Benefitting off the Deal

Samar hashed out an agreement with Elara regarding their cooperation. For every equipment he helped her enchant, he would receive 2 Gold to 3 Gold per item!

This was after the huge 30% Discount that Elara demanded in exchange for sharing the Lyrics of Second Hymn of Wind with him. 

After the deal, Samar immediately got to work. 

The very first equipment he enchanted and received payment for was his own Forest Prowler Set. Elara gnashed her teeth in anger but a deal was a deal and she could not renege on it. She had to pay him 9 Gold and 50 Silvers. 

Ignoring her sulking face, Samar tried on the modified and enchanted Forest Prowler Set. After the modifications its Equip requirements had changed. It no longer needed him to be Lv20 but he had to have 42 points in Agility, a condition he met. 

When he first put on the Forest Prowler's Tunic and Pants, he felt a refreshing breeze of wind blowing at him at all times. His body felt lighter and his movements more agile. 

This was the first Set Effect of the Forest Prowler Set in action, Agility +5%. Originally it was only 4% but after enchanting it with Wind Rune energy, it had increased by an additional 1%. 

Samar then put on the Gloves and the Boots and an additional skill, Windstrider appeared in his skill list. 

—-

Windstrider

Mana Cost: 60 

Cool Down: 30 Minutes 

~ Ride the wind for 600 seconds, increasing Movement Speed by 200% and Attack Speed by 100%. 

~ Wind Attribute damage is increased by 100% for the duration of the skill.

—- 

Lastly, he wore the hooded cloak. Shadows surrounded his face concealing it in the darkness. These shadows would make it difficult for people to recognize Samar or even spy on his information. 

This was the result of the combination of Forest Chameleon's Dermis, Shadow Weaver's threads and Shadow Silk. 

It had enhanced the signature effect of the Forest Prowler Set and made it comparable to the concealing effects of 'Incognito' skill. 

Samar admired the Set, amazed by the improvements it brought in his stats. 

The Set had increased his defense by a whole 60 points! His four core stats, i.e., Strength, Agility, Vigor and Intelligence had grown by a total of 39 points! 

His Attack Speed, HP, and HP recovery had also received significant improvements! 

The Wind Rune Enchantment on the set had bestowed it with 15% Wind Attribute Damage Boost and 15% Wind Attribute Damage Resistance. 

The intricate patterns that had formed on the dark forest colored Set as a result of Enchantment had increased its visual appeal to a whole new level. 

Moreover, the Set also made him look dashingly handsome! 

Samar was not a vain person but why would he deny a chance to look dapper? 

Just as his narcissistic tendencies were rearing their ugly head, Samar received a notification. 

[Congratulations! Your consigned pet beast, Shadow Weaver has been sold successfully.]

[You have received 3 Gold and 80 Silvers.] 

[Congratulations! Your consigned pet beast, Shadow Weaver has been sold successfully.]

[You have received 19 Gold and 57 Silvers.]

Seeing the notifications, Samar was ecstatic! He had received his income after the auction house deducted its 5% consignment fees. 

It meant even the 57 GR Normal grade monster had been sold for 4 gold! 

The 80 GR Shadow Weaver, which was comparable to an Elite Monster, had fetched an even better price, selling for more than 20 Gold!

He had expected the popularity of his captured pets to be high, but he did not expect an affiliated guild like Petal Thorn would pay their entire liquid funds to obtain a single Normal Grade pet, even if it was comparable to an Elite Grade one! 

This raised his expectations for the selling price for the star of today's auction, the Shadow Seamstresses. 

Looking at the time, Samar saw it was 6:05 pm. He immediately hid the glow of his equipment and bid Elara goodbye. Then he walked towards the Auction House to witness the fierce bidding war of the Ranked Guilds which would ultimately benefit him. 

The situation in the Panjal City's Auction house was much different than what Samar imagined. 

Flumox, an R4 of Emerald Mystery and Green Horn, the R3 of Scarlet Heart, had joined hands to reserve a Shadow Seamstress each. 

They had bid exactly once on their respective Shadow Seamstress, raising the initial price of the elite monster from 50 Silver to 1 Gold and stopped, eying the rest of the Ranked Guild's executives. 

