"The high-level Golden equipment’s already been picked over by the girls. You’ll have to make do."

Marcus said it helplessly in the Mad Lion squad channel.

"Are you kidding? This is great."

Invincible Strong shot back immediately, sounding completely satisfied.

"Haha! Stone, you’re unbelievable. The Random Staff, the Shadow Sand Robe, and even that skill book, Summon Bent Back Bricklayer. That’s Necromancer gear. Exactly what I wanted."

His excitement practically spilled through the chat.

"Stone, just how much high-level Golden equipment do you have?" Drunkard finally asked, staring at Marcus as if he were looking at a monster.

"What’s with that reaction?"

"Stone, don’t tell me you really don’t know. High-level Golden equipment above level forty is incredibly hard to find. Most players are still wearing full Blue gear. Only major guilds that fight nonstop, or people lucky enough to get hidden quests and treasure rewards, can put together a few Golden pieces."

Marcus shook his head.

"You guys really underestimate me. If Golden equipment is that rare, then hurry up and level. While we’ve got the chance, let’s become Dominion’s biggest Golden equipment distributors. Players with money deserve a chance to wear Golden gear too."

"Damn."

"Stone, that’s actually a great title."

"’Golden equipment distributor.’ I like it."

"Hahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter. More than one person was already imagining the fortune they could make. Even Marcus couldn’t help grinning along with them.

The women, meanwhile, looked at the group with open disdain.

Marcus ignored them and suddenly remembered something important. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Boss Blaze, I’m leaving one billion gold in the Nightmare Auction House. Use it only for buying Dreamland Gems, Blessing Gems, and other valuable gems, materials, unique treasure maps, quest scrolls, weapon forging recipes, potion formulas, and anything unusual. If it looks rare, mysterious, or difficult to obtain, buy it."

He immediately transferred one billion gold into the auction house account.

Making money wasn’t just about quick profits. Long-term investments mattered even more. If they wanted the Nightmare Auction House to keep growing, they needed to start building reserves now.

"Stone, we’ve already started."

Boss Blaze pointed toward Path to Heaven and the others.

"Path to Heaven’s been doing this for a while already. But now that you’ve provided funding, we’ve got real buying power. That makes everything much easier."

"Don’t worry. Leave it to me."

Path to Heaven nodded confidently.

Recently, besides purchasing gems and materials, Path to Heaven, DragonBlade, and Gloomy Arrow had been spending part of every day searching auction houses, NPC shops, and player stalls for valuable items worth stockpiling.

Everyone complained about monopolies, but the truth was simple. If you wanted to dominate a market, you had to control the supply.

People with business instincts naturally understood that.

Marcus understood it too. He simply hadn’t had the capital before, and most of his time had been tied up with leveling and other matters.

"Alright, let’s head over to the Old Vine Auction House."

With business settled, Marcus prepared to leave with the women.

He had planned to visit Old Vine anyway. Talia and Professor Tina still needed Archer equipment, and Old Vine’s auction house remained one of the best places to find it.

The only question was whether Old Vine would still be willing to auction items for him.

Given Old Vine’s experience, it wouldn’t take much for him to connect the dots. Once he saw the recordings, he’d probably realize the Nightmare Auction House was linked to Marcus.

"Oh, Stone, one more thing."

Just as Marcus turned to leave, Drunkard, now dressed in a set of level-forty Blue Assassin armor, called out to him.

"What is it?"

Marcus stopped and looked back.

"When are you planning to convert your gold into dollars? And which bank are you using?"

"Soon. The National Bank."

For an amount that large, Marcus trusted the National Bank the most. Stability mattered when dealing with that much money.

Drunkard chuckled.

Truthfully, Marcus wasn’t even sure whether the local branch could process a transaction of that size without causing a commotion.

"Got it."

Drunkard nodded.

"Path to Heaven and I will contact the main branch in your city tomorrow. You can deal directly with the branch manager. It’ll save a lot of trouble."

"That would be perfect."

Marcus genuinely appreciated that.

The last thing he wanted was unnecessary attention. The fewer people who knew about the conversion, the better. Keeping a low profile was never a bad idea.

"No problem."

Drunkard answered casually, as if the matter had already been settled.

"Great. I’ll wait for your call."

After leaving Boss Blaze’s shop, Marcus headed directly for the Old Vine Auction House.

"Stone, you’re finally out of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb."

The moment he entered, Old Vine greeted him with a broad smile.

Marcus paused.

He didn’t remember telling Old Vine where he had been.

Then he recalled a conversation with Freshwind Elara inside the tomb. She had mentioned spending time at Old Vine’s auction house together with Icefall and Firebrand.

That explained it.

"Heh. Yeah, I got out yesterday."

Old Vine was being unusually friendly.

For a moment, Marcus wondered whether he hadn’t seen the recordings yet. Maybe he still hadn’t connected Marcus to the Nightmare Auction House.

"Just got back yesterday? That’s rare. A hot-shot auction house owner like you still has time to visit a small place like mine?"

Marcus instantly realized how naive that thought had been.

Of course Old Vine knew.

The Nightmare Auction House had become one of the hottest topics in the game. There was no way a veteran businessman like Old Vine would miss something that important, especially when it had grown into one of his biggest competitors.

Marcus could only smile awkwardly.

"Stone, you’ve made a fortune."

Old Vine couldn’t help shaking his head in amazement.

"In a little over ten days, you’ve earned nine hundred million dollars. I’ve been in business my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like it, especially from someone your age."

There was no jealousy in his voice, only genuine admiration. The speed of Marcus’s rise was enough to shock anyone.

Marcus simply smiled and let the comment pass.

Fortunately, the women entered the auction house one after another, drawing Old Vine’s attention away from the subject.

"Stone, who are they...?"

Old Vine looked at the group around Marcus and seemed even more surprised than before.

"They’re friends. We came to pick up some equipment."

Marcus kept the explanation brief. Then he looked at Old Vine, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.

"Old Vine, I actually came because I was hoping you could help me auction a few things."