Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Silent Night of the Long Spear

Ultimately, Li Xia decided to become a lancer. As everyone knows, being a lancer isn't something just anyone can do; first and foremost, your luck stat has to pass the test.

Hmm... luck stat of zero. A perfect match!

The auction house was filled with weapons. Even after applying filters, the sheer number of weapons appearing on the page was staggering. According to the definition—spears, pikes, and lances all fall under the category of "spear"—the term actually encompassed a broad range. It was much like how the Chinese define a sniper rifle: if it has a scope, is single-shot, and kills in one hit, it’s a sniper rifle, no doubt about it!

The definition of a spear was simple: a long pole that can poke people.

Li Xia browsed for a long time before his eyes suddenly lit up. He clicked on a long spear.

[Night Silence]
[Grade: Blue]
[Origin: Mountain of Light]
[Durability: 50/50]
[Damage Intensity: 2 (Tier 1)]
[Attack: 10-15]
[Sharpness: Damage Intensity +1]
[Toughness: Power Transfer +10%]
[Description: Night has two meanings. One is that it has grown dark; the other is that you have closed your eyes. Kill all your enemies, and the world will naturally be as silent as the night.]

This spear was different from other blue-tier equipment. Generally, blue equipment comes with unique effects—not necessarily powerful, and not always useful. This one only had the plain, unadorned properties of Sharpness and Toughness: Damage Intensity +1 and Power Transfer +10%.

This meant the price of Night Silence wasn't particularly high; it was merely average among weapons. Most expensive gear either boosted base attributes or possessed exceptional special effects. For instance, there was one spear that came with a "Bloodthirst" effect, which restored a small amount of health after killing a biological enemy and granted +2 Strength and +2 Agility for a short time.

That spear was nearly twice the price of Night Silence, and even then, people were still bidding it up; it seemed nowhere near its limit.

By comparison, Night Silence seemed quite ordinary, yet even so, Li Xia couldn't afford it. It was currently valued at 65 auction coins.

Truth be told, Li Xia was quite envious of the spear with the lifesteal effect, but his pockets were empty. The points he had at his disposal totaled only 4,000, which converted to 40 auction coins—and that was only because of his status as a First-Generation Envoy. Otherwise, it would have been 36, no matter how he calculated it. Plus, he would have had to pay a 10% transaction tax after the purchase, a tax he was also exempt from as a First-Generation Envoy.

You have to admit, the title [First-Generation Envoy] was truly useful. I doubt the various Halls could have imagined, when they founded the auction platform, that one day there would be a weakling envoy like Li Xia.

Now, he just had to wait for that trash bloodline to sell. Li Xia had set the duration for three hours, with a starting bid of 20 and a buyout price of 100. Bloodline-type items were far more popular than Li Xia had imagined. Even for a bloodline deemed to have insufficient potential by the Hall, the price was rising rapidly. Before long, it broke through 30 auction coins, meaning he could at least participate in the bidding for the Night Silence spear.

Time ticked by, second by second, and finally settled at 65 auction coins—about the price of an average blue-tier weapon.

[Ding—Your item has been sold. 0 service fee deducted. You have received 65 auction coins. Please check your account.]

Not bad...

Li Xia rubbed his chin. Lacking market data and the selling prices of street vendors, he actually had no concept of the cost of goods. The auction house reflected part of the market, but it was hard to capture the full picture, as most items listed there were things sellers felt were decent and had potential for a premium.

But he needed Night Silence. No two ways about it—bid!

66... 67... 68... 71... 72!

Li Xia let out a long breath. The person bidding against him was likely also a spear practitioner, but those using blue or green gear were mostly novices, at most Tier 2.

[Item delivery in progress, please wait.]

Within moments, a spear as black as ink appeared in Li Xia's hand. Unlike a traditional "Great Spear," this one wasn't very long, belonging to the category of infantry spears. The shaft was roughly seven feet long, with a thickness that felt just right. It was crafted from an incredibly tough and fine-grained black-gold ironwood. It felt heavy yet nimble in his hands, its surface shimmering with a cold, metallic luster that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

Compared to a white-wax wood shaft, it lacked a bit of flexibility but gained in hardness. The spearhead was slightly long, sharpened on both sides, and featured a three-edged design—a long spear tip about one foot in length—with edges flashing a biting, icy cold. Three blood grooves wound down from the tip. The spear lacked a tassel, but given its design, it wasn't a traditional ancient Chinese spear, so the absence of a red tassel was normal.

Unable to put it down, Li Xia couldn't resist performing a spear flourish. Then, following the methods he had practiced, he stood with feet slightly apart and knees slightly bent, like an ancient pine rooted in the earth. He rested his left hand on the middle of the shaft, the web of his hand facing the end, channeled strength into his arms, held his breath, and thrust!

*Swish!*

A faint sound of air being torn echoed. The spear darted forward like a venomous snake; the shaft flexed slightly, and the rebound force allowed Li Xia to naturally transition the thrust into a sweeping motion.

"Whoosh—" This time, the sound of the air being sliced was heavy and powerful. Li Xia felt increasingly exhilarated. Ignoring any specific techniques, he moved purely according to his intuition until he was breathless and had to stand leaning on the spear.

Refreshing!

He stored the spear in his personal space and sat back down on the large stone slab, continuing to browse for the items he needed. He had the weapon, but he still needed some defensive gear. However... Li Xia looked at his remaining balance; he could forget about blue-tier armor. He could only look at green equipment... but after browsing for a moment, Li Xia frowned.

He noticed there were far fewer green-tier items. After pondering for a while, he guessed the reason. Blue gear was the standard equipment for Tier 2 Apostles; if it was a real gem, they would grit their teeth and pay the service fees. But for Tier 1s, was the service fee just a matter of money? It was a matter of life!

Therefore, green equipment was not only scarce, but many were priced outrageously! It was as if they weren't just green gear but some peerless divine artifact, and pricing them low would be a massive loss. By comparison, green gear with normal pricing looked as beautiful as if it were free.

He decisively bid on a few pieces of equipment, spending all his remaining auction coins, and managed to arm himself from head to toe.

[Sprout Leather Armor]
[Grade: Green]
[Origin: Arad Continent]
[Durability: 35/35]
[Defense Rating: 1 (Tier 1)]
[Leather Armor: Defense Rating +1 against hacking attacks]
[Description: A fairly practical leather armor. Although it doesn't cover much, every adventurer leaving their village wears it.]

[Soft Trousers]
[Grade: Green]
[Origin: Elysium]
[Durability: 30/30]
[Defense Rating: 1 (Tier 1)]
[Stretch: Outstanding elasticity that won't hinder movement when exerting force.]
[Comfort: Exceptionally comfortable to wear; leaves no skin dander.]
[Insulation: Even in sub-zero temperatures, these trousers keep you feeling warm.]
[Description: These were originally invented by a highly skilled "gunner" for the convenience of "firing shots" at any time, but for some inexplicable reason, they became extremely popular.]

[Hiking Boots]
[Grade: Green]
[Durability: 30/30]
[Defense Rating: 1 (Tier 1)]
[Anti-slip Sole: Special patterned soles effectively prevent slipping.]
[Elastic Structure: The built-in elastic structure reduces physical exertion during movement; stamina consumption reduced by 5%.]
[Description: Who put air cushions in hiking boots? Who was it?!]

Li Xia changed into the gear one by one. Now, fully equipped and armed with a fierce weapon, the time had come!