Chapter 335: Crazy Auction, Regulation and Taxation

The newly added "Evolution Shop" option on the Monster World official website struck like a meteor into a calm Firefly Lake, raising towering waves across the entire globe.

At this moment, in the human race's main city, Rise City.

A holographic projection wove the Monster World official website interface in the center of the ring-shaped conference hall, along with the real-time updating bid numbers on the Evolution Shop auction page.

The fingertips of the newly appointed Chief Speaker, Lu Mingyuan, tapped a rhythmic sound on the metal tabletop.

This was a thinking habit preserved since the era of the Mechanical War; having risen from the military department to the highest power echelon, he still maintained the unique sense of rhythm of a battlefield commander.

Every three light taps were followed by one heavy strike, just like waiting for the countdown to artillery coverage in an armored command vehicle back in the day.

This habit had once made many civil-official colleagues frown secretly, yet at this moment, it unexpectedly soothed the tense nerves within the conference room.

Just then, several more projections appeared on the seats at the conference site.

Once all attendees were in place, Lu Mingyuan's expression became extremely grave, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"Everyone, without further ado, let us get straight to the point; at this moment, we are all witnessing a turning point for civilization."

Speaking thus, he raised his head to look at the projection of the Minister of Technology, who had first proposed convening this emergency meeting.

The Minister of Technology nodded at this, then stood up and looked toward the light screen to introduce:

"These are four special items listed in the 'Evolution Shop,' a feature option newly launched on the Monster World official website by the Moon Eclipse Clan; each item harbors technology surpassing our clan's technological level. My proposal is to mobilize as much sacrificial power within the clan as possible to secure one unit of each item for reverse engineering research."

Hearing these words, the holographic image of the Wind City Lord, sitting in the second row, flickered slightly:

"Reverse cracking? If the Moon Eclipse Clan dares to sell them publicly, they surely do not fear reverse engineering. Do not forget that we cannot even replicate the basic energy modules they used thirty years ago, let alone these evolution items that transcend common sense."

"How can we know if it works without trying? Regardless of feasibility, we must start with an attempt," the Minister of Technology said, unable to help but frown.

Hearing this, the Wind City Lord's tone softened:

"I am not opposing your view of purchasing for research; I merely feel the difficulty of cracking is too great, so I am issuing a advance warning that resources invested in the cracking project will likely not be recovered. The current issue is where we gather the sacrificial power needed for the auction; player assets in Monster World are not under our control... Fortunately, I am a qualified player and can provide 2,980 points of sacrificial power; this is my entire asset base, fully supporting your reverse engineering."

Hearing the Wind City Lord speak humorously with a grave expression, everyone present immediately burst into laughter.

The Minister of Technology also shook his head helplessly:

"There is no need to worry about the issue of sacrificial power; we planned ahead in Monster World, and now there are two channels that can provide us with sacrificial power."

"The first channel consists of members of the Dome Research Center department who obtained player qualifications early on; they created the Doomsday Technology Guild in the game, which is a very famous arms dealer guild in the player camp. They initially earned sacrificial power revenue by selling technological weapons. Although the intensity of the weapons they now develop has long failed to keep up with the growth speed of the player's Star Vein system, the wealth accumulated early on opened channels to exploit external resources, and they now produce sacrificial power in Monster World by manufacturing mining robots."

"The second channel comprises members of the Gene Department; they created an organization in Monster World known to players as the Alchemist Guild, earning sacrificial power by cultivating and researching spiritual plants in external spiritual fields in Monster World and by customizing special potions for players. They also hold a significant reserve of sacrificial power that we can use to participate in this auction, so securing a few items should not be a problem."

"There is only one problem before us: do we need to invest massive sacrificial power resources to auction products from the Evolution Shop for research purposes?"

"The value of sacrificial power has now surpassed other currencies; we could originally have used it to directly connect with the Moon Eclipse Clan to procure many new technologies. If we invest it in reverse engineering, we might gain nothing, yet we might also bring about unexpected surprises."

"Sacrificial power is a special resource belonging to the Human Federation; I do not have the authority to directly decide on this expenditure, so I wish to hold a vote through the Supreme Council."

After listening to the Minister of Technology's account, all attendees understood the core of this meeting.