The meaning of their action was clear. Anyone who dared bid against them would be regarded as the enemy of their two Guilds. 

Except Emerald Mystery and Scarlet Heart, there were executives of eight other Ranked Guilds present in the Auction house. 

Amongst these eight, Grandeur, Howling Moon and Severed Flower had set up their base in Panjal City. Yet, they did not have the confidence to face the combined might of the guests from the Guilds ranked 99th and 108th on the Guild Rankings. 

Time passed and just as everyone thought that the two Guilds would win without a fight, the bids suddenly increased from 1 Gold to 1 Gold 20 Silver. 

"Who? Which bastard dared to bid?" Flumox, the portly Spirit Speaker bellowed with anger. 

Green Horn also frowned and looked suspiciously at the members of the Ranked Guilds, before raising the bid to 1 Gold and 40 Silver. 

Immediately after, the bid on Flumox' s side increased by 20 Silver once again, making Green Horn raise his eyebrows. 

Flumox was even more angered and the purple vein on his pale forehead made a comeback. He raised the bid with a huff and brought it all the way up to 2 Gold. 

The bid did not stay still for even a second and was raised immediately by 20 Silver and then again 20 Silver, reaching 2 Gold 40 Silver. 

Annoyed, Flumox doubled it, bringing it directly to 4 Gold 80 Silver. The number stayed still for a while on the auction panel. 

Just as Flumox started to relax, the number changed again, reaching 5 Gold 20 Silver. 

"Aargh! Bastard! Let's see if you can keep up with me!"

In response to the provocation, Flumox started to increase the bids by 1 Gold and each time he was outbid by a difference of mere 20 Silver. 

Flumox was frustrated now. He had settled for a 77 GR Shadow Seamstress because Green Horn had assured him that he could get it for just 1 Gold if he cooperated. 

Now the bids on his Shadow Seamstress were going up while the bids on the 81 GR Shadow Seamstress had stayed still at 1 Gold 40 Silver. 

The R4 of Emerald Mystery suspected that it was the work of players from Scarlet Heart, who were playing with him to swallow both the 81 GR Shadow Seamstress and the 77 GR Shadow Seamstress. 

The moment the bid he had raised to 10 Gold 40 Silver changed again, Flumox could no longer control his anger. 

"Green Horn! Switch the Shadow Seamstress with me. I changed my mind, I want the 81 GR Shadow Seamstress." 

The Weapon Specialist's expression became gloomy. 

"That is not what we agreed upon." Green Horn said in a cold voice. 

Such a tone of voice was enough to send shivers down the spine of most lower ranked guilds, but Flumox was unphased. He pointed towards the large numbers visible on the auction panel and said, "Neither is this."

Green Horn looked at the flashing 10 Gold 40 Silver on the bid board and said, "Someone is creating trouble behind our backs." 

His words were said to Flumox but they were directed at the other Ranked Guild members. 

They felt cold sweat run down their back, worried that Scarlet Heart Guild would choose to make an example of their Guild, even if they truly were innocent. 

Green Horn knew that the Panjal City Auction House was also connected to the Auction Houses of the towns in the vicinity. Even if the Ranked Guilds were acting obediently in front of them in Panjal City, one or more of them could be increasing bids through one of the town's Auction Houses. 

His most likely suspects were the Three guilds based in Panjal City but he had no proof to accuse them nor a way to stop them. 

Flumox was also not an idiot and had obviously thought of this possibility. But he also knew that without powerful support, these Guilds would not dare to pull wool over his eyes. As such, he suspected that support to be Scarlet Heart Guild. 

Green Horn and Flumox had reached an impasse. The fragile trust between them was crumbling every second and their cooperation was on the verge of failure. 

Green Horn tried one last time to mend the cracks that were forming in their trust and said, "I cannot give you the 81 GR Shadow Seamstress but I will compensate you for every coin you spend over 1 Gold."

Flumox looked at him deeply and said, "I'll trust you for now. Don't go back on your words later."

Then the Spirit Speaker of the Emerald Mystery once again raised the bid by a Gold Coin. Green Horn's eyes twitched as he saw Flumox wantonly raise the bid but he did not believe that their mysterious opponent would last long. 

How naive he was!