Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 500
Chapter 500: Exclusive Control
White River City, Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Residence:
“Vice-Leader Youlan, I’ve finished my investigation of the Candlelight Trading Firm,” a Level 23 male Assassin reported upon entering Overwhelming Smile’s meeting room.
“Who started it?” Youlan asked in a hurry.
Currently, Overwhelming Smile suffered in the field battles against Zero wing. Their daily Coin expenditures were also quite significant.
Although Underworld had increased their investment in Overwhelming Smile, funds in particular, it was truly not easy to convert Credits into Coins. Despite spending a massive amount to purchase Coins, the Guild’s supply barely maintained balance with its consumption.
In the beginning, Youlan had not expected that repairing equipment would cost so much.
However, her thoughts changed as the Guild’s death toll continued to increase. Dying once might not cost much, but after two or three deaths, the Guild members had spent practically all of their remaining Coins. Afterward, in order to repair their equipment, these Guild members had no choice but to choose Coins as compensation.
This situation had immediately given Youlan, who had initially been quite confident, a huge headache. She wished she could choke Black Flame to death.
They had already paid out more than 1,000 Gold as compensation, not to mention the amount of Credits they had compensated.
Moreover, it wouldn’t be long before the Guild had to pay compensation solely in Coins. After all, if players did not repair their equipment, they could not go out and level up. If their equipment became scrap, they would have to purchase new equipment to serve as a replacement. However, good equipment was not easy to obtain. Every piece of a player’s equipment had been earned through blood and sweat; losing even a single piece was a painful loss. If they lost every piece of equipment they had on them…
Hence, before the Durability of their equipment reached a critical point, even if players had to purchase Coins with Credits, spending their entire fortune, they had to repair their equipment.
However, there was one point that confused Youlan greatly. Though Overwhelming Smile’s losses were very heavy, Zero Wing’s losses should not be any less. Not to mention, Zero Wing was not using Credits as a form of compensation at all. Its consumption of Gold should be significantly higher than theirs. Yet, even until now, not only had Zero Wing showed no signs of lacking money, but it was also spending more money than before.
It was inconceivable!
From the information Youlan had overheard, she knew that, aside from constructing the best Smithy available, Zero Wing had also purchased several sets of Dragonscale Set Equipment. At the very least, they would have to spend more than 2,000 Gold on these purchases. Not to mention, there was also the Gold they had to give out as compensation for the war of attrition.
Even Underworld would find it difficult to spend so much in such a short time.
Youlan could only see one end, Overwhelming Smile withdrawing from White River City, if things continued like this in their war of attrition. Hence, they needed to make a major change now. They must find a way to earn a large sum of Gold.
If one wanted to earn a large sum of Coins in God’s Domain, the only way to do so was through trade.
Although the Guild Quests published in the Guild Residence were a large source of income, that potential was nothing compared to the money one could earn through trade.
Although the various large Guilds of God’s Domain possessed a lot of Gold, compared to the countless players in God’s Domain, this sum was insignificant. Even if Overwhelming Smile only earned 1 Silver from each of the millions of players in White River City, the total would be several tens of thousands of Gold.
At that time, they could easily afford a war with several other large Guilds simultaneously, much less afford to deal with a single Zero Wing.
In White River City, the most powerful trading firm was currently the Starstreak Trading Firm. Not only did the Firm occupy a strategic location, but it also possessed Land in the seven cities surrounding White River City, allowing it to sell items to players in eight cities and earn tons of Gold daily. The amount the Firm earned each day was enough to make one drool.
Unfortunately, the Starstreak Trading Firm was an NPC’s property, not a player’s. Despite exhausting all of their means, the various large Guilds in White River City were unable to form a cooperative relationship with the Starstreak Trading Firm. In the end, they could only give up on their endeavors and try to open up their own Shops.
However, White River City’s ordinary Lands were not particularly valuable. Currently, the various Guilds had all set their sights on the golden Lands of the city and were consistently accumulating money and raising their Reputation to achieve that goal.
Now, however, the Candlelight Trading Firm had appeared and purchased two golden Lands ahead of the other Guilds. Although the Candlelight Trading Firm was not a match for the Starstreak Trading Firm, with the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits and the full range of products, it, too, stood among White River City’s top trading firms. Over time, if the Candlelight Trading Firm introduced several other items that players direly needed, it would definitely surpass the Starstreak Trading Firm and become the number one trading firm in White River City.
Moreover, unlike the Starstreak Trading Firm, a player had established and owned the Candlelight Trading Firm. That signified the possibility of cooperation.
Thus, Youlan had sent her subordinate to investigate the firm.
“I heard that the manager there is a young woman named Melancholic Smile. Moreover, she is a forger, and was once a forger employed by the Starstreak Trading Firm,” the male Assassin said slowly. “In addition, aside from that woman, two other Starstreak forgers seemed to have defected to Candlelight as well. The three of them produced the Basic Strengthening Armor Kits.”
“Good, you’ve done well.” Youlan smiled. “Melancholic Smile. This is my first time hearing this name. There really are a lot of capable people in White River City. It seems that I’ll need to make a personal visit to the Candlelight Trading Firm to have a chat.”
Overwhelming Smile wasn’t the only Guild with such thoughts. Several other large Guilds also began to eye the Candlelight Trading Firm.
Such a thriving trading firm was no different from a large gold mine that could provide their Guilds with various resources. If they could obtain the trading firm, they could instantly raise their Guild’s strength by leaps and bounds.
—
Meanwhile, Shi Feng once again had over 10,000 Gold in his pockets, and he began to reconsider the plots of Land in Star-Moon City again.
Currently, as the Underground Arena was not particularly popular, the Candlelight Trading Firm’s business there was only passable. Attracting the attention of Star-Moon City’s players would be far easier if he set up a Shop in the city’s central district.
Unfortunately, as Lifeless Blade was only an ordinary noble in Star-Moon City, he could only purchase ordinary Land; he did not qualify to purchase the Lands in the central district and golden areas of Star-Moon City.
I need to think of a better way to raise my Reputation! Shi Feng tried to recall information relating to Star-Moon City’s resources.
After he pondered for some time, Shi Feng’s eyes suddenly shone. Immediately, he hailed a horse carriage and hurried to the Palace.
Star-Moon City was Star-Moon Kingdom’s core, so it was not easy to raise one’s Reputation here. If players relied on Reputation Quests, it would take them ages before they could become a Baron of Star-Moon City.
For this reason, many players had given up on the notion of doing business in Star-Moon City and had shifted their aim towards other cities instead.
However, there were many players in Star-Moon City. There was bound to be a few amazing characters amongst the millions of players. In the past, there were several independent players who had taken the lead and managed to become Barons, even Viscounts, before the various large Guilds. In the end, these independent players had claimed a few good Lands for themselves, taking the opportunity to make a fortune. The monthly rental they received was enough to allow them to live in luxury for the rest of their days.
Despite being independent players, these few individuals were not ordinary characters; they were not penniless individuals. Instead, they were relatively wealthy individuals. They had been relatively famous in several other virtual reality games and had earned large sums of money during their time playing those games.
Meanwhile, through a special method, these people had managed to grind large amounts of Reputation Points in a relatively short amount of time, quickly becoming Barons. After this incident was revealed, these players had become the envy of every player in Star-Moon City.
That method was very simple. Players needed to purchase some supplies with Coins, then contribute these supplies to a certain Grand Duke to receive Reputation Points for Star-Moon City. Unfortunately, the conversion ratio of Coins to Reputation Points would make any ordinary player curse the system.
However, Shi Feng did not lack money right now; he only lacked time. Even if it were a more expensive method, he would still employ it.
