It could be said that this represented a severe overpricing in an auction hall.

Was the rifle, Penitence, worth half a million Universal Points? The answer was undeniably yes!

But the crux of the matter was that over ninety-nine percent of those who used Penitence were Gunners!

Considering the awkward late-game status of Gunners in a team, even if the wielder were a core team member, the absolute maximum they would be willing to offer was four hundred thousand Universal Points, keeping the premium rate under fifty percent.

To be frank, even if the Gunner themselves was the team leader, reaching this point was already the height of generosity and pushed to the limit; anything higher, and they simply couldn't justify it to their team members.

This situation was akin to the US Department of Defense approaching an Iraqi warlord in the real world: "Our B-2 bombers are incredibly powerful. How about this: we'll sell you one for just one hundred million dollars—as cheap as it gets, how's that?"

A B-2 bomber costs $840 million to build, so one hundred million was genuinely super cheap, yet the Iraqi warlord could only offer ten million dollars. Why? Because he had no money.

Even if this transaction eventually went through due to political reasons, it absolutely did not mean the true value of the B-2 bomber was only ten million dollars; it was merely the buyer's inability that dictated the low price.

By directly quoting the price of half a million Universal Points, Fang Senyan was clearly signaling his intent to crush his opponent, using his transcendent status within the team to suppress this reserve Brigadier General before him!

As soon as this bid was made, the reserve Brigadier General's face instantly turned ashen. He said menacingly:

"A mere Lieutenant Colonel dares to be so arrogant in front of me?"

The reserve Brigadier General suddenly produced a silver-grade plot-quality spear and inquired of the Space:

"If I were to pawn this weapon, how many Universal Points could I exchange it for?"

After scanning, the Space immediately replied:

"Thirty thousand Universal Points! If redeemed before entering the next world, there is no fee. If redeemed after experiencing one world, a ten percent service fee of three thousand Universal Points is required. If redeemed after experiencing two worlds, a twenty percent service fee is required. If redeemed after experiencing three worlds, a forty percent service fee is required. When the service fee exceeds the pawned amount, it becomes a dead pawn."

This fellow chose to pawn the item without hesitation, then gritted his teeth and matched Fang Senyan's bid.

Fang Senyan smiled, appearing remarkably composed:

"Five hundred and thirty thousand Universal Points."

This figure was nearing Fang Senyan's limit, but the closer he got to that point, the calmer he became. It was the miner beside him who suddenly chuckled:

"I can personally lend you one hundred thousand Universal Points, interest-free."

Fang Senyan expressed surprise:

"Why?"

The miner replied earnestly:

"I heard some things from the Stockholm team.... Hmm, and also, if I’m not mistaken, the glimmer on your gloves appears to be a liquid metal life form? Therefore, I believe you have investment value."

Fang Senyan smiled faintly:

"Your eyesight is quite sharp. So, I have decided to accept your assistance."

Faced with Fang Senyan's relentless pressure, the reserve Brigadier General looked extremely flustered. Fortunately, at this moment, another reserve Major General stepped forward and said coldly:

"Chabar, you truly are in a sorry state, being pushed this far by a mere Lieutenant Colonel. I will lend you one hundred thousand Universal Points."

Under normal circumstances, there was always friction between reserve-ranked generals and actively commissioned generals; the latter certainly held an advantage just by facing the former. To put it bluntly, simply looking at their rank provided an innate sense of superiority.

The reserves felt the same way; the relationship between the two groups was somewhat analogous to the difference between the central army and local warlords in certain contexts.

At this moment, Chabar was cornered and extremely distressed. The other reserve Major General wasn't lending the money solely for this reason; he and Chabar were already close allies, and it was natural to offer full assistance.

However, just as Chabar gritted his teeth and managed to follow the bid, Fang Senyan performed another action that caused an uproar among the onlookers!! He immediately bid six hundred thousand Universal Points!! This action was undeniably malicious, like a resounding slap to the faces of both Chabar and the reserve Major General who lent him money!!

You can borrow one hundred thousand, can you? I can still crush both of you idiots!

Under everyone's gaze, Chabar and the lending reserve Major General felt their faces burn as if they had been physically struck. Everyone present at the auction was a figure of some standing; this loss of face was immense. At this point, Chabar laughed wildly, then spoke word by word through gritted teeth:

"Good, good, good! You're formidable, you think you're rich?"

As he spoke, Chabar removed a Dark Gold equipment piece from his person, requesting the Space to pawn it for one hundred thousand Universal Points. At this point, Chabar's available liquid funds far surpassed Fang Senyan's, allowing him to seize the initiative and bid seven hundred thousand Universal Points!! It appeared he intended to match Fang Senyan’s total wealth by wagering his fixed assets.

