44: Chapter 44 What are you all fighting over this damn sand for?

Inside the auction house, the deathly silence lasted only three seconds.

"My spirit essence sand! I listed over thirty stacks, and they're all gone!"

A goblin player who mined screamed, his voice shrill.

"No way, who did this? Which guild is so extravagant? What do they even want this stuff for?"

"Just now... did that super tycoon just come in?"

A timid voice spoke up, instantly silencing the entire noisy hall.

All eyes swiveled in unison toward the Level 7 player who had just entered the auction house, dressed in mysterious Daoist robes with an ethereal aura.

It was Chen You.

The guy riding that strange Big White Rabbit.

It was him!

In an instant, all the logical connections clicked.

The super tycoon arrived, and then the auction house's spirit essence sand was gone.

If there's no connection between those two things, even a dog wouldn't believe it!

"Holy shit!" The burly warrior who had been enthusiastically hawking his axe earlier slapped his thigh and looked at Chen You, his expression instantly changing.

From looking at a rich lunatic to gazing upon a walking god of wealth.

"Brothers, our chance to get rich is here!"

His shout ignited everyone's thoughts.

What is spirit essence sand?

Trash! Even a dog knows that.

But why would a super tycoon who can casually produce ten, even a hundred gold coins, sweep clean all this trash?

There's only one answer—this stuff is not trash at all!

It must have some unknown, priceless use!

"It's a hidden quest! It's definitely the starting item for some epic-level quest, requiring a massive amount of spirit essence sand to trigger!"

A self-proclaimed clever mage player declared loudly, as if he had already grasped the secrets of heaven.

"Bullshit!" a Thief nearby immediately retorted.

"I think it's market manipulation! The super tycoon is trying to drive up the price, waiting for all of us to go mine it, then sell it back to us at a high price! That's business acumen!"

"Maybe it's for that set of equipment he's wearing? Look, haven't you seen that gear before? Maybe it's made using spirit essence sand as the main material!"

Various speculations ran rampant.

Countless gazes focused on Chen You, burning with heat, greed, and scrutiny.

If looks could kill, Chen You would have been sliced to pieces countless times by now.

Yet, Chen You just stood there calmly.

He didn't even glance at the system interface again. Instead, he turned and walked toward the exit of the auction house.

That demeanor of utter nonchalance, brushing off his sleeves after the deed, only solidified his image of unfathomable depth in everyone's eyes.

"He's leaving!"

"Quick, follow him! See where he's going!"

"Don't be stupid, it's the newbie protection period. You want to mess with him?"

A Werewolf Warrior stood on the periphery of the crowd, not participating in the discussion.

His cold eyes were fixed intently on Chen You's retreating back, his muscles tense.

He caught a whiff of something different from this man.

It wasn't the aura of immense power, but a kind of... indifference that existed outside the rules.

As if everything here was merely a game he could manipulate at will.

Chen You walked out of the auction house. The entrance was already packed with players who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

The road was completely blocked.

"super tycoon! Does spirit essence sand have some special use? Give us a hint!"

"Big shot, are you still buying spirit essence sand? I'll go mine right away, we can negotiate the price!"

"Bro, take me with you! I want to follow you!"

Countless voices surged forth, giving everyone a headache.

Chen You frowned slightly.

He just came to stock up on goods. Why was it like stirring up a hornet's nest?

Were these players from another world a bit too good at jumping to conclusions?

He couldn't be bothered to respond. He directly selected 【Log Out】 on the system interface.

Under the watchful eyes of countless players, Chen You's figure, without any warning, gradually faded and then transformed into points of light, completely vanishing from the spot.

Arriving like the wind, leaving like empty air.

The scene fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"The... the person? Where'd he go?"

"Logged out?"

"Holy shit! He... he just logged out like that?!"

This shock was even greater than the impact of clearing out the auction house.

It was like a nuclear bomb detonating right in front of you. You expected a world-ending shockwave next, but after the explosion, the guy just patted his butt and went home for dinner.

The massive psychological letdown left everyone feeling stifled and frantic.

"Dammit!" A hot-tempered dwarf warrior angrily threw his axe on the ground.

"I got all ready, and you just leave?"

The Werewolf Warrior's pupils constricted sharply.

He understood.

This was a silent declaration.

This super tycoon simply didn't care about their thoughts, didn't care about the so-called business opportunity, and even less about any consequences that might arise from it.

He did what he wanted to do, and then he left.

Simple, pure, and domineering to the extreme!

"What are you all standing around for!" The Werewolf Warrior suddenly let out a roar, shouting at several wolfmen subordinates behind him.

"Everyone, get out of the city! Head to the Blackstone Mine! Occupy every place that can produce spirit essence sand! Mine! Dig with your lives on the line!"

This shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, jolting all the still-stunned players awake.

Right!

The super tycoon left, but the business opportunity remains!

Since he cleared the market, it means he has a demand for this stuff!

Right now, the entire stock of spirit essence sand in Zhao City, no, probably the entire newbie zone, is zero!

Whoever mines it first gets to set the price!

"Quick! To the Chaotic Stone Slope west of the city, those rock element monsters there drop spirit essence sand!"

"Our guild is heading to the northern minefield, hurry!"

"Dammit, stop pushing! I was first at the teleportation array!"

The players who were crowded at the auction house entrance just a second ago now swarmed toward the city gates and teleportation arrays like a burst hive.

The originally bustling and lively Zhao City auction house became somewhat deserted within mere minutes.

A gold rush named "spirit essence sand" swept through the entire Zhao City in a way no one had anticipated.

Countless Adventurers poured out of the city, frantically grinding monsters and mining for that gray sand they once considered trash.

Some shrewd merchant players had already started pre-ordering at high prices in the world channel.

The price skyrocketed from a few copper coins per stack initially to dozens of silver coins, and it was still rising.

A massive storm, inadvertently ignited by Chen You, was growing fiercer.

...

At the same time.

The Pay-to-Win project command center, underground base.

Chen You opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Back?"

Director Li Guoan and several experts had been waiting nearby.

"Mhm, bought the stuff back."

Chen You spoke, and with a thought.

Rustle——

The next second, as if a cement mixer was dumping its load, a gray torrent poured out from mid-air, instantly piling into a small mountain on the sturdy alloy floor.

Nearly six thousand stacks of spirit essence sand had abruptly appeared in this circular, open space.

A faint smell, a mix of earth and strange energy, spread through the air.

Everyone in the conference room stared in shock.

Even the well-experienced Director Li Guoan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"This is... spirit essence sand?" He pointed at the sand dune, his tone somewhat uncertain.

"Yes, everything available in the auction house is right here."

Chen You patted the dust off his hands, looking relaxed, as if he had just gone to the supermarket to buy a cartload of rice.

Pan Yu looked at the small mountain of spirit essence sand and couldn't help but ask, "You bought all the spirit essence sand on the market?"