle of the Midnight Inn during the epic battle between Emperor Jotun and the King of the Fiery Mammoths. Mortals who view this painting might be struck by inspiration, gaining insight into a wide range of techniques from fire related ones all the way to crowd control. Nascent Soul cultivators will gain slight insights into the mysterious world of immortals, glimpsing at the laws that control the universe. For immortals, though, it is simply a nice painting to hang in your abode.

"Bidding starts at 1 million MP, and each raise has to be a minimum of 10 thousand MP. Don’t worry about the steep price folks, we have quite a few cheaper items up ahead as well. I just thought that this one was a good item to start with. Let’s go. Do we have an opening bid?

"Oh look at that, PathanKhan starts off the auction with a bid of 10 million MP! Do we have anything higher?"

Anyone who bid could adopt a pseudonym, or if they didn’t want to, would be assigned a random name and number to represent them. After all, knowing who was bidding was also a part of the fun of an auction.

It was just that they wouldn’t know who exactly was bidding, they’d just learn their pseudonyms. Of course, the Inn would not do anything that might reveal the actual identity of the buyer. In fact, even the Inn workers themselves would have no idea who bought what, since all the payments and deliveries would be handled by the system. Only Lex would know the details.

Of course, just for the heck of it, there was also a global and sectional chat using all the pseudonyms!

SexyMashedPotato: Holy molly, that’s one way to start an auction. @PathanKhan you looking for a sugarbaby?

FailedPsycho: Now that’s just showing off. Now show off some more!

KinkyKiwi69: Oh my, a starting bid 9 million above the required amount? Can you spell nouveau riche? One should stay within their limits lest they get slapped to death by the wallet of someone richer. Behold, the might of my papas wallet! New bid: 50 million MP!

The chatroom exploded! The global chat was only available for people who had actually bid on items, or had an MP balance above a certain limit indicating that they might bid on something. Even then, it exploded.

The painting, something drawn by one of the Inn staff members, was sold for 300 million MP. The painting was definitely not worth that much, but the prestige of the first buy was worth far more than the painting - at least to certain people.