It



After Shi Feng tapped on the semi-transparent light-blue screen before him, 1,500 Magic Crystals instantly disappeared from his bag.

Immediately, the gigantic crystal atop the Magic Tower released a dazzling light-blue beam that shot 400 yards into the air before bursting apart and spreading over the entire Stone Forest Town like an opened umbrella.

This spectacular sight stunned all the players within the town.

"What's going on?"

"Is Zero Wing setting up a magic barrier?"

…

Everyone could not help but start discussing the Magic Tower. However, while most people were chatting, a few expert players with sharp senses suddenly discovered that the density of the ambient Mana was actually rising gradually.

"Are you guys feeling it? The Mana density in the town seems to be rising."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, my mind does feel a lot clearer than before."

"Wait, take a look at your status windows! There's an extra buff in mine!"

As experts voiced their findings in surprise one after another, more and more players also noticed the changes that had occurred to the town. When someone mentioned the appearance of a buff in their status window, everyone promptly called out their status windows as well.

[Ample Mana State] Stamina and Concentration recovery improved significantly. Player will be able to maintain a clear state of mind at all times while in this state.

"This buff is too amazing!"

"Hooray, Zero Wing!"

"Hahaha! This is too awesome! My current recovery rate already rivals the recovery rate inside a hotel! With this, I won't have to rest in a hotel anymore!"

"What a fool! I just came out from a hotel. Resting in one is way better. Not only is the recovery rate there faster, but as long as you rest for five hours, once you exit from the Ample Mana State, your EXP acquisition rate will be 30% higher for two hours. If you rest for ten hours, you get four hours' worth of 30% bonus EXP!"

"What?! That amazing?!"

"You'll know once you go test it out. I have to work during the day, so I'll definitely have to rest over ten hours in a hotel. With this, I won't have to worry about falling behind in levels!"

…

After the players in the town realized the effects of the Magic Tower, many of them couldn't hold back their excitement and started cheering loudly in the streets.

The majority of the players in Stone Forest Town were independent players. Unlike Guild players, who had Guild Residences, they did not have the opportunity to accumulate the Double EXP buff. Hence, independent players generally lagged behind Guild players in levels. However, as many independent players disliked the restrictive rules of Guilds, they would rather level up at a slower pace than join a Guild. That way, they could enjoy a free and comfortable lifestyle as well as the exciting adventures God's Domain had to offer.

However, now that they could also enjoy an EXP increase buff by resting in hotels, how could they not get excited? With this, they could have their freedom and level up quickly at the same time.

The originally bustling hotels suddenly became jammed with players. Every independent player in town had rushed to the nearest hotel in the hopes of renting a room for themself. Previously, everyone had angrily cursed that the hotel rates of Stone Forest Town were daylight robbery, as the town was charging nearly triple that of other places, and only by paying with Magic Crystals would they receive the normal rate. Now, however, everyone thought nothing of it. Instead, they felt that this price was a bargain.

After all, after resting for ten hours, one would have a 30% increased EXP acquisition rate for four hours.

"Crap, this is a scam! I'm already using Magic Crystals to pay, so why are the rates still triple the normal hotel rates!"

"If you can't afford it, get lost! Can't you see that there's still a bunch of people waiting to rent a room?!"

"Hahaha! Luckily, I was smart enough to rent a room for ten days before this situation happened! I've saved a fortune this time!"

Currently, every hotel within Stone Forest Town was packed with independent players. Although many were disgruntled at the price markup, the 30% EXP buff was just too important. Hence, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and rent a room. Moreover, every player would rent for at least ten days. Otherwise, when demand for the hotel rooms skyrocketed in the future, they might not get an opportunity to rent one.

…

"Guild Leader, this Magic Tower is simply amazing! It's only been a few minutes, but every hotel in Stone Forest Town is already at capacity. Right now, many players are even complaining that there are too few hotels in town and are demanding that we build more," Blackie reported, smiling.

Originally, renting a room for a day in one of Stone Forest Town's hotels cost only 50 Copper. Now, even after jacking up the price to 1 Silver, 50 Copper, the many hotels in town still could not keep up with demand. Moreover, this price was for transactions in Magic Crystals. If players were using Coins, they would have to pay 3 Silver per day.

"Ignore the matters regarding the hotels for now. Prioritize constructing a Battle Arena. That's where the money will really come from," Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

Although hotels seemed to be very profitable, in reality, these establishments did not earn a lot of money.

Hotels simply took up too much space. Moreover, Zero Wing would only gross a maximum of 1 Silver, 50 Copper per day from each player. After deducting the cost of hiring NPCs to manage the hotels, the Guild was earning roughly 1 Silver, 20 Copper from each player. Currently, the hotels in Stone Forest Town could accommodate a maximum of 20,000 people only. In other words, Zero Wing could earn 240 Gold per day at most through the hotels—a large sum of money to ordinary large Guilds, but to Zero Wing, this was a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, 20,000 players were not even one-tenth of Stone Forest Town's population. Even so, the current number of hotels occupied over half of the town's lands.

Originally, the reason why Shi Feng had constructed so many cheap hotels was to earn Magic Crystals.

However, now that he had the Magic Tower, there was another building that could earn him even more money—the Battle Arena.

The Battle Arena was a place where players could fight against each other.

Due to the Magic Tower, the Mana density in the entire town had increased. This situation would be of great assistance to players, just like in the Trial Tower of the Divine Colosseum.

Under the effects of Stone Forest Town's environment, players could maintain a very clear state of mind. Fighting under such a state would be of great help in improving their strength.

However, inside a player-constructed town, PvP was prohibited. The only place players could fight against each other in a town was at a Battle Arena.

When the time came, the 200,000 or so players residing in Stone Forest Town would definitely head to the Battle Arena to improve themselves through PvP. At that time, the money Zero Wing could earn through the Battle Arena would no doubt far surpass the income they were currently making from the hotels.

"I'll get it done right away!" Blackie's eyes glowed when he heard Shi Feng's explanation.

At the same time, the matter regarding Stone Forest Town gradually spread throughout the entire Star-Moon Kingdom. As a result, independent players who were tempted to head to the Undead Gorge started having second thoughts.

Getting four hours of 30% increased EXP acquisition rate was no laughing matter, particularly for independent elite and expert players. This was a rare opportunity to level up quicker. If utilized properly, even if they could not completely catch up to Guild players, at the very least, they wouldn't be left too far behind.

…

Star-Moon City, Blackwater's Residence:

"Damn it! To think Zero Wing would still have such a move!" Abandoned Wave's expression turned very ugly when he received the news regarding Stone Forest Town. At this rate, the more time they wasted, the more troublesome Zero Wing would become. At the same time, his heart was also filled with sheer envy, and he grew even more impatient to obtain Stone Forest Town. Following which, he looked at the subordinate standing beside him and commanded, "Immediately notify Singular Burial's side! Tell them that there's a change of plans! We're going to take action ahead of time!"

Chapter 1032: Independent Players' Holy Land



The several upper echelons inside Blackwater's Guild Leader's office were shocked when they heard Abandoned Wave's command. Though, they could understand Abandoned Wave's train of thought.

Stone Forest Town's latest transformation made it all the more tempting.

Stone Forest Town had been, at most, a tool that Blackwater could use to defeat Zero Wing, but now, the town was a mountain of gold and silver that could massively help Blackwater's establishment in God's Domain.

To current Guilds, Magic Crystals were incredibly important.

If a Guild wanted to nurture and improve its members' techniques quickly, sending them to the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower was undoubtedly the fastest way. In order to do so, they needed Magic Crystals.

Unfortunately, Magic Crystals were too difficult to procure. Even with the massive wealth and connections the Blackwater Corporation possessed, they could only procure a limited amount. In the end, the Guild could only supply its experts and a small number of elite members with Magic Crystals.

