Chapter 105: Fang Nian's Auction Item

At that moment, a chorus of skepticism arose at the donation scene. No one was a fool; everyone clearly remembered that Fang Nian had not donated. Moreover, he had once claimed that his item was the most expensive and valuable in the entire venue.

Yet now, it seemed the event had ended and the donations were tallied. So where was the Xia family's contribution? Surely no one believed that pretending to urge others to donate meant they themselves could abstain. Such a thing did not exist in this world.

Xu Fan also caught on and stood up to question Fang Nian.

“I recall that Mr. Fang from the Xia family hasn’t presented the item he intended to auction yet. How is it that it’s already counted in the total? Could it be that Mr. Fang did not prepare any auction items? That wouldn’t be proper, would it?”

Xiao Xuefeng, spotting an opportunity to challenge Fang Nian, naturally stood and played along.

“Yes, Mr. Fang, you said your auction item was the most valuable on site. We've just auctioned an astonishing 15 million yuan. Isn’t it time you unveiled your impressive item?”

Hearing Xiao and Xu take the lead, several allied families joined in.

“That’s right. Although this charity gala did not mandate donations and was based on voluntary participation, a family as large as the Xia family surely wouldn’t be absent. Besides, the boast has already been made.”

“Yes, Mr. Fang, hurry up; we’re all eager to see the fine item.”

“Exactly, Mr. Fang, I believe your item will surely dazzle us.”

Fang Nian was utterly speechless at this moment. People in this world really loved to stir trouble for the sake of spectacle… well, alright, he admitted he was no different—everyone loved a juicy story.

The plump man beside Fang Nian also looked helpless. He had initially set this trap for Xiao Xuefeng, but now it was his turn to settle it.

“Listen, Old Fang, I can’t help you this time. If it were seven or eight million, we might have figured something out, but you’ve hyped that item up to 15 million. Do you really have something worth more than that?”

Wei Jianshe and the Xia family members looked equally bewildered; such a price was beyond their reach. Even if they sold everything, it wouldn’t come close.

Yet Fang Nian showed no worry, his eyes shining with unwavering determination. After so long with him, nearly everyone in the Xia family knew Fang Nian was prepared. That meant there might be another spectacle about to unfold here.

---

Liu Yunduo actually did not want to trouble Fang Nian. After all, he had contributed much to the auction, so she wanted to speed things up and bring the event to a quick close.

But things did not go as planned. Fang Nian had made far too many enemies, and the situation was nowhere near what she had hoped for. For a moment, Liu Yunduo felt helpless and unsure whether to call Fang Nian over.

Just as she hesitated, Fang Nian suddenly rose and walked to the auction stage. Seeing this, Liu Yunduo realized he had something to say. She did not stop him and stepped aside to give him the platform.

Standing before the auction podium, Fang Nian cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

“Everyone can rest assured, the Xia family has always valued its reputation. What we say is true and will be fulfilled. Therefore, I will present my auction item.”

With that, Fang Nian handed a USB drive to Liu Yunduo, signaling her to project its contents as a three-dimensional holographic image. Seeing this, Liu Yunduo breathed a slight sigh of relief and complied, projecting the data as Fang Nian instructed.

However, the moment the content appeared, almost everyone was stunned. A vast array of incredibly complex information unfolded before their eyes.

Duan Rui had not left but was hiding in a corner, watching everything unfold. Upon seeing what Fang Nian had presented, she was completely dumbfounded.

“This is… a complete hunting ground program?”

Although Guo Ji was not versed in hunting ground construction, he was an experienced hunter and, like Duan Rui, instantly recognized what Fang Nian was holding.

“I never expected this guy to suddenly produce a complete hunting ground program. The value of this is truly high.”

Xiao Xueluan, who disliked returning to the Xiao family camp, was momentarily stunned and asked Guo Ji.

“Brother Guo, I don’t really understand this. Can you explain? Is a whole hunting ground program really that valuable?”

Guo Ji nodded firmly.

“Of course. You’re from a great family, yet you don’t understand this? The creation of a hunting ground involves many processes—storyline setting and world-building, design and programming of props and NPCs, mechanical devices, investment in design and operation costs… and much more.”

---

“So basically, the creation of a hunting ground consumes tremendous human and material resources. Even a standard F-class hunting ground, if set within a larger storyline, costs over five million yuan.”

“Just like the E+ mechanical components sold by the Xiao family earlier, which were worth seven or eight million yuan, and that was only a small part of the whole hunting ground. So imagine the price of constructing an entire hunting ground. That’s also why hunting grounds fear being cleared out in the early days—the construction costs are prohibitively high.”

Xiao Xueluan gasped. Previously, he hadn’t understood why the Xiao family only ran hunting ground camps and didn’t venture into the more lucrative hunting grounds themselves. Now he realized it wasn’t short-sightedness but that he had underestimated the complexity of the profession.

Guo Ji patted Xiao Xueluan’s shoulder, smiling.

“Of course, while the complete hunting ground program is valuable, the price depends on the hunting ground’s rating. An F-class hunting ground usually costs around five or six million, and an F+ is roughly eight million.”

“So, Fang Nian’s hunting ground level is crucial. If it’s E- or above, it could easily fetch tens of millions, which wouldn’t be embarrassing. But if it’s only F-class, then Fang Nian might really be in trouble.”

Liu Yunduo stared at the holographic display and took a deep breath. She had auctioned various items before but had never seen a complete hunting ground program up for auction. She was at a loss—should Fang Nian handle this himself, or should she preside?

Fang Nian noticed Liu Yunduo’s discomfort and smiled at her lightly before saying calmly.

“You go take care of your own matters. I’ll host this auction myself. After all, my item hasn’t been rated yet; I need to have professionals evaluate it.”

Hearing this, Liu Yunduo felt an immense relief. She nodded and dashed off the stage without looking back. Fang Nian watched her go with a wry smile, seemingly pondering whether to undermine her further.

After a moment, Fang Nian cleared his throat and began his first auction journey.