Chapter 483
Chapter 483: Everlasting War
Although the fight in Watch Cemetery had not been on a large scale, it had dealt a massive blow to Overwhelming Smile.
This was not a matter of winning or losing. Instead, it was because Overwhelming Smile had conceded.
This one point proved that Overwhelming Smile was inferior to Zero Wing.
In addition, Shi Feng’s stunning performance had calmed the rush to join Overwhelming Smile.
Previously, they all had an optimistic view on Overwhelming Smile, believing that the Guild was about to overtake the position of White River City’s overlord. Now, however, the situation had taken a 180-degree turn.
Needing only one hit per person, Shi Feng had wiped out all of Overwhelming Smile’s experts within the Watch Cemetery. Without that hindrance, Zero Wing’s Tier 1 experts were able to display their strength as they swiftly wiped out the normal members from Overwhelming Smile, forcing the Guild to pull back from the treasured land known as the Watch Cemetery.
The Watch Cemetery was White River City’s most resource-rich Level 20 to 30 map. Losing it would undoubtedly be detrimental to Overwhelming Smile’s future development.
Although Overwhelming Smile was wealthy, that wealth would be meaningless if they could not convert it into leveling resources.
—
The sky slowly darkened as the setting sun gradually disappeared past the horizon. After a day’s struggle, many players had begun to return to the city to rest and celebrate their day’s harvest. Bars, restaurants, clubs, and many such establishments were already crowded.
At this moment, in the rooftop dining room of a high-class restaurant, two female players feasted on delicacies as they enjoyed the view of White River City. Many male players present snuck glances at these two women.
Of the two female players, one was petite and lovely, while still sporting stunning curves.
The other was even more beautiful. Her face was so pure that it put flowers to shame and outshone the moon. Her snow-white skin looked so delicate that it seemed as if it might break from the gentlest touch. Currently, although she wore a long, aqua-blue mage robe, trimmed in gold, the clothing failed to conceal her graceful body.
These two were none other than Blue Bamboo and Thoughtful Rain, the pair that had originally planned to join Overwhelming Smile.
“Blue, what did I tell you? Look how quickly Zero Wing suppressed Overwhelming Smile,” Thoughtful Rain said as she glanced at Blue Bamboo, the gentle smile in her ink-black eyes intensifying.
Previously, due to her refusal to join Overwhelming Smile, Blue Bamboo had pestered her ceaselessly, giving her a huge headache. Only now that Zero Wing had forced Overwhelming Smile to submit did the girl finally relent.
“Overwhelming Smile is truly disappointing! To think that I thought so highly of it, it actually dared to let me down! I don’t want to join Overwhelming Smile anymore, either!” Blue Bamboo pouted, disappointed.
“I already told you that Zero Wing is far superior to Overwhelming Smile. After all, it was the first Guild to own a Guild Residence in White River City. Not only that, it claimed the best residence available in White River City. It also has plenty of experts. Currently, the various Guilds in White River City barely have any Tier 1 experts in their Guilds. Yet, I hear that Zero Wing already has over 50. Zero Wing has long since taken the lead. Furthermore, its Guild Leader, Black Flame, is a titled expert.” Thoughtful Rain’s thin lips shifted slightly as she explained, smiling tenderly.
“Since that’s the case, why don’t we join Zero Wing?” Blue Bamboo could not help but have expectations.
“Zero Wing’s exam is very strict. I might be able to pass it, but I’m afraid that you…” Thoughtful Rain shook her head after evaluating Blue Bamboo.
“Humph. Who says my techniques are bad? I’ve only recently begun playing virtual reality games. After some time, I’ll be more amazing than even Black Flame. Besides…” Blue Bamboo’s ink-black eyes suddenly shone as she revealed a meaningful smile, saying, “Rain, I know that you’ve encountered one of the higher-ups of Zero Wing before. His name was Ye Feng, I think? He gave you a permanent pass to the library. All of my classmates turned green with envy when I told them about that item. Since he gave you such a precious pass, he should be able to admit us into the Guild without any issues with his position.”
“I am only acquaintances with him. Blue, stop overthinking things,” Thoughtful Rain hurriedly explained. “Besides, if he invites you into Zero Wing, and you perform badly, what then? Others will question his ability to manage the Guild.”
“Are you my best friend or his? You’re actually defending him, yet, you claim that there is nothing going on between you two? I don’t care. In any case, I want to join Zero Wing! I have always wanted a piece of Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment. With your felonious body, you just have to say the word, and he’ll let me into the Guild and smother us with Fine-Gold Equipment!” Blue Bamboo stated as she swept a glance at Thoughtful Rain’s graceful body, her lips hooked up into a deep, suggestive smile.
Thoughtful Rain was suddenly speechless.
At this moment, a party of six suddenly appeared before the female duo. The leader of this party was a middle-aged man with a burly body, examining the two with world-weary eyes. None of the party could be underestimated as the other five also gave off an air of danger.
The party’s stance alone left the surrounding witnesses breathless.
Their Levels were even more astonishing. Of these six, the lowest leveled player was Level 26, while the leading middle-aged man was a Level 27 Guardian Knight.
“Excuse me, ladies, I couldn’t help but overhear that the both of you are familiar with the higher-ups of Zero Wing. I wonder if you can introduce us to them? If you do, this Level 25 Morning Dew Staff will be yours,” the leading middle-aged man said, smiling warmly. He then retrieved a two-handed staff made of pure white jade from his bag, placing the weapon on the table.
Red gemstones were inlaid in the staff, and with a glance, it was obvious that the staff was no ordinary weapon.
“Wah! This is a Secret-Silver staff! Its Attributes are awesome!” Blue Bamboo was immediately mesmerized by the Morning Dew Staff. She then turned to Thoughtful Rain, saying, “Rain, we’re heading over to Zero Wing anyway, so why don’t we take them with us?”
“I don’t know. Why do you want to meet Zero Wing’s higher-ups?” Thoughtful Rain only swept a glance over the Morning Dew Staff before shifting her gaze back to the middle-aged man.
She was no fool.
Since they had offered a Level 25 Secret-Silver Weapon as a token of appreciation, then they were definitely plotting something. She would not be a proper friend if she abruptly contacted Ye Feng without knowing their intentions.
“Miss, please don’t misunderstand. My name is Everlasting War. We seek the higher-ups of Zero Wing purely with the intention of conducting trade. This trade will only benefit, not harm, Zero Wing, so you can rest assured. If we really wanted to cause trouble for Zero Wing, we would have already done so. We wouldn’t have to go through this much trouble,” the middle-aged man explained.
“Alright, then. I’ll contact him for you, but it will be up to him whether or not he meets with you,” Thoughtful Rain nodded in agreement, feeling that Everlasting War’s words sounded reasonable.
Following which, Thoughtful Rain called up her friends list and contacted Ye Feng.
Chapter 484: King
Currently, Shi Feng carefully scoured one of the dark, quiet tombs in Watch Cemetery’s core region.
While he explored, Shi Feng had received news from Aqua Rose about Overwhelming Smile withdrawing from the competition over the Watch Cemetery and shifting its focus to several other Level 20 maps with fewer resources. The members of Overwhelming Smile had also begun to keep a low profile.
With the threat of Overwhelming Smile gone, Shi Feng decided to transverse deep into Watch Cemetery’s core.
The tomb he currently explored was unique. It was a resting place for royalty. It was also known as a “King’s Tomb.”
Locating this particular tomb had not been easy. As it had been built to prevent grave robbers from plundering the valuables buried with the dead, this place had been carefully hidden; it had been built inside a cave under a steep cliff. After its construction, the original path used to travel to this place had been destroyed. After several hundred years, vines had covered the cliff, making it even more difficult to notice the cave.
In the past, a skilled Assassin had accidentally discovered this location. Afterward, that Assassin had led a powerful team to the King’s Tomb and successfully plundered the treasure inside. After claiming the treasure, he sold the item for over 1,000 Gold, earning everyone’s envy Even so, in the God’s Domain of that time, the Assassin had still taken a loss when he sold the item.
Why had it been a loss?
Although the item was utterly worthless to an independent player, to Guilds, it was priceless.
Various large Guilds would willingly spend 2,000 or 3,000 Gold, much less 1,000.
The treasure the Assassin had found was a Guild Residence Promotion Order.