In Blackwater, there was no lack of talented players.

As long as they had enough Magic Crystals, they could nurture large groups of experts as they wished.

Now that Stone Forest Town's Mana density had increased and players could acquire a 30% EXP buff from the town's hotels, the town would attract swarms of independent players. Unlike when these players' choices of leveling areas had been limited, now, they could go to Stone Forest Town if they wanted to level quickly.

The sooner Blackwater took control of Stone Forest Town, the sooner it could officially start its conquest of God's Domain.

"Boss Wave, we still have a lot of preparation. If we take action now, it might be difficult to take down Stone Forest Town," Laughing Drunkard advised. "Moreover, Big Sis Ling has set out to negotiate with Pantheon. If Pantheon agrees to lend us their experts, it will be easy to take the town. We don't need to be in such a hurry."

"You're right. I was a little impatient," Abandoned Wave admitted as he took in a deep breath. He then laughed and said, "I was still angry about Zero Wing's actions. Now, however, it would seem that I should thank them. They've even gone ahead and sent me a gift in their final moments. Let's give them another two days to live, then. However, you should head to Stone Forest Town and investigate the new building. The town's sudden transformation is definitely related to that tower. I want to know how we can construct one for ourselves as soon as possible."

He had been somewhat impatient. The sealing magic array in the Stoneclaw Mountains was still incomplete. Without it, capturing Stone Forest Town would be quite difficult. However, once the magic array was complete and they persuaded the Super Guild Pantheon, Zero Wing wouldn't be able to hold the town, regardless of the Guild's capabilities.

…

As Blackwater planned to wait for the sealing magic array's completion, the independent players throughout Star-Moon Kingdom were in an uproar. As a result, many major companies, which had doubted Zero Wing's future, began to regret their decisions.

Due to the Magic Tower, Stone Forest Town's potential and value had increased exponentially.

To companies like theirs, nothing was more important than sufficient players. Initially, they had been certain that Stone Forest Town's player population would never be high enough. However, things had changed. With the town's favorable environment, it was only a matter of time before its population multiplied by several times. If they set up a virtual store in Stone Forest Town, their businesses would definitely gain a following. If their companies could occupy a portion of the virtual market ahead of their competition, they would have a brighter future in God's Domain.

Suddenly, Aqua Rose contacted Shi Feng. Happily, she said, "Guild Leader, some of the companies that were hesitating have contacted me stating that they want to discuss cooperation with you."

Previously, she had worried that Shi Feng had been too arrogant and that none of the companies would be willing to work with them. Now, however, over 20 companies had contacted her. Moreover, every one of these companies was far more powerful than the few that had tried to take advantage of their predicament.

"Oh? They sure are quick to decide. Unfortunately, there are still matters that demand my attention. Arrange a meeting with them for four hours from now in White River City's Candlelight Trading Firm," Shi Feng instructed her after some thought. It had been quite some time since Blackwater had annexed Ouroboros. This should be the best time to purchase the Guild's training center. If he waited any longer, something unexpected might happen.

Previously, he had learned a lot about the training center from Gentle Snow.

He had to admit that Ouroboros was indeed a veteran first-rate Guild. The fact that the Guild had dominated multiple virtual reality games over the years was not without reason. Its training center alone was impressive. Not only was the training center fully equipped with everything a Guild needed to nurture expert players, but it was also larger than the Big Dipper Training Center. Moreover, the training center had been built in the downtown area of a first-tier city with an extremely large population. Every inch of that real estate was probably worth its weight in gold.

If not for Gentle Snow holding a considerable amount of the training center's shares, which allowed her to mark down the price, he wouldn't have been able to get his hands on it, even if he paid double.

"Ah, right. Guild Leader, one more thing. It seems Phoenix Rain has gotten wind of this and wishes to join the discussion as well. Should we invite her?" Aqua Rose asked.

"Phoenix Rain?" Shi Feng was slightly surprised. He then said, "Alright, call her."

Phoenix Rain was a Pavilion Master in the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion. She should have considerable status in the real world, too. The fact that Phoenix Rain had qualified to send a Battle Team into the Dark Arena showed that the power backing her was extraordinary. She clearly had her own, abundant wealth. Her interested in these negotiations was nothing but good news for Shi Feng.

…

Elsewhere, a 50-man team fought a pack of Level 45 Grassland Ice Wolves in a grassy field. There were over 200 of these Elite ranked Ice Wolves with a Level 45 Chieftain leading the pack. However, this group gradually exterminated these Elite monsters like a well-oiled machine. Even against a Level 45 Chieftain, the leading Level 40 Guardian Knight tanked the Boss by himself.

"Boss, I heard that we can get a four-hour 30% EXP bonus buff by resting in Stone Forest Town. Should our Snowfall team head there?"

"Stone Forest Town is very close to the Stoneclaw Mountains. With the 30% EXP buff, we'll level faster in the Dungeon than out here in the field. We can reach Level 40 sooner than planned. Moreover, with our adventurer team's strength, grinding monsters in the Dungeon's inner area shouldn't be a problem. We'd be better off going to the Stoneclaw Mountains than the Undead Gorge."

"That's right, leader! Snowfall is one of Star-Moon Kingdom's top adventurer teams. If we let the newer adventurer teams catch up to us, we'll become a laughingstock."

"Alright, Snowfall will continue our development in Stone Forest Town, then."

…

After the news about Stone Forest Town spread, the various powerful adventurer teams across Star-Moon Kingdom began to make their way towards the Stoneclaw Mountains.

For a time, Stone Forest Town became a hub of the various adventurer teams.

As the various adventurer teams and independent players headed towards Stone Forest Town, Shi Feng finished the town's Battle Arena in the center of town. The building already took up as much space as Zero Wing's Residence, its five-story height casting a shadow over the residents. One could say that it was the most majestic building in Stone Forest Town.

Chapter 1033: Rise of Stone Forest Town



Shi Feng was satisfied with the finished Battle Arena.

The Battle Arena had a total of five floors. This was Stone Forest Town's current limit. If he wished to construct it higher, it would have to occupy a larger area. However, Stone Forest Town was only a small town. There wasn't much room.

Even so, the five-story Battle Arena had been considerably costly to build.

A single floor already cost 1,000 Gold, and this did not include all the cost of the various decorations and props. With the money he had spent on this five-story building, he could've easily purchased a high-potential plot of Land in a major city.

Of the five floors, players could rent the combat rooms on the first three floors. Naturally, these rooms were more expensive than in NPC cities. After all, players could enjoy the Ample Mana State throughout the building. Hence, Shi Feng had set the rent at 1 Silver per hour. While ordinary players might consider this a steep price, the independent players capable of reaching Stone Forest Town all possessed relatively high combat standards. This price should not be a problem for these players.

As for the fourth floor, Shi Feng intended to use it to hold a weekly tournament. Champions would be awarded excellent weapons and equipment as well as Coins. Shi Feng also intended to use this tournament to attract expert players. If the opportunity presented itself, he could recruit talented players through the tournament. Meanwhile, Zero Wing would charge spectators an entrance fee.

Finally, the Battle Arena's fifth floor consisted of private rooms. There was also a tournament field. However, to participate in the fifth-floor tournament, players had to rank within the top five in the fourth-floor tournament. These players would also have access to the private rooms.

Not only could players enjoy benefits similar to the town's hotels, but these private rooms were also much larger than usual hotel rooms. Players could also enjoy the view overlooking Stone Forest Town from their rooms.

Meanwhile, unlike the fourth-floor tournament, the fifth-floor tournament would incorporate an elimination system. The fifth floor could only accommodate a maximum of 30 players. New arrivals could challenge the ranked players. Afterward, based on their weekly ranks, the top 30 players would get to remain on the fifth floor while the rest were disqualified. Also, the higher ranked a player was, the more benefits they enjoyed.