After the Minister of Technology sat down, Lu Mingyuan also asked:

"Three questions." He raised one finger:

"First, how many items can our current reserve of sacrificial power secure?"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Technology pulled up a set of real-time data in the projection:

"Based on current auction price estimates, we can ensure securing one unit of each item, but this premise holds only if the top-tier guilds in Monster World do not act. If they pool funds to bid, the sacrificial power reserves in our hands will be insufficient; for instance, if the Divine Hall Guild pools funds to act, along with other guilds possessing substantial sacrificial power reserves, there are quite a few in the player camp."

Lu Mingyuan nodded and raised a second finger:

"Originally, this batch of sacrificial power was explicitly negotiated with the Moon Eclipse Clan for the construction project of the Urban Nutrient Liquid Base. If we divert it to reverse engineering, then assuming the reverse engineering fails, what backup plan do we have to reduce losses in resource investment?"

"None." The Minister of Technology shook his head, his expression in the projection becoming extremely grave:

"Reverse engineering is inherently a gamble; if it fails, this sacrificial power would be equivalent to throwing it into the water... However, the Longevity Pill is somewhat special; cracking the residual powder might leave some remaining, and consuming it should have some effect."

These words once again drew light laughter from the attendees.

"Third question: what do you think is the purpose of the Moon Eclipse Clan launching the Evolution Shop?" Lu Mingyuan's question silenced the conference room.

The Minister of Technology pushed up his smart glasses frame:

"From a technical perspective, sharing technology of this level is indeed highly unusual; prior to this, we requested more advanced spiritual plant cultivation equipment but never received approval from the Moon Eclipse Clan, yet now they begin sharing higher-level research results."

The Minister of Technology frowned and said:

"Perhaps they have other intentions? Through this method..."

"Stop overthinking it." The Wind City Lord interrupted directly:

"As I said before, if the Moon Eclipse Clan truly intended harm against us, with their level of civilizational technological strength, they could simply act directly; why make things so complicated? Throughout our cooperation, the Moon Eclipse Clan has shared so much technology and resource support with us; could it be just to witness the despair we display when trust collapses?"

The Chief of Finance nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, the technology they have provided over these years has tangibly improved people's livelihoods and helped us clean up the environmental pollution brought by the Descent War; if they truly wanted to deal with us, there would be absolutely no need for such a cumbersome layout."

"But this time is different," the Minister of Technology insisted:

"This time involves optimization technology concerning the essence of life: longevity, gene enhancement, and so on; these technologies..."

Just as various parties began debating this, the military representative suddenly interrupted:

"Everyone, our current debate is exactly the same as when we discussed whether to connect to the Star Net back then; at that time, we also could not understand why the Moon Eclipse Clan would provide technical support for free... Now the same question has returned; if there truly is some conspiracy, with the technological strength the Moon Eclipse Clan has demonstrated, would it not be simpler to act directly? Why go to such great lengths to do all this?"

This direct counter-question striking at the core plunged the conference room into a brief silence.

Chief Speaker Lu Mingyuan tapped the tabletop at this moment, cutting off further discussion:

"The purpose is no longer important; what matters is that we must participate. All races of the Earth Alliance have already begun action; falling behind means elimination. Just as when connecting to the Star Net back then, this is a crucial node in the surging Black Tide of era progression."

"Perhaps to the Moon Eclipse Clan, this action is like us not caring about providing basic medical support to backward regions; perhaps there is no need to delve too deeply. Let us begin the voting decision."

The vote passed quickly.

When the meeting ended, everyone understood that failing to board the train meant falling behind.

History is always strikingly similar.

Regardless of the Moon Eclipse Clan's purpose, the Human Federation can no longer avoid this wave of evolution.

Besides the Human Federation, members and high-ranking officials of other races in the Earth Alliance were also paying attention to the suddenly launched Evolution Shop.

In a small town tavern within Break City.

A man with deathly pale skin and a haggard expression stared at the Longevity Pill on the Evolution Shop page on his phone; gradually, light returned to his eyes, and he could not help but burst into wild laughter:

"The sacrificial power I saved up by mining for half a year can finally exchange for a way to live; it was worth it!"

