Chapter 230: The Butterfly Pattern

Old Vine had been quietly observing Marcus and the two women beside him, his thoughts wandering in several directions at once.

’What exactly is the relationship between these two girls and Stonehaven?’

The question lingered in his mind while he studied them. Just as he was about to ask something, Marcus casually pulled out a dark token and placed it on the counter.

The moment Old Vine’s eyes landed on it, his train of thought collapsed entirely.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

“What? A Guild Creation Token!” he shouted.

Ever since the first Guild Creation Token had been auctioned and the player Demonic Dragon established the very first guild in Dominion, the token had become a symbol of prestige and wealth throughout the game. Its fame had spread like wildfire, igniting a frenzy among players everywhere.

Guild Creation Tokens only dropped from Silver-tier bosses above level thirty, and even then the drop rate was painfully low. That made the item not only valuable but extraordinarily rare.

Up to this point, only two guilds had managed to form in the entire game world.

And yet here was Marcus, pulling out another one as casually as if it were an ordinary item.

If Dominion had not been completely controlled by the powerful Skynet AI, whose data and internal systems were said to be completely impossible to tamper with, Old Vine might have suspected Marcus of having some kind of hidden connection with Dragonfly Corp.

“Stone, are you planning to auction this one too?” Old Vine asked quickly. “Or are you finally going to start your own guild?”

“Auction it.”

Marcus answered without the slightest hesitation.

Why else would he have taken it out?

“Stone, this is an incredible opportunity to build a guild,” Old Vine said immediately, his tone turning serious. “The potential it offers for your future is enormous. You’re throwing away your youth! Opportunities like this don’t come twice. Once you miss it, you can’t get it back.”

He truly could not stand by and watch Marcus casually discard such a chance. In his mind, selling the token for gold was nothing compared to the long-term power and influence that came from founding a guild.

Under the current circumstances in Dominion, if Marcus built a guild and managed to grow it into one of the top five organizations, he could rise from an unknown player to a famous and influential figure. It might even change the fortunes of his entire family.

Old Vine had only just begun his lecture when Marcus interrupted him.

“Old Vine, I’m not interested in starting a guild,” Marcus said calmly. “My friends just reached level twenty. Help us find some level twenty equipment for a Sorcerer and a Knight. Golden equipment if possible.”

Marcus inwardly sighed.

’This old man really likes giving lectures.’

While Old Vine’s words were reasonable, Marcus had no interest in hearing someone explain how he should live his life.

“Stone…”

“Old Vine, how much do you think this token will sell for?”

Seeing that the old merchant was preparing to start again, Marcus interrupted him a second time. At the same time he took Anya’s hand and walked over toward the equipment counter, casually browsing the displayed items.

Old Vine stood there for a moment in stunned silence, then he sighed heavily. This brat had cut him off twice in a row.

’How rude.’

In the real world, almost no one would dare interrupt him so bluntly. His status and experience alone were enough to make people listen respectfully whenever he spoke.

“Sigh…”

He let out a long breath, forcing himself to calm down. It was obvious that Stonehaven had already made up his mind. Once the young man decided something, there seemed to be no room left for negotiation.

“Although this token isn’t as historically significant as the very first one,” Old Vine finally said, “the establishment of the first guild has made the leaders of many large mercenary groups extremely jealous. Competition for guilds is becoming more intense every day.”

He paused briefly, calculating the numbers in his mind.

“Stone, there’s another important factor as well. During the last auction, players hadn’t yet converted much real-world currency into the game, which is why the token only sold for eighty-two million gold. But the situation has changed now.”

“The amount of gold entering the game keeps increasing. Based on current trends, I estimate that this token could reach around one hundred and fifty million gold tomorrow.”

He spoke with the calm certainty of a veteran businessman who understood the game’s economy better than almost anyone. If he placed himself in the position of a highly competitive young guild leader, he suspected his own upper limit would be somewhere around one hundred and eighty million.

“One hundred and fifty million gold…”

Marcus quietly repeated the number to himself.

“That’s fifteen million dollars.”

Even he felt slightly stunned.

There was no point pretending otherwise. He had grown up poor. While fifteen million dollars might not mean much to some wealthy families, to him it was an unimaginable sum.

The thought that he might earn that much money with his own hands filled him with a strange thrill.

Whether someone was rich or poor, there was always a special kind of satisfaction that came from earning money through one’s own effort.

He silently hoped Old Vine’s estimate was accurate.

’Let the gold storm come.’

“Alright, Stone. The auction will be held tomorrow night,” Old Vine said. “Come by then and I’ll give you your entry tickets.”

For Old Vine, Marcus choosing to auction the token instead of using it personally was actually the best possible outcome. Not only would he earn a commission from the sale, but his auction house would gain a level of fame and prestige that money alone could never buy.

He was already certain that tomorrow night’s auction would be even more explosive than the first, reaching a completely new peak.

“I’ll skip the auction tomorrow night, Old Vine,” Marcus replied casually. “You’re running it anyway, so there’s no reason for me to attend.”

The auction prices were protected by the system. No one could secretly manipulate the bids. All Marcus needed to do was collect the money afterward. Attending would only be for the spectacle, and he preferred to spend that time doing something more productive.

Despite being the largest auction house in the game, the Old Vine Auction House actually had very few pieces of Golden equipment available. The few that were listed were mostly low-grade items with mediocre attributes, sometimes even worse than certain Blue-tier gear.

Golden equipment was simply that rare in Dominion. Most players would consider themselves lucky to obtain even a single piece.

“Stone, look! This butterfly mask is so beautiful!”

Anya suddenly grabbed Marcus’s arm and pulled him toward one of the display counters. Her eyes were fixed on an elegant mask that clearly fascinated her.

Marcus picked it up and examined it. It was indeed a piece of Golden equipment.

—

Butterfly Pattern (Golden Equipment)

Requirement: Level 20

Description: A mask woven from butterfly orchids and purple-gold vines by a craftsman who adored butterflies. Its beauty is undeniable, though its practical value is limited.

Effects:

+2 to all four base attributes

+5 HP recovery speed

+5 Mana recovery speed

Bonus:

+1 Movement Speed

+3% to all resistances

Skill:

Fluttering Butterfly (Active): Increases the wearer’s movement speed by 1 and evasion by 20 for five minutes.

—

Marcus stared at the mask.

The purple butterfly design was exquisite. The craftsmanship made it look almost alive, as though a real butterfly had gently settled onto the mask. A faint and pleasant fragrance of butterfly orchids lingered around it, giving it an elegant charm that was difficult to ignore.

There was no denying it, the item was beautiful.

Unfortunately, the attributes were practically worthless. The bonuses were so small they barely mattered in actual combat.

Then he looked at the price: Eight hundred thousand gold coins.

Marcus immediately formed a single conclusion.

’Completely useless.’

No wonder the item was still sitting here unsold. The price was outrageous, bordering on robbery. Whoever had listed it clearly possessed a very bold imagination.

Then again, Dominion was full of players like that. Trying to sell junk as treasure was practically a tradition.

Even so, Marcus could not help admiring the seller’s audacity.

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