Now that we've finished the construction, it's time to recruit some NPCs to manage this place. Shi Feng could not help his excitement as he gazed at the towering Battle Arena.

In the past, many large Guilds had constructed Battle Arenas as soon as they had their own Magic Towers in order to make a fortune. Unfortunately, Shadow had struggled to obtain a town of its own, much less construct a Magic Tower.

By the time Shadow had its own Magic Tower, other Guilds' Battle Arenas had become incredibly popular. Shadow had no hope of competing with them.

This trend was similar to the real world's fighting competitions. Back then, the Battle Arenas had become hugely popular throughout God's Domain. Due to this, the Battle Arenas had replaced the fighting competitions in the real world.

Now, not only had Shi Feng obtained a Magic Tower so early into the game, but he also had a Battle Arena to go with it. With this, he could seize a share of this market before others.

By the time he constructed his city, he could further expand his Battle Arena business.

Unlike towns, he could construct Mana Towers in a city. Moreover, a city's buildings could be much taller.

In the past, a Super Guild that had specifically constructed a massive tower meant for combat—the Combat Tower. Countless players had gone crazy over the Combat Tower. Many experts had even made a goal of reaching the tower's peak. If they could reach the top of the Combat Tower, Guilds would instantly target them for recruitment. Even if they did not join a large Guild, reaching the top of the Combat Tower would award them enough to enjoy a life of leisure for the rest of their days.

Whether it was for fame or wealth, many players chose to challenge the Combat Tower.

Now that Shi Feng had constructed his first Battle Arena, the first stage of his project was complete. Next, he needed to scale up this project.

However, it was particularly difficult to ramp up such a large-scale project.

Furthermore, the cost of constructing a building that stood over 100-stories tall was even enough to drive Super Guilds insane.

Following which, Shi Feng used a Return Scroll and teleported to White River City, intending to search for management NPCs.

Meanwhile, shortly after the Battle Arena was complete, it became the focal point of Stone Forest Town.

"Isn't this a Battle Arena?"

"Why has Zero Wing constructed a Battle Arena here?"

"Are you a fool? Don't you know that PvP is not allowed in player towns? Now that the town's Mana density is so high, it would be a waste not to spar!"

"I wonder when the Arena will open to the public? I want to try it out!"

"Hopefully, it won't be too expensive!"

…

The town's players discussed the Battle Arena excitedly. To players who had experienced the Trial Tower, they knew that the denser the environmental Mana was, the stronger they would be in a fight. They would be able to improve their techniques faster. After all, not everyone possessed extraordinary concentration. A Mana-rich environment could help players maintain a high degree of concentration.

Only, the cost of using the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower was too high. Each challenge cost one Magic Crystal. Even elite players could not afford such an expenditure.

However, it was a different story for a player-constructed Battle Arena. As the establishment was intended for public use, the fees wouldn't be as high as the Trial Tower. Moreover, unlike the Trial Tower, players could conduct PvP matches with other players in the Battle Arena. Their development in the Battle Arena might not be any slower than in the Trial Tower.

For a time, news about Stone Forest Town's Battle Arena gradually spread throughout Star-Moon Kingdom.

Players who had not been particularly interested in Stone Forest Town began to change their minds.

There were all sorts of players in God's Domain. Some loved adventuring, some loved fighting, some loved leveling up, and some only had money on their minds. However, all of these players shared one common interest.

Combat standards!

Even expert players found it difficult to endure the Divine Colosseum's prices. Generally, only Guild players with the support of their Guilds could afford to play there. As for NPC cities' Underground Arenas, while one could gain some combat experience from fighting there, fighting for long periods would easily cause one to lose focus. When that happened, players needed to take a break and rest. The Ample Mana State just so happened to make up for this flaw.

"There is no stopping Zero Wing now!"

"How great would it be if I were a member of Zero Wing? If that were the case, traveling to the Battle Arena would be more convenient."

…

Suddenly, more and more players wanted to travel to Stone Forest Town. Seeing this, the several major companies that had broken off their discussions with Zero Wing regretted their decision even more.

When they heard the news, these companies immediate sent new representatives to contact Aqua Rose, claiming that the previous representatives had declined Zero Wing's offer without the companies' consent and had thus been fired. They also expressed their wishes to re-enter negotiations with Zero Wing.

These companies had looked down on Zero Wing with contempt, thinking that Blackwater's victory over the Guild was certain. However, even now, Blackwater couldn't touch Zero Wing. The most it could do was whittle Zero Wing down. However, now that Zero Wing had a gold mine like Stone Forest Town, it was practically impossible for Blackwater to weaken Zero Wing with its minor harassments.

As everyone discussed Stone Forest Town, Shi Feng finally returned to White River City.

Hellscythe_

Chapter 1034: Crimson Emperor



Upon returning to White River City, Shi Feng discovered that the number of players teleporting into the city had increased, particularly the members of other Guilds.

All around, he could see Guild players. Moreover, they were extraordinarily high-leveled, with the lowest being Level 39 and the team leaders being Level 40 experts at the very least.

This situation confused Shi Feng slightly. However, he quickly shook the thought out of his head. Right now, hiring NPC managers for the Battle Arena had utmost importance. To avoid attention, he took an advanced horse carriage to the Adventurer's Association.

Shortly after Shi Feng left the Teleportation Hall, a team of 20 players appeared inside. These players each wore an emblem shaped like a crimson flame. The lowest leveled player among them was Level 40. The equipment they wore also radiated the glowing effects unique to Dark-Gold Equipment.

The white-haired man standing at the head of the group was even a Level 41 Guardian Knight, whose appearance suggested that he had experienced the vicissitudes of life. The man carried a diamond-shaped shield with a dragon printed on it slung on his back and a blood-red longsword inserted inside the shield. Despite this longsword clearly being a one-handed sword, the width of its guard was wider than the man's shoulders, while the length of its hilt matched a two-handed sword's. Combined with the blade, the sword was nearly as tall as he was.

Seen from afar, the man appeared to wield a bloody cross. As he stood in the spacious Teleportation Hall, he was extremely conspicuous.

Yet, despite the eye-catching composition of this team of 20, everyone who saw this team would almost immediately shift their gazes away, not daring to take a second look.

The reason for such a reaction was these players' emblem, which indicated they belonged to the Dark Night Empire's veteran super-first-rate Guild, Crimson Emperor. Crimson Emperor was also the ruler of the Dark Night Empire; no Guild in the entire empire dared to make an enemy of it.

The Guardian Knight leading the team was even head and shoulders above his team members. He was Crimson Emperor's top five Guardian Knight, Cuttlefish, also known as the Iron Wall, and someone who had witnessed Crimson Emperor's gradual growth from an ordinary Guild into the super-first-rate Guild it was today.

At this time, a middle-aged man on the team looked towards the leading Guardian Knight and asked, "Uncle Cuttlefish, we were in the middle of raiding a Hell Mode large-scale Team Dungeon. Why did you suddenly call us to come all the way over here?"

"I've also just received a notice about this from the Guild. It seems that some ancient ruins were found at the Twin Towers Kingdom. Currently, all Guilds that have received news about it have already dispatched teams. Crimson Emperor naturally cannot let this opportunity pass, either," Cuttlefish replied. Although he was already an old man in his 60s, his voice was just like a young man's, filled with energy.

"Ancient ruins?" An elegant and slim female Elementalist asked curiously, "Is there something special about those ruins? Is there really a need for us main force members to take action as well?"

"That's right. The ancient ruins discovered are like a huge maze. It is massive inside; however, only teams of 20 are allowed. After entering, teams are immediately teleported to an area with monsters that have a chance of dropping a kind of slate fragment. Those who complete a set can exchange for a Mount inside the maze. Based on what we know so far, there are even Mysterious-Iron Mounts available for exchange. Moreover, this was only in the outer area. Currently, the various Guilds are frantically fighting over the monsters inside. It is very difficult to enter the ancient ruins. The requirement for personal strength is extremely high. For efficiency's sake, the Guild Leader is sending us to pioneer the way," Cuttlefish explained.

