Merely a few hours had passed since Draco and co left the main plane to begin the trial at the Tower of Babylon. Unsurprisingly, Umbra was doing quite well even without their figureheads.

The collaboration between the Rank 7 Warehouse and the Rank 7 Refinery had been yielding benefits that far surpassed Draco and Eva's initial estimations. With a constant supply of Perfect grade materials at any Rank, the Goddess Descendants were able to display their monstrous innate talent.

Since they performed Tradeskills only to hone their craft, they mostly placed their creations back into the Rank 7 Warehouse. They were like assembly lines, turning semi-finished goods into finished ones for Umbra, which were then distributed to members who needed them.

However, they created far more supply than Umbra's personal demand, so Sublime decided to just add the extra into the catalog for the Fifth Player Auction, which would be occurring seven days from now. The sheer amount of things Umbra had to sell to the world were horrifying, even including the crowd favorite Advanced Spatial Creation Device.

Zaine had not had the chance to execute her evil plan due to needing to stay with Loki in the Inner Universe, as it was time for the lad to be slowly weaned off breastmilk. As such, she had left the idea for Sublime to implement during the auction.

As the date drew near, many things suddenly seemed to happen at once.

Deployed Soldier declared a Kingdom War against a neighboring kingdom called Farfrifa, which was located in the Area Zone to their right.

In fact, they weren't the only kingdom there, with three others as well. They were the Fortitudo, Megane, and Purita Kingdoms. As soon as the Vita Kingdom declared war on one of them, the other three quickly understood the motif behind it and also declared war back.

Neither Deployed Soldier nor the other three used Cassus Belli waivement scrolls, so they had to put in a motion at the Continental Council to justify their wars and seek approval.

Deployed Soldier wasn't worried, as he knew that with Sublime's political prowess, she could easily get the votes in their favor, not to mention many had dealings with Vita in the council and could not openly defy them.

Sublime was supportive of this war, as the fledgling kingdom was on the cusp of upgrading into a low-tier kingdom. The only thing they required were Honor points, and winning a war was the fastest way to accumulate those.

Their enemies too were of mixed ranks. Farfrifa was a fledgling kingdom like them, while Fortitudo and Megane were low-tier kingdoms. Purita was actually a high-tier kingdom on the cusp of becoming a low-tier empire!

This would have put pressure on a normal kingdom, but not Vita which was the home of monsters. All members of Umbra, not just those in the army, were called on to participate.

What's more, the entire playerbase were interested in participating. They were waiting for Vita and the other kingdoms to announce their recruitment, the conditions, the duration, and especially the rewards.

It took only four days for the various wars to be approved, even those against Vita. After all, the Cario Continental Council could not afford to look too partial, otherwise, trust in its impartiality would be lost.

Besides, Sublime assured them that they would never lose. This alone was why those councilors could vote in peace, as they too would suffer losses if the amazing Vita were to disappear.

Most of them had been sneakily awarded a residence in the inner section for themselves and their families without having to pay a dime. They had long since relocated their core families there as they knew their political enemies wouldn't dare to touch them.

Of course, this now meant that Vita had their weak point in hand, though Sublime and Draco had no plans to use such a method. Whatever the case, those top councilors, and Vita were in the same boat, so matters concerning the Cario Continental Council were a breeze.

Of course, the rest of the world did not see it like this. In their eyes, the mighty council was truly uncaring of the politics, and allowed all sides to engage in a fair battle to decide the outcome without taking sides.

Preparations began on both sides for the incoming battle and soon enough the recruitment details and rewards for Umbra were announced to the world.

｢Vita Kingdom Regional Announcement

The criteria for recruitment in the current war is as follows;

- Players must be level 40-60 to qualify.

- Players with combat classes must be able to pass the Private rank training course set up by the Vita Kingdom.

- Players with Tradeskill classes must be able to produce 7 Rare items a day to qualify as suppliers for the army.

- Players must be willing to move to the local garrison and be deployed from there during the period of the war.｣

When these details reached far and wide in a few seconds many eyes lit up while other eyes dimmed. The majority of the playerbase were at the mid-point of Rank 1 currently. Previously, most had been above level 40 and ready to Rank Up, but as new players joined, the old players had been shifted to minority status while the newcomers were the new majority.

While it seemed like the power had strangely decreased when it should have increased, it was because the pool had increased. In fact, for newcomers to reach the halfway point of Rank 1 so quickly compared to the older players was only because those who had come first paved the way, not to mention Umbra's existence.

While more than a few million could satisfy criteria one, it was criteria two that would decide whether they could take part. Of course, many did not underestimate the Private rank training course of Vita, even if it was the bottommost military rank one could obtain.