Great Barbarian City, Gene Recovery Center.

An aging warrior soaking in nutrient liquid suddenly opened his eyes, then struggled to pound against the chamber wall; the neural soft tubes connected to his body surface swayed continuously with the movement, and the muscles beneath the regenerative membrane immediately scattered rapidly amidst the throbbing.

Medical staff watched in terror at the adrenaline curve soaring on the monitoring screen, while the old man's cloudy pupils reflected the "Star Marrow Spiritual Liquid" from the Evolution Shop on the auxiliary screen ahead:

"Go collect sacrificial power for me... collect... sacrificial power."

The withered fingers of the Great Barbarian elder trembled as he pointed at the screen before him.

The Mechanical War of those years had destroyed his body with strong radiation, leaving him barely clinging to life.

Even the technology of the Moon Eclipse Clan could only barely sustain his vitality; he could die at any moment.

To delay the pain at the physical level, he could only rely on the virtual world to alleviate the suffering of his flesh.

But at this moment, he saw hope for life.

As long as there was sacrificial power, this nearly decaying body would reignite with vitality.

However, he did not possess Monster World player qualifications and could only purchase items from the Evolution Mall by acquiring sacrificial power from other players' hands.

No matter the cost, he had to secure one unit of Star Marrow Spiritual Liquid at the auction.

Wood Spirit Race, Eco-City.

On a balcony entwined with emerald vines, a Wood Spirit man dressed in moon-white robes stood quietly.

Between his slender fingers held a half-withered spiritual leaf, while his other hand gripped a display screen.

At this moment, his light-green pupils contracted slightly, reflecting the clear radiance blooming as the "Purifying Green Lotus" in the Evolution Shop unfolded its petals.

A strand of hair slipped from behind his ear, and he subconsciously swallowed.

This thing held a fatal temptation for the Wood Spirit Race.

Earth's environment was too turbid for them; every time they stepped out of the ecological dome, they had to wear breathing apparatus to filter excessive pollutants in the air.

Even the most advanced air purification systems could not reproduce the pure atmosphere described in historical records.

Their skin would crack due to overly heavy metal particles, and their lungs would burn from excessively thick industrial exhaust fumes.

The teacher's words, "You are the generation with the worst constitution I have ever taught," and the evaluation that "each generation is worse than the last,"

were never jokes, but cruel reality.

The description of the Purifying Green Lotus stated it possessed the effects of purifying air and generating spiritual qi to optimize the environment.

Although it could only produce effects within a small scope, perhaps it could allow excellent new generations selected from the Wood Spirit Race, nurtured by spiritual qi, to revert to their ancestral state and obtain powers once mastered by their ancestors.

Shield Guard Race, Night Demon Race, Sky Feather Race... all racial members of the Earth Alliance felt immense shock at the auction items newly listed on the Monster World official website.

They had not expected that the Moon Eclipse Clan actually possessed technology surpassing cognition to this degree.

Longevity Pill, Star Marrow Spiritual Liquid, Thunder-Tempered Bone, Purifying Green Lotus... these items comparable to divine objects in myths or even novels were now clearly priced and displayed in the Monster World official website list.

Furthermore, the use of each type of item could not only enhance physical qualities but even synchronously feedback to the player's body in Monster World.

From this, it was evident that this was another major step by the Star Net in promoting Monster World.

Racial forums, game forums, streets and alleys... public discussion grew increasingly fervent.

"Being able to experience Monster World, this perfect virtual reality game, in this lifetime is already satisfying enough; I never expected to witness the arrival of the Evolution Era in my lifetime. The speed of era development seems to have suddenly accelerated."

"How many good things is the Moon Eclipse Clan still hiding? Every so often they pull out an epoch-making product; they must be cheating, right?"

"The launch of the Evolution Shop is far more shocking than those two technological products; if the descriptions in the shop introduction are true, I dare not imagine what the future will become."

"Ahhh! Those of us without qualifications can neither happily enjoy Monster World nor keep up with the footsteps of the Evolution Era; does this mean we are being eliminated by the times? Damn beings of the Upper Realm, do not release new things before I obtain player qualifications; watching makes my eyes red and my heart ache."

The launch of the Evolution Shop completely overturned the understanding of the Moon Eclipse Clan held by all racial members of the Earth Alliance.