Everyone else on the team immediately gaped in shock upon hearing this.

The importance of Mounts to a Guild went without saying. Just the number of Bronze Mounts Crimson Emperor obtained was not even enough for the Guild's internal experts, much less Mysterious-Iron Mounts. Yet, now, they could obtain Mysterious-Iron Mounts just by grinding in the outer area of some ancient ruins. Naturally, the upper echelons would freak out over this opportunity.

"However, before we head to the ruins, we need to establish a stronghold in White River City. So, Poisoned, you'll be responsible for visiting Zero Wing's Residence and negotiating with them. Based on our investigations, Zero Wing has purchased the several plots of Land around the teleportation house. Tell them that Crimson Emperor is interested in purchasing one. As for everyone else, split up and purchase some potions and scrolls," Cuttlefish instructed.

"Uncle Cuttlefish, Zero Wing is just an upstart Guild. Is there a need for Poisoned to make a special trip there? We are Crimson Emperor. If we want to buy a worthless plot of Land, won't it be a done deal so long as we say the word?" a Level 40 Assassin asked in a somewhat displeased tone.

Crimson Emperor was a veteran super-first-rate Guild. Nobody in the virtual gaming world did not know about it. The various Guilds in the Dark Night Empire also feared it greatly. Now, their Guild simply wanted to purchase a worthless plot of Land, yet they, members of Crimson Emperor's main force, were actually sent to handle the negotiations. This was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"If things could really be settled with just a word, I wouldn't have Poisoned head over, either." Cuttlefish could not help but smile bitterly. "Alright, enough. Poisoned, you head over and negotiate with Zero Wing. Make sure to pay attention to your attitude when negotiating with them. If they really won't sell, then there's no need to force the matter. God's Domain is unlike any other virtual reality game that has existed in the past. I believe that you guys have felt it as well. The waters in this game are much deeper than they appear to be. There is naturally a reason for Zero Wing being able to become Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild."

The female Elementalist named Poisoned Wine silently nodded her head. Inwardly, though, she, too, felt that Cuttlefish was making too much of Zero Wing.

…

Inside the Adventurer's Association…

Shi Feng directly switched to his Spirit Slayer title and walked up to the front counter. Upon seeing Shi Feng, the blond receptionist with green eyes immediately received him with great respect.

"Lord Spirit Slayer, how may I be of service to you today?" the NPC receptionist asked respectfully.

"I wish to hire some advanced managers," Shi Feng replied.

"Alright, then. Please follow me to the VIP room on the second floor. We'll bring the related documents over to you right away." The NPC receptionist bowed before leading Shi Feng up to the second floor.

This scene immediately stupefied the players who had come to the establishment to receive quests.

"Who is that person? He actually got the receptionist beauty to escort him. Even a Viscount of the city doesn't get to enjoy such treatment!"

"That person is surely a top-tier expert. It would be great if I could get to know him."

The players inside the main hall watched Shi Feng enviously as he walked upstairs.

Shortly after Shi Feng arrived at the VIP room on the second floor, the NPC receptionist handed a file to him.

The four-star treatment really is fantastic! After taking just a glance at the first page of the file, Shi Feng was shocked.

In God's Domain, players who wanted to hire advanced NPCs could do so only through the Adventurer's Association. However, there were differences between advanced NPCs, with some possessing higher intelligence and some lower. The higher the intelligence an NPC possessed, the more human-like they would be. NPC managers with higher intelligence would be able to manage their tasks more effectively. Some NPCs even possessed management skills that were superior to players'. They were also more professional.

Take Anna for example. Her intelligence was truly extreme. She could easily manage the entire Starstreak Trading Firm all by herself. However, NPC managers on Anna's level could be encountered only with luck. Shi Feng had chanced upon Anna due entirely to a quest. Normally, encountering such an NPC was impossible.

Generally, NPCs with more than 50 Wisdom could already serve as considerably good managers, while NPCs whose Wisdom reached 60 points were quite remarkable already. As for NPCs with 70 Wisdom, only Tier 2 Mages could achieve that standard.

In the past, among the managers Shi Feng had met, even the one with the highest Wisdom had only 73 points in the Attribute. Moreover, that NPC had already been considerably advanced in age. Even so, Shi Feng had been quite excited when he found that old man. Back then, the old man had been able to manage an Auction House single-handedly with perfect order.

Now, however, among the 30 NPCs listed on the first page, Shi Feng could see more than ten with over 60 Wisdom. Among them, there was even one with 71 Wisdom—and this was only the first page. The file the NPC receptionist had handed him had over a hundred pages.

Chapter 1035: Times Have Changed



Before Shi Feng realized it, he had already spent half an hour inside the serene and elegant lounge, reading through the files. The more he read, the more shocked he felt.

High-Wisdom NPCs, which were usually difficult to encounter, were now available to him in the thousands.

Shi Feng had even found an NPC with 80 Wisdom.

If not for the Main God System stipulating that NPCs hired from the Adventurer's Association could not be made into players' Personal Guards, Shi Feng would very much have considered taking all these NPCs back with him to form an army of Personal Guards.

"I'll choose these ten, then."

After Shi Feng was done going through the name list, he selected the names of ten advanced NPCs; nine had over 70 Wisdom, while one had 82 Wisdom.

In God's Domain, an 82-Wisdom NPC's intelligence was already equivalent to that of a Tier 3 NPC.

Although Shi Feng still wished to hire more, he had already reached his hiring limit.

A small-sized town could hire at most ten advanced NPCs.

Moreover, hiring advanced NPCs was not a simple task. Unlike ordinary NPCs, which could be hired without limit and would only cost two Gold Coins a month in wages, one had to satisfy not only the salary demanded by these NPCs but also their conditions.

Just the conditions of the 82-Wisdom NPC Shi Feng had pointed out could choke an ordinary Guild to death.

This was because said NPC actually demanded a salary of ten Gold Coins per day. Shi Feng also needed to pay a one-month deposit in advance. In addition, the Shop the NPC managed had to have at least 500 other workers.

To an ordinary Shop, having around 20 NPCs managing it would already be more than enough. One could run more than a dozen Shops with 500 NPCs. Fulfilling this condition would be impossible for a single, ordinary Shop.

Fortunately, Shi Feng was running a large-scale Battle Arena. He needed to hire a lot of ordinary NPCs to run the establishment. Otherwise, there would be no way to cope with the large number of players visiting the Arena every day.

After Shi Feng confirmed his choices, the NPC beauty beside him happily tallied the bill and very quickly provided him with a figure, saying, "Lord Spirit Slayer, you have chosen to hire ten advanced managers and 500 normal managers. You will need to pay a one-month deposit for all of them. The total is 4,000 Gold. Once you complete the payment, we will have them sent to Stone Forest Town within an hour. May I know if Lord Spirit Slayer has any other requests?"

"That will be all." Shi Feng nodded. He then paid the 4,000-Gold deposit, his heart feeling a slight sting.

The average level of players had risen considerably by now, and the money they could earn was much higher than before. However, Copper Coins still possessed quite a significant purchasing power, not to mention Gold Coins. Most likely, there was not a single Guild in the entire God's Domain that was as generous as himself, directly spending 4,000 Gold to hire NPCs to manage just a single establishment.

However, Shi Feng knew that this was a necessary expenditure. It was simply impossible for players to keep up with the management of a Battle Arena.

After Shi Feng was done hiring the NPCs, he checked the time. Seeing as there was not much time left before his meeting with the representatives of those major companies, he promptly left the Adventurer's Association and took an advanced horse carriage to the Candlelight Trading Firm.