All Guild Residences started out as a 1-star Residence when established. If a Guild wished to upgrade it to a 2-star Residence, they needed to meet two requirements. First, a Guild needed a sufficient amount of Guild Popularity; the second thing they needed was a 2-star Guild Residence Promotion Order.
If a Guild Residence reached 2-star status, the Guild could establish certain facilities that were unavailable to a 1-star Residence. More importantly, a Guild Residence’s Private Rooms would change.
Guilds could only establish 1-star Private Rooms in a 1-star Residence, whereas 2-star Private Rooms could be established in a 2-star Residence. By resting for 24 hours in a 1-star Private Room, players could store up to 20% of the Double EXP buff. In a 2-star Private Room, however, players could store up to 25% after 24 hours.
In addition, a Guild could establish a Smithy inside a 2-star Residence, allowing members to have their weapons and equipment repaired. Moreover, the repair fees as the Guild’s smithy were 10% cheaper than elsewhere. Repair fees were always expensive. Although there was only a 10% difference, players could still save a significant amount of money.
Currently, Zero Wing’s Popularity had exceeded 5,000 points; it had met that requirement for the upgrade. Hence, now was the perfect time for Shi Feng to collect the Promotion Order.
Danger awaited any player inside the King’s Tomb as traps had been built throughout the crypt. Unfortunately, none of these traps proved to be useful against Shi Feng.
He destroyed every trap he encountered with a single slash.
“This should be it,” Shi Feng muttered as he entered a majestic stone room, focusing on the tightly sealed white jade sarcophagus lined with gold that occupied the center of the room. Wetting his lips, he advanced towards the sarcophagus.
When Shi Feng was only 20 yards away, the sarcophagus suddenly opened. Black smoke slithered out of the sarcophagus. Soon, the black smoke coalesced into a youth in golden armor. The youth had a white cape draped over his shoulders and a golden crown adorning his head. More importantly, the youth carried the air of a king; anyone who basked in his aura would tremble and submit body and soul.
However, this youth’s body was currently in a half-transparent, ethereal state. He was not a physical entity, but a ghost. To be precise, this youth was the ghost of a king.
“As expected of the king of a generation. Even in death, his still possesses such a powerful aura. If he were still alive, I’d have no hope of escaping with my life,” Shi Feng muttered after observing this ghost king with Omniscient Eyes.
[King of Ghosts, Monroe Bell] (High Lord)
Level 30
HP 4,000,000/4,000,000
Being capable of receiving the title of King proved that Monroe Bell had been a Tier 3 class before he died. The pair of swords in Monroe’s hands indicated that he had been a Tier 3 Sword King, the equivalent of a Great Lord, during his lifetime. However, after Monroe Bell died, he had weakened significantly. Now, he was only as strong as a High Lord. Even so, he would not be an easy challenge for Shi Feng.
Immediately, Shi Feng activated Heavenly Dragon’s Power, increasing his Strength by 100%, HP by 300%, and Defense by 300%.
Suddenly, Shi Feng’s HP rose past 27,000. However, his HP could not compete with the King of Ghosts, which possessed 4,000,000 HP. Shi Feng then used the activatable skill of the Seven Luminaries Ring’s Aura of Water, Life Bloom, recovering 20% of his HP every second for 40 seconds. During this period, it would be the equivalent of having a powerful healer healing him indefinitely.
“Graverobber, receive the Sword of Justice’s retribution!”
Monroe Bell’s pitch-black eyes locked onto Shi Feng. Taking a step forward, the King of Ghosts dashed towards Shi Feng as he sent a flurry of sword thrusts at the intruder with his King’s Sword.
The King of Ghosts’ sword carried with it a majestic aura. The aura alone was enough to scare an ordinary player, much less the flurry of thrusts. Monroe Bell’s attack was like a tsunami; he gave Shi Feng no opportunity to evade the strikes.
Shi Feng immediately activated Purgatory Power, allowing his Attack Speed to soar. He then used Wind Blade and charged forward.
Facing the countless oncoming sword thrusts, Shi Feng chose to face brutality with grace, and rather than confronting the attack head-on, he deflected the strikes to the side. However, despite the extreme speed of his swords and the fact that he was already in the Flowing Water Realm, he could not keep up with the dozens of sword thrusts. As a result, he received multiple hits.
Shi Feng was not courageous enough to face Monroe Bell directly.
A High Lord far surpassed an ordinary Lord. Monroe Bell suppressed Shi Feng completely in terms of Strength and speed. Even if Shi Feng activated twofold berserk, the result would be the same. Furthermore, Monroe Bell was not an ordinary High Lord. The King of Ghosts had been a bona fide Sword King before he died. In terms of combat technique utilization, he was even stronger than ordinary experts. Hence, challenging the High Lord in a direct confrontation would only be detrimental to Shi Feng.
If Shi Feng had not reached the Flowing Water Realm, gaining insight into an opponent’s actions, he would never have come here, only to die.
After all, Level 30 was a dividing line in God’s Domain. Monroe Bell’s Attack Power was also terrifying. Shi Feng had received close to -2,000 damage from a casual slash and more than -4,000 damage if the King of Ghosts struck him with a skill. If Shi Feng had not activated Heavenly Dragon’s Power, increasing his Defense significantly, Monroe Bell’s normal attack could have dealt over -4,000 damage, whereas a skill would deal over -10,000.
As Shi Feng received damage, Life Bloom displayed its impressive effects. After factoring in the passive effects of the Aura of Water, Life Bloom regenerated more than 8,000 HP every second; the amount of healing Shi Feng received surpassing the damage he received.
While Shi Feng and the King of Ghosts fought an intense battle against each other, a figure had stealthily appeared beside the sarcophagus and proceeded to open the treasure chest within.
This treasure chest did not have a level restriction, so anybody could open it. However, opening it required 20 seconds. During this period, the person opening the treasure chest must not receive any damage. Otherwise, they would have to start the opening process all over again.
Meanwhile, the person currently opening the treasure chest was none other than Shi Feng’s doppelganger.
Although the doppelganger could not pick up any items, it could open the treasure chest.
In the past, the 50-man team the Assassin had led had similarly made various sacrifices to open the treasure chest before fleeing for their lives.
Although Shi Feng was alone, he still chose to give the King’s Tomb a try. After all, not only did he possess the strength to resist a High Lord for a short time, but he also had his doppelganger. No one else would have a chance of completing the task by themselves.
The moment the doppelganger opened the treasure chest, Shi Feng instantly swapped positions with it, having his doppelganger delay Monroe Bell while he looted the contents of the treasure chest.
Monroe Bell was simply too powerful. Shi Feng’s doppelganger barely lasted three seconds before it died.
However, during those three seconds, Shi Feng had emptied the treasure chest. Seeing Monroe Bell charge towards him, Shi Feng hurriedly switched the Aura of Water to the Aura of Space before activating Space Movement and leaving the King’s Tomb.
Chapter 485: Number One Guild
Near one of the mass graves in Watch Cemetery’s outer region…
A tear in space suddenly appeared in mid-air. In the next moment, Shi Feng emerged.
“I finally escaped.”
Even after Shi Feng landed, he could still hear the King of Ghosts’ angry roars.
However, the tear in space had already closed. Even if Monroe Bell recovered his strength as a Tier 3 Sword King, he could not reach Shi Feng now.
Now that I have the Promotion Order, it should be about time to make a trip back to White River City. Shi Feng’s lips curled up slightly when he saw the glittering silver token in his bag.
Originally, he had only intended to retrieve this Guild Residence Promotion Order after he reached Level 30. However, he had not expected to set foot in the Flowing Water Realm. Even though he was only Level 26, he was already capable of delaying Monroe Bell.
Other than the Promotion Order, Shi Feng had obtained three items from the King’s Tomb. Of these three items, one was a fiery-red two-handed staff, one was an azure two-handed greatsword, and the last was a silver stone tablet.
Appraising these items with Omniscient Eyes, Shi Feng discovered that both the two-handed staff and two-handed sword were actually Level 30 Dark-Gold Weapons. However, the silver tablet surprised Shi Feng far more than the two weapons.
Shi Feng was very familiar with this silver tablet.
[Secret Sword Technique]
The pattern engraved on this tablet is too vague and incomplete, and no information can be deciphered. However, some kind of divine power hides within this pattern. If one gathers all of the stone tablets, this vague and incomplete pattern can be restored.
