Chapter 1763 - Popular Alliance
After Yan Ya left the meeting room, Shi Feng had someone gather the forging players the Adventurer Alliance had recruited thus far.
If the Adventurer Alliance were to become self-sustaining, it had to have its own production team.
Hence, before he had left Cold Wind City, he had instructed Yan Ya to recruit a batch of Lifestyle Players for the alliance, and the alliance would nurture these Lifestyle Players internally.
For the 400,000 Ice Jades he had brought from Lake Heart City, selling them directly wouldn't be cost-effective. Only after the alliance's Advanced Forgers crafted the Ice Jades into Ice Resistance Gemstones would the material show its true value.
Although the Candlelight Trading Firm had quite a few Advanced Forgers, these Advanced Forgers had their own work to do. Candlelight simply couldn't afford to spare the time and manpower needed to handle 400,000 Ice Jades.
Fortunately, the Ice Crystal World's Lifestyle Player standard was quite high. This was especially true for forging players that crafted weapons and equipment. One could easily find and recruit Advanced Lifestyle Players.
Around ten minutes later, over a hundred forgers had arrived to the meeting room. Every one of these players wore the Advanced Forger's Insignia.
If Shi Feng led this group to Star-Moon Kingdom, it would definitely shock the kingdom's various major powers.
Even the Candlelight Trading Firm would be hard-pressed to show off over a hundred Advanced Forgers. As for other trading firms and Guilds, they had no hope of doing so. Only, the 100-plus Advanced Forgers in the meeting room were no match for the Advanced Forgers on the continent of God's Domain when it came to forging standards.
Currently, all hundred-plus Advanced Forgers waited quietly in Asura's meeting room, clearly anxious and excited. This was because they shared the room with Shi Feng, who, in their opinion, was unreachable.
Their anxiety and excitement weren't just due to Shi Feng's aura, but more so because he was the Asura adventurer team's commander and the Adventurer Alliance's creator.
One could say that Shi Feng was the true number one player in Cold Wind City!
To independent forgers like them, Shi Feng lived in an entirely different world than they did. None of them had ever expected that they'd get to meet Shi Feng in person. Once they left, they'd be able to brag about this to their friends for the rest of their lives.
"You have already signed a partnership contract with the Adventurer Alliance. From now on, you are the alliance's reserve members. You will be awarded Contribution Value based on your normal performance. Once you achieve a certain Contribution Value, you'll receive a promotion. Naturally, the higher your rank is within the alliance, the better the benefits you will enjoy in the future. It is even possible for you to enjoy treatment and benefits rivaling Vice Guild Leaders in large Guilds, but with more freedom. Whether you reach this standard or not will depend on your personal effort."
Hearing Shi Feng's words, the Advanced Forgers were stunned, their mouths hanging open. They simply could not believe their ears.
As long as they contributed enough to the Adventurer Alliance, they would receive promotions. Moreover, they might even earn the power and benefits large Guilds' Vice Guild Leaders enjoyed if they worked hard enough.
Ordinary players like them couldn't hope to compare to large Guilds' Vice Guild Leaders. As for the benefits that came with such a position, holding the position for several years would earn them enough money that they wouldn't have to worry for the rest of their lives. They had dreamed of enjoying such benefits many times before, but they also knew that players of their caliber could never reach such heights.
Yet, now, these benefits were now within their sight. Such a dream was no longer an illusion. Why wouldn't they be shocked and excited?
And since Shi Feng was the Adventurer Alliance's creator, they knew that his words were true.
Immediately, fighting spirit flared in the Advanced Forgers. They all wanted to get to work immediately.
"Commander, tell us what you need us to do! We'll complete the task with perfection!"
"Commander, give us our task!"
None of these players were fools. There was no way Shi Feng had gathered them here just to tell them about the new ranking system and the corresponding benefits. He had definitely called them here to do something, and they all watched him with eager gazes.
"Alright, I won't mince words. I need you to help me refine an item," Shi Feng said, nodding in approval when he saw the fighting spirit burn in everyone's eyes. "However, this refinement is slightly unique. As you refine the item, you must not complete the final step. In other words, you won't receive any Proficiency, but you will earn corresponding Adventurer Team Points and Contribution Value. If you don't have any problems with this, you can head to the Forging Association now.
