Chapter 1266 – Dragon’s Blood

Apocalypse Empire, Deathwhisper Hill:

An army of over a hundred thousand Undead guarded the Deathwhisper Fortress. A legion of 1,000 players clashed with the constant stream of Undead.

These Undead wore tattered armor and wielded swords and shields. Their movements were organized, and even the weakest among them was a Level 42 Elite, while the strongest included Level 46 Lords.

If a normal, 1,000-man legion faced this army, they would be terrified. However, this 1,000-man legion killed the Undead with a militaristic efficiency, acting as if this situation were just a matter of course.

Several hundred MTs raised their shields as they held the Undead back, none of them even attacking the monsters as they focused on defense. With the limited space, the MTs maneuvered their shields and displayed impressive technique as they prevented the Undead from breaking past their line. As for the DPS players behind the shield wall, they launched an unrelenting assault. Occasionally, they used AOE attacks, dealing high amounts of damage to a cluster of monsters.

“Good. DPS, prioritize Chieftain rank and above monsters. Healers, keep an eye on your Mana. If it falls below 30%, retreat, switch players with a back-up healer, and recover.” Phoenix Rain commanded her legion while attacking a Lord ranked monster. She remained wholly unperturbed despite facing down an Undead army led by 100 Lords. It seemed as if this battle were completely under her control.

As Phoenix Rain was commanding the battle, Blue Phoenix, who wielded a dark blue crystal staff that radiated the Epic rank glow and wore a complete Level 45 Dark-Gold Set Equipment for Elementalists, walked up to her leader’s side. Blue Phoenix then reported quietly, “Big Sis Rain, we just received news that a Shop in Chaos Rock City is selling the popular Sea God’s Blessing. Moreover, the potion only costs 1 Gold per bottle.”

“What? Why is it so cheap?” When Phoenix Rain heard Blue Phoenix’s report, a hint of surprise slipped through her calm exterior. “Is the information reliable? Or is that Shop just trying to become famous, selling a small number for such a low price?”

The Sea God’s Blessing had become a strategic resource, which God’s Domain’s superpowers competed over. Its effects were wondrous for exploring secret ruins and raiding Dungeons. Among the Sea God’s Blessings sold in the Apocalypse Empire, Phoenix Rain had only obtained a little over 500 bottles. Miracle and Battle Wolves had snatched the majority of the potions. Meanwhile, she was saving these Sea God’s Blessing as a trump card to raid large-scale Hell Mode Team Dungeons and the competition on Thunder Island.

Previously, the cheapest Sea God’s Blessings in the Apocalypse Empire’s Auction House had sold for 6 Gold. Even after deducting the processing fees, the players selling the potion would get over 5 Gold per bottle, yet someone had decided to sell it for 1 Gold. No matter how she looked at it, this felt like fake news.

She had long since investigated the Sea God’s Blessing. The potion could only be purchased from the Sea God’s Temple. The only way to obtain a large quantity in a short time right now was to trade in Runic Crystals. However, Runic Crystals were even rarer than Magic Crystals. Other than defeating Boss-grade sea monsters, the only reliable way of obtaining them was to synthesize Runic Fragments. Unfortunately, the synthesis was expensive. Initial estimates put the cost of one bottle of Sea God’s Blessing at a minimum of 1 Gold, 50 Silver. If unlucky, the potion might even cost 2 Gold.

Although her people had tried that method, the results had been disappointing. After all, they knew very few NPC Master Alchemists. Moreover, unless they achieved a certain level of Favorability with these NPCs, they would not receive any help. Most importantly, each Sea God’s Temple had a limited number of Sea God’s Blessings. By the time they had amassed a large number of Runic Crystals, the Sea God’s Temple they had visited had run out of stock...

“I thought the same thing. But according to our reports, the Shop has already sold more than 1,000 bottles. Many large Guilds have given up on purchasing the potion in the Auction House. Only independent teams with flimsy information networks are bidding on the potions,” Blue Phoenix explained.

“This is interesting. Have you found out who runs that Shop yet?” Phoenix Rain asked, chuckling softly.

