TERROR MOUNTAIN - The average Neopian today has a bank account with less than
10,000 Neopoints in it, a Safety Deposit Box filled with bottles of sand and
keyrings, and a Neopet who is absolutely sick of omelettes. Very few Neopians
have an account worth over 100,000, and even less have over 500,000.
A month ago I was somewhere in the middle. My bank account was a little past
120,000. My pets (Artyp and Norpel), lived comfortably in our NeoHome on Chia
Close. They never ate omelettes, and were content to munch away on hamburgers
and chicken burritos while slurping down banana milkshakes. I never really went
haywire and bought things that I knew my pets didn't need, but things that they
really wanted I had no qualms about buying for them.
I never considered myself rich, either. I knew that I could afford what I
needed, and we had enough to live comfortably. If I were to go on vacation,
I had enough to leave my pets in quality care with good benefits.
But then, the unbelievable happened.
I was lounging about in my guild message board (GO Angels and Avengers!) and
watching a virtual pillow fight with my pets, when someone mentioned that they'd
just won a prize from the Snow Faerie that they had sold for about 20,000 Neopoints.
I was intrigued.
I scampered over to Terror Mountain and stopped by the Snow Faerie's home
for a visit. She pouted at me and gave me her little Bambi eyes and positively
begged me to help her. Now, I'd never been to the Snow Faerie before, so I didn't
really know what to expect. So I agreed to help her. She was thrilled. She gave
me a short shopping list, mostly covered in forms of Neopets covered in chocolate,
and told me to just nip right out and pick her up a few things.
The chocolate didn't come cheap, about 10,000 Neopoints But I figured that
a prize worth 20,000 was still a profit of 10,000, so I didn't worry too much.
Boy was I in for a surprise.
I made it back to the Snow Faerie in a little over ten minutes. I handed her
the chocolate, and eagerly awaited my prize.
"Thanks!" cried the Snow Faerie, tossing a package to Norpel.
Norpel picked it up and unwrapped it. And out into his adorable little baby
paws fell... a Dark Battle Duck.
For those of you who are relatively new to Neopets, this statement might not
hit you with quite the same force as it does to our more enlightened readers.
I happened to remember that Battle Ducks had been released a couple months before,
and I knew that they must be worth a lot. At least my 20,000. Maybe even 30,000.
I hurried back to my guild for a price evaluation.
This is the part where I was surprised. (Thanks Nick!)
20,000? 30,000? Try 1,200,000. Over a million. I nearly fainted. Norpel did.
Thus began my initiation into The Land of the Rich Neopians
Two weeks later, I had sold my Battle Duck. I didn't need it, my Neopets didn't
battle. My total earnings from the sale had been (spread out over multiple Neopoint/item
trades): 1 Fire Paint Brush (for Artyp) and 670,000 Neopoints. People have been
telling me that I probably have more Neopoints than them, and I'm shocked when
they say, "I only have one million. How about you?" I have entered the Land
of the Rich Neopians I have been hit up for money and paint brushes. I have
been begged for Neopoint making advice and Battledome equipment. And all because
of one, tiny, black, duck.
And by the way, I'm not gonna give you anything, so don't bother asking. | 