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 501: Grand Duke Hartfield
The lights shone brightly outside of Star-Moon City’s Palace. At this moment, the street adjacent to the Palace looked as if it held a large-scale celebration; a crowd of players exploded with excitement. Players filled both sides of the street, shouting and selling their wares.
Star-Moon City was different from the other ordinary cities in Star-Moon Kingdom. The traffic here was constant, with players coming and going from other kingdoms and empires. Hence, unlike in other cities where players could only set up their Stalls once every three or four days in specified areas, players could set up their Stalls in Star-Moon City every day. Only, a fee was required to set up a Stall; it was not free.
Even with the fee, a large number of players were still willing to set up their Stalls to sell items rather than using the Auction House and paying a heavier fee. Even if they sold their items at a lower price here, they could still make a higher profit.
Normally, players would only choose to sell their items through the Auction House if they were in a hurry for money or they wished to obtain a better price for rare and precious items.
As the items sold at Stalls were much cheaper, many independent players and large Guilds would come here to purchase the materials and items they needed.
Shi Feng had come to this place precisely to purchase some supplies.
The method of exchanging Coins for Reputation Points was, in reality, a Special Quest found in Star-Moon City. To players who focused on raiding Dungeons and grinding monsters to level up, they might never discover this Special Quest. However, to players who leveled up slowly and focused more on enjoying the game itself, it was not particularly difficult to find the quest. As long as they listened for information in the capital city, they could obtain some clues leading to the quest.
Meanwhile, this clue was that Grand Duke Hartfield’s daughter had fallen ill and was in urgent need of a large amount of Herbs.
The quest only required one stack of Ordinary Herbs. Upon completing this quest, players would receive a certain amount of money and EXP. Meanwhile, players could accept this quest indefinitely. Unfortunately, the amount of money and EXP wasn’t quite worth the value of the Herbs. In the past, wealthy players who wished to level up quickly had spent money to increase their EXP through such quests. Even so, they did not invest a lot of money in this method of leveling. After all, Coins were very valuable during the initial stages of the game. Nobody would spend them foolishly.
In the past, as everyone had been convinced that this Special Quest was merely a method that allowed one to exchange money for EXP, a few insane individuals, who had not wanted to level up in the fields, began to purchase Herbs in bulk, turning them in to complete the Special Quest.
In such a way, these individuals each traded in 1,500 stacks of Herbs, reaching a critical point of this quest.
When a player traded in 1,500 stacks of Herbs, Grand Duke Hartfield would no longer reward said player with money and EXP. Instead, the Grand Duke rewarded the player with a Thank You Gift.
One could obtain a variety of items from this Gift. Among them, there was a 10% chance to obtain a Reputation Book. When used, the Reputation Book would give the user a certain amount of Star-Moon City Reputation Points.
This was why Shi Feng had come to this bazaar to purchase Herbs in bulk, either Ordinary Herbs or Rare Herbs.
After making a round through the bazaar and investigating the general prices of Herbs, Shi Feng began shouting through the trade channel, “Buying Ordinary Herbs, 40 Copper per stack; Rare Herbs, three Silver per stack! Will buy as many as you have!”
The trade channel was a unique channel only available in bazaars. Any players in the bazaar could receive the messages sent through this channel. However, players who wished to shout their messages needed to pay a fee of 1 Silver per message. Though the length of each message was limited to 100 words, it was a valuable promotion tool.
With this, Shi Feng could save himself a lot of trouble.
The amount and prices of Herbs at each Stall varied greatly. If Shi Feng had to visit every Stall in the bazaar, even if he exhausted himself to death, he would only acquire a small amount. Hence, rather than haggling with every Stall owner, he might as well offer to purchase Herbs at an average price. Naturally, interested players would hunt him down to sell their goods.
Shortly after Shi Feng’s announcement, a large number of players rushed towards him.
“Boss, how many Herbs do you want to buy?”
“Big Brother Swordsman, look! I have excellent quality Herbs! I can even lower the price if you buy them in bulk!”
The players that had hurried over all looked at Shi Feng like hungry wolves. They crowded around him, rushing to sell their Herbs. Their intensity far exceeded Shi Feng’s initial expectations.
“Alright, alright, no need to rush. All of you, line up and trade with me.” Shi Feng smiled as he motioned for the crowd to calm down.
Sure enough, players’ enthusiasm in the capital city is a lot more intense.
However, after giving it some thought, their enthusiasm was only natural. Players were currently busy with leveling and were not particularly enthusiastic about Lifestyle classes. Although Guilds nurtured their own alchemists, the Guilds could easily supply the amount of Herbs their alchemists needed. They didn’t need to purchase any.
More importantly, the crowd was so excited because the demand for Herbs was usually quite low. As useful potion recipes were extremely rare, demand for Herbs had dropped even further. In addition, Star-Moon Kingdom was not a Herb-poor kingdom, resulting in the prices of Herbs remaining relatively low.
Despite there being 20 Herbs in each stack, Ordinary Herbs only sold for 40 Copper per stack. Even Rare Herbs only sold for three Silver per stack. One could imagine just how worthless Herbs were.
Yet, even with such low prices, few people were willing to purchase Herbs, which explained why everyone was so excited to see Shi Feng.
Players would frequently encounter Herbs while adventuring, and they would usually collect these Herbs to sell in bulk at a later time.
Now, these players’ actions benefited Shi Feng.
In a short moment, Shi Feng had purchased 2,000 stacks of Ordinary Herbs and 200 stacks of Rare Herbs, spending 14 Gold in total. To other players, this might be an astronomical sum, but to Shi Feng, this was only a drop in the bucket.
“Sorry, but my bag’s full. Everyone, please wait here for a while. I’ll come back to purchase more in just a moment.” Shi Feng hurriedly turned and ran towards the Grand Duke’s mansion.
Reluctance filled the crowd’s eyes as they watched Shi Feng’s departing figure. However, when they heard that he would return to purchase more later, they all chose to remain there, quietly awaiting his return.
At this time of year, there were simply too few players willing to purchase Herbs. Now that one such player had emerged, how could they easily give up on this opportunity? They would wait a few hours if they had to, not to mention a few minutes.
The Grand Duke’s mansion was only a short distance from the Palace; the journey there only took Shi Feng a dozen minutes or so.
After entering the Grand Duke’s mansion, after the Level 150 Great Steward’s introduction, Shi Feng arrived before the Level 200 Grand Duke Hartfield. After a brief conversation, Grand Duke Hartfield began telling Shi Feng the problem burdening his daughter.
After which, Shi Feng received the Special Quest to acquire Herbs. He then retrieved the Herbs from his bag, one stack after another.
For every stack of Herbs Shi Feng turned in, he received 20 Copper and 2,000 EXP in return. Though Shi Feng took a loss of 20 Copper with each exchange, he did not pay it any mind.
Compared to forging, his leveling speed from handing in the Herbs was several times faster. As soon as he gave the Grand Duke the Herbs, he immediately received EXP. The process was very fast and convenient.
In mere moments, Shi Feng had turned in 1,500 stacks of Ordinary Herbs, earning a total of 3 Gold Coins and 3,000,000 EXP. In less than half an hour, Shi Feng’s experience bar rose significantly.
Earning 3,000,000 EXP in half an hour was an incredibly efficient way to level up. Unfortunately, after turning in the 1,500th stack of Herbs, he only received a Thank You Gift for every subsequent stack of Herbs he turned in.
As there were still a large number of players waiting for him to purchase their goods, Shi Feng wasted no time as he turned in all of the Herbs in his possession. Unlike Ordinary Herbs, he would receive ten Thank You Gifts for each stack of Rare Herbs. In terms of money, it was much more worthwhile to trade Rare herbs for the Gifts instead. Unfortunately, Rare Herbs were too scarce.