Current tablet count (1/6)
The tablet for the Secret Sword Technique… Shi Feng had accidentally obtained a part of it while he had completed the Blade Saint’s Legacy Trial. Back then, he had suspected that the silver tablet was something extraordinary, so he had stored it in his Warehouse.
He never expected to obtain another piece so soon.
“Just what is this Secret Sword Technique?” Despite examining the tablet, Shi Feng could not find any differences between the tablet he had just obtained and the one he had found in the Origin Sword Domain. The two pieces looked identical. Shi Feng even suspected that the piece he stored inside his Warehouse had somehow grown legs and run to the King’s Tomb by itself. “Forget it. Let’s head back for now.”
Following which, Shi Feng retrieved a Return Scroll. However, just as he was about to start channeling…
Di… Di… Di…
Suddenly, Shi Feng’s communicator rang. Thoughtful Rain, a girl he had only met once before, was contacting him.
“Is she looking to buy equipment?” Shi Feng looked at Thoughtful Rain’s name, feeling slightly surprised.
Previously, when he had met Thoughtful Rain at White River City’s Library, the latter had expressed her interest in purchasing weapons and equipment from him.
Shi Feng felt a sense of familiarity from Thoughtful Rain. Now that his brain activity had increased, he could recall even the smallest fragment of the past. Yet, even after his memories had refreshed, he still could not recall the girl. He only felt that she was familiar, but he did not know why.
“Miss Rain, since you have contacted me, are you interested in purchasing some equipment?” Shi Feng asked pleasantly, smiling.
“I’d like to, but today, I’m contacting you because I have found a big business opportunity for you,” Thoughtful Rain said, smiling sweetly. “A group of people just happen to overhear me when I spoke about our acquaintance. In the end, these people asked me to contact you for them. They hope to meet with you now. Do you have the time?”
“Who are these people?” Shi Feng asked.
“He says his name is Everlasting War. He’s a Level 27 Guardian Knight, and his companions are all Level 26. From the looks of it, they seem quite powerful, and they have excellent equipment. I’m assuming that someone with significant financial power backs them,” Thoughtful Rain said.
“Alright, then let’s meet at Zero Wing’s Guild Residence,” Shi Feng nodded before disconnecting the call. He then activated the Return Scroll.
Shi Feng had heard of Everlasting War before. That person had been a famous character in God’s Domain, having the title of Everlasting War God. He was also an apex expert, and his fame was not the slightest bit inferior to Summer Sunshine’s. In a direct confrontation, even Summer Sunshine would not be a match for Everlasting War.
Twenty seconds later, Shi Feng transformed into a streak of white light as he teleported back to White River City.
—
The sky gradually darkened. A large number of players had returned to the city, and people crowded the streets. Passing through the lively streets, Shi Feng soon arrived at the Bank. He then stored all of the top-tier and advanced equipment he had obtained in the Guild’s Warehouse.
He also placed the Level 30 Dark-Gold staff, the Roaring Blaze Staff, and the Level 30 Dark-Gold greatsword, the Azure Heart, on full display in the Guild’s Warehouse.
For a time, the members of Zero Wing went into an uproar.
The war between Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile had significantly depleted the stock of equipment inside the Guild’s Warehouse. Now, however, over 1,000 pieces of equipment had suddenly appeared. Aside from the large amount of advanced equipment, the stock of top-tier equipment had already exceeded 100 pieces.
Beyond that, there were actually Level 30 Dark-Gold Weapons inside the Guild’s Warehouse!
Currently, the players of various large Guilds still struggled to obtain Level 25 equipment. Bronze Equipment was a challenge to obtain, much less Mysterious-Iron. On the other hand, their Guild had Level 30 weapons; they were Dark-Gold Weapons to boot! They were definitely the best weapons in all of God’s Domain right now.
However, shortly after everyone in the Guild started spreading the news, Shi Feng had arrived at the Adventurer’s Association. He handed over the Guild Residence Promotion Order, officially promoting Zero Wing’s Residence to a 2-star Residence.
Star-Moon Kingdom System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom to own a 2-star Guild Residence! Rewarding 30,000 Guild Popularity, 500 Gold Coins to the Guild, and one Guild Smithy Promotion Order.
White River City System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first Guild in White River City to own a 2-star Guild Residence! Rewarding 10,000 Guild Popularity and 200 Gold Coins.
…
The system announcement repeated three times, and every player in White River City heard it loud and clear.
“Damn! What is this crap? Our Guild hasn’t even obtained a Guild Residence, yet, already, Zero Wing has a 2-star Guild Residence?”
“What’s this 2-star Residence thingy?”
“Lots and lots of money!”
Suddenly, Star-Moon Kingdom’s official forums exploded with activity. Everyone discussed Zero Wing, and the various large Guilds had also begun asking around about the benefits of a 2-star Guild Residence. Also, what was a Guild Smithy Promotion Order?
However, the activity on Star-Moon Kingdom’s forums paled in comparison to White River City’s.
“Zero Wing is simply too amazing! Overwhelming Smile has only managed to establish its Guild Residence after much difficulty, yet, Zero Wing has already obtained a 2-star Guild Residence!”
“I’ve just received news that Zero Wing’s Warehouse has received an influx of top-tier equipment! There are even Level 30 Dark-Gold Weapons in there! Now, Zero Wing’s Guild Residence has been promoted to 2-stars! Zero Wing is simply overpowered!”
“It seems that Zero Wing is still the true overlord of White River City. Although Overwhelming Smile is rich, it still cannot compete with Zero Wing. Now, even Overwhelming Smile’s financial power in the game is no match for Zero Wing. We will have a better future if we join Zero Wing.”
“That’s not all. I’ve just made some inquiries and found out that Guilds can establish a Guild Smithy inside a 2-star Guild Residence. The repair fees there are 10% cheaper than elsewhere. Meanwhile, that Guild Smithy Promotion Order can be used to promote a 1-star Guild Smithy into a 2-star Guild Smithy. The repair fees of a 2-star are even lower, 15% cheaper. You can save so much on repair fees alone. Other Guilds have no chance against Zero Wing.”
“All hail Zero Wing! I want to join Zero Wing!”
For a time, Zero Wing became the number one Guild in the hearts of White River City’s players of White River City. Suddenly, White River City went into a frenzy as players tried to join Zero Wing.
Chapter 486: Generous Benefits
Inside the Adventurer’s Association, Shi Feng was currently applying to establish a Forge inside Zero Wing’s Guild Residence.
“Sir, this is the model list for Smithies. In addition, there is also a list of Blacksmiths; you may choose any of the names listed there,” the NPC at the counter smiled as she passed two lists to Shi Feng.
In God’s Domain, buildings were not limited to a single model; there was a large variety of models available for players to choose from. Players could even design their own buildings, though designing one from scratch required a lot of time. If not for highlighting the uniqueness of one’s own Guild, most players would choose one of the hundreds of models that were already available.
Promotion of buildings only required a Promotion Order; there was no need to spend any money. However, constructing a new building or reconstruction required a large sum. Depending on the size of the building, the materials required, and the building’s function, the price of construction would vary.
A Guild’s Smithy was extremely important. Hence, Shi Feng needed to decide carefully.
Smithies were differentiated by three grades: Ordinary, Refined, and Luxury. Though the price of each Smithy was higher than the last, each grade was also more efficient.
Ordinary Smithies cost between 100 Gold and 200 Gold. Aside from repairing weapons and equipment, Guild members could also sell their unwanted items to the NPCs at the Smithy.
Refined Smithies cost between 300 Gold to 500 Gold. Aside from having all the functions of an Ordinary Smithy, Refined Smithies had a more refined and luxurious appearance. Refined Smithies also had a Weapon Maintenance function. If a player left their weapon in the Smithy’s care, its Durability consumption rate would drastically reduce for a period. At the same time, one could also hire Intermediate Blacksmiths if they had a Refined Smithy.
One should not underestimate the function of Blacksmiths. These Blacksmith NPCs all possess different capabilities. For example, some Blacksmiths might take less time than others to repair weapons and equipment; other Blacksmiths’ might produce stronger maintenance effects. Hence, hiring a powerful Blacksmith was of utmost importance.
