Shane spotted one figure entirely wrapped in gray bandages like some desert wanderer...
It was quite weird since it was drawing attention instead.
’Right... They probably just want to look different.’ He muttered, amused by the sight.
Soon, he realized that many survivors had similar thoughts.
They had taken a completely different approach and decided to stand out intentionally.
He groups of people wearing bright-colored armor sets, extravagant robes with gold thread, and even one person wearing what looked like a half-functional exoskeleton suit that hissed with every step due to its hydraulics...
’I didn’t know that the others have exosuits as well.’ Shane mused.
Although it looked terrible compared to the ones he had, it was still quite a decent creation, and it was obvious that the man was proud of what he was wearing.
He was so different compared to other Survivors after all.
Shane suspected these were either incredibly confident in their abilities... or fishing for attention to mislead others about their true capabilities.
Still, out of the ten thousand gathered, only a small fraction carried the same level of concealed threat as himself.
The ones hiding their identities fully, whether through armor like his, enchanted cloaks, or magical masks, were likely the most dangerous here.
In this event, he believed that anonymity was a weapon. And in the Apex Auction, it would be a necessity.
Soon, Shane stepped into the Market Bazaar, and the first thing that hit him was the noise.
The plaza here was nothing like the tense gathering area from earlier. This place was filled with life.
Voices overlapped with calls from vendors, and the occasional sharp ding of a BidLink Communicator II confirming a placed bid.
The open-air district was huge and could probably handle not just 10,000 Survivors but even five times that... Its stalls are lined up in neat yet seemingly endless rows, filled with different colors, lighting, and sellers.
Still, the first area was crowded as the people were moving slowly...
It was as if they were planning to visit all the thousand stalls around.
However, there was no way they could do that since they only had 24 hours in this dimension and there were still other events they had to go to.
Still, with the existence of Clan Chat, if someone found an important shop, they would just post it there to let everyone know about that place.
’Let’s see what we have here...’ Shane thought.
Survivors from every corner of the world moved between the stalls... Many of them would swiftly start placing their bid while the others would just move on.
’As expected... They’ve upgraded their items... No more Common or Tier 1 Items.’
Shane gently nodded as he observed some stalls he passed through.
Most stall owners had gone all out for the Global Auction.
Their wares weren’t just dumped on a table. Each item had a small display pedestal and a glowing price tag projected beneath it.
The base price was always visible, but if a bid had already been placed, the current bidding price flashed boldly in red along with a countdown timer.
Just like the earlier notification said, once a bid was made, the timer dropped to two hours—during that window, the highest bidder would walk away with the prize if nobody else jumped in.
Shane passed a small stall selling vials of a glowing green liquid.
[ Toxic Resistance Serum ]
"Whoaaa~" Shane was quite interested in this, and he knew that Shinja would item as well.
The label claimed it could boost immunity to all known poisons by 500% for twenty-four hours and only about 10% permanently.
The base price floated at 300 points, but the current bid had already climbed to 3,200. One hour, thirty-forty-five minutes left.
There was also a buyout price of 6,500 Points, but Shane knew that it was a bit too much for that price.
"The pricing had completely changed." Shane muttered.
He could still remember how the Loot Keeper’s Timepiece was worth 1,500 points only.
Even his Soulstone Shard Amulet, which added 1,000 Spirit Points to his Spirit Reserves, was only worth 1,000 System Points at that time.
Next to it, a short man in a leather apron stood proudly beside an array of armor pieces.
Some were clearly cobbled together from scavenged materials, but one caught Shane’s eye.
It was a Fairy’s Touch Chestplate. The base price was only 550 Points, but the current bid was also 8,800 points.
As for the timer, it shows one hour and fifty-seven minutes.
Someone had just placed the opening move. As for the buyout price, it was actually worth 13,000 Points, which was simply too high.
The bidding process here was smooth—almost too smooth—thanks to the BidLink Communicator II.
Shane then pulled his own device from his inventory...
It was slim, palm-sized, and responsive to the lightest touch, it was the auctioneer’s dream tool as it truly made things easier...
The only problem was the fact that the Integrated Catalog, which could let him search for items, was only available for the Grand Auction Hall, Survivor’s Exchange, and probably the Apex Auction...
The Market Bazaar wasn’t part of it...
Because of that, everyone had to search for things in person.
Well, there was an extra thrill to browsing the physical stalls, so it was a bit alright...
In any case, after looking at the shop in front of him, he placed a bid for a smoking pipe that had no other bidders right now.
Its base price was only 50 System Points, and he bid on it for 300 Points... Though the buyout was only 500 Points, he didn’t want to spend too much for the pipe. He was only planning to give this to Bart after all...
As soon as he finished placing the bid, it was immediately bookmarked by the BidLink Device to track later...
Soon, he passed another stall selling exotic materials like massive teeth, crystalline claws, and chunks of colorful hide from creatures Shane couldn’t even name...
Their crafters and tailors within the Springriver Manor would surely love these things.