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 502: Twilight Treasure Chest
Shi Feng traded all of his Ordinary Herbs and Rare Herbs for Thank You Gifts in one fell swoop.
Suddenly, Shi Feng noticed that Grand Duke Hartfield’s gaze had changed slightly.
The Grand Duke’s originally stern expression seemed to have softened significantly.
Was I just imagining things? After Shi Feng’s brain activity had improved, his five senses and intuition had become extraordinarily sharp.
Advanced NPCs of God’s Domain possessed very high intelligence; it was even higher than ordinary players’. It was especially true for a Level 200, Tier 3 NPC like Grand Duke Hartfield. Although Hartfield might not be as strong as Magistrate Weissman, not even Weissman dared to offend the Grand Duke.
Hartfield was the only Grand Duke throughout Star-Moon Kingdom, while the others were just Dukes. In Star-Moon Kingdom, his position was only below that of the King and equal to that of the kingdom’s Grand Marshall, Adolf Cerret. Working with the Grand Marshall, they protected the kingdom from both inside and outside threats.
If Shi Feng could form a relationship with Grand Duke Hartfield, it would greatly benefit his future development in Star-Moon Kingdom.
Forget it. It’s best to just focus on raising my Reputation.
Shi Feng shook his head to clear his mind. He then departed from the Grand Duke’s mansion and returned to purchasing Herbs.
The Thank You Gifts did not take up a lot of space, with each stack holding up to 1,000 Gifts. Shi Feng had received a total of 2,500 Gifts, which took up only three bag slots.
Upon arriving at the bazaar in front of the Palace…
Sure enough, the Herb-selling players had not moved. The moment these players noticed Shi Feng’s return, they immediately rushed over to welcome him.
In moments, Shi Feng’s bag was filled to the brim once more. He then returned to the Grand Duke’s mansion and began to trade the Herbs for more Thank You Gifts.
After spending several hours ferrying Herbs from the bazaar to the Grand Duke’s mansion, Shi Feng had purchased close to half of all the available Herbs in Star-Moon Kingdom, his total expenditure exceeding 400 Gold. Originally, Shi Feng had hoped to continue purchasing Herbs. However, his high-profile actions had attracted a lot of attention, and many people had begun secretly investigating the reason behind Shi Feng’s purchases.
After all, no Guild lacked Herbs. Even if a Guild were trying to nurture a large number of alchemists, there should be no need for such a massive supply.
It should be about time to call it quits. Shi Feng glanced at the several Assassins spying on him from a distance.
He would not give any of these people the slightest of opportunities to discover his intentions. Every time he visited the Grand Duke’s mansion, he would look for a secluded location before disguising himself. Even if his trackers were quite capable, without a particularly high-ranking Identification Skill such as Omniscient Eyes, it would be impossible for them to see through his disguise.
In reality, Shi Feng did not have to pay these people any heed. Even if they discovered this Special Quest, no Guild would willingly spend so much money to earn some EXP. To be safe, however, Shi Feng still disguised himself to avoid these players discovering the method of using money to earn Reputation Points just yet.
After he finished purchasing his last batch of Herbs, Shi Feng departed from the bazaar and randomly picked a restaurant to enter. After using the Demon Mask to disguise his appearance, he boldly strode out of the restaurant and headed towards Grand Duke Hartfield’s mansion.
Inside the Grand Duke’s abode, Shi Feng habitually walked up to the Grand Duke and took out the final 1,000 stacks of Ordinary Herbs and 1,000 stacks of Rare Herbs from his bag, trading them all for Thank You Gifts.
Suddenly, the familiar sound of a system notification reached his ears.
System: Grand Duke Hartfield’s Favorability increased by 30 points.
Sure enough, this Special Quest is not as simple as it seems. Shi Feng grew slightly excited upon seeing this system notification.
The higher ranked an NPC was, the more difficult it was to raise their Favorability. The fact that he had increased the Grand Duke’s Favorability just by spending around 400 Gold was completely worth it.
However, giving the situation some thought, Shi Feng felt that this result was quite reasonable. After all, he had already earned close to 120,000 Thank You Gifts. If each stack could hold 1,000 Gifts, that was close to 120 stacks. Currently, the prices of Herbs were only this cheap due to the fact that players of God’s Domain were still low-leveled and did not have much use for them. If Shi Feng waited two more weeks or so, the money he would have to spend to earn 120,000 Thank You Gifts would most likely increase by several folds…
If the Grand Duke had nothing to say even after such a huge contribution, his heart was definitely made of stone.
“Young Adventurer, thank you for your enthusiastic contributions. With this many Herbs, I can extract a sufficient amount of Herbal Essence to cure my daughter. To show my gratitude, you may use those Thank You Gifts to trade for the treasures I usually store inside my treasury,” Grand Duke Hartfield said happily.
“Your Highness Hartfield, it will be my honor,” Shi Feng replied, immense joy filling his heart.
Originally, Shi Feng had intended to open the Thank You Gifts he had amassed in one sitting. He had never expected the Gifts to have such a purpose. Most likely, not even those several wealthy players in the past had exchanged as many Herbs as he had.
“Steward, take this adventurer to have a look,” Grand Duke Hartfield said.
“Yes,” the Grand Steward answered before leading Shi Feng to the treasury on the third floor.
The Grand Duke’s treasury was heavily guarded. The six white-robed knights guarding the entrance were Level 200 Tier 3 Judgement Knights. Not to mention, there was even a Tier 5 magic array protecting the vault. Even a Tier 4 class would require a significant amount of time to break through such a powerful magic array.
Upon entering the treasury, Shi Feng discovered that the place looked very much like a museum, with many treasures on display.
“This is the list of treasures. You are allowed to redeem the Gifts for any of the items inside.” The Grand Steward passed a list to Shi Feng.
There were not many items available for exchange on the list. However, Shi Feng was not surprised.
Grand Duke Hartfield’s Favorability towards him was only 30 points. The fact that the Grand Duke was willing to let him trade his Thank You Gifts for treasures was already a considerable outcome. If he wished to trade for every item in this treasury, he would need to raise the Grand Duke’s Favorability towards him to at least 300 points.
Shi Feng then examined the list of items. Sure enough, every item was very basic. The majority consisted of weapons and equipment that were close to his current Level, whereas the quality of the items ranged between Secret-Silver and Fine-Gold rank. Moreover, their prices were not cheap. Even the most basic piece of Level 25 Secret-Silver Equipment required 1,000 Thank You Gifts. If converted to Coins, it would cost 4 Gold. If not for the Herbs he bought being cheap, 1,000 Gifts would cost eight Gold or more.
Moreover, these Level 25 Secret-Silver and Fine-Gold Equipment were all individual pieces and not Set Equipment. To Shi Feng, these items did not serve much purpose.
Just as Shi Feng felt that he had nothing to gain here, he suddenly discovered the name of a very familiar item at the bottom of the list. “Isn’t this the Twilight Treasure Chest?”
The Twilight Treasure Chest had been very famous in God’s Domain. It was also referred to as both the Treasure Chest of Luck and the Indiscriminate Treasure Chest. Only Elite monsters that were Level 30 and above had a very low chance to drop the Twilight Treasure Chest.
As for why it was called the Indiscriminate Treasure Chest, the items one could obtain from it were extremely random. One might only receive two or three Copper and some trash items. One might also receive Epic or even Fragmented Legendary items. In general, the items one could get from the Twilight Treasure Chest relied heavily on luck.
In the past, the majority of the players who had obtained this item would promptly toss it onto the Auction House, selling it for around one Gold rather than opening it themselves.
On the other hand, each Twilight Treasure Chest only required 100 Thank You Gifts to redeem. In other words, each Twilight Treasure Chest would cost Shi Feng 40 Silver, which was significantly cheaper than its price in his past life.
