Survival in the Core: I'm writing a guide for the entire server.

Regular players participate in the closed auction.

The true value of the auction items can only be guessed based on the "publicly available information" provided by the official sources.

The more vague the information, the lower the probability of guessing correctly.

It's like playing a gamble.

Lucky players might snag a priceless treasure at an incredibly low price.

Those with bad luck end up wasting money and only buying a bunch of junk.

But Lin You is different.

He has the eye of a mid-level forensic expert.

Although each additional piece of information can only reveal two clues

But this is already much better than the average player.

"Two additional pieces of information... combined with public intelligence, are enough for me to determine the true value of the auction item."

Lin You licked her lips, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"Let's take a look at the bidding results for the first item."

Lin You turned her attention back to the auction interface.

To be honest, not many people were willing to make an offer.

After all, the description "common monster materials" is too vague.

Slime gel is a common monster material, as are mushrooms, and even the skin, teeth, and claws of some low-level monsters count.

The scope is too broad, making it difficult to determine the specifics.

Most players are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Time passed by, second by second.

[Time Remaining: 0 minutes and 30 seconds]

"No one has raised the price yet?"

Lin You raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

It seems that the players in this auction are quite cautious.

Or rather, they were all dirt poor and dared not spend money recklessly.

【倒计时：5……4……3……2……1……】

【make a deal! 】

[Auction item number 1 was won by player "Colin" for 5 copper coins!]

[Introducing auction item information...]

Lot #1 is: 20 mushrooms!

Grade: Level 1 (White)

The chat channel on the auction page instantly erupted in chaos.

"Holy crap?! 20 mushrooms for only 5 copper coins?!"

"A mushroom costs 0.25 copper coins? That's practically free!"

"I should have bid too! I was just hesitating!"

"20 mushrooms for 5 copper coins...that's a steal!"

"I'm so envious! I was starving all day yesterday, and all I ate was two clods of dirt..."

"Are you eating dirt upstairs? Can you eat dirt?"

"I couldn't eat it, but I was so hungry that I chewed it a little and then spat it out."

"...Brother, you're ruthless."

The chat channel was immediately filled with a mix of wailing and congratulations.

Lin You nodded slightly as she watched this scene.

"Just as I guessed, it's a mushroom."

His discerning eye provided two additional pieces of information:

The auction item quantity is 20, and the grade is Level 1 White.

Combining these two pieces of information, he could basically determine that it was a mushroom or a similar low-level material.

But he did not make a bid.

First, he has no shortage of food.

Secondly, he wanted to observe the bidding patterns of this auction house in order to prepare for the main event later.

"It's going to get even more exciting from here on out."

Lin You muttered to herself.

as predicted.

The successful snag of the first item greatly excited the players in auction room number 42.

It turns out that you can really find gems by shooting secretly!

It turns out that you can really get a lot done with a little money!

Therefore, when the information about auction item number 2 was announced, the number of people participating in the bidding increased significantly.

[Auction Item No. 2 (Unknown)]

[Publicly Available Intelligence: A Common Basic Material]

Starting bid: 1 copper coins

Current bid: ...

Lin You glanced at the table and saw that someone had already bid 3 copper coins.

Moreover, prices are still slowly rising.

He opened his eyes to forensic analysis.

[Additional Information: This auction item is available in quantities of 10, and is of Grade 1 White.]

"Another white quality... 10 in total..."

Lin You pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"It's most likely something like rocks or wood; it's not worth the effort."

He continued to observe.

Ultimately, lot number 2 was won by a player named "Shimu" for 15 copper coins.

After the information was revealed, the chat channel erupted once again—

But this time it was mockery.

Lot #2 is: 10 "Stones"!

Grade: Level 1 (White)

"Hahahaha! I bought 10 stones for 15 copper coins!"

"Shimu...this name is so fitting."

"That's hilarious, these things are everywhere, aren't they? You can just dig them up and you'll find them."

"15 copper coins...that's enough to buy almost two loaves of bread."

"I feel sorry for the person upstairs, but it's really hilarious, hahaha!"

Player "Shimu" remained silent for a long time before sending a message in the chat channel.

"...I'm totally losing it!"

The chat channel was flooded with another wave of cheerful messages.

Lin You couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's the risk of blind auctions."

But you never know if the box contains treasure or trash.

Next, auction items number 3, 4, and 5 were presented in succession.

Having learned from the lessons and experiences of the first two rounds, the players' bidding strategies began to diverge.

Some players became more aggressive, convinced they could find a bargain, and offered increasingly higher prices.

Another group of players became more cautious and even dared not bid.

Lin You calmly observed from the side, silently summarizing the patterns.

After several rounds of bidding, he discovered an important pattern.

The bidding mechanism at auctions is not simply a matter of the highest bidder winning.

Each item in the auction will have three rounds of bidding.

In the first round, the highest bidder must pay twice the amount of the second-highest bidder to win the item.

In the second round, the premium multiple decreased to 1.5 times.

The third round is where the highest bidder truly wins, without any premium required.

"I see……"

Lin You suddenly realized.

This means that if the true value of an item is much higher than the starting bid...

Therefore, it is worthwhile to make a move in the first or second round.

However, if the premium exceeds the value of the product itself, then you will suffer a huge loss.

The more Lin You analyzed it, the more interesting she found the mechanism.

This tests both the player's ability to judge the value of the auction items and their psychological game skills.

Bidding too high will result in a huge loss due to the premium.

If you bid too low, someone else might snatch it up.

"Furthermore... players cannot remain anonymous."

Lin You noticed this detail.

During the auction, all participants' IDs were made public.

What does this mean?

This means that if you successfully bid on a top-tier item, everyone will see your name.

This might not be a good thing in the inner Earth.

"Possessing a treasure is a crime..."

Lin You shook her head, silently keeping this in mind.

The auction continued.

Lots 6, 7, 8... one after another, the items were put up for auction.

Some players managed to snag a bargain, acquiring a large amount of food and drinking water, and even a job change card!

Some players bet their entire fortune, only to buy a pile of wood and stones, losing everything.

The chat channel was a mix of joy and sorrow.

"I spent 10 copper coins on some unknown thing, and it turned out to be 3 pieces of wood... I want to die!"

"Don't be sad, upstairs. I spent 70 copper coins to gamble on a 'rare mineral,' and the result was 5 copper ore... The market price is only 25 copper coins."

"At least you guys bought something. I couldn't beat the other bidders, and I still have the money, but I didn't get anything."

"So you're still losing money? You're actually making a profit!"

"Exactly, look at those who wasted money, you should be glad."

While the players in auction house number 42 were fighting tooth and nail over a few pieces of wood and a few pieces of ore...

Suddenly, explosive news broke on the forum.

"Holy crap! Someone won a gold-quality item at auction house number 8!"