Chapter 2384 - Accumulating Advantages
After receiving Shi Feng's instructions, Liang Jing posted an announcement on the forums, stating that Zero Wing would be leasing Stone Forest City's private houses.
The moment she published the post on Star-Moon Kingdom's official forums, the kingdom erupted in an uproar.
Everyone had already learned a little about Stone Forest City through the information Zero Wing's members had leaked. They all came to the conclusion that the city was a haven for leveling resources. Unfortunately, players had been forced to gaze at the city from afar, since it had only been open to Zero Wing's members and the Star-Moon Adventurer Alliance's Silver members. However, now that Zero Wing had announced a way for non-members to gain access to the city, how could anyone ignore it??
When they saw the private houses' leasing conditions, however, both the various major powers and the kingdom's independent players gasped.
Stone Forest City's private houses were available for rent, but the Zero Wing was only leasing the houses on a weekly basis, not monthly, and the starting bid for the weekly rent was 30,000 Credits. The price could easily rival the private houses' monthly rent in the Bottomless Abyss.
"Zero Wing is too vicious. Although it's somewhat opening Stone Forest City to the public, only players who rent its private houses will be allowed in the city[l]."
"But this is an opportunity for independent players like us. If we can win a private house in the upcoming auction, we'll have a much easier time leveling up and completing our Tier 3 Promotion Quests."
"Isn't the rent a little too expensive, though? Zero Wing's charging 30,000 Credits per week. How can ordinary players possibly afford that rent?"
Everyone immersed themselves in heated discussions over Zero Wing's latest announcement, and many players considered the private houses starting bid too demanding. None of the independent players that were interested in Stone Forest City's private houses could bring themselves to accept this price.
In contrast, a large number of adventurer teams and Guilds began to apply to join the Candlelight Trading Firm's leasing auction as the news spread. Candlelight's Shops in White River City grew overcrowded as these adventurer teams and Guilds' representatives arrived.
"Are these people mad? We're talking about 30,000 Credits per week. How much of an advantage could they possibly gain in seven days?" A Level 40 female player new to God's Domain was confused when she saw the frenzied crowd in the Shop. She wondered if all of God's Domain's players had gone crazy.
You've only recently joined the game, so you might not realize how valuable Stone Forest City's private houses are. A player's leveling speed in a Level 100 neutral map is at least three times that of grinding in a Level 90-plus map. Moreover, Level 100 equipment and resources drop in Level 100 neutral maps. The various superpowers' teams invest dozens of hours each day traveling to and from these maps just to grind, but if they had a private house in the area, they could teleport directly to the map," a Level 94 Cursemancer informed the female player. Enviously, he continued, "Moreover, I've heard that you can accumulate the Double EXP buff and slightly accelerate your recovery speed while resting inside Stone Forest City's private houses. All of these benefits can boost your leveling speed."
If he had had enough money, he would've applied to join the auction as well. He wouldn't have wasted his time slowly earning CPs in the Star-Moon Adventurer Alliance, trying to become a Silver member.
Meanwhile, inside one of White River City's restaurants...
"Elder, Zero Wing has over 20 Tier 3 players now. Even Starlink will be helpless against the Guild in the Cold Spring Forest now," a handsome man in pitch-black armor reported to Evil Qilin. Anxiously, he asked, "What should we do about the Vice Guild Leader's command?"
Zero Wing's foundations had surprised them. With Tier 3 players' survivability in Level 100 neutral maps, not even 10 Hellfire Legions could affect Zero Wing's development, much less the current 1,000-man Hellfire Legion.
"We've underestimated the Guild. Zero Wing is certainly impressive to nurture so many Tier 3 players so soon. For now, we should settle for renting private houses in Stone Forest City," Evil Qilin said, frowning as he read the latest report.
Demon Palace only had around two dozen members that were preparing for their Tier 3 Promotion Quest, yet Zero Wing already had that many Tier 3 players...
"Even if we win some, I'm afraid that it won't be enough..." the handsome youth worried.
Demon Palace ruled over the Demonic Hell World and had a massive number of experts under its command. Even if they rented all of Stone Forest City's private houses, they wouldn't satisfy the Guild's demand.
"We're not in a hurry. Very few Guild members are capable of challenging their Tier 3 Promotion Quests right now. A few hundred private houses should be enough," Evil Qilin said, chuckling. "However, this decision will haunt Zero Wing. Since the Guild has opted out of opening Stone Forest City to the public, it won't last long once the various superpowers' members complete their Tier 3 Promotion Quests. I can't wait to see whether or not Zero Wing can hold onto Stone Forest City!"
Evil Qilin only expected Zero Wing to rule over the Cold Spring Forest for a short time. How many experts could the Guild possibly have that could reach Tier 3 so soon compared to the various superpowers? It would only be a matter of time before Zero Wing was left behind.
While the various powers discussed Zero Wing, Shi Feng teleported to one of the Ten Saints Empire's border towns with Cola and his team. They then boarded the Crimson Dragon Flying Ship and flew to the Demonic Wolf Mountains, another Level 100 neutral map.
The Demonwolf Mountain Range was a forbidden land south of the Ten Saints Empire, and there were rumors that a Ferocious Beast, the Dark Battle Wolf, lived there. Even the Ten Saints Empire, one of God's Domain's Four Great Empires, was afraid of provoking the beast. The Dark Battle Wolf had the strength to rival a Tier 5 Dragon King, a being that could even contend with Tier 6 Gods.
Moreover, a destructive aura enveloped the entire mountain range. Tier 2 players wouldn't survive more than three hours in the area. It was also home to the Dark Wolf race, which had inherited the Dark Battle Wolfs Bloodline. They were no weaker than Bloodline Creatures of the same level and tier. During Shi Feng's previous life, not even the various superpowers had dared to venture into the Demonwolf Mountain Range casually.
"Why are we here, Guild Leader? This environment even feels ominous for Tier 3 players. We're not here to grind, are we?" Cola asked nervously as he watched the numerous wolf packs roam the forest below the flying ship.
Since reaching Tier 3, Cola had felt as if he had the strength to toy with Level 100 Great Lords, but when he saw the Three-eyed Demonwolves below, he sensed the threat of death. The Great Lord ranked Three-eyed Demonwolves felt particularly dangerous.
Yan Tianxing and the others felt the same and were just as uncomfortable.
"We're not here to level. These monsters are cheapskates. They give very little EXP and loot. Moreover, those wolves generally move in packs of 500 or more. Even a 100-man, Tier 3 expert team would be dog food here, not to mention our team," Shi Feng said, shaking his head.
"Then, why are we here?" Yan Tianxing repeated the question.
Now that Zero Wing had so many Tier 3 experts, they could raid Level 100 Team Dungeons, yet Shi Feng had brought them to this godforsaken place.
"We're going to open a portal to the western continent!" Shi Feng answered, chuckling.
If the various superpowers had so many Tier 3 experts under their command right now, they'd definitely start raiding Level 100 Team dungeons or powerful Field Bosses. It was the easiest way to gain more Level 100 weapons and equipment, which would enable more of the Guild's members to challenge their Tier 3 Promotion Quests, after all.
However, Shi Feng thought that method was too slow for Zero Wing. His Guild didn't have as many experts as the various superpowers, and if he wanted Zero Wing to grow quickly, he had to expend an abundance of resources. The fastest way to acquire these resources was through trade between the two continents.
Shi Feng hadn't had the ability to travel to the western continent before, but now that Cola and his team had reached Tier 3, Zero Wing had a chance of opening the portal to the other continent. Naturally, Shi Feng would take advantage of this opportunity.