“Luck?”
When Shi Feng looked at the Twilight Treasure Chest, he suddenly recalled the Icarus’s Heart around his neck. This was a godly tool that could instantly raise his Luck by 25 points.
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 503: Yang Walker
Shi Feng looked at the Twilight Treasure Chest and pondered his situation carefully.
Currently, he had nearly 120,000 Thank You Gifts on him; they were definitely enough to raise his Reputation to a sufficient level.
The Luck Attribute could be applied in various aspects. Aside from monster drops, Luck also played a significant role in opening treasure chests and gift boxes, though the effects were not as prominent as they were with drops.
However, Icarus’s Heart only gave Shi Feng 5 points of Luck under normal circumstances; that amount was too little to make a significant difference when opening treasure chests.
Based on Shi Feng’s understanding of the Luck statistic, 5 points would not even double his drop-rate when opening a treasure chest.
Meanwhile, the Twilight Treasure Chest was famed for being a miser of good items.
Only by activating Divine Providence and boosting his Luck to 25 points would his chances significantly improve when opening a treasure chest. However, Divine Providence only had a duration of 30 seconds, whereas its Cooldown lasted one hour.
“Let’s decide after I raise my Reputation,” saying so, Shi Feng began opening the Thank You Gifts.
Each Thank You Gift only required one second to open.
Shi Feng opened ten Gifts in a row. Aside from obtaining some Copper Coins, he also obtained two Reputation Books, the Gifts yielding far more than he had expected.
Each Reputation Book could raise the user’s Star-Moon City Reputation by 1 point. Unfortunately, the book could not be traded. Otherwise, Shi Feng really would sell them to the public.
However, these Reputation Books’ effects weakened as a player’s Reputation grew. Below 100 points, the book would raise a player’s Reputation by 1 point with a 100% success rate. After reaching 100 points, there was only a 60% chance. At 200 points, that success rate fell further to 30%, 20% at 300 points, and 10% at 400 points. When a player’s Reputation reached 500 points, there was only a 3% chance to increase their Reputation by 1 point when using the Reputation Book.
To become a Baron, players required 500 Reputation Points.
To become a Viscount, players required 1,000 Reputation Points.
If Shi Feng hoped to become a Viscount by relying on the Reputation Books, he would have to expend a staggering number. As for becoming a Count, which was one rank above a Viscount, that was practically impossible.
That was because a player needed 3,000 Reputation Points to become a Count.
“The effects of just having 5 points of Luck is really quite good. I wonder if it will be possible to obtain the Mastery Book?” Shi Feng grinned.
With 5 points of Luck, his chance of obtaining Reputation Books from the Thank You Gifts was indeed higher than other players.
However, other than Copper Coins and Reputation Books, there was also an extremely small chance for players to obtain Mastery Books.
Mastery was something very important to any player in God’s Domain. Taking Shi Feng for example, as his Mastery was very high, his basic attacks dealt more damage compared to other players. If he could raise his One-handed Sword Mastery’s rank to a Basic Sword Master, he could increase his basic sword attack damage by 30%; that was 10% more than an Advanced Swordsman.
With a 10% difference in basic attacks, the skill damage difference was even higher. Meanwhile, Shi Feng was only dozens of points away from becoming a Basic Sword Master.
If he could obtain Mastery Books, he could advance his combat power further. By the time he went to the Ancient Battlefield to sharpen his techniques, he would also obtain better effects.
Shi Feng then began to open the Thank You Gifts frantically.
One hundred… Three hundred… Five hundred… One thousand…
After spending several hours, Shi Feng opened more than 10,000 Thank You Gifts and obtained a total of 2,000 Reputation Books. In addition, he had also luckily obtained eight Mastery Books.
Each Mastery Book could give him 1 Mastery Point with 100% certainty.
“Will Divine Providence have an effect on the increase in Reputation?” When Shi Feng thought about how, after his Reputation reached 100 points, the Reputation Books no longer gave him 1 Reputation Point with 100% certainty, then meant that luck was involved.
Since luck was involved, then it was definitely related to the Luck Attribute.
Shi Feng grinned slightly as he activated Divine Providence. Suddenly, a faint golden glow covered Shi Feng’s body as if he had received a blessing from heaven as he became the absolute focal point inside the entire treasury.
Immediately, Shi Feng began to activate the 2,000 Reputation Books.
The activation process of a Reputation Book was very fast. The book would activate with a single click. Shi Feng could gain many Reputation Books in just 30 seconds.
In the next moment, Shi Feng’s finger transformed into an afterimage. With Shi Feng’s speed, he could click dozens of times every second. Following which, Shi Feng heard the ringing of a continuous stream of system notifications.
System: Congratulations! You have gained 1 Star-Moon City Reputation Point!
System: Congratulations! You have gained 1 Star-Moon City Reputation Point!
System: Congratulations! You have gained 1 Star-Moon City Reputation Point!
…
Thirty seconds later, of the 2,000 Reputation Books Shi Feng obtained, only a little more than 700 remained. Meanwhile, Shi Feng’s Reputation in Star-Moon City had also risen to 436 points; he was only 64 points away from becoming a Baron. The Divine Providence’s effects were remarkable.
“Sure enough, it is effective,” Shi Feng immediately grew excited.
Using this method, he could save a large number of Thank You Gifts. At this rate, not to mention becoming a Viscount, he could even give becoming a Count.
Hence, Shi Feng frantically opened Thank You Gifts once more. It just so happened that Divine Providence was on Cooldown during this period.
An hour later, Shi Feng began another round of clicking Reputation Books.
Thirty seconds later, Shi Feng’s Reputation rose from 416 points to 578 points.
Following which, Shi Feng continued opening the Thank You Gifts.
After opening more than 30,000 Gifts, Shi Feng’s Reputation had finally reached 1,000 points, becoming a Viscount of Star-Moon City. In addition, he had also obtained a total of 21 Mastery Books.
Originally, Shi Feng still intended to continue raising his Reputation. However, seeing as there were less than 90,000 Thank You Gifts remaining, even if he used Divine Providence, it would not be enough for him to become a Count. Hence, Shi Feng gave up on the notion.
However, this result had already surpassed Shi Feng’s initial expectations. Normally, 120,000 Thank You Gifts might not even be enough for him to become a Viscount.
In this aspect, Divine Providence had truly played a significant role.
However, now that Shi Feng had 21 Mastery Books, as long as he strived, he could raise his One-handed Sword Mastery to 150 points, reaching the standard of a Basic Sword Master. Hence, Shi Feng continued the process of opening the Thank You Gifts and had even used Divine Providence to aid him in his endeavor.
After opening another 10,000 or so Thank You Gifts, Shi Feng accumulated a total of 48 Mastery Books.
Immediately, he upgraded his One-handed Sword Mastery to the standard of a Basic Sword Master, his basic damage increasing by 30%.
At this moment, Shi Feng had less than 80,000 Thank You Gifts remaining. At once, Shi Feng exchanged all of them for Twilight Treasure Chests.
Each Twilight Treasure Chest cost 100 Thank You Gifts. In the end, Shi Feng had gained close to 800 Twilight Treasure Chests. He would have to spend close to 800 Gold if he bought so many anywhere else.
After Divine Providence’s Cooldown completed…
“Twilight Treasure Chest, you better not disappoint me!”
Shi Feng took out nine Twilight Treasure Chests and set them on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he immediately activated Divine Providence and swiftly began activating the treasure chests before him.
As time passed, the silver colored treasure chests inlaid with purple crystals were swiftly opened.
One chest… Two chests… Three chests…
Finally, Shi Feng managed to open the nine Twilight Treasure Chests within 30 seconds.