We've already prepared Special Forging Rooms for you. We'll send the necessary materials to you shortly."
Refining Ice Jade was not easy. The Ice Jade itself was a rare material, and the complex refining process would take a considerable amount of time to complete. Meanwhile, the final process of turning an Ice Jade into an Ice Resistance Gemstone had a very low success rate, as well. Advanced Forgers would have a theoretical success rate of only 20%. Only a Master Forger like himself had a slightly higher success rate of 30%. Including some support tools, he should reach a theoretical success rate of 35%.
Although that was only a 15% increase, it was a massive improvement to any Lifestyle Player.
Demand for Ice Jade was growing rapidly, and Gentle Snow couldn't collect as many as she had previously. To maximize the Ice Jades he currently had, Shi Feng decided to complete the final refining step himself.
Although having Advanced Forgers complete most of the refinement process would reduce the production success rate slightly, the small decrease would be worth the large amount of time Shi Feng would save.
Hearing Shi Feng's instructions, the Advanced Forgers charged out of the room and dashed towards the Forging Association, afraid that others would get a head start on them.
Elsewhere, Yan Ya quickly arranged the Adventurer Alliance's new regulations and published them on the forums. The moment the alliance's new regulations went public, they dumbfounded every player in Cold Wind City. "What's going on? Did the Asura adventurer just win the lottery?"
"How generous! Does Asura have the support of some major corporation? Even if I have to settle for Gold rank, I'll still make enough money to live without worry."
"All hail Asura!"
"Crap! These benefits are even better than what some Guilds offer! This won't do! I need to leave my Guild and join the Adventurer Alliance right away!"
Everyone, independent players and Guild players, was interested and tempted by the new benefits the Adventurer Alliance offered.
Not only did the Adventurer Alliance place little-to-no restrictions on its members, but it also provided benefits that could rival that of Guilds. Since that was the case, why wouldn't they join the Adventurer Alliance?
To independent experts, these new benefits made the Adventurer Alliance even more attractive. Not only would they be free of stifling restrictions, but after they reached a certain rank, the alliance would also pay them a certain amount of Credits per month.
Meanwhile, in Hecate's Residence in Cold Wind City...
Several of Hecate's upper echelons stood in the glorious Guild Leader's office wearing gloomy expressions. "Is the Asura adventurer team insane? It actually dares to offer such benefits to independent players?"
"Asura has gone so far just to win the public's hearts. Isn't it afraid of going bankrupt?"
The Adventurer Alliance's new benefits shocked the upper echelons present. When the various large Guilds recruited members, particularly members that were granted a fixed salary, they would impose strict restrictions, such as requiring them to raid a certain number of Dungeons and Bosses each day. Their members had very little freedom. After all, if their Guilds did not do so, it wouldn't earn back the funds it spent on these members.
However, the Adventurer Alliance was different. Its members had a lot of freedom, and the only real way the alliance could make money was through its exchange services. If the alliance granted its ranked members with such benefits despite such a limited income, the alliance would hemorrhage money. Only a lunatic would offer such benefits.
"Interesting. Asura is stooping to such an unscrupulous method to monopolize Cold Wind City's rare materials?" Carnage's expression darkened slightly. He then turned to the young woman beside him and asked, "How are the Twelve Heavens recuperating? And have we obtained the equipment from the Adventurer Alliance yet?"
"They're already well-rested. As for the equipment, we've purchased enough for their use. They can move out at any time," the young woman reported, smiling.
"Good. We'll head over to the Snow Ruin now. It's about time we teach the Asura adventurer team that their efforts are for naught," Carnage hissed with a sneer.
Elsewhere, Shi Feng refined Ice Jade like a madman.
Although his final success rate was only around 32%, Shi Feng was satisfied with it
After working for four days straight, he had finally refined all 400,000 Ice Jades. In the end, he had forged 128,000 Ice Resistance Gemstones. He had also earned enough EXP to push him to Level 67.
Good. I'm finally done. Shi Feng was overwhelmed with excitement as he gazed at the Ice Resistance Gemstones in his bag. It's about time to collect Cold Wind City's money.