Universal Shelter: I have a gold entry at each level!

Chapter 031: Don’t Play That! The Blueprint That Shocked the Crowd Again!

“3,000 units of wood!”

“3,500 units of wood!”

“4,300 units of wood!”

“…”

After one round of bidding, Lin Xuan’s elemental fruit was quickly snatched up for 4,300 units of wood. In the ensuing commotion, the buyer, much like Liu Ziming earlier, eagerly consumed the fruit with high expectations. However, after a dozen minutes passed, he failed to awaken any elemental affinity. This outcome hit him hard.

Soon afterward, amid sympathetic murmurs from the crowd, the disappointed buyer left the scene in a dejected state.

“Ah, what a pity—wasting so much wood! How many trees will he have to chop down to make that money back?”

“Well, you can’t really blame him. If he doesn’t buy it now, he’ll end up buying one eventually.”

“Right, knowing the result in advance means that even if he gets another elemental fruit later, he could just sell it. In the end, it’s not a loss.”

“It’s destiny—there’s nothing to complain about!”

As everyone watched him leave, whispers filled the room. On stage, Liu Ziming’s gaze shifted to Lin Xuan.

“Anything else?”

“Another one.”

Lin Xuan nodded. Earlier, he had acquired four elemental fruits in total. Since he no longer needed them, he decided to trade them all for wood.

At that moment, Liu Ziming curled his lips into a knowing smile, as if he’d seen this coming. However, what he hadn’t anticipated was that when Lin Xuan flipped his hand, what emerged wasn’t another elemental fruit—but a book.

“Take it at a fixed price: 3,000 units of wood.”

Lin Xuan tossed the book over to Liu Ziming. The latter instinctively caught it, pausing in astonishment. Liu Ziming was puzzled—what sort of item was so valuable that it demanded 3,000 units of wood?!

As Liu Ziming examined the book, his eyes widened in delight once he recognized what it was. Yet, as a scion of a merchant family, he quickly masked his excitement and remarked to Lin Xuan:

“It’s a skill book for Fireball, but 3,000 is too steep a price.”

“After all, it’s not like I can’t get one for myself,” Liu Ziming tried to haggle.

But Lin Xuan replied,

“Don’t even try that. Even if you could obtain one, it certainly wouldn’t be today. If you get killed by monsters in the game later, then it won’t matter whether it costs a fortune or not.”

Few knew the true background of Liu Ziming, but Lin Xuan did. He was well aware that Liu Ziming, behind that ordinary facade, managed a food processing plant that had brought him considerable profits. Initially, the factory had not been very successful—until Liu Ziming’s father, wanting to toughen him up, let him run wild. Then, when the game descended upon the world, Liu Ziming transformed his fortunes overnight. Using that very factory, he upgraded his shelter into a top-tier refuge.

One must remember that the man had only a basic talent. The only reason for his achievements was that food factory. Even his parents never expected to benefit from his endeavors one day.

Liu Ziming’s luck further improved when he inadvertently processed and stored a large quantity of food, which eventually earned him a windfall. Yet, lacking the coveted castle blueprints, his base remained at the top-tier refuge level. Otherwise, his shelter would likely have been upgraded to a castle level.

“2,500 units!”

“Forget it.”

“Alright, alright—I’ll have someone fetch it for you.”

In the end, Liu Ziming relented and quickly assembled 3,000 units of wood to pay Lin Xuan.

Afterward, Lin Xuan produced another elemental fruit and resumed the auction. Following another round of rapid bidding, the third elemental fruit sold for 4,400 units. However, this time the buyer did not consume the fruit on the spot—a fact that left many disappointed.

“I’ve got another one!”

“This is the last one!”

Lin Xuan declared emphatically as he presented the final elemental fruit. At this, the crowd grew anxious—some even made phone calls on the spot to borrow wood from friends. Ever the shrewd operator, Liu Ziming quickly announced a 30-minute postponement for the auction. In no time, everyone scurried off to secure more wood.

After half an hour, Liu Ziming resumed the bidding:

“4,000 units of wood!”

“4,200 units of wood!”

“4,600 units of wood!”

The auction restarted with bids soaring past 4,000 units and, with successive offers, eventually breaking the 5,000 mark. Finally, the last elemental fruit was sold to a young man for 5,450 units of wood.

“Is that all?” Liu Ziming asked Lin Xuan.

Upon receiving Lin Xuan’s head shake in response, Liu Ziming felt a tinge of disappointment. Yet, as the host, he quickly composed himself and prepared to invite other bidders. But Lin Xuan interrupted him once more.

“I’m out of elemental fruits.”

“But I have something else.”

With that, Lin Xuan pulled out a blueprint. His action immediately captured everyone’s attention—after all, tonight Lin Xuan had already delivered shock after shock.

“Blueprint?”

“Is it for weapons, armor, or perhaps potions?”

Liu Ziming inquired as he examined the blueprint in Lin Xuan’s hand. Although equipment blueprints were not uncommon, given Lin Xuan’s status, this one must be of high caliber. The fact that he unveiled it last spoke volumes about its value—likely surpassing that of the elemental fruits.

This thought echoed in everyone’s mind:

“This tycoon strikes again!”

“It appears to be an equipment blueprint. Could it be worth even more than the elemental fruit?”

“Possibly—if I had to guess, this blueprint must be of very high quality.”

“Could it be for mid-tier equipment? If so, it’s indeed rarer than an elemental fruit.”

“…”

Amid all the speculation, Lin Xuan slowly revealed the blueprint’s purpose:

“This is a blueprint for a shelter—it can upgrade a safe house into a full-fledged shelter!”

BOOM—!

Upon hearing Lin Xuan’s explanation, the room exploded with astonishment. Every face turned toward him in wide-eyed disbelief. Even Liu Ziming, struck by the revelation, shuddered in surprise.

Just then, an impatient voice rang out from afar:

“I want that blueprint!!!”