The nine Twilight Treasure Chests released a colorful brilliance as their lids were removed, making the entire treasury shine beautifully.
Shi Feng then began collecting the items inside the treasure chests.
As Shi Feng collected the items inside the sixth Twilight Treasure Chest, he suddenly froze. With disbelief, he retrieved a beautiful chestplate that gave off both a black and white glow.
“Yin-Yang Walker!”
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 504: Tier 1 Set Equipment
In God’s Domain, one could obtain a wide variety of items from the Twilight Treasure Chest. However, the chance of obtaining good equipment was incredibly small.
As for set equipment, don’t even think about it.
Yet, the armor called Yin-Yang Walker before Shi Feng was indeed a part of a set equipment.
For a moment, Shi Feng even questioned his own vision.
If it were any other set equipment, at most, Shi Feng’s good luck would have surprised him. However, the Yin-Yang Walker was different. It was a special set equipment just like the Warfire Set Equipment.
However, if Shi Feng had to decide which set was better, without a doubt, it would be the Yin-Yang Walker Set Equipment before him.
Although the Warfire Set Equipment could be upgraded to Fine-Gold Rank, the Yin-Yang Walker was a Tier 1 Set Equipment.
A Tier 1 Set Equipment was an exclusive set for Tier 1 classes. Although it had no grade, its boost to a Tier 1 player’s combat power even surpassed Dark-Gold Set Equipment. However, a Tier 1 Set Equipment also possessed heavy restrictions as only designated classes could use it. Moreover, the set would bind to a player when equipped, and it could neither be dropped nor traded. However, it could be destroyed if its Durability reached zero. Moreover, the repair fees for a Tier 1 Set Equipment could rival those of Epic ranked weapons and equipment.
Despite having so many restrictions, a majority of the experts in God’s Domain loved these sets.
However, it was extremely difficult to obtain a Tier 1 Set Equipment, as only Level 20 or higher Great Lords had a chance to drop them. Both Great Lords in the fields and in Dungeons had the same drop-rate. Tier 1 Set Equipment was also known as the best set equipment, other than Epic Set Equipment, available for Tier 1 players. It truly lived up to its name.
The minimum level of a Tier 1 Set Equipment was Level 20, and its Attributes would increase alongside the player’s level to Level 50, which was when players could Class Change from a Tier 1 class to a Tier 2 class. If a player had a Tier 1 Set Equipment when they carried out their Tier 2 Class Change Quest, the quest would undoubtedly be easier to complete.
Shi Feng then appraised the Yin-Yang Walker’s chestplate.
[Yin-Yang Walker Set Equipment]
Level 20 – Level 50
Equipment Requirement: Tier 1 Guardian Knight
Set consists of five parts: head, chest, hands, legs, and feet.
Binds when equipped.
Set effect
Two-piece effect: Defend skill increased by 3 Levels, Defense increased by 10%, damage received reduced by 15%, and healing received increased by 15%.
Four-piece effect: Endurance increased by 15%, and Strength increased by 10%. Obtain Yin-Yang Shield skill: Cast a magic shield on yourself, reducing all magic damage received by 60% and gaining immunity to all control effects for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
Five-piece effect: Receive one stack of Yin-Yang Energy every time damage is received. After 30 stacks, Yin-Yang Power skill can be activated: Hatred increased by 100%, all attacks deal holy damage, all Guardian Knight skill effects increased by 50%, and all Attributes increased by 15% for 24 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
If I can gather the complete set and give it to a Tier 1 Guardian Knight, tanking Bosses in large-scale Team Dungeons will be a breeze. Shi Feng inwardly sighed as he read the Yin-Yang Walker’s set effects.
Obtaining even a single piece from the Twilight Treasure Chest was already nearly impossible. Trying to obtain the complete set would be a miracle.
“The effect of having 25 Luck is better than I expected.” Shi Feng was utterly satisfied. He then looked at the large number of Twilight Treasure Chests in his bag, chuckling, “With so many Twilight Treasure Chests, I refuse to believe that Divine Providence won’t net me any other good items.”
Shi Feng had already decided. As soon as the Cooldown of Divine Providence completed, he would use it to open the treasure chests. With more than 700 Twilight Treasure Chests, even if he could not earn back the cost of all the Herbs he had bought, he would not suffer too huge of a loss, either.
Soon, Shi Feng collected the remaining items from the treasure chests and stored them in his bag.
Other than the Yin-Yang Walker, the nine Twilight Treasure Chests only yielded ordinary items. Shi Feng had only obtained a few Silver Coins and some rare materials, as well as a forging design to create the Light Stone. Although it was a forging design, it wasn’t very valuable; it was not worth even 30 Silver.
This was because the Light Stone Forging Design was quite common. It had a chance to drop from any Level 40 or above Maps.
However, God’s Domain’s current players were very much in need of Light Stones.
The Light Stone was a consumable item that could illuminate a certain area as if it were daytime. In the darkness of night, any monsters caught within the Light Stone’s radius would lose their night-time advantages. The item allowed players to grind monsters freely and level up during the night.
To players who wished to level up quickly, even the darkest night was a time to level up.
Light Stones were practically necessary for players out in the fields, hence why the drop-rate for the item’s forging design was relatively high. Only, players would find it very difficult to obtain the forging design at their current levels.
“Light Stone?” A light flashed in Shi Feng’s eyes. He felt that this was a good opportunity to make a fortune.
As long as he sold them, the Light Stones would be well-received.
Currently, the Candlelight Trading Firm relied on the Strengthened Armor Kits to draw customers from the Starstreak Trading Firm. If he added Light Stones to the Firm’s available products, it would definitely boost the Firm’s competitive edge.
Light Stones were easy to produce. Moreover, the materials it required consisted of cheap and common items such as Advanced Stones and Magic Essences. Hence, Light Stones were easily affordable by the majority of the players, unlike the expensive Strengthened Armor Kits that only a small number of players could afford.
In addition, there were only three people producing the Strengthened Armor Kits right now, and their success rates were only at 30%. It was not enough to satisfy the demand of so many players. As for Light Stones, even an Advanced Forging Apprentice’s success rate would be higher than 30%. Only, the Light Stone Forging Design was not something players below Level 30 could obtain.
If Shi Feng could acquire a large number of Light Stone Forging Designs, the Candlelight Trading Firm could take Star-Moon Kingdom’s entire market by storm. The Candlelight Trading Firm had plenty of Advanced Forging Apprentices. As long as they had a sufficient number of forging designs, they could mass-produce the Light Stones. Not only could they supply the players from White River City and Star-Moon City, but they could also provide an endless supply to other cities as well.
At that time, even counting their money would become a laborious task.
“In any case, I have nothing better to do right now. I might as well grind for some Light Stone Forging Designs.”
Shi Feng grinned. Immediately, he recalled several maps suitable for grinding Light Stone Forging Designs. Although those maps were all Level 40 and above, Shi Feng had the Ignore Level effects provided by the Magic Weapon Abyssal Blade, the Dragonclaw Set Equipment, and the Golden Stigmata. Combined, he could ignore up to 45 Levels. In addition to Shi Feng’s own Level, he could take on a Level 70 monster should he choose to do so. Only, the Attributes of a Level 70 monster were a bit too powerful. Even if Shi Feng could damage these monsters, they could kill him with a single slap.
However, against monsters below Level 50, he could definitely make an attempt as long as they were not Chieftains or Lords.
Shi Feng then headed to Star-Moon City’s City Hall to purchase a valuable golden Land. While Shi Feng had focused on raising his Reputation, the Dragonscale Set Equipment he had placed in the Blackwing Auction House had finally sold out. In addition to the money Shi Feng had earned through the Candlelight Trading Firms, he now had over 20,000 Gold in his pockets.