…

Inside the VIP room on the Candlelight Trading Firm's seventh floor…

The representatives of the various major companies had already been waiting here for quite some time now. However, none of them showed any signs of indignation. On the contrary, expressions of shock filled their faces.

At this point, White River City was the most populous city in Star-Moon Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Candlelight Trading Firm was situated in the central business district of White River City. Aside from NPC-run establishments, the Candlelight Trading Firm's building was the tallest one in this area. From the top floor of the building, their view of the city streets was unobstructed. They felt as if they were kings overlooking the entire city.

However, this unique scenery was still only secondary when compared to the report they had just received.

During this period, the number of players residing in Stone Forest Town had already hit the 500,000 mark. In the future, that number was sure to double.

A player population of one million was equivalent to the population of a major NPC city. If they could set up a virtual store in this bustling town, said store would definitely have no lack of customers.

The only problem was that Stone Forest Town was too small.

If the town were a medium-sized town, then that would be perfect. However, Stone Forest Town's protection period had ended just recently. The town was only beginning to attract NPCs. It would still take a considerable amount of time to get promoted.

Furthermore, Zero Wing was simply asking for too much money.

With one billion Credits, these major companies could establish a large Guild of their own or invest into a second-rate Guild. With the latter option, they could even obtain a considerable number of shares. By cooperating with Zero Wing, however, they would only get priority in investing into a town. They would only receive a guarantee that they could directly rent a golden Land in one of the towns Zero Wing captured. The rent of these Lands would be gradually deducted from this one billion deposit. This condition was truly a little outrageous.

Of course, after they signed the agreement, if they did not wish to continue renting Land from Zero Wing, they could get back their remaining deposit after half a year.

However, the representatives of the various major companies still intended to negotiate this price.

After all, the current situation in Star-Moon Kingdom was not particularly stable. There was also the Blackwater Guild persistently plotting against Zero Wing. Hence, they intended to use this opportunity to reduce the price.

Just as everyone was pondering how they should go about negotiating with Zero Wing, the doors to the lounge suddenly opened. A woman with an extraordinary figure walked into the room. Although she had hidden her face with a Black Cloak, judging from her graceful figure, her countenance was no doubt heavenly as well.

"Could this beauty be trying to cooperate with Zero Wing as well?"

Everyone in the room immediately started quietly discussing this beauty's identity among themselves. However, they very quickly discovered that this woman's seat was right next to the seat of honor. One could just imagine how much importance Zero Wing placed on this peerless beauty.

Meanwhile, this peerless beauty was none other than Phoenix Rain.

When Phoenix Rain entered the room, she, too, was momentarily surprised.

She had never imagined that there would be so many companies interested in cooperating with Zero Wing. Moreover, these companies all possessed extraordinary backgrounds that rivaled even Aqua Rose's Sun and Moon Group.

After she entered, she also discovered that Aqua Rose had become significantly stronger. Although the Cursemancer had hidden her level, the aura she radiated was indubitable. In addition, Violet Cloud, who stood beside Aqua Rose, was even more amazing. Phoenix Rain herself felt a significant amount of danger coming from the young lady.

As for Alluring Summer, on the other side of Aqua Rose, she, too, was relatively powerful. A Level 41 Elementalist could easily rank at the top of any Guild. Moreover, Alluring Summer looked to be rather young, so she should still have great potential for growth.

Is this really the Zero Wing I know?

After Phoenix Rain observed Violet Cloud further, she suddenly noticed that the young lady's every motion looked very natural, and this discovery shocked her greatly.

She had seen Violet Cloud fighting at the Dark Arena before. Although the young lady had not moved much at that time, Phoenix Rain could still tell that Violet Cloud had yet to reach the Refinement Realm. Nevertheless, after just a short time, Violet Cloud had gone directly from the Half-step Refinement Realm into the Refinement Realm.

Violet Cloud was clearly only a teenager, yet she had actually managed to reach the Refinement Realm at such a young age. If she were in the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, she would definitely be considered one of the Pavilion's top geniuses and nurtured heavily. After all, even a genius like Blue Phoenix had not reached the Refinement Realm at Violet Cloud's age.

Shortly after Phoenix Rain took her seat, Shi Feng entered through the doors.

Chapter 1036: Zero Wing's Foundations



As soon as Shi Feng set foot inside the room, everyone there automatically shifted their gaze towards him.

Currently, Shi Feng had already disguised himself as Black Flame using the Demon Mask. At this moment, he was dressed in pitch-black armor and wore a Black Cloak. Two dazzling, blood-red swords hung from his waist, glowing a faint red. The aura his body radiated resembled that of an unsheathed sword, sharp and dangerous. The feeling he gave off was as if it wasn't a human walking into the room but a Demon that had just escaped the abyss.

The atmosphere in the lounge instantly grew heavy upon his appearance.

When Shi Feng's gaze swept over the representatives of the various major companies, they instinctively lowered their heads, due to the mental oppression they felt, none of them daring to make eye contact.

"He's Zero Wing's Guild Leader, Black Flame? Isn't he a little too strong?!" Alluring Summer could not help but gasp upon seeing Shi Feng. "He's practically a monster!"

"Haven't I already told you this before? Our Guild Leader is very strong," Aqua Rose said somewhat pridefully. "As long as you develop yourself in Zero Wing, it is only a matter of time before you achieve that dream of yours."

At this moment, Phoenix Rain's eyes had also widened in shock as she looked at Shi Feng slowly walking over to her.

Just how much has he improved again?

During her last encounter with Shi Feng, the latter only gave her the feeling of a sheathed sword. Now, however, his aura was entirely different. It was utterly overpowering, impressing on others the presence of a steamroller. Rather than calling him a player, he was practically a humanoid Lord.

Shi Feng did not pay much attention to Phoenix Rain's shocked reaction.

He had on the Level 50 Fine-Gold ranked Magic Light Set Equipment. His Basic Attributes were far superior to those using Level 40 or Level 45 Dark-Gold Equipment. After all, Level 50 equipment was meant for Tier 2 players. Phoenix Rain was naturally no match for him in terms of Attributes.

Not to mention, he also wielded a Fragmented Legendary item and multiple Epic Weapons and Equipment.

Strength-wise, he had long since surpassed Lord ranked monsters of the same level. Hence, it was only normal for Phoenix Rain to feel a massive sense of oppression when he did not suppress his aura.

However, Shi Feng's grandiose entrance had made the various company representatives lose their composure. Now, they were no longer as confident as before.

After taking his seat, Shi Feng took another look at everyone present before saying straightforwardly, "Since you all wish to cooperate with Zero Wing, I believe you should've already read the agreement given to you, correct? If you have any problems, ask away. However, take note that Zero Wing will not make any changes to the conditions of cooperation, no matter what."

"Guild Leader Black Flame, although Stone Forest Town indeed has excellent prospects, the conditions you require are simply excessive. You could even say that they are far above Stone Forest Town's potential value. Moreover, one billion is no small number. If we invest that kind of money into a second-rate Guild, we can take control of a significant portion of said Guild's shares.

"Hence, after a discussion among ourselves, we believe that one hundred million Credits should be a more suitable amount. This way, we'll have a much better time cooperating with each other in the future. After all, the current Stone Forest Town is only that big. Its value is extremely limited. There won't be a single company that will agree to your price of one billion. We hope that Guild Leader Black Flame can reconsider this matter. Our companies are sincerely trying to cooperate with Zero Wing."

…

The representatives of the twenty major companies all expressed their reluctance to pay such a high deposit. Moreover, they also firmly believed that no company would foolishly agree to this condition. However, in order to get a head start in occupying the virtual market, their companies were still willing to pay a certain price.

"It seems you all are operating under a misconception. Zero Wing's offer of a one-billion deposit is only the threshold for cooperation. In addition, Zero Wing is providing only ten slots. This doesn't mean that anyone with one billion Credits will qualify for this offer!" Shi Feng then chuckled and added, "If you are dissatisfied with this offer, Zero Wing won't try to force you into accepting it."

