Chapter 26: Thirty-six beautiful twin-winged Angels

As the deadline approached, the bidding for the [Snake Armor] became increasingly fierce.

Every participating 'Lord' was dead set on snagging it, as they had all borrowed hefty sums of gold coins for the chance.

Even Edward, who owned top-tier units, had only managed to scrape together less than 400 gold coins since yesterday—imagine the plight of the others! With no gold coins of their own, borrowing was their only option.

And borrowed gold coins had to be repaid, regardless of whether they won the [Snake Armor] or not, and with interest to boot.

If they managed to secure the [Snake Armor], they'd make a killing since such a high-level piece of gear could potentially sell for thousands of gold coins a couple of weeks later.

If not, they'd be stuck repaying their loans with added interest. Naturally, they fought tooth and nail.

As the minutes ticked down, it felt like an eternity for those involved in the bidding.

The fierce competition drove the price to unimaginable heights. In the final ten seconds, the bid for the [Snake Armor] had soared to nearly 1,700 gold coins, causing almost every professional watching to gasp.

The Lords, including those like the Golden Behemoth Lord, were green with envy. Nearly 1,700 gold coins could recruit a massive army!

Yet, the auction wasn't over. In the last two seconds, the bid shockingly jumped to 1,800 gold coins—a clear attempt by one bidder to clinch the deal decisively, leaving no chance for others.

And indeed, the bid of 1,800 gold coins secured the [Snake Armor] for this bidder, much to everyone's delight—well, everyone except the other competing Lords.

"Darn it," one Lord grumbled, "I borrowed a whopping 1,500 gold coins from alliance members for this auction and still lost."

"This is just ridiculous," another Lord cursed. "I borrowed a total of 2,000 gold coins in three rounds, thinking I had it in the bag. Then, out of nowhere, this guy comes in last second."

His bid had been the highest at 1,680 gold coins until those final moments. He was ready to claim the [Snake Armor] but was blindsided by the sudden spike to 1,800 gold coins. He tried to outbid, but it was too late—the auction ended before he could place another bid.

Frustrated, he knew that with enough time, the [Snake Armor] would have been his, especially since he had 2,000 gold coins at his disposal. The regret of being outmaneuvered at the last moment was palpable.

"If only I knew that guy would show up, I wouldn't have been so stingy. I should've just started with a 2,000 gold coins bid and outbid everyone," he lamented, deeply feeling the sting of a missed opportunity.

The auction was a smashing success. Edward was over the moon with the final price. The Snake Armor fetched a staggering 1,800 gold coins, far exceeding his expectations. He had initially thought it might go for around a thousand or so. Turns out, there are plenty of high rollers out there.

This also proved that he had underestimated some of the alliance leaders' ability to rake in cash. "Networking is indeed a vital resource," he mused. Those alliance chiefs, whether through borrowing or scheming, could easily amass such a fortune because they had extensive connections.

If they were short on gold coins, they could simply borrow from alliance members. They wouldn't have to pay it back right away. At most, they'd just issue a promissory note.

But once they had a hefty sum of gold coins, their development speed would skyrocket, leading to massive profits. It's like using someone else's chicken to lay your own eggs. You could hear the clinking of such calculations all the way from Earth.

"But, I don't need to engage in such activities," Edward thought to himself. "Even if I've established an alliance, I don't need to borrow gold coins from the members." Once he deals with the Goblins Tribe and brings over the blacksmith, he could start mass-producing gear to sell on the platform.

After all, isn't the speed and sustainability of earning money as an equipment merchant far superior to that of borrowing?

Shaking his head, Edward didn't dwell on it further. A notification from the Worlds' Floating Isles popped into his mind: [Congratulations, Lord, the equipment 'Snake Armor' you listed on the trading platform has been successfully sold. The auction proceeds of 1,800 gold coins have been deposited into your Territory Warehouse. Please check your balance.]

In the Worlds' Floating Isles, a realm as real as they come, there are no transaction fees, nor middlemen making a margin. What you sell is what you get.

Edward opened the Warehouse interface to check his gold coin reserves.

One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven coins.

The change was from previous savings, not enough to summon an Angel, so he had saved it up.

"One thousand eight hundred coins can summon thirty-six twin-winged Angels." Thinking of this, Edward couldn't help but take a sharp breath, his heart thrilling with excitement.

He didn't hesitate and immediately entered the Lord's Hall.

And communicated with the Worlds' Floating Isles, initiating the summoning vortex for the Angels.

Whether it was his imagination or because it was the first time summoning so many Angels, Edward felt a strange sensation when he saw the vortex.

It seemed different than before.

Before Edward could ponder further...

Graceful figures began to emerge from the vortex.

Standard-issue Angel armor, wielding flaming Angel swords, each with a pair of pristine white Angel wings, their bodies radiating a holy glow.

At a glance, they were all breathtakingly beautiful.

Thirty-six beautiful twin-winged Angels.

"Greetings, Lord."

"May the Holy Lord be eternal, and the holy light ever-present."

The Angels gathered in the Lord's Hall, uniformly bowing respectfully to Edward, each pair of golden pupils filled with reverence and fervor for him.

It was a sight that could stir the soul.

No one who hadn't experienced it firsthand could understand what Edward was feeling at that moment.

And no words could describe his emotions.

It was only after a long while that Edward regained his inner calm and spoke to the dozens of beautiful Angels before him: "The holy light and faith will be guarded by you. I also look forward to the day when the Angels will revive in this world."

"Praise you, the highest Lord of Holy Light."

"We will follow in your footsteps unto death, spreading the holy light across thousands of worlds."

The Angels bowed even more fervently before Edward.

Edward could clearly sense a vast amount of faith power emerging from each Angel, all converging within him.

The faith power from the Angels far surpassed that of the Goblin believers.

Because Angels are born as the highest level of holy believers.

This is also why the Goblin believers call the Angels 'Holy Emissaries.'

The title of Holy Emissary is only worthy of holy-level believers.

"Go."

Edward nodded slightly and said to the group of twin-winged Angels: "Head to the wilderness to meet up with the Angel squad, Virginia will tell you about this world."

"As you command, Lord."

The Angels respectfully exited the Lord's Hall.

Then, flapping their pristine white Angel wings, they flew up into the sky together, disappearing into the distance like streaks of starlight...