Thus, Shi Feng decided to buy one of the plots of Land beside the Star-Moon Bank for 16,000 gold. However, as Shi Feng was a Viscount, he received a 10% discount on his purchase. Even after constructing a new branch of the Candlelight Trading Firm, he had not even spent a total of 16,000 Gold.
After he had finished his business in the City Hall, Shi Feng took a horse carriage to the Teleportation Hall and teleported to the Twin Tower Highlands, a Level 45 map with the highest drop-rate for Light Stone Forging Designs.
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 505: Domineering Melancholic
White River City, inside one of Candlelight Trading Firm’s forging rooms:
Melancholic Smile was currently busy forging Basic Strengthened Armor Kits.
There were simply too many players in White River City. With just the three of them producing the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits, it was impossible to satisfy the demand of so many players. Had they not produced a large number of the kits early on, their supply would have long since depleted.
“Sister Smile, there are two people on the first floor looking to discuss business with you.”
“I understand. Like the others, have them wait in the reception room for now. I’ll head over once I finish my work.”
“But, one of them is claiming to be Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Leader.”
“Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Leader?”
Melancholic Smile could not help but pause.
As one of the tyrannical Guilds in White River City, it was far ahead of other Guilds. Their funds and member count were also plain for all to see.
A Lifestyle Guild’s direction of development was completely different than Combat Guilds’. In other words, there should not be any conflicts of interest between the two.
However, a Lifestyle Guild did not possess any combat capabilities. When producing certain items, plenty of rare materials were required. Meanwhile, many of these materials dropped from Dungeons. Hence, Lifestyle Guilds would usually cooperate with some Combat Guilds.
In such a relationship, the Combat Guild in question would be responsible for supplying the rare materials, while the Lifestyle Guild would offer some discounts and give priority on sales of certain items to said Combat Guild.
“Hahaha! Just in time,” Melancholic Smile said. “I’ll head over there now.”
Saying so, Melancholic Smile tidied up the materials on the table and headed downstairs.
—
In the reception room on the first floor, many of White River City’s Guilds had sent representatives to the Candlelight Trading Firm to discuss potential cooperation. However, when a man and a woman entered, the entire reception room’s atmosphere sank.
Everyone in the room immediately focused their attention on this pair of new arrivals, the woman in particular. Practically every Guild in White River City knew who she was.
This woman was none other than the Guild Leader of Overwhelming Smile’s White River City branch, Youlan.
“The Candlelight Trading Firm sure knows how to treat its guests, to actually make us wait here with other Guilds.” Feng Xuanyang swept a glance at the reception room, frowning slightly with discontent at the Firm’s arrangements.
Youlan did not comment on Feng Xuanyang’s statement. Instead, she only sat down and waited quietly.
Although Overwhelming Smile was a powerful Guild with ample funds, the Candlelight Trading Firm was no ordinary existence, either. The fact that it had been able to purchase two of White River City’s golden Lands in such a short time displayed the Firm’s powerful backing.
A short moment later, Melancholic Smile entered the reception room. Immediately, the atmosphere in the room relaxed significantly as the occupants promptly stood to welcome her, smiling.
“Everyone, please sit,” Melancholic Smile said after glancing around the room.
Every player in this room was a big shot at the peak of White River City. Melancholic Smile never thought that the day would come where she would become one of these supreme characters as well. Before this, she was merely a Forging Apprentice who Guilds would casually chase away, someone who relied on forging to earn some meager living expenses.
Regarding these high-ranked managers from various large Guilds, they were all existences that she would have only admired from a distance.
Yet, now, every one of these powerful characters greeted her with fawning smiles. Compared to her previous life, it was as if she was in an entirely different world.
When Melancholic Smile considered this, her thoughts immediately switched to the man who had helped her rise to this position. If Shi Feng had not been willing to accept her back then, she would most likely have still worried over her day-to-day life. She would still be one of the Lifestyle players at the bottom-layer of White River City, rejoicing over earning one or two Silver a day. In contrast, when dealing with hundreds, or even thousands, of Gold, her current self could maintain indifference.
Before her were the upper managers of the various large Guilds in White River City. Among them, there was even the Guild Leader of Overwhelming Smile. One could just imagine how much pressure one would feel from having to discuss business with these people. Yet, Melancholic Smile, who had never encountered such a scene spoke as naturally as if she were sipping tea while enjoying light conversation.
“Seeing as everyone present wishes to cooperate with us, I will make things simple. We at Candlelight Trading Firm only have one requirement,” Melancholic Smile calmly said. “You must sell all of the materials your Guilds have collected to us. Everything. We will purchase these materials at 60% market value. In return, the Candlelight Trading Firm will give your Guilds a discount on your purchases here. The discounts available range from 5% up to, but not limited to, 15%. In addition, we will reserve some of the rarer items for you, giving you priority to purchase them.
“If you accept these terms, you may sign the agreement that has just been given out. If not, then you may leave.”
Melancholic Smile’s statement was firm and confident.
The managers of the various Guilds immediately sucked in a breath of cold air, every one of them falling silent upon hearing the woman’s conditions.
This was fraud!
If they sold all of the materials they had obtained to the Candlelight Trading Firm, what would be left for their own Guilds?
Moreover, the purchase price was only 60% of market value. Wouldn’t they be better off selling their excess materials to the public?
Most importantly, they could only receive meager discounts of 5% to 15%. Their Guilds wouldn’t gain much benefit from such a small discount. In the end, wasn’t the Candlelight Trading Firm getting the better end of this deal?
“I’ve already said my piece. You can take your time to think it over. However, note that I will take back the contracts in thirty minutes.” Although Melancholic Smile could feel everyone’s murderous gazes, she paid them no heed. Instead, she simply turned to leave.
It was as if her actions had said, “If you want to sign, go ahead. If not, get lost.”
Suddenly, the various representatives, who had been so confident, fell mute.
“Wait a minute!” Feng Xuanyang suddenly stood with a cold expression on his face. He glared at Melancholic Smile, sneering, “Don’t you think you are going too far with your demands?
“You should know that there are many materials that only Guilds like ours can obtain;, independent teams are simply not strong enough to provide a supply. If our Guilds join hands to cut off Candlelight’s supply, do you really think you can continue doing business?”
Shocked, Youlan rushed to her feet, advising, “Young Master Feng has gone a little too far with his words; I ask for Miss Melancholic’s understanding. However, we have all come here with the intent to do business; there should be a process of negotiation at the very least. The way you cut us off will not benefit either side. Why don’t we sit down and discuss things properly?”
Everyone in the reception room nodded in agreement.
If every Guild refused to sell their materials, how could Candlelight Trading Firm hope to continue its success in White River City?
At the end of the day, a Lifestyle Guild was still a Lifestyle Guild; they were born to lower their heads to Combat Guilds.
“Hahaha! Your statement is indeed reasonable!” After thinking it over for a moment, Melancholic Smile nodded as she looked towards Feng Xuanyang and Youlan. Smiling sweetly, she said, “Although what you’ve said is logical, I stand by my decision! Moreover, from this point onward, I retract Overwhelming Smile’s contract! You two may leave now!”
“You?!” Feng Xuanyang’s eyes immediately became bloodshot as he nearly spat blood in rage. If not for the fact that they were still in the Candlelight Trading Firm, with the owner of the Firm having absolute control over and being an invincible existence inside this place, he definitely would have killed Melancholic Smile by now.
Youlan was similarly stunned by Melancholic Smile’s words.
Meanwhile, the upper managers of the various large Guilds were also stupefied by this situation…
In White River City, Overwhelming Smile was only second to Zero Wing. Yet, Melancholic Smile had dismissed them with just a few words, showing no pretenses at all.
This was simply too domineering!