Before everyone could refute his words, Shi Feng took out an old book from his bag and placed it on the table.

Staring at the book on the table, everyone was greatly confused at Shi Feng's intentions.

They then clicked to check the book's information.

"Magic Tower Design… Could this be…" Phoenix Rain immediately thought of the tower in Stone Forest Town upon seeing the name of this book.

"That's right! Just like you've surmised, the tower constructed in Stone Forest Town is indeed a Magic Tower. It is also the cause of Stone Forest Town's Mana density increase," Shi Feng explained, smiling. "I believe you all should've already seen for yourselves the effects of the Magic Tower, correct? Now, do you still think this one-billion threshold is a little too high?"

Immediately, everyone in the room fell silent, shock plastered over their faces as they looked at the Magic Tower Design. A hint of fanaticism gleamed in their eyes.

Everyone had attributed the change in Stone Forest Town to the newly constructed tower.

Hence, the people from the various large Guilds as well as those from companies and corporations had immediately launched investigations into the tower.

They all sought to obtain a Magic Tower for themselves.

Unfortunately, they could not find any information regarding the Magic Tower whatsoever. They only knew that Zero Wing had built the tower. There were also rumors floating about that the Magic Tower might be a one-time-use quest reward. Hence, Zero Wing had chosen to set up the tower at Stone Forest Town, using the opportunity to raise the town's value.

However, they never imagined that players could actually build this thing.

If Zero Wing could truly build as many Magic Towers as it wished and only needed to pay the production cost, then the Guild's potential was indeed immense.

In the future, as long as the Guild captured a town, it could directly construct a Magic Tower in it and use the higher Mana density in the town to attract large numbers of players. With this, Zero Wing would have another brand-new Stone Forest Town. As for Stone Forest Town being too small, that would no longer pose a problem, either.

At that time, even obtaining a significant portion of the virtual market share would not be a dream for their companies.

No wonder he's so confident! At this moment, Phoenix Rain was eyeing the Magic Tower Design enviously.

At the same time, she also felt fortunate that she had made this trip here.

With the Magic Tower, trying to gather players and earning money would both be extremely easy to accomplish.

Standing beside Shi Feng, Aqua Rose noticed the unflinching gazes of the various company representatives as well as their expressions, which stated that they would become Zero Wing's collaborator, no matter what. She nearly let out a laugh.

Although Shi Feng had revealed the Magic Tower Design, all everyone could see was the item's name. They could not open the book and view its actual contents. In the end, everyone had mistakenly believed that one could construct an unlimited number of Magic Towers with the design and did not know about the Magic Tower Design's limitations.

Of course, this could not be considered as Zero Wing being deceitful. This was simply a beautiful misunderstanding.

Under the fanatic gazes of everyone, Shi Feng stored the Magic Tower Design. Smiling, he said, "You've seen the item for yourselves. As for the qualifications for cooperation, one billion is the minimum requirement. Or to put it more precisely, one billion will only get you a plot of golden Land in a town. Also, Zero Wing doesn't necessarily need ten collaborators. If none of you have any problems, let's start the auction for the first slot!"

Chapter 1037: Insane Woman



Shi Feng's words caused another commotion in the room.

None of the representatives had expected him to have such intentions from the very beginning. This sudden announcement truly caught them by surprise.

The various company representatives, who were originally sitting close together, immediately started eyeing the people next to them, a wary expression appearing on their faces. At the same time, they were also secretly contacting the directors of their companies, hoping to get a quick reply from them.

Nobody present was a fool. They knew just how much was at stake here.

Just the value of a single town with a Magic Tower could practically rival that of eight player-owned towns. Moreover, capturing eight towns was easier said than done. Even if one managed to seize so many towns, the investments needed to develop these towns were not something an ordinary large Guild could support.

Most likely, only entities like Super Guilds would be able to operate eight towns simultaneously at this stage of the game. However, buying a plot of Land in the towns owned by Super Guilds was nigh impossible for their companies. That was no longer a problem that could be solved with enough money.

Super Guilds operated differently from ordinary large Guilds. They were playing virtual reality games with the intention of monopolizing a large share of the virtual industry and were more than capable of doing so. Hence, why would they want to split their profits with someone else?

On the other hand, Zero Wing only needed to capture one town to gain the economic benefits of eight towns.

If their companies could gain priority in investing in Zero Wing's towns, they might be able to establish themselves in God's Domain's virtual industry. How could they possibly let this opportunity get away?

Seeing Shi Feng remaining silent for some time after his announcement, Aqua Rose could not help but asked softly, "Guild Leader, are you still not going to start the auction?"

"Wait a little. There's no need to rush this matter. We'll let them digest this information first. When the time comes, they'll compete with even greater ferocity," Shi Feng replied, smiling as he looked at the company representatives busy contacting their superiors.

Originally, this matter of cooperation had been relatively urgent. He had even made plans to risk exposing the City Building Order just to gather enough funds to purchase Ouroboros's training center.

The existence of a training center was simply too important to a Guild.

This relevance was akin to that of the current dojos. The experts nurtured in dojos would go on to participate in all sorts of competitions. Training centers were similar in this respect, where the experts nurtured in training centers would go on to participate in all sorts of virtual competitions. The only difference was that virtual competitions possessed much greater influence and competitiveness.

Moreover, if Shi Feng had his own training center, he could do things much more conveniently. He would have less to worry about in other matters.

Most importantly, he could recruit and nurture members en masse rather than in limited numbers. He could also attract many more people to Zero Wing. This was also one of the reasons why Super Guilds would never have a lack of recruits each year. After all, nobody would wish to spend their entire life fighting for a half-dead Guild that did not even have a proper workplace in the real world.

Due to this reason, second- and third-rate Guilds would often be a flash in the pan in the virtual gaming world, while first-rate Guilds and above remained as steady as a mountain in the industry.

After Shi Feng waited for a short while, the various company representatives finally completed their tasks. They then turned to look at Shi Feng, their eyes filled with appreciation for his patience.

"It seems you all have prepared yourselves already. Let's begin, then," Shi Feng said after getting silent confirmation from everyone present. "The starting bid for the first cooperation spot is priced at one billion Credits. Every increment must be no less than ten million!"

"One billion, twenty million!"

"One billion, thirty million!"

"One billion, forty million!"

…

At this moment, the various company representatives no longer hesitated as they began frantically calling out bids one after another.

There were only ten slots available. Even in the best-case scenario, only ten companies could cooperate with Zero Wing. Meanwhile, there were twenty companies present. If some companies were slightly greedy and were willing to pay the price and gamble on Zero Wing's future, a single company might purchase two, or even three, slots. After all, however small a town was, there should still be no problem if it had two or three of the same virtual stores. The stores should not affect each other too greatly. Most importantly, the money they invested could still be taken back. They were merely placing a deposit for renting Lands right now.

Moreover, judging by the popularity of God's Domain, they could already tell what the future of the virtual industry would look like. Most likely, it would be even more profitable than the real-estate industry.

Hence, the various companies intended to obtain as many cooperation slots as they could right now.

Very quickly, the first cooperation slot's price had risen to one billion, two hundred million. Moreover, the bidders still showed no signs of stopping.

"Aqua, your Guild Leader is simply too good at doing business. He's practically robbing them at this point," Alluring Summer said, smacking her lips.

This was not her first time seeing such large transactions taking place. After all, just the construction of a single five-star hotel in the real world cost nearly ten billion Credits. It was even more expensive for six- and seven-star hotels. However, this was definitely her first time seeing a virtual store selling for such a high price.

"This is nothing. Those who want to cooperate with us in the future will have to pay an even higher price," Aqua Rose said, unfazed by this situation.