After all, many had taken a shot at Umbra's own recruitment, and more than 99.99% of the entire 130 million-plus players had failed that test. As such, those who were perceptive braced themselves for a more grueling test.

However, they were thinking too much. Kingdom Wars were not the same as Guild Recruitment. One was a temporary post, just acquiring more manpower to use in a large-scale conflict, whereas the other was a permanent addition to a group, including its benefits and secrets.

The Tradeskill requirement for criteria three made those Tradeskill players who had been excited to show off their craft pinch their noses and return to their caves. What a joke, 7 Rare items a day? Why not ask us if we have girlfriends too, huh?

This condition was intentionally put there by Sublime to deter external Tradeskill players. After all, Vita had more than enough talents to supply their army, from the almighty Goddess Descendants, to the unaffiliated NPCs who were renting land in their outer section, or even Umbra's own Tradeskill members.

When they heard of the war, the Goddess Descendants willingly put down their own projects to begin crafting for the army crazily, with the Gypsies and the Nshaw Tribe taking part in ways they could.

Even though Sublime assured them that as Vita's precious citizens, they had no obligations to do such, the citizens that were pampered by their kingdom also wanted to repay that kindness

The Tradeskill players of Umbra took up quests from the board that were truly lucrative in terms of UP to begin crafting for the war as well. Many of them were at the Expert Rank of their main Tradeskills, so they could output Rare items, not to mention the various bonuses of Vita Kingdom.

As for the final criteria of the recruitment, it was not a requirement, but a reward. Many were thinking about how they could enter the city and stay for a long time, and you're telling them all they had to do was stay quietly in the RANK 7 BARRACKS to qualify?

Bruh…

The war was set to begin in three days, right after the end of the Fifth Player Auction. As such, Umbra announced the reward scheme for the war as well as the details.

｢Reward Scheme for the Vita Kingdom War

- Each player will be given a fixed Military Rank for the duration of the war, which is the Private Rank. As a Private, you will only be able to receive orders, not give any.

- Merit during the war will be calculated in the form of points, which will be given for completing objectives as well as any lives taken. The lowest point gain is for killing a footman, which is worth 1 point.

- Merit during the war can be accumulated and spent in many ways. One can exchange to attain higher Military Ranks, rent a plot in Vita's outer section, purchase a residence in the inner section or even buy a basic membership for Umbra!

- Death during the war is final, but will earn you 5 points automatically for participation.

- Players who do not obey orders or fight like turtles during the war will not get any points even if they manage to score kills.｣

When many saw the reward scheme for the war, their hearts lit ablaze. This was too good! None cared about the rank issue, as they were here to fight and acquire points for a reward, not invest time and effort into planning Vita's war for them.

Most kingdoms used a point system like this to recruit mercenaries and players, but the difference was in the things one could purchase! The things offered by the Vita Kingdom were far superior to the opposition!

Even Advanced Spatial Creation Devices were listed here, as well as a one-time opportunity for a Class Up, some Epic to even Divine materials, items, and weapons, among others.

The list made many drool as they waited for Vita to open recruitment. Sublime put those things there for this exact purpose, as their point cost was so high that only people on the level of Umbra's members would be able to acquire them.

Umbra's basic members were equivalent to the guild leaders of Rare Guilds and the vice-guild leaders of Epic Guilds. Advanced members of Umbra were the equivalent of the guild leaders of Epic guilds and the vice guild leaders of Legendary guilds. Expert members of Umbra were the equivalent of Legendary guild leaders and vice guild leaders of Divine guilds.

The core members were the equivalent of Divine Guild leaders and above. Currently, there were only two guilds that qualified as Divine Guilds, which were Kamisuo and Desecrators.

Gentle Flower and her two vice-guild leaders, Sasha and Serra, had been given a chance to Class Up in the past. Now, Gentle Flower had a Legendary Class while Sasha and Serra had Epic Classes.

Noble Soul and his two vice guild leaders, Crabbe and Goyle, had also been given chances to Class Up. Now, Noble Soul also had a Legendary Class while Crabbe and Goyle had Epic Classes.

As affiliates of Umbra, they also benefitted from higher positions in the war as well as an obligation to participate. Noble Soul and Gentle Flower were given a General Rank, just like all the other core members, with their own regiment of the army to lead.

Deployed Soldier was the only Commander of the army, with the Generals below reporting to him. Reporting to the Generals were the expert members of Umbra, Kamisuo, and Desecrators' core members as well as their vice-guild leaders, who had been given the Colonel Rank.

The Majors were Umbra's advanced members as well as the expert members of the two affiliated guilds, and so on.