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Chapter 506: Towers of Death
After Melancholic Smile finished speaking…
After a few moments, everyone in the reception room came back to their senses. However, they still stared at Melancholic Smile with surprise.
Youlan had never expected things to develop in such a way.
Melancholic Smile’s performance had completely surpassed Youlan’s expectations. Her firm rejection was even more unusual.
“Miss Melancholic, I believe we have a misunderstanding,” Youlan said after calming down. “Overwhelming Smile is not here to seek cooperation, but to invest. I believe that Miss Melancholic knows about Overwhelming Smile’s financial prowess. With our help, the Candlelight Trading Firm will have no issues obtaining materials or funding.
“At the end of the day, Candlelight is not a Combat Guild, so its development is limited; it is restricted by the city. Candlelight might become White River City’s number one trading firm, but you can’t just remain in one city and not branch out to others, right? After all, White River City’s player population is not infinite, and you can only earn so much.
“I admit that Candlelight is very wealthy. However, purchasing golden Lands in other cities requires sufficient Reputation Points there. Meanwhile, how can Candlelight hope to compete with the Guilds that have been developing in said cities since the very beginning? By the time Candlelight’s personnel gains sufficient Reputation in other cities, other Guilds will have long since purchased the best plots of Land available.
“However, after we invest in Candlelight, the trading firm will not face such a restriction. Overwhelming Smile has plenty of personnel in other major cities, including the several cities neighboring White River City. As long as we have enough Gold, we can purchase the most valuable Land in every city throughout Star-Moon Kingdom and establish the Candlelight Trading Firm all over the kingdom, saving you a lot of time and manpower.
“Is Miss Melancholic really not interested in such an opportunity?”
Youlan spoke confidently as she offered the attractive conditions. She had also hit the nail on the head by pointing out the Candlelight Trading Firm’s weakness.
Meanwhile, the fact that Youlan was able to make such a statement so confidently was all because of Overwhelming Smile’s backer, Underworld. This was a feat that no other Guild could ever accomplish, even first-rate Guilds.
Youlan’s offer sorely tempted the other managers of the Guilds in the reception room. Only, they were somewhat disappointed that the Candlelight Trading Firm would no longer be theirs.
They could already imagine the Candlelight Trading Firm’s flourishing future. One side had the advantage of manpower and resources, while the other had Coins and popular Shops. The cooperation between the two was practically a match made in heaven.
Youlan really is amazing. It’s as expected of someone fancied by Underworld’s elders. Feng Xuanyang, who had initially been overwhelmed by his rage, silently praised Youlan as he listened to the woman. He snuck a peek at Melancholic Smile from the corner of his eyes, his heart filled with joy when he saw her silence.
To a trading firm, particularly a trading firm with hot-selling commodities, what they needed the most was not materials, but a market to sell those commodities. Meanwhile, Overwhelming Smile just so happened to be capable of providing that market. This method of persuasion was far more effective than any threat.
At this moment, Melancholic Smile opened her mouth and spoke, “Your conditions are tempting, but you may leave now. Everyone else, you have thirty minutes left to consider our offer. If you do not wish to cooperate, you may leave. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you any longer.”
Saying so, Melancholic Smile left the reception room, never once turning back. From the moment she had entered the room, she had acted as if she did not care about any of the representatives.
“Is she really not tempted?” Youlan was stunned.
With such huge potential profits, no sane trading firm would reject their offer. Even if Melancholic Smile rejected them eventually, it should be based on too harsh conditions. Yet, before they could even state their conditions, she had turned them away…
Just what sort of situation was this?
Before Youlan could make sense of the situation, the upper managers of the other Guilds began signing their contracts, having already thrown their cooperation conditions out the window.
Watching this, Youlan suddenly came to a realization.
Melancholic Smile had displayed her might, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys[1]. They just so happened to be that “chicken.”
Feng Xuanyang had also realized their situation. This had all been due to him voicing his rejection, becoming Melancholic Smile’s target as a result. Despite this revelation angering him greatly, regret filled his heart. Just why had he been so eager to shoot off his mouth?
As for encouraging Overwhelming Smile to face off against the Candlelight Trading Firm, that was simply impossible. Lifestyle players did not leave the city at all. If they remained in the city, who could do anything to them?
Lifestyle players were unlike Combat players, who relied heavily on their Levels and equipment. Even if Lifestyle players were killed until they fell back to Level 0, so long as their Lifestyle Skills remained, they would feel no effect whatsoever.
“It seems that we can only hasten our own firm’s establishment,” Youlan sighed. Things were becoming much more troublesome than she had initially expected. However, the Candlelight Trading Firm had also given her a reminder. “I have heard that Maple City’s branch almost has enough Reputation. We might as well develop our trade in Maple City. Moreover, the Lands there are much cheaper. If we form an alliance with the other cities to target the Candlelight Trading Firm, sooner or later, we can defeat it as well.”
“Okay, leave that to me.” At this moment, murderous intent filled Feng Xuanyang’s eyes. Watching Melancholic Smile’s departing figure, he revealed a sinister smile as he said, “Though the trading firm itself is unwilling to cooperate, I refuse to believe that every worker is of the same opinion. I’ll poach every single one of Candlelight’s forgers. We’ll see how long Candlelight lasts, then.”
If a trading firm did not have a supply of goods, customers naturally would not visit it. It would be useless even if the trading firm occupied one of the city’s golden Lands. The fact that the Candlelight Trading Firm had become White River City’s number one trading firm so quickly was completely due to the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits. Otherwise, how could it possibly surpass the Starstreak Trading Firm?
—
While Feng Xuanyang plotted ways to poach Lifestyle players from the Candlelight Trading Firm, Shi Feng had arrived at the Twin Tower Highlands.
The Twin Tower Highlands was a Level 45 to Level 50 map. It could be considered a country within a country. Unlike the monsters in low-level maps, the monsters here were mostly intelligent Orcs that fought and lived in tribes. If players were not careful, rather than hunting their prey, they very well might become prey themselves. To God’s Domain’s current players, the Twin Tower Highlands was definitely a forbidden land. Aside from the level suppression, the difference in Attributes was already quite vast.
However, Shi Feng did not care about any of that. His own Attributes had long since surpassed the standards of the current players.
It was especially true after he had equipped the Fragmented Legendary ranked Heavenly Dragon’s Breath. In terms of Attributes, he could easily match Level 40 ordinary players.
Without level suppression, a 5 Level difference in Attributes was nothing to Shi Feng.
Fortunately, Shi Feng was very familiar with the Twin Tower Highlands. He had arrived at the core area of the Twin Tower Highlands, the Towers of Death, without so much as encountering a single monster.
Dark clouds hid the tops of the two tall towers, preventing one from seeing them with a single glance. A thick layer of death also surrounded the towers as cold wind billowed around them.
Tall ramparts surrounded the massive Towers of Death. An army of Orcs patrolled the walls. Overall, the Towers of Death look like an impregnable fortress.
This was the best location for Shi Feng to grind for the Light Stone Forging Designs.
“This should be it.”
Shi Feng activated Wind Rider and the Ring of Nothingness and flew up to the tall walls. Sweeping a glance over the numerous Level 47 Orcs below the ramparts, a grin appeared on his face.
TL Notes:
[1] killing the chicken to scare the monkeys: Chinese idiom that gives the meaning of – to punish an individual as an example to others.
Chapter 507: Explosive Power
Not only did the Towers of Death resemble a fortress, but there were also tens of thousands of monsters wandering inside their walls. It was simply impossible to infiltrate without a large team of more than a hundred players.
However, it was also why the Towers of Death were a good grinding spot.
Although the Common Monsters, the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors, behind the wall seemed to be covered in steel-like muscles, in reality, their strength was only an illusion; they were actually quite weak. Moreover, they were all melee monsters. As long as a team had several powerful AOE classes, the Towers of Death would become a leveling heaven.