The Nightmare Space was clearly similar to the real world; many real-world billionaires with fortunes in the tens of billions often had most of that tied up in fixed assets, stocks, etc., with liquid funds possibly only amounting to tens or millions.

Evidently, Chabar perceived Fang Senyan as a nouveau riche who had only stumbled upon a large sum of liquid cash but possessed very few fixed assets. Thus, relying on his longer tenure in the Space, he intended to intimidate Fang Senyan by competing on overall equipment value.

Fang Senyan didn't waste time haggling. Without even removing the gear he was wearing, he tossed out the Ukiyo-e. For Fang Senyan, the greatest utility of this Dark Gold item was allowing Sister Wuge's teleportation array to lock onto the coordinates of this location one time.

Since Sister Wuge had already been successfully summoned once to pinpoint the Nightmare Space's location, the item had lost its primary value for Fang Senyan! Therefore, Fang Senyan casually presented the Ukiyo-e for pawn.

The moment this Dark Gold item was revealed, it stirred a low wave of shock throughout the hall. Although it subsided quickly, it drew the attention of several individuals.

"Ukiyo-e? It really is the Ukiyo-e! That marvelous treasure that can isolate and eliminate a BOSS! If I’m not mistaken, this should be a unique reward from a Gold Branch Quest!"

A reserve Brigadier General couldn't help but stand up. After clearly seeing the item's attributes, he eagerly addressed Fang Senyan:

"Lieutenant Colonel, if you are short on money, don't pawn it to the Space. Sell it directly to me for two hundred thousand Universal Points."

Another reserve Major General snorted disdainfully:

"Do you take others for fools? A unique reward from a Gold Branch Quest, and you think you can get it for two hundred thousand Universal Points? How about this, Lieutenant Colonel, I offer three hundred thousand Universal Points! Once you have this money, you can immediately buy Penitence!"

"Idiot, this Ukiyo-e only has two uses remaining! I offer three hundred and fifty thousand Universal Points..."

Fang Senyan casually producing a Dark Gold item had created ripples akin to a stone plunging into water, causing quite a stir.

Chabar and his friend looked even more grim; if Fang Senyan actually sold the item for three hundred thousand Universal Points, they would truly have no chance left.

Unexpectedly, although Fang Senyan appeared quite tempted, he ultimately sighed and shook his head, mumbling timidly:

"I... I think I'll just pawn it after all."

This show of weakness by Fang Senyan was immediately noticed by many. They instantly concluded that this Lieutenant Colonel must have a very close relationship with his team leader, or perhaps served as the team's treasurer; moving public funds to save face meant he could likely find a way to redeem it quickly after pawning, whereas selling it would make an explanation impossible.

In the end, Fang Senyan pawned for one hundred thousand Universal Points, reversing his previous aggressive bidding, and after a moment of hesitation, continued to follow Chabar's bid at seven hundred thousand and five hundred Universal Points.

Chabar gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He removed a pair of silver-grade plot shoes and a Dark Gold ring, pawning them for one hundred and thirty thousand Universal Points. He looked pleadingly at his old friend, who also removed a Dark Gold piece—a very valuable one—pawning it for one hundred and seventy thousand, gathering a full three hundred thousand Universal Points!

Then, building upon Fang Senyan's last bid, they added a mere five hundred Universal Points to the previous total! This left the vast majority of their Universal Points as liquid funds.

At this juncture, Chabar still held approximately three hundred thousand Universal Points in readily available liquid assets, capable of instantly pushing his bid up toward a million Universal Points!

This was Chabar's psychological warfare: first, precisely calculating Fang Senyan's funding ceiling, and second, using a massive liquid reserve of three hundred thousand points to exert immense pressure and provide sufficient confidence to scare Fang Senyan away.

At this moment, nearly everyone present was convinced Fang Senyan was finished. Most reserve generals began eyeing him with the contempt reserved for a dog already knocked down, with some even voicing dismissive remarks like, "A bumpkin shouldn't play here." Even some regular army generals frowned, feeling that Fang Senyan, this low-ranking Lieutenant Colonel, had caused them all to lose face.

Who knew that Fang Senyan, at this very moment, coldly sneered in defiance, stood up, and arrogantly surveyed the entire venue, looking as if he were savoring the feeling. He then directly removed the Planetary-Level High-Energy Mechanical Power Gauntlets from his hands, displayed their attributes, and addressed the Space:

"Hey, how much can I pawn these old junk pieces for?" (To be continued) RQ