Although the towns in God's Domain were good, they were a far cry from being comparable to a city, particularly the first player-owned city in God's Domain. If not for the fact that they could not publicize the matter of the City Building Order yet, these companies wouldn't even have the qualifications to negotiate with Zero Wing.

During the brief moment Aqua Rose was chatting with Alluring Summer, the price for the cooperation slot had hit one billion and three hundred million.

However, as the bids continued increasing and were approaching one billion and five hundred million, the number of people calling out offers started dwindling.

At this moment, a clear voice resounded throughout the lounge.

"Two billion!"

Everyone instantly turned to look at the bidder in shock.

This person was none other than Phoenix Rain!

"This woman has lost her mind! She actually bid two billion!"

"Who is she?"

Everyone was stunned by Phoenix Rain's bid. Although they also had that kind of money, the more they could save, the better.

"Is there anyone willing to place a higher bid?" Shi Feng asked for confirmation as he swept a glance at everyone present.

He was not particularly surprised by Phoenix Rain's bid. After all, she was someone capable of obtaining a battle team slot for the Dark Arena. How could her origins be ordinary?

After Shi Feng sought confirmation three times, he sent the first official contract to Phoenix Rain. Afterwards, she simply needed to place her signature on it.

When all the representatives present laid eyes on the contract, envy surfaced on their faces. They then made preparations to bid for the second contract.

However, as soon as Shi Feng announced the bid for the second contract, Phoenix Rain again said softly, "Two billion!"

Silence fell once more. The representatives all felt hatred and frustration towards Phoenix Rain's actions.

"What the hell is with this woman?"

"She is simply insane. There are ten slots available. I refuse to believe she can take down a third one."

Everyone initially thought that Phoenix Rain would hit her limit after purchasing a single slot for two billion. They never imagined that she would repeat her feat. However, in their opinion, Phoenix Rain should've run through the funds she had on hand after spending four billion. She should no longer be a threat in the following bids.

Unfortunately, reality proved to be far crueler than these representatives thought.

Without the slightest hesitation, Phoenix Rain bought seven slots in succession, each for two billion Credits. Her actions thoroughly frightened all the company representatives. They even started to suspect that Phoenix Rain was merely putting on an act for Zero Wing right now.

However, just as everyone was thinking this, Phoenix Rain suddenly opened her mouth and said, "Guild Leader Black Flame, there's no need to continue this auction. I want all the remaining slots. I hope that the two of us can sit down and discuss the matter of cooperation further instead of continuing to waste time here."

Chapter 1038: Town of Beginnings



Although Phoenix Rain did not speak loudly, everyone was still dumbfounded by her words.

As for the matter of Phoenix Rain being Zero Wing's puppet, they had long since flung that idea out of their minds.

Is this the background of a super-first-rate Guild? Aqua Rose was greatly shocked as she looked at Phoenix Rain's calm and composed demeanor.

Although she had known that a very wide gap separated first-rate Guilds and super-first-rate Guilds in terms of overall strength, number of experts, and financial strength, she never imagined that the disparity was this massive.

Phoenix Rain was actually capable of purchasing all ten slots as if she was shopping for vegetables at the market.

Just as the various company representatives were about to refute Phoenix Rain's words, Shi Feng got the jump on them, saying, "Since you are going to buy the remaining slots, we can naturally proceed with the discussions."

"Guild Leader Black Flame, you shouldn't make such a hasty decision!"

"That's right! There are still three more slots left. How would you know if we can't outcompete this lady?"

The other companies immediately grew anxious.

Previously, they had intended to wait until Phoenix Rain had exhausted her funds in order to purchase a slot for themselves as cheaply as possible. They never expected something like this to happen halfway through the auction.

"I can choose to give up if any of you can offer more than four billion for any of the three remaining slots," Phoenix Rain said.

The entire venue fell silent once more. The various company representatives all gnashed their teeth in anger as they looked at Phoenix Rain.

They could not help but admit that Phoenix Rain was simply too accurate in her calculations.

Although the various companies present were willing to pay a huge price to cooperate with Zero Wing, a four-billion deposit was beyond their budget. Moreover, nobody could tell what kind of future awaited Zero Wing. If things went sour, all that money would be frozen for half a year. It was too great a risk altogether.

"A lunatic!"

"This woman really is a lunatic!"

"If the Blackwater Guild topples Zero Wing, I'd like to see just how she salvages the situation!"

At this point, the only thing the various company representatives could do was stand up and leave in a huff. As for Shi Feng, he was inwardly ecstatic.

He had never imagined that Phoenix Rain was actually this wealthy!

With this, Ouroboros's training center was practically in the bag. He could even start the second phase of his plan, which was the construction in other cities of training centers that were open to the public, in the hopes of attracting players to go there and improve themselves. With this, he could earn money and recruit more newcomers with great potential into his Guild.

This was a business model that many major Guilds adopted in the later stages of God's Domain.

This method had uncovered many top-tier experts in the past.

Among them, the most famous one would be the Tier 6 Berserker God, Half Madness. Initially, Half Madness had only been an unknown, ordinary player. However, one day, he went to a training center run by the Super Guild Battle Wolves to play around, and the instructors there discovered that he had great potential. In the end, Battle Wolves recruited him, and everything else was history. His strength improved rapidly by leaps and bounds, and he eventually became one of Battle Wolves's mainstays.

If Zero Wing could construct such God's Domain training centers in various major cities in the real world early on, it could snatch some high-potential players for itself rather than let Super Guilds monopolize all the good stuff.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, I've already signed the contracts. Now that all the outsiders are gone, isn't it about time we discuss the matter of cooperation?" Phoenix Rain asked, smiling as she looked at Shi Feng.

Truthfully, she had not expected to spend so much money on this visit.

Originally, she had only thought that Stone Forest Town had potential for development and was planning to invest in the town. Doing so would also help the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion establish a foundation in the local industry.

However, the Magic Tower was frankly too tempting.

Hence, she had invested practically all the funds she had on hand right now into Zero Wing.

As the manager of a Guild, she knew full well just how difficult it was to develop a town.

Currently, the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion controlled five towns in total. However, none of them were particularly attractive to players. At best, players used them as a rest stop or a temporary base to save up on travel time to high-level maps.

Once the protection period of these towns ended, their expenditures would definitely increase. At that time, not to mention making a profit, it would be great if the towns did not incur a deficit.

If one were to compare economic benefits, all five of the towns combined did not even equal one-tenth of Stone Forest Town.

However, if these towns also had a Magic Tower, players would no longer treat them as just a simple rest stop. Instead, the towns would become a mecca for players who wanted to improve their strength.

"Seeing as Phoenix Pavilion Master has spent so much money, I believe that your goal isn't just gaining priority in investing in Zero Wing's towns. Instead, it should be the Magic Tower, correct?" Shi Feng said.

"That's right. I am indeed doing this for the Magic Tower. As long as you can construct a Magic Tower in a town I manage, I can give you 40% of the town's profits. How about it?" Phoenix Rain said and nodded, her words replete with temptation.

The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion was a super-first-rate Guild. Be it the ability to capture a town or to develop one, there was no comparison. Meanwhile, Shi Feng only needed to construct a single Magic Tower in order to receive 40% of one town's profits. This offer would tempt anyone.

"I want 50%. I will also help you construct only one Magic Tower. Moreover, the location of the town you choose must not be in any of Star-Moon Kingdom's neighboring countries," Shi Feng said after giving the matter some thought.

He could build only four more Magic Towers right now. Meanwhile, he needed at least three to protect a city. Hence, the most he could spare was one Magic Tower.

If possible, he was more than willing to construct a few more towers for Phoenix Rain. After all, that was free money they were talking about. Moreover, the Magic Tower Design was not unique. It was only a matter of time before other players obtained the design for it. Once the various Guilds all possessed the design, the tower would no longer be valuable. Hence, he had to earn as much money off it as possible right now.

