Chapter 2554 – Zero Wing’s Trump Card?

With the fierce man’s question hanging in the air, the rest of Crimson Emperor’s members turned to Illusory Words.

The ‘Stone Forest City’ before them was simply too impressive. It was hard to imagine this was merely an Intermediate City.

They had been busy within the Ten Saints Empire, so they had only heard about Stone Forest City. This was their first visit. Only Illusory Words, who preferred to wander throughout God’s Domain, had ever seen the city before.

These are the coordinates. This should be Stone Forest City,” Illusory Words said, giving the fierce man a bitter smile. The sign above the gate clearly states this is the city we’re looking for. This shouldn’t be a mistake.”

In truth, even after seeing the sigh, she felt as if she had arrived at the wrong place. This looked nothing like the Stone Forest City she had visited in the past. It almost looked like a major NPC city. Furthermore, there was too much Mana wafting from the city. Not even the Holy City of Titan had such dense Mana. Stone Forest City looked nothing like a player-owned city.

Crimson Emperor’s members snapped out of their daze and examined the city before them. Just as Illusory Words had said, this was undoubtedly Stone Forest City.

Crimson Emperor’s members weren’t the only players shocked by Stone Forest City’s new appearance. Some of the various major powers’ experts that had come to investigate the upgraded city were just as astonished by what they found. No one had ever thought a Guild City would change so drastically when it grew from a Basic City to Intermediate rank.

“Black Flame really is amazing. With so much Mana in the city, players will still choose to rest here, even with the Dark World’s imminent invasion. With the entry fees alone, Zero Wing won’t have any financial worries for a while,” Galaxy Past, the Star Alliance’s Guild Leader, enviously commented as he gazed in awe at the splendorous city before him.

Once upon a time in Star-Moon Kingdom, the Star Alliance had stood toe-to-toe with Zero Wing. However, while the Star Alliance had been nursing headaches over its daily income, Zero Wing was swimming in money...

Nowadays, the various Guilds’ main source of income was the entrance fees they collected in their Guild Towns and Cities, but as more towns and cities rose up in neutral maps, the competition between them grew intense. To maintain an edge over their competition, most Guild Towns and Cities had reduced their entrance fees to a painful low.

Stone Forest City, on the other hand, wouldn’t have such worries. As the sole Guild City in a Level 100 neutral map, it had no competition whatsoever. It could set whatever entrance fee it wished, and plenty of players would still visit the city.

“That’s for sure. Zero Wing will make a killing. You’ve just arrived, so you might not realize how insane the Guild is, but Zero Wing is only charging 5 Silver per person to enter the city. I’ve heard that it’s the lowest price you can set for an Intermediate City. Other Guild Cities in neutral maps charge at least 2 Silver per person, but they’re nothing compared to Stone Forest City. Many of my friends are planning to shift their base of operations to Stone Forest City, and I’m sure they’re not alone in that idea. I suspect we’ll see the number of players trying to get in increase by at least tenfold,” an independent Tier 3 Shield Warrior in front of Galaxy Past in line said, nodding in agreement.

“Five Silver?” Flourishing Willow, the Tier 3 female Ranger behind Galaxy Past, stared at the Shield Warrior with wide, shocked eyes, doubting his claim.

First-rate Guilds like the Star Alliance had no choice but to reduce their entrance fees due to how much competition they faced, but Stone Forest City was unique. Even if it cost 20 Silver to enter the city, a ton of players would still use it as their bases, let alone 10 Silver. God’s Domain had far too many players and innumerable experts. Stone Forest City wasn’t nearly large enough to accommodate so many players.

With a Guild City’s limited capacity and the fact that Zero Wing wouldn’t have to worry about customers, increasing the entrance fee was the wisest decision, yet Zero Wing had done the opposite. Flourishing Willow simply couldn’t believe it.

Even Crimson Emperor’s members, who had just found a place in line, were astonished when they learned about the city’s cheap entrance fee.

