Xie Mingzhe withdrew 660,000 gold coins from the auction house, equivalent to 66,000 real world crystal coins. It was undoubtedly a huge sum for him.
This time, he didn’t rush to sell the game coins to the Star Card Bank. He already had 300,000 crystal coins in his bank account, so he wasn’t worried about food or clothing. Therefore, he wanted to keep this money in the game as reserve funds for opening a store in the future.
Xie Mingzhe turned to his personal space and tidied up his card display cabinet. Ten Daiyu cards were neatly arranged in the cabinet, pleasing to the eye. He knew very well that the Daiyu cards would never sell for 660,000 in the future. Today, the Daiyu cards appeared at the auction for the first time. This was why the major guilds frantically raised prices and fought for it. In addition, there was a wealthy person determined to win, which drove the price up to a terrifying level.
Once he sold more Daiyu cards, the price would naturally drop rapidly.
Selling cards at the auction house was just the first step in making a name for himself.
Next, he wouldn’t auction off the Daiyu cards anymore. The auction house had a three day waiting list. Due to the large number of people, each person could only auction one card per day. As the original creator of the Daiyu card, mass production and auctioning them would be too time-consuming. Therefore, the plan to open a store should be put on the agenda.
Xie Mingzhe decided to go to the auction house again tomorrow afternoon to see if he could rent a store.
At this moment, the system notification sounded again. “You have received a voice message from your friend ‘Canyang’.”
He opened the voice message and heard the anxious voice of the vice president, Canyang. “Chubby Uncle, have you considered God Nie’s invitation to join the Judgment Club? It has been four days and we are really getting impatient! It is such a good job that even I’m a bit envious of you! Hurry up and agree. Chubby Uncle, we are all looking forward to you joining the Judgment Club!”
This vice president was clearly very anxious and spoke rapidly. Xie Mingzhe politely replied, “I’m sorry, I have very important matters to attend to and can’t leave. I don’t plan to join the Judgment Club for the time being.”
Just after sending the message, the system notified him again. “You have received a voice message from your friend ‘Huanyue’.”
Immediately following, the calm voice of the president, Huanyue, rang in his ear. “Hello, Chubby Uncle. After discussions with the club, if you are willing to join the Judgment Club, the boss has agreed to increase your monthly salary to 50,000, joining directly as a full-fledged designer. For each combat card you design that can be used in competitions, you will receive a commission starting at 50,000. There will also be club bonuses at the end of the month and the end of the year, easily exceeding one million annually. We hope you will seriously consider this.”
Xie Mingzhe, “……”
A million annual salary. The Judgment Club’s terms were truly excellent. He couldn’t help being tempted.
He never dreamed that he would one day receive such an income.
However, the best terms only increased his income and never mentioned the crucial issue of card copyright. Xie Mingzhe quickly composed himself and answered, “President, the terms you offered are really good but I don’t want to become a card designer at the club due to practical reasons. I appreciate your kindness, and please take God Nie and God Lan for their appreciation.”
Canyang frowned after receiving the message. “He isn’t coming to Judgment? Could it be that other clubs had also invited him?”
Huanyue took a deep breath and calmly analyzed it. “I don’t think so. Judgment should’ve been the first to try and recruit him. Fenghua definitely hasn’t had time to act or the Lin Daiyu card wouldn’t have appeared at auction. I have a bad feeling that this Chubby Uncle is very smart. He might’ve realized his talent and doesn’t want to join any club. Rather, he will become a freelance card designer, making a fortune by selling cards!”
“A freelance designer?” Canyang’s expression was strange. “I really didn’t expect this Chubby Uncle to become famous! Did you see the forum post about the auction? It was immediately trending today. Now everyone knows there is a person who makes instant death cards with a logo called Half Moon.”
She had really misjudged him! At first, she thought the name Half Moon would never become famous. Now he had become famous even faster than Tang Muzhou!
On the Star Card Forum, a trending post with a red highlight appeared. “The new card maker Half Moon, an instant death judgment card sold for a sky-high price of 660,000 at auction!” The post quickly got over 100 replies, becoming the number one post and attracting a large number of netizens to watch.
“The record is broken! How amazing!”
“Who is this person? I’ve never heard of him? A potential newcomer?”
“Isn’t Half Moon just Chubby? Is this person chubby?”
“Leaving my mark here before it goes viral. Chubby, I’m rooting for you!”
“660,000 for a level 1 card. That is even higher than God Tang’s vine card back then. How incredible!”
In the blink of an eye, the post was widely forwarded. All the major guilds knew about it and rushed to the game to investigate who Half Moon really was. The Judgment and Fenghua Guilds, who already knew the truth, were unusually quiet. Their managers all felt conflicted.
Xie Mingzhe was unaware of what happened on the forum. After replying to Huanyue’s message, he teleported directly from his personal space’s star map to the Peacock star field to meet the wealthy person who bought his Daiyu card for 660,000.
The Peacock star field was the entertainment district in the game. It was his first time here and it was just like a bustling city in the real world. At 8:30 p.m., the streetlights came on. The various bars, restaurants and cinemas in the brightly lit night dazzled Xie Mingzhe.
He followed the buyer’s message and found the Qianlin Restaurant next to the central square.
The Qianlin Restaurant was stylish just by its facade. There was an exquisitely designed musical fountain in front of the restaurant. Upon entering, he saw countless green vines entwined around the ceiling, hanging down almost to people’s heads. The interior was also filled with ornamental plants. The large expanse of green leaves and flowers made the entire restaurant look like a garden.
The waiter at the door greeted him with a smile. “Chubby Uncle, this way please. Our boss is waiting for you on the second floor.”
Xie Mingzhe followed the waiter up the stairs to the second floor and found it very spacious. Through the French windows that covered an entire wall, he could clearly see the bustling night view outside. The ceiling was illuminated by LED strips wrapped in small green leaves, casting a warm glow. Inside, there were a few small wooden tables and comfortable-looking sofas. The restaurant’s decor and design were very sophisticated, more like a private club than a place to eat.
The waiter respectfully said, “Boss, the person you have been waiting for has arrived.”
Xie Mingzhe followed the waiter’s gaze and saw a tall, slender man in casual clothes standing by the window.
The man turned around. His face wasn’t exactly handsome but it wasn’t ugly either. Xie Mingzhe had seen many such ordinary faces on the street. Clearly, this wealthy man hadn’t bothered to adjust his appearance when creating his character. He had simply used the system’s default character designer. The wealthy man’s name was 7456789, and it was also chosen very casually.
In online games, many players used the default character appearances provided by the system but this numerical ID made him think of the two legendary players, Nie Yuandao and Shan Lan. They had previously used alternative accounts to contact him. Could this person also be a legendary player using an alternative account?
“Did you buy my Daiyu card?” Xie Mingzhe asked politely.
“That’s right.” The other person pointed at the seat next to him. “Sit down and let’s talk.”
The voice was also a system voice, and it sounded emotionless.
The man sat down on the sofa with a composed expression, and Xie Mingzhe was forced to sit opposite him. He never liked beating around the bush, so he asked directly, “You said you wanted to buy Daiyu cards from me in bulk? Is that true?”
“It is fake. I just made up an excuse to invite you to see me.”
Xie Mingzhe took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “Why do you want to see me? I have limited time, so please be direct.”
The other person stared at him for a while before smiling. “Are you interested in finding a mentor who can guide you in making cards?”
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