As for nurturing competitors, this was simply an unnecessary worry.

God's Domain was just too massive. There were also countless people playing the game. On the other hand, how many players could a single town possibly contain—or even a single city?

If he kept the Magic Tower for himself, the most he could use it for right now was as a decoration. Rather than do so, it would be much better if he converted the tower into sustained revenue.

Moreover, it was much harder to operate a city than a town. The current Zero Wing would barely be able to afford the manpower and resources required. This was also the reason why he was mass-recruiting members. Once he built his city, he would not have any energy to spare for managing any additional towns.

"Alright, then! However, I have another condition. You need to get it done within three days." Previously, Phoenix Rain still wanted to renegotiate. However, seeing Shi Feng's determined demeanor, she knew that that was not going to happen.

However, at the very least, she had secured one Magic Tower for herself, achieving her initial goal.

"That won't be a problem. Send the town's coordinates to me. When the time comes, I'll send some people over to build it." Shi Feng did not mind this condition. Constructing a Magic Tower took only half a day. After which, he would have one more source of income. Then, he also would not have to worry about the construction fees for his city.

After the two of them signed a contract reflecting their agreement, Phoenix Rain sent a set of coordinates to Shi Feng.

Savage Wildland, Town of Beginnings.

"What?! You've actually discovered the Savage Wildland?!" Shi Feng was momentarily surprised upon seeing the coordinates.

Hellscythe_

Chapter 1039: Humanity's Origins



Shi Feng's reaction astonished Phoenix Rain.

The Savage Wildland was a massive, mysterious island discovered by one of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's old monsters while he had been working on an Epic Quest.

The Pavilion had investigated the island in depth, and they only uncovered part of the island's secrets after much difficulty.

She hadn't expected Shi Feng to react as if he knew the Savage Wildland's secrets when she had sent him the location.

"Do you know about the Savage Wildland?" Phoenix Rain asked curiously.

Only after browsing the library in the Apocalypse Empire's imperial capital had the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion found some information about the Savage Wildland. However, the information was very vague. The only thing it mentioned was that the Savage Wildland was the birthplace of humans, which is why the town on that massive island had been named the Town of Beginnings.

Even the weakest monsters on the island were Level 40. Moreover, the monsters exhibited considerably high combat standards. Even Guild elite players could not solo the area's Elite monsters of the same level. They needed to form groups of three to take one down. Furthermore, it was very easy to come across Special Elite and Chieftain ranked monsters. These monsters mostly moved in groups, making it considerably difficult to level up. This also made it difficult to attract players to the Town of Beginnings.

Yet, the Town of Beginnings was too important to her.

To utilize the town's true function, it needed to be promoted to a medium-sized town. She had been incredibly worried about this.

Now that she had the Magic Tower, though, attracting players would be much easier.

"Yes, I've read about it in a book. I have heard it's humanity's birthplace." Shi Feng nodded, though he did not reveal the frightening secret the Savage Wildland hid.

In the past, when the Savage Wildland had first appeared, it had not attracted any attention whatsoever.

First, it was simply too difficult to level up there. Rather than relying on the monsters, one would be better off grinding the useless monsters in low-resource areas. Moreover, the Savage Wildland's monsters were quite stingy.

How stingy?

Even after killing over a hundred monsters, they wouldn't drop garbage or a single material item. One could only obtain a handful of Copper Coins or cheap materials by killing Chieftain ranked monsters or above. As for obtaining weapons and equipment, that was a pipe dream.

Yet, nobody had imagined that this stingy island was actually a transit point connecting to Otherworlds. In the island's deeper regions, one sometimes came across spatial cracks that allowed players to explore Otherworlds. These spatial cracks were like random Dungeons. However, one had to be lucky to find one.

Meanwhile, these spatial cracks were only one of the Savage Wildland's benefits.

The true value of the Savage Wildland was the Otherworld transfer gate in the heart of the island. Players were only required to pay some Magic Crystals to utilize this gate. Unfortunately, players could only use the gate once per week.

Due to this, a large number of players had swarmed the Savage Wildland in the past. However, back then, the Savage Wildland had already fallen under the Super Guild Pantheon's control. Anyone who wished to utilize the transfer gate had been required to pay an exorbitant fee. Despite the many other Super Guilds' complaints, none of them had been able to do anything about it as the Pantheon ruled over the Town of Beginnings. The other Super Guilds could only watch as Pantheon regulated the area and collected massive amounts of money.

Hence, the fact that the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had taken the Town of Beginnings had truly surprised Shi Feng.

Initially, Shi Feng had thought of searching for the Savage Wildland in this life. However, activating the island had many conditions. He also did not know which conditions he would need to trigger. Hence, he had no choice but to leave the island alone for now.

He had never expected this opportunity to present itself.

An Otherworld could effectively train players and help them improve their techniques. Clearing an Otherworld also granted bountiful rewards. This was the reason why transfer tools to Otherworlds were so precious and expensive. If he could take control of the transfer gate to an Otherworld, it would undoubtedly provide a special training location for Zero Wing's members.

"Guild Leader Black Flame is quite knowledgeable. The Pavilion has searched high and low for this information. If I had known earlier, I could've just asked you," Phoenix Rain could not help but sigh.

She had mobilized all of the Guild's power to learn about the Savage Wildland. Only after a two-day search had they found anything.

"Phoenix Pavilion Master, you think too highly of me. I just like to read books about God's Domain's history in my free time," Shi Feng said, laughing.

"It seems I'll have to read about God's Domain's history more often, then," Phoenix Rain replied, smiling. She felt that Shi Feng's habit of reading books was a wise one, particularly books related to God's Domain's history. If she did so as well, she might learn something that could come in handy in the future.

Following which, Phoenix Rain said her goodbyes and returned to gather the funds she owed.

As for Shi Feng, he immediately notified Gentle Snow about purchasing Ouroboros's training center, having her make the necessary arrangements.

After Shi Feng finished assigning the necessary tasks, he secretly traveled to the Teleportation Hall, intending to make a trip to the Savage Wildland.

The Savage Wildland wasn't currently valuable because the Town of Beginnings wasn't yet a medium-sized town. It couldn't yet activate its repellent magic array.

The Savage Wildland's monsters were extremely concentrated. It was very difficult to reach the heart of the island. However, once the repellent magic array was active, the area's monsters would spread out.

Generally, monsters in the wildland's outer region ranged between Level 40 and Level 70, while the inner region had monsters ranging between Level 70 and Level 100. As for the island's core, monsters around Level 100 to Level 120 called it home. Moreover, due to the high concentration of monsters, players could only reach the island's heart after clearing the monsters in their way.

However, once the repellent magic array activated, as long as players were careful, there could enter the island's inner region without trouble. There, players could randomly encounter spatial cracks that allowed them to enter Otherworlds to build their strength. Hence, once the Town of Beginnings became a medium-sized town, the town's popularity would experience a qualitative change.

Despite the closest NPC town in the Apocalypse Empire being nearly twenty hours away from the Town of Beginnings, countless players still made the journey. Stone Forest Town was nothing in comparison.

Now that Shi Feng knew that the Savage Wildland was active, he couldn't let this opportunity get away.

Others might not be able to reach the Savage Wildland's core, but he could. He had the Seven Luminaries Ring. He could use Space Movement to travel directly there. Only, if he accidentally came across monsters over Level 100 in the core region, it was highly likely that he would die. However, Shi Feng was willing to take the risk.

As long as he could set coordinates for a Teleportation Magic Array in the core region, Zero Wing's members could just teleport there in the future, easily entering an Otherworld to improve their strength.

With one Otherworld transfer gate serving as Zero Wing's training grounds, in addition to the special training in the training center, what Guild could possibly compete with Zero Wing's development speed?