After the bidding ended, the distinguished guests either left with their hands full or departed empty-handed. The crowd in the auction hall gradually thinned out.
"I never thought Oath of Sky would withdraw their bid. It ended up benefiting Shadow Claw, letting them snag the third guild residence..." Eira stared at the empty VIP Booth No. 6 and sighed softly. Influenced by Kalis, none of them had a favorable impression of the Shadow Claw Guild.
But Lenore shook her head, her tone firm. "It's not that simple. Aldric is infamously tough. With his financial resources, he would never back down so easily."
Kalis and Eira didn't know much about the leaders of major guilds, but Lenore was different. She'd always been obsessed with digging up "gaming gossip." Not only was she well-informed about the dynamics of top-tier guilds, but she'd even built her own small intelligence network.
Hearing her analysis, a thought suddenly crossed Kalis's mind. "Could it be that Oath of Sky has already farmed their own Guild Residence Token? Aldric got the news suddenly, so he gave up the bid?"
"Highly likely!" Eira and Lenore nodded in unison. This speculation perfectly matched Aldric's style of doing things.
As the three whispered among themselves, a hearty laugh came from behind them. "Lenore, you're getting more and more connected. You actually hooked up with the server's top-ranked player?"
Walking over was Ulric, the guild master of Crimson Lotus Guild. Among the three, only Lenore was particularly familiar with him due to their past minor squabble.
Lenore snorted, responding angrily. "What do you mean by 'hooked up'? Kalis has always been my best friend! If he hadn't been busy last time, he would've beaten you this 'ironclad turtle' to a pulp long ago!"
Ulric laughed loudly. "What a shame I missed the chance to get thrashed."
"No need to regret it, you can still get your wish now!" Lenore retorted, sticking out her chin.
Kalis shook his head helplessly. Lenore's grudge-holding nature hadn't changed at all. Although their past grievances had long been resolved, bickering with each other whenever they met was still the norm.
"Guild Master Ulric, it's a pleasure to meet you." He took the initiative to step forward and extend his hand.
Ulric shook his hand, his eyes filled with admiration. "I've long heard of your deeds. The fact that you intimidated over 20,000 members of Shadow Claw all by yourself is simply incredible. When we saw the system announcement that you soloed a Level 200 Mythic Boss earlier, all of us were utterly shocked."
"It was just luck, nothing to do with skill," Kalis replied humbly.
"Luck is also part of strength." Ulric's tone suddenly shifted as he extended an invitation. "I see none of you three have joined any guild yet. Have you considered finding a stable home? Crimson Lotus is quite prestigious across the server. With the strength of your three Hidden Classes, if you're willing to join, I can personally approve a monthly salary of 100,000 units of real-world currency. We won't restrict your freedom; you just need to lend a hand in large-scale faction wars."
As soon as he finished speaking, the words "deep pockets" instantly popped into Kalis, Lenore, and Eira's minds.
No daily check-ins, no guild quests to complete, just showing up to support in large-scale battles and earning 100,000 per month. It was like a pie falling from the sky. After all, large-scale faction wars in the game only happened once every few months. Such terms were extremely generous.
In the past, such an offer would have tempted them greatly. But times had changed. Kalis had already achieved financial freedom, and the gear and items Lenore and Eira had received from him were worth over a million. Even with the tempting offer, they weren't willing to give up their original intention of playing the game freely.
"Thank you for your kind invitation, Guild Master Ulric. We're truly tempted." Kalis replied apologetically. "But I have no plans to join any faction at the moment. We can discuss it again if the opportunity arises in the future."
Lenore refused outright. "Are you kidding? My goal is to poison you this 'ironclad turtle'—how could I ever become your subordinate?"
Seeing that the other two had already spoken their minds, Eira shook her head and declined politely. Over the years, the three of them had always adhered to the principle of "not joining large guilds and exploring the game freely." They certainly wouldn't change that easily now.
"Well, what a shame." Ulric sighed softly, not forcing the issue. "But if there's a chance to cooperate in the future, I'd be more than happy to team up with the three of you. Your strength, Lord Kalis, is truly admirable."
"You flatter me, Guild Master Ulric," Kalis responded.
"How about adding each other as friends? It'll be easier to contact each other later." Ulric suggested.
The two exchanged friend requests, and then Ulric turned around and left with the members of Crimson Lotus.
By this time, the auction hall was almost empty. As Kalis and the other two prepared to leave, Magnus personally came to see them off. The Golden Treasury Merchant Guild had made a fortune from this auction, and as the core supplier, Kalis naturally received the highest level of courtesy.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, nearly 30 minutes of in-game time had passed quietly. The three left the guild building, planning to log off temporarily to rest.