Lastly, Luxury Smithies cost between 800 Gold and 1,000 Gold. Aside from having all the functions of a Refined Smithy, Luxury Smithies had a Rest Area that allowed Guild members to accumulate the Double EXP buff. However, 48 hours of rest was required to accumulate 20% of the buff. In addition, Luxury Smithies contained Forging Rooms. Moreover, these were Advanced Forging Rooms, which were far more effective than those at the Starstreak Trading Firm. One could also hire Advanced Blacksmiths.
“For the Guild’s future development, we’ll get the most benefits from the best option. Let’s choose this 1,000 Gold model, then.” After looking through the model list, Shi Feng chose one of the largest Luxury Smithies available that allowed him to invite up to 10 Blacksmiths. After deciding on the model, he began to choose his Blacksmiths.
Shi Feng had received 700 Gold from the system reward alone. In addition, he also received over 300 Gold for each Dragonscale Set Equipment that sold at the Blackwing Auction House. At this point, he had already sold more than 20 sets. Currently, Shi Feng had more than 8,000 Gold on his person, making him wealthier than any single Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom. Moreover, Gold would continue to fill his bags as more sets of Dragonscale Set Equipment sold. So, he did not mind constructing the best Smithy available.
Following which, Shi Feng chose to hire ten Advanced Blacksmiths. These ten NPCs were the most skilled Blacksmiths one could currently find. Their monthly wages ranged between 3 and 5 Gold.
After Shi Feng finished dealing with the Smithy, he searched for a secluded location to adjust his appearance back to Ye Feng. He then hailed a horse carriage and returned to Zero Wing’s Guild Residence.
When Shi Feng arrived at the Residence, he discovered a sea of players crowding the entrance, creating an extraordinarily lively atmosphere.
There were currently two Berserkers in Dragonscale Set Equipment standing guard and maintaining order at the Residence’s entrance. The Fine-Gold rank glow from the sets thoroughly awed the players who had come to sign up for the Guild.
“Is that a Fine-Gold Set Equipment?”
“I’ve seen it on the forums before. I think it’s the Dragonscale Set Equipment. Currently, a single set costs more than 300 Gold. Zero Wing is just too rich; they actually bought two sets!”
“Not just two. I hear that Zero Wing’s Warehouse also has one set available for trade.”
As the crowd discussed Zero Wing’s wealth with astonishment, the newly-constructed Smithy also attracted their attention.
The Smithy’s construction was not as tedious as the Guild Hall’s. The Smithy required much less time as it had fewer functions. As long as the Guild paid the construction fees, the Smithy could be completed in less than ten minutes.
Zero Wing’s Smithy was three stories tall. The Smithy’s Luxury-grade appearance dazzled the onlookers, and many among the crowd even believed that they had arrived at the capital city’s Advanced Smithy. The Smithy was large enough to accommodate several hundred players, and it was even larger than an Ordinary Guild Hall.
“This is my first time seeing such an extravagant Smithy!”
“Zero Wing isn’t giving Overwhelming Smile any chance of survival! Zero Wing’s Smithy is almost the same size as Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Hall! It’s so much fancier than their Guild Hall, too!”
“From what I heard from Zero Wing’s Guild members, this Smithy even has a Weapon Maintenance function that reduces the Durability consumption rate of a weapon for a certain amount of time. With this, who knows how much money we can save when grinding monsters and raiding Dungeons?”
“For this Guild Smithy alone, I’ll do anything it takes to join Zero Wing.”
The independent players who had come to participate in Zero Wing’s test watched the Guild’s transformation with reverence, their desire to join Zero Wing intensifying.
Morale among Zero Wing’s members soared when they saw the growing flood of players coming to join their Guild. Now, whenever they strode down the streets with their six-winged Emblem revealed, they would receive countless envious stares.
Standing a short distance away from the Residence’s entrance, Thoughtful Rain quickly noticed Shi Feng’s arrival. Waving her hand, she shouted, “Ye Feng, we’re over here.”
Shi Feng promptly walked over.
Standing beside Thoughtful Rain was the expert who Shi Feng was extremely familiar with, Everlasting War.
However, though Shi Feng knew about Everlasting War in the past, the reverse was not true. The five companions by his side were also outstanding experts. In the past, Shi Feng had lived in an entirely different world from them. He had failed to reach even the upper ranks of God’s Domain, much less the pyramid’s peak.
“Ye Feng, let me introduce you. This man is Everlasting War; he wishes to discuss business with you,” Thoughtful Rain slowly introduced Everlasting War’s party to Shi Feng.
At this moment, Everlasting War was shocked after evaluating Shi Feng.
The pressure he felt from Shi Feng was intense!
He had not expected Zero Wing to possess another unfathomable expert besides Black Flame.
“Hello, I am Ye Feng,” Shi Feng said, smiling faintly at Everlasting War. “This place isn’t suitable for a discussion. Why don’t we head inside to chat?”
Saying so, Shi Feng led the group into the Rest Area in the Guild Residence’s Smithy.
The Rest Area was very elegant. Even having beverages available for Guild members, this Rest Area was no less impressive than the city’s restaurants.
“Wah! Is this really a Smithy?” Trailing after Thoughtful Rain, Blue Bamboo’s eyes shone brightly as she entered Zero Wing’s Residence. It was as if she had just stepped into an entirely different realm. Secretly, she said, “Rain, look! That’s the Weapon Maintenance Room! There are such high-quality weapons inside! Even the Blacksmiths are the rarely-seen Advanced Blacksmiths! Rain, make sure you say something to Ye Feng later! With such awesome Guild benefits, it would be a huge shame if we didn’t join!”
Chapter 487: Dark Arena
Thoughtful Rain glanced at Blue Bamboo’s pleading look before examining her elegant surroundings. Indeed, no other Guild could compete with Zero Wing, so it would not be a bad choice for them to join this Guild.
“Hah… I only met Ye Feng by chance; our relationship isn’t what you imagine. I can only try my best; don’t expect too much,” Thoughtful Rain replied softly through their private chat.
“Mhm.” Blue Bamboo nodded vigorously.
Compared to Blue Bamboo’s fascination, Everlasting War and his companions only considered Zero Wing’s benefits and environment decent. However, compared to a small, unknown Guild, the sudden emergence of a great expert like Shi Feng was what truly shocked them.
Carefully observing his surroundings, Everlasting War suddenly realized that Zero Wing’s members were actually quite powerful. They were much stronger than the members of other Guilds.
As the rumors had said, Zero Wing was the true overlord of White River City.
A moment later, Shi Feng had led the group to one of the small rooms located in the Rest Area. The environment inside the room was excellent, and the pleasant aroma filling the air soothed everyone’s tense spirits.
Shi Feng had to admit that the Luxury version of the Smithy was worthy of the price. He had not spent 1,000 Gold for nothing.
“What would you like to talk about?” Shi Feng asked casually as he looked at Everlasting War.
“Originally, I had hoped to ask Brother Ye Feng to introduce us to your Guild Leader, Black Flame. However, seeing as Brother Ye Feng possesses such strength and is one of the upper-managers of Zero Wing, discussing this matter with you should have the same effect,” Everlasting War said leisurely. “Truth be told, we are not players from Star-Moon Kingdom. Rather, we are from the Beast Empire, the eighth strongest country in God’s Domain. As you can see, although we are independent players, our weapons and equipment are not the possessions of ordinary independent players.”
“Indeed. The majority of your party’s equipment consists of Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment. The Level 25 shield and weapon in your hands are even Dark-Gold rank, something extremely rare throughout God’s Domain. There are not many Guilds in Star-Moon Kingdom capable of obtaining those items.” Shi Feng nodded in agreement. He could not help but admit that there was a massive difference regarding resources between the empires and kingdoms of God’s Domain, not to mention the difference between Star-Moon Kingdom and the current eighth strongest country in God’s Domain, the Beast Empire.
“Their weapons and equipment are all Level 25 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold rank? How is this possible?” Blue Bamboo looked at Everlasting War’s party, her eyes widening with surprise.
Blue Bamboo knew that Everlasting War was very powerful. She could tell that just by looking at his Level.
All this time, however, Blue Bamboo had thought that the Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold rank glow effect surrounding Everlasting War’s body originated from Level 20 weapons and equipment. She never considered that he had Level 25 weapons and equipment.
Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment was a luxury to any Guild, much less Dark-Gold rank.
By the side, Thoughtful Rain was also shocked. Only now did she understand why this party did not mind giving them a Level 25 Secret-Silver staff. It turned out that these players were all using Level 25 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold ranked weapons and equipment.