As the preparations for the war were ongoing, the day finally came. By this point, over 22 million players had joined the side of Vita, while only 12 million were spread across the opposing empires.

Most of those on the opposing side were those sent by various factions and governments which were not happy with Umbra's dominance in this game, as well as the audacity of the guild leader to reject them.

They had not known that Umbra and Vita would pull so many fighters which was why they paid a high price to have their men enter this war and teach the kingdom a lesson. Then again, even if they sent 100 million men, would it make a difference?

.............

Today was the day of the war, but it was also the day of the Fifth Player Auction.

One could see that in front of the Rank 7 Shop, many fellows from far and wide had come. The usual top guilds of the world had arrived in their usual flared, the Merchant Guild in their airship, the War Maniacal Pavilion on the back of another Drake, the Church of Light from a stairway to heaven, the Thief and Assassin Guilds right in the middle of everybody completely unnoticed, the Mercenary and Adventurers Guilds in a rowdy procession, etc.

These top fellows were given priority entrance and walked in first, with other powers and factions being granted entry according to their ranks and spending prowess in previous auctions.

Players also passed through, as they were also given a chance to watch these auctions and broaden their horizons. After all, they would not get access to a place like the Divine Auction any time soon.

Amber watched the various parties filter in with a smile from the backroom of the 7th floor. She had long been given full power over the auctions and now that Zaine wasn't here to host them, they were handled mostly by her.

Other serf players who worked here quickly bustled about, getting the place ready and ushering various powers to their seats. Amber just looked on calmly, waiting for the actual event to begin.

Soon, everyone was settled and the fifth player auction began immediately. Amber herself took to the floor, wearing a kunoichi-like dress that was primarily yellow in color and was sleeveless, with two blue and green tassels at the back, and ankle-length footwear similar in color to her dress.

(Author's Note: Google Mai Shiranui to know what her attire looks like.)

With Amber's figure, this was more than enough to replace the eye candy that the Royal Succubus had been. The researcher had been hosting the past Player Auctions with different sensual attires and so far nobody had complained.

This time, once again, the players snapped many picks of the hostess and even used the video function to record her movements, especially the swaying of her hips and the jiggle of her chest.

While no one would dare do this to Zaine and the like as they were Draco's women, Amber was single and seen as fair game. Her own fan page on Twitter and the like was heavily featured by many men who fantasized about pressing her down beneath them or making her their waifu.

Amber too didn't help curb the lust towards her with how she acted and dressed on these occasions. After all, her current plan to win Draco over was a clever one, which was to spark his alpha male possessiveness.

Whether it would work though, was up in the air. Amber faced the crowd and place one arm on her waist while the other lay to her side, smirking sensually at the crowd.

"The Fifth Player Auction is about to begin. Once again, I shall be your host! Pleases make sure to check the rules if you are new, or remember them if you are a recurring visitor."

"We will accept platinum, Aether Crystals, and Umbra Points as your bids, but the latter two will be given priority. Without further ado, let's jump into the first items for the day, a set of Legendary equipment!"

A large display case was rolled out, with a chestplate, greaves, two pauldrons, and two boots. They were styled in a similar way to a phoenix, and had a variety of red hues coloring its form.

"This is the Phoenix Warrior Set, a heavy armor set for various classes that mostly focuses on agility." Amber introduced with a smile.

The crowd gasped and Amber nodded. "That's right. Wearing this heavy armor will be the equivalent to wearing a cloth armor to the person who equips it, yet they will benefit from the full defensive prowess of actual heavy armor!"

"The greatest weakness of heavy armor, curbed finally in this set! The starting price is 120,000 platinum, with a minimum increment of 500!"

"Let the bidding, begin!" Amber called out as she banged the gavel.

"125,000 platinum!"

"150,000 platinum!"

"175,000 platinum!"

The price increased greatly as many Rank 5 and above parties fervently bid for it. Apart from the fact that it was a set of Legendary armor, it was also perfect for heavy armor users, able to make a paladin-like class go from a semi-tank to a fully offensive warrior of light.

Eventually, it was sold for above 200,000 platinum, with many other items following up that were sold for hundreds of thousands of platinum during the first part of the auction. These were mostly creations of the Goddess Descendants from Vita that had no use to Umbra or were better sold to acquire more raw materials so they could practice with.

The second half of the auction had monsters like the Advanced Spatial Creation Device brought out, in which the VIP rooms awoke from their ancient slumber and made those on the floors below understand the phrase 'money talks, bullshit walks'.

However, there was an uproar in the auction as, right after the devices were sold for exorbitant prices, the materials to upgrade them were introduced in large quantities. Their prices too were not something to scoff at, showing that Umbra had planned this with malicious intentions!