Charging anything less than 20 Silver would be an insult to such a sacred resting ground as Stone Forest City in their opinions. They had even been prepared to pay 30 Silver per person to enter the city. Not only would the city’s incredibly dense Mana help players rapidly recover from exhaustion, but players would also see astounding results if they trained within the city. Thirty Silver was more than worth such benefits for experts like them.

So, what was the point of lowering the entrance fee to 5 Silver?

“So, this is Black Flame’s trump card. It certainly is a wise move,” the fierce man from Crimson Emperor muttered, overhearing the Star Alliance’s conversations.

Had Zero Wing set Stone Forest City’s entrance fee at 20 or 30 Silver per person, there wouldn’t be as many players interested in living in the city. Although the city would eventually become overcrowded, it would take some time. Not all players could afford such a high price, after all.

In contrast, even ordinary Level 100-plus players could afford 5 Silver, and they made up the majority of God’s Domain’s player base. With such a low entrance fee, the city’s player population would reach its limit in two or three days. Even at 5 Silver per person, the city would generate amazing profits.

“This is going to give Demon’s Heart’s Flaming Light a huge headache. Zero Wing can easily earn over a million Gold in the next two or three days. Including the profits it earns from the businesses within the city, the Guild will earn a minimum of two million Gold before three days pass. With so much money, Zero Wing can easily survive the Dark World’s assault for a very long time,” Illusory Words said, smiling.

Even after seeing the city’s glorious transformation, she hadn’t thought highly of Zero Wing’s chances, but after this discovery, she recognized that the Guild had exceeded her expectations. Now, Demon’s Heart would have a much harder time threatening Zero Wing.

“Zero Wing has indeed made a smart move. Unfortunately, it is too late,” the fierce man said, shaking his head.

“What do you mean?” Illusory Words asked strangely.

“I didn’t tell you this earlier, but the Grand Elders have secured detailed information regarding Demon’s Heart’s movements. The Dark World’s portal will activate tomorrow at the latest, and the Dark World’s various powers and independent experts will surge into Cold Spring Forest,” the fierce man said in a whisper to Illusory Words. “Zero Wing simply doesn’t have enough time to collect the wealth it requires.”

Stone Forest City was quite attractive, especially to ordinary players, but it would take time for ordinary players to learn of the city’s perks. Moreover, ordinary players didn’t travel via teleportation like experts. They generally moved between countries by Airship, which was much cheaper. To make matters worse, there weren’t any air routes to Stone Forest City, so players would have to make the rest of the trip on their Mounts. Unlike Crimson Emperor’s experts, ordinary Level 100 players generally had Common Mounts.

Factoring in other aspects, such as the spread of information, the war between Zero Wing and the Dark World’s forces would’ve begun long before ordinary players started to visit the city from the various kingdoms and empires.

While the new Stone Forest City astonished the various powers, Shi Feng had secretly teleported back to White River City to upgrade his Knight Division.

While expert players served as a Guild’s foundation in God’s Domain, a Guild needed a strong Knight Division if it wished to set roots down in Level 100-plus neutral maps.

Since Shi Feng had previously lacked the necessary funds, he had refrained from upgrading his Knight Division.

However, money was no longer a problem. With the profits from selling the western continent’s materials and Stone Forest City’s entrance fees, he now had a total of five million Gold sitting in his bag. Holding on to all this money would be a huge waste, especially now that Stone Forest City was the first Intermediate City in a Level 100 neutral map. He could definitely recruit plenty of Knights with high Growth Potential.

-

Star-Moon Kingdom, White River City’s Adventurer’s Association:

News of Stone Forest City’s upgrade had already reached the masses, and practically every player in the Adventurer’s Association was discussing the matter when Shi Feng arrived. Many independent players expressed their eager intentions to develop near the city, particularly those with their own fixed parties or teams.

Nodding in satisfaction, Shi Feng climbed the stairs to the Adventurer’s Association’s second floor and entered one of the VIP rooms.

“Lord Bronze Legatee, how may I be of service?” Senior Administrator Lorrain asked, smiling as she walked up to him.

“I wish to see the current recruitment status and promotion list for my Knight Division,” Shi Feng informed her with a grin.