“Is this the gap between a kingdom and empire?” Thoughtful Rain was greatly confused.
Upon seeing the shock on Blue Bamboo’s and Thoughtful Rain’s faces, Everlasting War’s companions felt proud even though they had long since gotten used to the shocked expressions of White River City’s players.
“You’re mistaken. Although there is indeed a gap, it is not as large as you imagine. Moreover, they are no ordinary independent players. Someone has sponsored them,” Shi Feng explained.
In God’s Domain, both players in kingdoms and in empires face similar difficulties when leveling up. However, since empires mirrored the major cities in the real world, claiming the players who lived in said cities upon character creation, empires had far more players within their borders. As a result of the astounding player population of an empire, the competition in an empire was far more intense than in a kingdom. The intense competition, in turn, gave birth to greater motivation, which resulted in empire players improving their techniques faster. Naturally, the levels and equipment of empire players were slightly better than kingdom players.
As for Everlasting War’s party, even in empires, they were far above ordinary players. So, how could the ordinary players of White River City possibly hope to compete with them?
Shi Feng’s declaration stunned Everlasting War’s companions, shock coloring their expressions as they stared at Shi Feng’s calm smile. Shi Feng’s words were not incorrect in the least. It was as if he had seen through every detail about them.
“Brother Ye Feng is as amazing as expected. Someone has indeed sponsored our weapons and equipment. This is also why we have come in search of Guild Leader Black Flame.” Everlasting War did not deny Shi Feng’s statement. Slowly, he said, “You might not know this, but a few days after God’s Domain launched, the various major corporations around the world began to invest in the game. In order to prevent an overly intense struggle, these corporations began hidden competitions with each other.
“These competitions take place in the Dark Arena. The various major corporations send their experts to face each other, taking the chance to probe the opponent’s strength. The victors earn large amounts of Gold, Credits, rare materials, and other benefits that you cannot even begin to imagine.
“I have come here today with the purpose of inviting Guild Leader Black Flame to join our battle team.
“If our battle team wins, it will benefit a Guild such as Zero Wing that lacks funding. Not only can you obtain a large sum of Credits, but you can also obtain a large sum of Gold Coins and top-tier equipment that you cannot even imagine exists.
“Now, however, I want to invite Brother Ye Feng to join us, instead. What are your thoughts on this?”
Although Everlasting War’s voice was soft, it was sufficient to shock everyone present.
This was a competition between the top 500 corporations around the world. This competition was several times more intense than the competition between first-rate Guilds. The experts that were invited to participate were on an entirely different level.
“I understand. I can agree to your invite, but I have a request,” Shi Feng calmly said.
He had long since known about this Dark Arena. It was a gathering place for experts. However, the experts there were far more powerful than the experts one usually saw in the virtual gaming world. Moreover, the financial power these people possess was several times greater than a first-rate Guild’s.
If one could obtain consecutive victories in the Dark Arena, it was even possible to obtain more Credits than what Underworld possessed.
Take Everlasting War for example. Originally, he had not been a professional virtual reality gamer. Before God’s Domain came into existence, he had been a top-class professional bodyguard tasked with protecting world-class characters. He had undergone both specialized mental and physical training. Ordinary people could never hope to be a match for him.
Only, the price the Dark Arena had offered was very high. It was enough to tempt even Everlasting War to play God’s Domain.
In the end, Everlasting War had become the Everlasting War God of the Dark Arena, one of the apex existences of God’s Domain.
In the past, Shi Feng had been fortunate enough to witness some of the matches in the Dark Arena. However, he had never even come near to qualifying to participate.
As this was a competition between major corporations, only those who were invited were allowed to participate in the Dark Arena.
“Request?” Everlasting War could not help his surprise. He had not expected Shi Feng to maintain his composure. However, he decided to ask, “May I know what this request is?”
Chapter 488: Young Genius
Although Everlasting War had already spoken, his companions had frowned in response to Shi Feng’s reply.
They had never expected that Shi Feng would try to negotiate.
Countless people yearn to join a competition of such level. Yet, even many of the experts on the God’s Domain Experts List had been rejected. They were already stooping pretty low by willingly inviting an unknown expert such as Shi Feng.
Even world-renowned players fought to join the Dark Arena. Participating in the Dark Arena was already a supreme honor in and of itself. Not only could one win endless riches, but they could also receive the admiration of millions. It was even possible for one to become an international celebrity with a single battle.
Not even the ruler of Star-Moon Kingdom was a match for the Dark Arena’s participants in terms of status. After all, that was a stage at the international level.
Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo’s little jaws hung in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief as they watched Shi Feng.
The competition between Guilds in God’s Domain was intense. Almost every Guild was supported by many corporations. However, not even the backer of a first-rate Guild could compare with international corporations; it was merely an ant in the eyes of such giants.
Although the virtual gaming industry’s total value rose with each passing year, it was still significantly inferior to other top industries. If a Guild could obtain the financial support from such a corporation, they could instantly become a Super Guild, surpassing any first-rate Guild in God’s Domain.
With such a good opportunity at hand, Shi Feng actually had a condition…
However, Shi Feng did not care about what others thought about him. Taking a sip of tea, he returned his gaze to Everlasting War, saying slowly, “My request is very simple. I hear that each battle team participating in the Dark Arena consists of ten members. Seeing as you only have six members at the moment, I wish to invite three of my people to join. That way, we will have a full battle team. What do you think?”
“You must be insane! Just inviting you is already Leader’s limit, yet, you still want to invite three others to join the team? Who do you think started this battle team?” a youth of in black armor shot up from his seat in anger.
The other members of Everlasting War’s party were also clearly angry. Everlasting War, on the other hand, watched Shi Feng seriously.
The member limit for each battle team had only been recently confirmed, so only an extremely small group of people know this information. How did Shi Feng, an upper-manager of a small Guild, find out about this?
Suddenly, Everlasting War realized that the young man before him was shrouded in mystery.
“The only goal of the corporation sponsoring your battle team is to secure victory. Naturally, the stronger the chosen team members are, the better. I can guarantee that the players I want to include are all very formidable,” Shi Feng explained.
Although Shi Feng had not personally participated in the Dark Arena, he had a certain understanding of it. After all, it was the future battlefield for the apex experts of God’s Domain. He had learned plenty of techniques from the matches held in the Dark Arena. For example, he had learned Void Steps from watching the Dark Arena’s battle videos.
If he could allow the experts of the Guild to participate in the Dark Arena and experience those battles, it will enable them to improve their techniques further.
“Brother Ye Feng, I am afraid that I am really powerless on this matter. There are a limited number of slots for the battle team. Although I am the team leader, I only have one invitation for the test, not the member slot for the battle team. Originally, I intended to test Guild Leader Black Flame’s qualifications. However, even if he is qualified, I believe that, as the leader of a Guild, he should be very busy with its management. Even if he has the strength, he should not have that much time to spare. That’s why I wanted to invite Brother Ye Feng,” Everlasting War said, smiling bitterly.
The competition between these international corporations was extremely intense. Every position on the battle team was unimaginably precious, so how could they give them away to Shi Feng so easily?
“I expected as much. Alright, I accept your invitation. When will the test be held?” Shi Feng nodded. He knew how valuable the slot was. The invitation alone had already greatly surprised him. However, he still wanted to know how much power Everlasting War, this battle team’s leader, wielded. If he could obtain another slot, he would have truly profited.
“The unified testing time has yet to be determined. Let’s add each other as friends for now. Once those in charge have decided on a time, I will contact Brother Ye Feng immediately.” Everlasting War promptly sent a friend request to the Swordsman before him.
After Shi Feng added Everlasting War as a friend, they chatted about matters relating to the Dark Arena. Seated by the side, Blue Bamboo was utterly stunned by the two’s conversation. She had never imagined that Zero Wing was so amazing. It had actually received an invitation from an international corporation. If the Guild received support from such a corporation, its potential would be unimaginable.
Blue Bamboo’s decision to join Zero Wing solidified.
After both sides chatted for another half an hour or so, Everlasting War’s group departed.
—
“Big Brother Everlasting, there are countless experts in God’s Domain. Aside from Black Flame, how could you invite Ye Feng so casually? What if he fails to pass the test when the time comes? It won’t look good to our superiors. Why don’t we head over to Star-Moon City and take a look? There might be some other amazing experts there,” a beautiful female Elementalist wearing crimson robes suggested.
