Li Renshu added, "Besides this, there's another point worth noting.

"The current rules don't mention how the gold coins spent during the auction will be handled, whether they will be redistributed at the end of the game or just disappear.

"While we shouldn't be stingy with the gold coins and should bid for lots to build shelters, we also need to be as frugal as possible to obtain lots at a lower price.

"Because there may be other places to spend money in the second stage."

Zheng Jie pondered for a moment and nodded suddenly, "Indeed, we can't bid on every plot; that would be a loss."

Cao Haichuan added, "But since we're the second last to choose, how we choose depends on the previous communities.

"Stay as far away as possible from the Nine-Box Grids selected by other communities.

"If we must be adjacent to other communities, we should try to be adjacent to those with weaker bidding intentions."

After reaching a consensus, the group went to the console in front of the square.

Before the game officially started, each community had to choose its 'Priority Development Area'.

But because there was enough time, the players from these communities were still thinking and discussing and did not rush to make a choice.

The community with the least visa time chose the Nine-Box Grid first, in the order of Community 12, Community 7, Community 9, Community 17, and Community 15.

Two players from Community 12 stepped forward first, choosing the G7 Nine-Box Grid, which is the bottom right corner of the entire field.

Li Renshu whispered to Zhou Guifen, "Aunt Zhou, do you know all the players from Community 12?"

Zhou Guifen glanced briefly and replied in a low voice, "I only know two people."

Li Renshu continued, "What about Chen Guangming, the one who went with Fan Zehui to choose the Nine-Box Grid?"

Zhou Guifen shook her head, "I don't know."

Chen Guangming seemed scholarly, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Judging from how he went with Fan Zehui to choose the Nine-Box Grid, he probably has a good amount of influence among the five people in Community 12.

Among these five, Zhou Guifen did not know three, suggesting that these three players were likely newcomers.

Due to the high mortality rate in Community 12 and the relatively few times newcomers participate in games, they are more likely to be selected for this game.

Previously in 'Wealthy Dynasty', Community 17 had a confrontation with Fan Zehui; seeing him again this time, Zhou Guifen felt a bit awkward.

It's probably difficult to establish cooperation again.

But Li Renshu didn't mind, as they could still cooperate with other communities, like Community 9 or Community 15.

Moreover, based on the current game's rules, there might not be many opportunities for cooperation between communities, at most discussing not to deliberately raise prices during the Nine-Box Grid auctions.

Next was Community 7, led by a female player named Jin Cheng, who chose the top left corner's A1 Nine-Box Grid.

Community 7 had only been encountered once, where the domestic violence murderer Fei Xiong was located in the 'Fertility Judgment'.

There were some minor conflicts but not as irreconcilable as with Community 12, so cooperation might still be possible if the timing is right.

In terms of the Nine-Box Grid selection, Community 12 chose the bottom right while Community 7 chose the top left, these being the two most distant grids.

Clearly, the other communities reached a similar conclusion: the corners' Nine-Box Grids have less competition when choosing the 'Priority Development Area'.

Moreover, Community 12's priority in choosing a corner Nine-Box Grid inevitably influences the decisions of subsequent communities.

Then it was Community 9's turn. The male player stepping forward was Zhang Shichao, and he chose another corner: the bottom left A7.

Since Community 9 had been encountered in both 'Blood Poker' and 'Matchmaking Game', it could be a target for negotiation.

Soon, it was Community 17's turn to choose.

Li Renshu had previously discussed with Cao Haichuan and chose the last remaining corner: the top right G1 Nine-Box Grid.

Thus, all four corner Nine-Box Grids were selected.

Finally, it was the turn of Community 15, which they had never encountered in the game before.

The leading player was a scruffy, bearded middle-aged man named Wang Weidong.

He had been standing in front of the console, pondering for a long time.

From the order, Community 15 was the last to choose a Nine-Box Grid, which was the worst situation.

Because the previous four communities would certainly distance themselves from each other, it didn't matter much which corner they chose.

But Community 15 was the last to choose, and all remaining options were central Nine-Box Grids, meaning they would inevitably be adjacent to two other communities.

The denser the area, the more intense the competition, naturally.

The players hadn't engaged in much cross-community communication yet.

This could be because some people learned a lesson in 'Wealthy Dynasty', knowing that it was better to use the pre-game time for internal community discussions.

However, Wang Weidong from Community 15 didn't directly choose a Nine-Box Grid. Instead, he looked at other communities' players and made a surprising statement.

"If any community is willing to give me 20 gold coins, I'll choose the Nine-Box Grid farthest from them.

"It's a good deal; is anyone interested?"

This surprised all the players.

Zhang Shichao from Community 9 frowned, "You are the richest community in the entire game, richer even than Community 17.

"And now you're asking us for money?"

Wang Weidong shrugged indifferently, "What's strange about that? Little by little adds up, and the more thrifty one is, the more money one has.

"For our community, it doesn't matter which of the remaining four Nine-Box Grids we choose, so it's a voluntary transaction, fair to all.

"How about it, is anyone willing to spend? If not, I'll just choose randomly.

"After all, for us, it makes no difference which one we choose."

The people from other communities glanced at each other, showing varied expressions.

20 gold coins weren't much, but they also weren't a small number.

Each community could have up to 50 free gold coins and 100 exchangeable gold coins, and exchanging all of them means spending all the visa time.

These gold coins are essentially non-renewable resources; spending one means one less.

According to the game rules, shelters can be sold to earn audience gold coins in the second stage.

No one knows how many gold coins the auction will cost or whether building shelters will consume gold coins; every coin must be carefully accounted for.

According to the game's selection rules, the chosen players are relatively weak within their community, with little visa time and a conservative game mentality, making it difficult to make such decisions.

Li Renshu glanced at Cao Haichuan, and they both shook their heads slightly.

One reason is that Community 17 has more visa time, making gold coins more valuable, so giving them away isn't worthwhile;

Another reason is that this action might incur resentment from other communities.

Chen Guangming from Community 12 considered and said, "We are somewhat interested, but we're only willing to give 10 gold coins."

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