At emergency meetings of high-ranking officials of various races, a consensus was forming: it was necessary to re-evaluate the comprehensive strength of the Moon Eclipse Clan; a civilization capable of mass-producing items of this level clearly possessed a true technological level that had already exceeded the combined strength of all other forces in the entire Earth Alliance.

In fact, there has long been a view that even if all the races of the Earth Alliance combined their technologies, they might still not be a match for the Erosion Clan's technology.

But this view cannot be verified from any angle.

After all, the Erosion Clan has never truly participated in a war.

Every time a Descent Invasion War broke out, their primary role was providing various weapons and equipment to handle logistical supply.

So even though everyone knew the Erosion Clan was powerful, just how powerful they were remained without a clear concept.

The emergence of the Monster World and the Evolution Shop refreshed every race's understanding of the Erosion Clan's strength.

As for whether the Star Net's actions hid a potential conspiracy layout, aside from the humans and a few other powerful races within the Earth Alliance discussing it, many races did not even bring it up during emergency meetings.

Similar conspiracy theories had already appeared back in the era when the Star Net first connected with the various races.

Ultimately, the Star Net became the core hub for interaction among all the races of the Earth Alliance.

Today, this is even more the case.

The Erosion Clan has already demonstrated combat power capable of easily crushing the Earth Alliance; before absolute power, conspiracies are meaningless.

Since they can rely on their strength to crush opponents with ease, why bother with conspiracy layouts? It would be superfluous.

During this period, the auction for the newly listed goods was proceeding in full swing.

In the first round of auctions, participants included not only individual players but also the governments (highest echelons) of all the races within the Earth Alliance.

Even the governments of various races simultaneously activated top-level scientific research procurement plans, treating these auction items as strategic resources capable of altering the course of civilization.

Their desire to win the bids was not just for personal use, but mostly to conduct reverse engineering and analysis.

Top-tier research institutions such as the Human Federation Academy of Sciences, the Tianyu Race Psionic Research Institute, and the Shifang Race Bioengineering Center all received unlimited auction authorization from their respective races.

Their goal was clear: obtain samples at any cost to crack the advanced technology contained within.

During this period, the price of Sacrificial Power saw an unprecedented surge.

External Sacrificial Power exchange rates could only give a rough idea, after all, the real world essentially does not produce Sacrificial Power, nor does it have channels for trading it.

There are not even traditional financial institutions like banks capable of storing or transmitting Sacrificial Power.

The war for the Zhengduo of Sacrificial Power takes place within the Monster World dimension.

World Channel, Regional Channel, Player Forums... countless players were shouting out.

"Brothers, buying Sacrificial Power today at market price plus 30%. Sellers come quickly; funds are limited, and once we reach our cap, we stop. Contact me directly."

"Buying Sacrificial Power at high prices. Inquire via private message. Instant transfer, no dawdling. However much you have, I can take it all."

"What's the point of hoarding Sacrificial Power? Hurry up and sell it to me. Isn't exchanging Sacrificial Power for a real-world mansion, a luxury car, or even moving to Data City much better?"

"Are all the channels going crazy? Everyone is shouting about buying Sacrificial Power, but the problem is everyone is buying; why isn't anyone selling?"

Countless voices were calling out the game ID of the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce's president: Buy Sacrificial Power.

But acquiring Sacrificial Power was incredibly difficult; the Monster World system was not under the supervision of any race's government, nor did they have the authority to access other players' personal Sacrificial Power inventories.

To participate in the auction, one had to put up genuine Sacrificial Power funds.

Within the Monster World, only two government institutions had made advance layouts and possessed massive reserves of Sacrificial Power.

They were the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce, represented by the Erosion Clan, and the Erosion Warband.

Among them, the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce also controlled channels for producing Sacrificial Power, such as auction houses, assassin platforms, and trading platforms.

President A Lan was himself a governor of the Erosion Clan and the official representative of the Erosion Clan, capable of providing ample Sacrificial Power support for his race.

Next were the Human Federation's Arms Merchant Guild and the Alchemist Guild; both had laid out their plans in the Monster World early on and commanded significant reserves of Sacrificial Power.