“I know. Our superiors gave me an invitation slot precisely because they wish to test my judgment and to see whether or not I am suited to lead this team. They will definitely replace me if I fail. Knowing this, I won’t act recklessly. However, this Ye Feng is indeed amazing. Based on his appearance, I’m guessing he is only around 20 years old. Yet, when he moves, not a single action reveals a weak point. There were not even any excess actions in his movement. I have already been in the Refinement Realm for close to 27 years already, so I can tell that he has clearly already set foot into the Refinement Realm. Moreover, his progression into the realm is also not shallow. This Ye Feng is simply unbelievable. He is truly a young genius.
“As for Black Flame, I have already watched his battle videos. Although Black Flame is indeed amazing, his performance shows that he has only taken half a step into the Refinement Realm. He only displays such overwhelming might due to his equipment and Skills.
“With the power backing me, I can easily obtain things such as top-tier equipment. Otherwise, I would not have chosen Ye Feng. Refinement Realm experts are as rare as phoenix feathers in God’s Domain. We are already very lucky to have encountered one. Even if we went to Star-Moon City, it is unlikely that we will find another such expert. Alright, let’s return to leveling up for now.”
His teammates could not help their surprise after listening to Everlasting War’s reasoning. They had not realized that Everlasting War had such a high opinion of Shi Feng. However, they also had to admit the scarcity of Refinement Realm experts. Even the five of them had only taken half a step into that realm.
—
After Everlasting War and his party left, Shi Feng turned to Thoughtful Rain, thanking her, “I am truly grateful for Miss Rain’s help today. If not for your introduction, I would not have such a fortuitous opportunity. If Miss Rain wishes to purchase equipment for yourself, I can offer a 50% discount.”
“Really?” Thoughtful Rain knew how expensive top-tier equipment was on the market. Moreover, top-tier equipment was not necessarily available. If she could purchase top-tier equipment at a 50% discount, she could save tens of thousands of Credits with each item. She could save over a million Credits if she bought an entire set. In addition, the equipment available on the market was nowhere near as good as Zero Wing’s equipment.
“Of course,” Shi Feng laughed.
“Great! I want to buy a set, then. Also, my best friend here, Blue Bamboo, has always been very interested in joining Zero Wing. However, as she has only recently started playing virtual reality games, she’s not very strong. Can you perhaps allow her to join?” Thoughtful Rain asked meekly.
“I’m afraid I really cannot help you with that. Not even an upper-manager like myself is allowed to bend the Guild’s rules,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head. “However, I can allow your friend to join and train herself with our Guild’s elite parties, having her learn the combat techniques of God’s Domain. Once she’s sufficiently strong, she can then become an official member of Zero Wing. What do you think?”
“I’ll do it! I’ll go!” Originally, Blue Bamboo had been extremely disappointed when she heard Shi Feng’s initial refusal. However, being able to improve herself with the elites of Zero Wing was not a bad alternative.
Chapter 489: Shop
Upon hearing Blue Bamboo’s agreement, Shi Feng immediately contacted Aqua Rose and had her organize an elite Dungeon raiding party.
A Dungeon was a very good place for players to improve their techniques.
Independent parties normally only raided Normal Mode Dungeons. Even ordinary Guild parties would only occasionally raid Hard Mode Dungeons. As for elite parties, they raided Hard Mode Dungeons slightly more often. Zero Wing’s elite parties, however, were different. When they raided Dungeons, Hard Mode was the lowest difficulty they would choose, though they would often challenge Hell Mode.
To raid a Hard Mode Dungeon, players only needed to meet the minimum requirement for equipment; the requirement for techniques was not very high. However, it was a different story for Hell Mode. Hell Mode had a very high technique requirement. Even if players’ equipment was good enough to overwhelm the monsters that waited inside the Dungeon, that did not guarantee that they could clear it. Their techniques needed to reach a certain standard before they could raid the Dungeon successfully, so it was a very good place to train one’s techniques.
Zero Wing also had a requirement set for its elite members. Every week, elite members needed to raid Hell Mode Dungeons a certain number of times. Although this was a stringent quota, members who fulfilled it would earn plenty of Guild Points as compensation for the deaths they suffered inside the Hell Mode Dungeon. This was also why Zero Wing’s elite members were so much more powerful than the elite members of other Guilds.
As long as Blue Bamboo trained diligently and polished herself in Hell Mode Dungeons for a time, she should not have any issues passing Zero Wing’s evaluation.
Following which, Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo each purchased a set consisting of Level 25 Secret-Silver and Fine-Gold Equipment for Elementalists and Clerics, spending over a million Credits in total.
Despite such a large expenditure, however, both girls were extremely satisfied with their purchases. They even felt that they had profited significantly.
They knew very well that, should they purchase Level 25 top-tier equipment from the virtual trade center, they would have to spend over two million Credits at the very minimum. Moreover, there was no guarantee that the equipment would be available. After all, every Guild was in dire need of top-tier equipment. Naturally, they would not sell such equipment easily.
After Shi Feng finished dealing with these matters, he immediately departed from the Residence and headed towards the Starstreak Trading Firm.
“Rain, you’re the best! I can’t believe you actually know someone like Big Brother Ye Feng! Previously, one of my classmates boasted in front of me about how her boyfriend wore several pieces of Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment. If she finds out that I now have several pieces of Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment, she will definitely turn green with envy!” Blue Bamboo laughed as she fiddled with the Fine-Gold Equipment in her hands. “Honestly though, Big Brother Ye Feng really treats you nicely. On the way here, I’ve researched the forums and found out plenty about Zero Wing’s elite members. These elite members normally raid Hell Mode Dungeons, and they never offer to carry anyone, not even their own ordinary members.
“I’ve always wondered what it feels like to clear a Hell Mode Dungeon. Now that Big Brother Ye Feng has arranged for us to accompany Zero Wing’s elite parties to improve our strengths, it won’t be long before we become experts, too.
“Say, seeing as how Big Brother Ye Feng is such a young and handsome man, do you think he has a girlfriend? If he doesn’t… Hehe… Rain, this could be a good opportunity for you. Even an international corporation is trying to recruit him to their battle team. Once he becomes famous, who knows how many people will be gunning for him. Your chances with him will decrease significantly if you wait.”
“You little girl!” Thoughtful Rain blushed slightly. Snapping, she said, “I’m going to ignore you now!”
Seeing that Thoughtful Rain had turned around and was about to leave, Blue Bamboo hurriedly pulled her friend back, panicking, “Nooo!”
—
White River City, Starstreak Trading Firm.
“Smile, how many Strengthened Armor Kits have you guys produced?” Shi Feng asked.
“Guild Leader, the three of us have forged over 10,000 pieces. Are we going to put them up for sale now?” Melancholic Smile asked.
“Mhm. Bring all of the Strengthened Armor Kits and follow me. Right, also bring the Gold we’ve earned so far,” Shi Feng said.
Although the Strengthened Armor Kits were inferior to the Mana Armor Kits, with three people producing them, Shi Feng did not have to forge the Armor Kits himself. Naturally, the stock they had created was astounding.
With the burden of 30,000 Gold on his shoulders, Shi Feng felt that it would be best if he dealt with the problem as soon as possible. After all, there was not much time remaining. The looming penalty for failing the Epic Quest was also quite stressful. Moreover, Horizon Alliance had already nurtured quite a number of Lifestyle players, forgers in particular. They had also recruited close to half the Advanced Forging Apprentices from White River City’s seven neighboring cities. The Horizon Alliance even employed Basic Forgers, which no other city possessed.
Once Shi Feng accumulated the 30,000 Gold, he would no longer have a connection to the Starstreak Trading Firm. Hence, Shi Feng had been planning and accumulating his wealth, preparing to open his own market.
And now was the perfect time to do so. Fortunately, he had accumulated a sufficient number of Gold Coins. It was time to display his strength.
“Guild Leader, I have everything with me. Aside from Strengthening Scrolls, we also have the 13,000-plus Gold that we’ve accumulated,” Melancholic Smile said as she placed the money and the items on the table. This was the first time she had ever seen so much money.
There were more than 13,000 Gold Coins stacked on the table. This was the accumulation of all the money Starstreak Trading Firm had earned from the eight cities it occupied, including White River City.
There was not a single Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom that could compete with the Horizon Alliance’s wealth; a Guild would be quite well off with only one-tenth of the Alliance’s fortune.