"Kalis, you made a killing this time. You have to treat us to a nice meal!" Lenore rubbed her hands together, her eyes filled with anticipation, not wanting to miss the chance to milk the tycoon.
Kalis agreed generously. "No problem! It's rare for us to get together, so we should eat comfortably and in style. But let's not make it too complicated—just pick a nice place not too far from here."
Eira thought for a moment and said, "How about Luminé Dining? It's not too far away, and the atmosphere is elegant and quiet. They specialize in French fusion cuisine, with an average price of around 800 per person. The reviews have always been good."
"800 per persona? That's only over 2,000 for the three of us. You're letting him off too easily!" Lenore immediately retorted. "We should invite more people, call our classmates, Mireya, and Seraphina, too!"
Kalis quickly shook his head. "Let's not. We shouldn't be too high-profile about our in-game situation to avoid attracting jealousy. Besides, we have quite a few enemies in the game. If our offline information gets leaked, it could lead to danger. As for Mireya and Seraphina, feel free to invite them if you want; I don't mind treating two more people. But let's get one thing straight—no drinking at dinner!"
"Hey! Do I look like someone who would cause a ruckus?" Lenore muttered resentfully, feeling her character was being questioned. "I just want to meet our teammates offline and chat properly～ You don't trust me at all!"
After the three reached an agreement, Lenore sent messages to Mireya and Seraphina, but they politely declined. The two girls said they were introverted and shy around strangers, and hoped to meet another time. Helplessly, only the three of them ended up going.
Just as they were about to click the log-off button, a shocking server-wide announcement suddenly echoed across the sky:
[Server Announcement]: Guild [Oath of Sky] has successfully completed the Guild Residence Construction Application Quest and obtained special approval for construction from the Lord of Drakenspire City! As the third guild in this server to construct a residence, all members will receive 3 days (in-game time) of double experience for guild residence quests, and the difficulty of the first Guild Residence Defense Battle will be reduced to 75%!
As soon as the announcement was made, players across the entire *Eternal Realm* server erupted in excitement.
"Third place! It's another guild from Solaria Continent!"
"Players from Solaria Continent are crazy! Crimson Lotus, Spheres Crusaders, Oath of Sky—are they trying to monopolize all the guild residences?"
"It looks like the top three guilds in the future will be dominated by them!"
Players at home and abroad were all shocked by this announcement. Even Kalis, Lenore, and Eira, who were about to log off, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Just as I thought! Aldric is truly Aldric. He actually farmed his own residence token and completed the application before Shadow Claw!" Eira laughed.
"Zevran spent 90 million units of real-world currency and didn't even get a server announcement out of it. He must be so mad he's spitting blood!" Lenore said gleefully.
"That's brutal! If I were him, I'd be sworn enemies with Oath of Sky for life!" Kalis shook his head, but there was a smile in his eyes.
At that moment, inside the Lord's Mansion of Drakenspire City, Zevran was hurrying over to the Lord with Vaelen, Falric, and the others, ready to submit the final item for guild residence construction. The sudden announcement hit them like a bolt from the blue, leaving them frozen in their tracks.
"What's going on? Oath of Sky???"
"Impossible! This can't be happening!"
"Aldric was just bidding a moment ago, how could he have built a guild residence so quickly?"
"Co-could it be that his withdrawal earlier was because he received the news that the residence application was successful?"
"Damn it! I'm so mad! Those bastards from Oath of Sky—Shadow Claw will be your sworn enemies forever!"
"Immediately declare them hostile! From now on, anyone from Oath of Sky encountered in the wild—kill them on sight!"
The core members of Shadow Claw were furious, their faces ashen. Zevran's expression was constantly shifting—from initial shock to rage, then from rage to helplessness, and finally falling into deep silence.
He forced down his anger and submitted the guild residence construction item to the Lord. A system notification popped up: the guild residence construction application was successful.
All 100,000 members of Shadow Claw received the residence coordinates. The Lord would dispatch craftsmen to the designated location to start construction, which would be completed within 24 hours.
But... there was no server announcement, no extra experience reward, no reduction in defense battle difficulty—nothing.
Not even the difficulty of the first Guild Residence Defense Battle was adjusted; it remained at 100% full strength.
"Sigh..."
The members of Shadow Claw sighed one after another. They could have been the first guild in the entire server to build a residence.
But now, they ended up with no fame or special rewards, becoming a laughingstock across the entire server.