Meanwhile, at the Gold Coin Auction House...
GoldDiggerIRL heard the system ad and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
He had to admit, the Merchant Alliance had been on a terrifying streak lately. Selling those pieces of Level 15 Gold gear had given them a reputation boost his own house couldn't match. He'd been lying awake at night, worried CryptoWarlord was about to pull so far ahead he'd never catch up.
But now, the quiet, unassuming Old Vine had just thrown a grenade into CryptoWarlord's perfectly planned party. A part of him was thrilled to see his main rival get a new, unpredictable challenger. He was genuinely curious to see how this would play out.
The other part of him just felt tired. His list of serious competitors had officially grown by one.
The reactions among the other top players on the Leaderboard were even more intense.