If converted to Credits, 13,000 Gold was worth hundreds of millions.
One had to admit that God’s Domain’s money-making potential was formidable. Moreover, the game had only launched less than a month ago…
However, no fool would exchange so much Gold for Credits, yet Melancholic Smile had no idea what Shi Feng intended to do with so much Gold.
After giving the items on the table a casual glance, Shi Feng quickly stored them in his bag.
“Follow me,” Shi Feng said as he exited the forging room.
Melancholic Smile promptly followed.
After leaving the Starstreak Trading Firm, Shi Feng led Melancholic Smile to White River City’s City Hall.
“Lord Viscount, how may I be of service today?” a female manager asked politely, smiling when she noticed Shi Feng enter the building.
“I wish to purchase some Land,” Shi Feng said.
“Please follow me.” Saying so, the female manager led Shi Feng and Melancholic Smile to a VIP meeting room.
After a short wait, a tall, middle-aged man entered the room.
“Lord Viscount, I have prepared a list of all available Commercial Land. My lord may choose any plot of land on this list, and because of your esteemed status, you will receive a 10% discount on all land.”
“Okay.”
Shi Feng only glanced through the pages, not bothering to read them in detail. He then said, “I want these two plots next to the Bank and the Auction House.”
If one pointed out the most valuable plots of Land in White River City, the first would be the plot directly beside the Auction House, the second was next to the Bank, the third was near the two aforementioned establishments, and the fourth was next to the Virtual Trade Center and the Adventurer’s Association. This held true for every city in God’s Domain.
In the past, these plots of Land had been highly sought after. Renting one of these plots for just a month could be astronomically expensive. Moreover, as God’s Domain developed, the money one could earn would grow.
Naturally, it also cost a significant sum to purchase these plots of Land. Moreover, one must also possess certain status if they wanted to purchase Land; money alone was not enough. As a Viscount, Shi Feng could only purchase a limited number of plots. Thus, he chose only one plot per location to begin his Shop’s operation.
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Chapter 490: Candlelight Trading Firm
Without hesitation, Shi Feng requested the two most popular plots of Land in White River City. When Melancholic Smile saw the prices, her little mouth fell wide open.
These prices were outrageous!
An ordinary plot of Land in White River City cost over 1,000 Gold. If the Land were in the densely populated central district, it would cost more than 3,000 Gold.
As for the two plots Shi Feng had set his sight on, each cost over 8,000 Gold. If they converted 8,000 Gold to Credits, they could establish a relatively large company in the city in reality…
However, Shi Feng did not consider his choices to be expensive. In the future, these two plots would become extremely valuable. In the past, he could not have obtained them even if he wanted to.
Players frequented both the Auction House and the Bank. Hence, the traffic was guaranteed. If not for his need for money right now, Shi Feng would have preferred to purchase several more plots of Land. By the time White River City became the number one city in Star-Moon Kingdom, the value of the city’s Land would soar by more than a hundredfold.
“Lord Viscount, for the two plots of Commercial Land you have chosen, one costs 9,200 Gold, while the other costs 8,800 Gold, coming to a total of 18,000 Gold. After including the 10% discount, your total is 16,200 Gold,” the male manager said with great excitement. “In addition, after purchasing these two plots of land, there will be a 15% property tax each month. If taxes aren’t paid for in three months, these plots will be locked. If the taxes aren’t paid for in half a year, the city will reclaim the Land.”
“This is a scam!” Melancholic Smile nearly shouted when she heard the male manager’s explanation, flushing with anger.
They had already spent so much money to purchase these two areas, yet, they were still required to pay a 15% property tax every month. In total, they were required to pay 2,700 Gold in property taxes for the two plots of Land. Not even first-rate Guilds had that much Gold. Most importantly, they had to pay this tax every month!
“Here is 16,200 Gold.” Shi Feng handed over the money without hesitation.
Shi Feng was very familiar with God’s Domain’s rules, so he had expected this.
Moreover, the Main God System had implemented this property tax with the purpose of avoiding someone powerful from monopolizing a city’s Land.
Although the property tax seemed absurdly expensive, Gold Coins would become easier to earn as players leveled, resulting in their depreciation. Gold Coins would not remain as valuable as they were now. Hence, paying 2,700 Gold each month was no big deal.
A short moment later, the manager passed the Deed for the two plots of Land to Shi Feng. With this, Shi Feng could now establish Shops on these two tracts anytime he wanted to. Moreover, these two areas were relatively large; they were in no way inferior to the Starstreak Trading Firm.
At the end of the day, the Starstreak Trading Firm did not belong to Shi Feng. Even if he managed it well, the Firm still belonged to NPCs. However, if he established Shops on the plots he had purchased, he could do whatever he wanted to them; it was a lot more convenient.
Soon after, Shi Feng chose two relatively good building models in the City Hall, with both being three-story buildings. He could use the first floor to sell products and use the second to establish a warehouse, Forging Rooms, and other necessities. Finally, the third floor could be an office area.
However, to construct these two Shops, Shi Feng had spent another 2,000 Gold. After which, he hired over 20 Advanced NPCs to conduct daily management and sales in each Shop.
After spending all this money, little remained of Shi Feng’s funds. Fortunately, the Dragonscale Set Equipment sold consistently in the Blackwing Auction House, and a large sum of Gold Coins would fill Shi Feng’s pockets every now and then.
“Smile, I’ll leave the management of these two plots of Land to you for now; I’ve already given you the authority you need. Begin transferring our members from Starstreak little by little. As for our products, we’ll set the Strengthened Armor Kits as our main focus; there is no need to sell them over at Starstreak,” Shi Feng said.
“Guild Leader, if we only sell the Strengthened Armor Kits at these two locations, it will divert traffic from Starstreak, impacting our business there,” Melancholic Smile said, concern filling her voice.
“That is precisely my intention. I want to lure all of the old customers of Starstreak to the new Shops. Just do as I say. As for the price for these Strengthened Armor Kits, set them at 7 Silver Coins minimum; we can’t afford a loss from selling them,” Shi Feng laughed.
Although the Starstreak Trading Firm was still somewhat useful to him, its greatest purpose to Shi Feng lay in the initial business. Now that he had accumulated sufficient capital, he had to abandon it, little by little. After all, the moment he earned the 30,000 Gold and completed his quest, the Starstreak Trading Firm would sever all ties with him. If he did not prepare for it now, it would be too late in the future.
“Guild Leader, rest assured; I will make sure the prices of the Strengthened Armor Kits stay above 7 Silver Coins,” Melancholic Smile said. She was very confident about the Strengthened Armor Kits they had produced.
Even as Basic Forgers, their success rates at producing the Strengthened Armor Kits were below 30%. Meanwhile, the material cost for producing each Strengthened Armor Kit was over 1 Silver. In other words, the actual cost for producing a complete Strengthened Armor Kit was more than 3 Silver. In reality, selling them for only 7 Silver Coins was simply too cheap.
Even if Shi Feng had not given the order, she had intended to set the initial price of the Strengthened Armor Kits at 10 Silver. After all, with the current average level of players, a price of 10 Silver Coins was definitely affordable.
“Guild Leader, you haven’t named the Shops for these two locations yet. What will you call them?” Melancholic Smile asked as she looked at Shi Feng.
“A small spark may kindle a raging fire. Let’s call it the Candlelight Trading Firm,” Shi Feng sighed as he looked at the Deeds to the two golden real-estates in his hand.
At this moment, he finally had his own capital. With these two plots, he had taken a large step ahead of the other Guilds. His Guild would have a relatively stable source of income in the future, and he wouldn’t have to fear becoming any Guild’s target.
Shortly after, both Shi Feng and Melancholic Smile visited to the two plots of Land they had just purchased. At this moment, however, the buildings were still under reconstruction, so they could not view the Shops’ full elegance. It would take several more hours before the reconstruction work would be completed. At that time, they could open for business.
“There sure are a lot of players in White River City right now.” Shi Feng examined his surroundings, discovering a sea of players near the Auction House. The area was even more crowded than it had been in his previous life.
“Guild Leader, this is a given. Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile are constantly competing over White River City. Zero Wing is also the first Guild to own a Guild Residence in Star-Moon Kingdom. In addition, there are Overwhelming Smile’s impressive offers to consider. As a result, many players from other cities were tempted to migrate and develop themselves in White River City. Based on the statistics published the day before yesterday, White River City is currently the second most populous city in Star-Moon Kingdom; it is only slightly behind Star-Moon City.”