[Hot-blooded Orc Warrior] (Orc, Common Monster)
Level 47
HP 30,000/30,000
To players of a similar Level, these Orc Warriors were very easy to deal with. To Shi Feng, who was only Level 26 right now, they were just as easy to defeat.
The only challenge was the fact that these Hot-blooded Warriors normally moved in groups of 100 or more, with an Elite-ranked Hot-blooded Orc Captain leading each company. The Orc Captains were much larger than their Common counterparts. They were fully protected by a suit of plate armor and wielded a war saber and large shield in each hand. Most importantly, these Orc Captains had an aura effect that could increase the Attack Speed and damage of nearby Hot-blooded Orc Warriors by 30%.
[Hot-blooded Orc Captain] (Orc, Elite Rank)
Level 48
HP 200,000/200,000
Even a 50-man team would struggle against such a company of Orcs. As for 20-man teams, they could only escape for their lives.
Teams that came to grind here would usually eliminate the Orc Captain first, sending several Assassins with high burst damage and a bombardment from the ranged attackers, getting rid of the Orc Captain in the shortest amount of time possible. That way, the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors would be fish in a barrel, easy to annihilate.
However, Shi Feng’s level was too low right now. It would be very difficult for him to charge into the group of Orcs and kill the Orc Captain swiftly, hence why Shi Feng had flown up to the ramparts.
The ramparts were very tall, and it would not be easy for one to reach the top quickly, especially Common Monsters like the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors. Monsters like them could only use the only staircase. Moreover, it was a long way from the bottom to the top of the stairs, and it would take the Orc Warriors quite some time to reach the top of the walls. The Orc Captain, however, was different. The Captain’s strength was impressive, and he could easily reach the top of the walls with just a few jumps.
In the past, many people had used this method to grind Orcs and level up.
After Shi Feng positioned himself on the rampart, he switched the Seven Luminaries Ring’s Aura of Wind to the Aura of Fire. Simultaneously, he activated the Ice-Blue Devil Flame, pale blue flames suddenly covering his entire body.
With the effects of the Aura of Fire and the Ice-Blue Devil Flame combined, his damage instantly increased by 60%. The combined effects were no weaker than when he activated a berserk skill. Moreover, these effects lasted indefinitely and had no side effects whatsoever.
He then took out the Blazing Meteor and threw it at a Hot-blooded Orc Warrior.
Xiu!
The Blazing Meteor streaked across the air like a shooting star, instantly striking at a Hot-blooded Orc Warrior who patrolled below the fortress walls.
-904.
Although there was no level suppression, a Level 47 monster was far superior to a Level 20-plus monster regarding both Defence and Attack Power. Shi Feng only had the Attributes of a Level 40 or so ordinary player; his damage was very limited.
“Intruder!” the Orc Warrior bellowed angrily as he turned towards Shi Feng on top of the wall.
Immediately, the entire company of Hot-blooded Orcs also discovered Shi Feng. However, as the wall was too large, they could only frantically dash towards one of the distant staircases.
The armored Hot-blooded Orc Captain, unlike his allies, simply bent his legs and jumped. In just a moment, the Orc Captain had jumped up to half the height of the wall. The Captain stabbed his saber into the sturdy wall. Using his saber as a foothold, the Captain jumped once again, reaching the top of the ramparts. His robust and powerful hand grabbed and tugged on the chain wrapped around his wrist. In the blink of an eye, the saber, which was connected to the chain, returned to the Orc Captain’s hand.
The entire process was smooth and only took an instant. The Orc Captain was like a martial arts expert who could walk on walls and fly through the eaves of buildings.
However, Shi Feng was not the slightest bit surprised by the Orc Captain’s actions. Elite monsters’ intelligence and combat techniques at this Level were not the slightest bit inferior to the professional fighters in real life. In some aspects, these Elite monsters were even more amazing than professional fighters.
The Hot-blooded Orc Captain looked at Shi Feng, who was 10 yards away, with a bloodthirsty fury in his crimson eyes. Raising his shield, he used Charge and dashed towards Shi Feng.
The Orc Captain was over two meters tall. With his mass and speed, he was like a small car rushing towards Shi Feng. One could just imagine the consequences of such a collision.
Without hesitation, Shi Feng activated Purgatory Power, raising his damage by another 30% and Attack Speed by 100%. He then dashed forward to meet the Orc Captain’s charge head-on.
Just as the Orc Captain was about to send Shi Feng into a Fainted state, at the moment between life and death, Shi Feng used Silent Steps. Not only had Shi Feng avoided the Fainted effect of the Orc Captain’s Charge, but he also managed to appear behind the Orc Captain.
“Die!” Shi Feng shouted. In the next moment, the Abyssal Blade and the Purgatory’s Shadow in Shi Feng’s hands released a powerful blinding light. The crimson flames that covered both swords caused the surrounding temperatures to soar.
Flame Burst!
Dazzling streaks of light shot out from Shi Feng’s hands, piercing the Hot-blooded Orc Captain’s armor.
The Orc Captain’s armor could stop neither the scorching heat of the flames nor the sharp edges of the swords. The blazing Abyssal Blade easily penetrated the sturdy armor, stabbing the Orc Captain’s vital point.
-9,120, -18,160, -9,234, -27,548…
Frightening damages appeared above the Hot-blooded Orc Captain’s head, one after another. In the blink of an eye, the Orc Captain had lost close to half of his HP.
The Orc Captain bellowed at the damage he received. Responding quickly, the Orc Captain used War Stomp, causing all enemies within a range of six yards to enter a Fainted state for three seconds.
However, Shi Feng, who had already grasped the Flowing Water Realm, had long since seen the Orc Captain’s intentions. The instant the Orc Captain lifted his leg, Shi Feng swung his sword.
Abyssal Bind!
When the Orc Captain’s feet were only several centimeters from the ground, nine pitch-black chains emerged from the ground and bound the Captain, restricting all of his movements.
Taking this opportunity, Shi Feng launched a barrage of attacks towards the Orc Captain. Due to Abyssal Bind reducing the Orc Captain’s Defense by 100%, Shi Feng’s Flame Burst skill became even more powerful. Now, each attack dealt around -20,000 damage, while double critical hits dealt around -40,000 damage.
Before Shi Feng could exhaust the twelve instances of Flame Burst, the Hot-blooded Orc Captain was already dead, dropping a few Silver Coins and a piece of equipment.
From beginning to end, Shi Feng took less than 4 seconds to kill the Hot-blooded Orc Captain.
Meanwhile, only now did the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors finish climbing the stairs, reaching the top of the rampart. However, there were still more than 60 yards between them.
After collecting the drops, Shi Feng used Skywheel Sword on the Orc Warriors who were 40 yards away from him. Golden divine swords descended from the sky, sealing the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors in a radius of 20 yards for four seconds. At the same time, the Orc Warriors each received over -4,000 damage, while some received close to -10,000 critical damage. With a single attack, the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors lost close to half of their 20,000 HP.
While the Hot-blooded Orc Warriors ceaselessly bellowed with anger, Shi Feng followed up his attack with Firestorm.
Suddenly, heavenly fire descended from the skies, annihilating the company of Orc Warriors. Items scattered across the ground around the Orc Warriors’ corpses.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng’s experience bar rose at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Shi Feng marveled at the dropped items on the ground. “Fragmented Legendary items and Epic items really are frightening.”
Originally, Shi Feng thought he would have some troubles dealing with these Hot-blooded Orc Warriors. Now, it would seem that he had worried for nothing.
If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!
Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!
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
Comments for chapter "Chapter 500"
WEBNOVEL DISCUSSION
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