An ordinary city could not compare with a capital. Even if White River City offered a massive advantage, many players still preferred to mingle in the capital city.
“Star-Moon City?” Upon hearing Melancholic Smile’s words, Shi Feng suddenly remembered something.
He had befriended someone in Star-Moon City before and had intended to purchase Land through him. Originally, he had planned to direct Zero Wing’s development towards Star-Moon City. In the end, he had dismissed this notion and focused on making White River City the number one city in Star-Moon Kingdom. After all, unlike in Star-Moon City, Zero Wing had an extraordinary background in White River City.
Currently, although he no longer intended to develop Zero Wing in Star-Moon City, the capital city’s population was still very attractive. After all, in God’s Domain, players were a city’s resource.
The more powerful a city was, the more powerful the Guild controlling said city could become.
“It seems I need to make a trip to Star-Moon City.” Shi Feng suddenly thought of a plan that could advance White River City’s development further.
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Chapter 491: Holy Land for Experts
Just as Shi Feng was about to head towards White River City’s Teleportation Hall, the clear ring of his communicator reached his ears.
“Aqua, what’s wrong?” Shi Feng asked after accepting the call.
“Guild Leader, good news! Previously, your feat of killing so many of Overwhelming Smile’s experts boosted our Guild’s morale. Currently, our members are flooding the fields to participate in the war. As Overwhelming Smile’s expert parties are no longer appearing on the battlefield, we’ve gained significant advantages. We have already taken out over 20,000 Overwhelming Smile members.
“Probably because we’re the first Guild to kill over 20,000 players in an all-out war, an Advanced NPC from the Adventurer’s Association just visited, issuing an Epic Guild Quest. The quest is called ‘Ancient Battlefield,’ and only the Guild Leader of the Guild is allowed to accept the quest. Moreover, only ten Guild members can participate in the quest. Unfortunately, we can’t learn anymore until we accept the quest.
“I’m worried that this Epic Guild Quest might disappear if we don’t accept it soon, so I contacted you immediately after learning about it.”
Aqua Rose was extremely excited when she spoke.
This was her first time encountering an Epic Quest. She had only ever heard rumors of them on the forums.
Every Epic Quest represented a massive opportunity. If one could complete it, they could receive extremely bountiful rewards. Based on the information she had gathered, Epic Quests would reward players with an Epic item at the very minimum. If it were a high-difficulty Epic Quest, one could even obtain two or three Epic items. Meanwhile, the quest the Guild had just received was an Epic Guild Quest; it was a lot more difficult than an Epic Quest meant for individual players. If they could complete it, they would reap a frightening harvest.
“Ancient Battlefield?!” Shi Feng was stunned upon hearing Aqua Rose’s words, indescribable thrill growing in his heart. Hurriedly, he asked, “Aqua, are you sure you read that correctly?”
“The information on the Guild’s Quest Board is clear, and I made sure to read it very carefully. I can say with certainty that it is an Epic Quest. Even I didn’t believe it at first when I was told. After verifying it multiple times, I am sure that it is the Epic Quest Ancient Battlefield,” Aqua Rose said, practically glowing with excitement.
If they could complete this Epic Quest and obtain several Epic items, it could help them immensely when they raided large-scale Team Dungeons in the future.
Now that Zero Wing waged war against Overwhelming Smile, morale was very important. The news about Shi Feng taking out the Underworld Guards with one hit had caused Zero Wing to instantly become the publicly acknowledged number one Guild of White River City. This incident had also placed significant psychological pressure on Overwhelming Smile’s members. If Zero Wing could take the lead by conquering a large-scale Team Dungeon, gaining even more top-tier equipment and prestige, Overwhelming Smile would have no hope of competing with Zero Wing in the future.
However, Aqua Rose did not know that, in reality, what had shocked Shi Feng was not the difficulty of the quest, but the Ancient Battlefield itself.
In the past, the Ancient Battlefield had been immensely famous in God’s Domain. It had become so famous because of its alternative name.
The Holy Land for Experts!
The Ancient Battlefield was known as the Holy Land for Experts because the map was a training ground specifically designed by the Main God System for players. This training ground’s purpose was to allow players to gain a better understanding of the combat style of God’s Domain.
In the past, countless noobs and new players had instantly soared to become experts precisely because of the Ancient Battlefield.
Moreover, it wasn’t limited to ordinary experts; the Ancient Battlefield had even given birth to many apex experts. As a result, players called the Ancient Battlefield the Holy Land for Experts. Countless players had dreamed of visiting and experiencing the wonders it had to offer. Unfortunately, this opportunity was too difficult to encounter. In the past, despite countless Guilds and corporations offering astronomical prices for the slots to enter the Ancient Battlefield, nobody willingly sold the slots they had.
Now that Shi Feng had suddenly been notified that he had obtained the Ancient Battlefield quest, how could he contain his excitement? He had always dreamed of visiting the Ancient Battlefield in the past. Unfortunately, he had never been lucky enough to receive an invitation. Now, however, he had.
“I understand. The difficulty of an Epic Quest is not to be taken lightly, so set it aside for now. Don’t worry about it disappearing. After a Guild Quest is issued, it will be available for three months or until someone accepts it. Since it has just been issued, leave it there for now,” Shi Feng said after calming down. “However, although we are setting aside the quest, I have a few tasks that I’ll need you to do for me.”
“Tasks?”
Aqua Rose was confused. She could not understand why Shi Feng did not intend to accept this Epic Quest. Although she knew that the difficulty of an Epic Quest was unmatched, without accepting the quest, how could they possibly know whether or not they could complete it? It was a pity to leave the quest there like that. Most importantly, it was so tempting…
“That’s right. In order to complete this Epic Quest, we will need sufficient combat power. I need you to contact Fire Dance and the others and tell them to stop trying to level up to deal with Overwhelming Smile; the same goes for you. All of you should focus on improving your combat techniques. I will also frequently give you pointers. In a few days, I will test you all to see how much your combat techniques have improved. At that time, I will select the top nine players to participate in this Epic Quest,” Shi Feng laughed.
“What should we do about the Team Dungeons? I hear that Overwhelming Smile has already allocated their experts for raiding Level 20 Hard Mode Dungeons. If we lose the race to raid the Team Dungeons, it will deal a significant blow to our Guild’s prestige and empower the enemy.” Aqua Rose simply could not understand Shi Feng’s decision. Previously, Shi Feng had strongly advocated raiding Dungeons first. Wasn’t this change of plans a little too sudden? She wasn’t even sure how to react.
The most surprising thing was the fact that a busy man like Shi Feng had actually offered to instruct them personally. This had never happened before.
Having the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom tutor them would yield effects hundreds of times better than learning from Shi Feng’s battle videos in secret. Countless players dreamed of such an opportunity. There were even some who had offered one million Credits on the official forums, hoping to hire Shi Feng as their personal trainer.
It would be a lie if Aqua Rose said she was not excited.
This was just as thrilling as the Epic Quest.
“Sharpening your axe will not delay your job of cutting wood. Do you think that conquering a large-scale Team Dungeon will be so easy without a certain degree of strength? Beyond that, the quest only requires ten people. We can just have the others continue with raiding the Dungeons,” Shi Feng did not bother to explain further; he could not reveal too much information. Aqua Rose had no idea just how important this Ancient Battlefield quest was.
Raising an army was easy; nurturing a general was not.
In the past, no one had been willing to trade their spot on the Ancient Battlefield even when offered a Legendary item; the competition over a measly Dungeon had meant nothing.
If possible, Shi Feng would have accepted the quest immediately. However, doing so would be a massive waste; besides, leaving the quest for players to see would provide a powerful incentive.
Shi Feng did not have any concrete information about the situation inside the Ancient Battlefield. He only knew that the better the combat techniques a player possessed, the greater their harvest would be. Hence, Shi Feng had specifically instructed Aqua Rose and the others to spare some time to improve their techniques. By doing so, they would also increase their potential gain.
“I understand. I’ll contact Fire Dance and the others immediately. They will be thrilled when they hear about this.” Aqua Rose giggled as she disconnected the call. She then began to contact the other core members of Zero Wing.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng had arrived at Star-Moon City, Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one city, through a teleportation array.
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If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!
We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!
Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week