“Yes. The House of Seas owns the Shop. It is a warehouse-type Shop that the House of Seas operates to collect materials and potions that cannot be found at sea.” Blue Phoenix then sent Phoenix Rain the related information.

Chaos Rock City ranked in the 10s among the many NPC cities in the Apocalypse Empire. It was insignificant compared to the imperial capital. With enough money early in the game, anyone could obtain land in the NPC cities ranked beyond 10th place; none of the superpowers would pay any attention to these small cities.

Taking advantage of this fact, powers such as the House of Seas, that were not based in the Apocalypse Empire, had purchased the Lands. One of the reasons for doing so was to set up a foundation for any potential development. They could also set up a Shop to serve as their eyes in the empire while they used it as a warehouse of sorts.

“Their competitor must be quite strong to force the House of Seas to this,” Phoenix Rain chuckled. “Since the House of Seas wants to stomp its competition by lowering the potion’s price, we’ll use this opportunity to buy as many as we can. However, we cannot let the House of Seas’s competitor die off too quickly. Have someone contact the competitor and tell them that we wish to have a chat.”

“Understood.” Blue Phoenix promptly began to contact her subordinates.

While Phoenix Ran and Blue Phoenix had conversed, the other major powers had sent their people to investigate the situation. After all, they all knew that the House of Seas had a very strong backer. They were curious to know who was capable of forcing the House of Seas into this corner. Moreover, whoever was responsible was capable of securing a large quantity of Sea God’s Blessings. If the other party were strong enough, they could consider forming a partnership. If not, all the better.

...

Stormwind Town, Sea God’s Temple’s second-floor reception room:

After waiting in the reception room for some time, Shi Feng watched a stern, gray-robed, old man nearing his 70s enter the room.

Although this old man’s hair was fully white, he brimmed with spirit. Moreover, the instant this old man appeared, Shi Feng felt the space around him radiate an immense pressure. He felt as if he would be turned into meat paste if he made any sudden movements.

This old man was none other than Arnold, the Vice Temple Master of Stormwind Town’s Sea God’s Temple. On the surface, the NPC’s information showed that he was a Level 160, Tier 3 Great Mage. In reality, however, he was a Tier 4 Great Wizard. Only, due to his last battle, he had fallen ill, falling a tier as a result.

This was the beginning of the rare quest chain.

“Young adventurer, what business do you have with me?” Arnold asked indifferently as he watched Shi Feng.

As the Sea God’s Temple’s Vice Temple Master, his status was extremely high. If not for Shi Feng’s Stormwind Emblem, he would not be worth this NPC’s time.

Arnold’s cold greeting didn’t particularly surprise Shi Feng. Smiling, he answered, “Lord Arnold, I’ve heard that, to protect this town in the past, you fought a desperate battle against an abyssal monster. In the end, you used a Curse to kill the monster. However, you suffered a backlash as a result. I have an Advanced Healing Potion with me. I hope that it can be of some help to your injuries.”

Saying so, Shi Feng took an Advanced Healing Potion from his bag.

“Thank you, young adventurer,” Arnold said, his tone no longer cold and indifferent. He then shook his head and said, “However, you are better off saving this Advanced Healing Potion for yourself. I know full well what kind of wound I suffer. It is not that easy to treat. Even the Water of Life cannot help me.”

“May I know what may help you recover, Lord Arnold?” Shi Feng asked.

“Young adventurer, I do not wish to belittle your strength, but curing my wounds is too difficult. If you really wish to help me, you must first collect a drop of Dragon’s Blood,” Arnold said, chuckling. He then turned and left the reception room.

–

System: Rare Hidden Quest “Hero’s Past” triggered. Do you wish to accept?

–

Shi Feng accepted the quest without hesitation.

Sure enough, the quest is the same as it was in the past. Shi Feng released a sigh of relief. After all, he did not have a deep understanding of Sea’s End. Much of his information contained falsehoods.

Fortunately, the information regarding this quest had been true. The first item this chain quest required was the super-rare herb, Dragon’s Blood. When consumed, players would permanently gain anywhere from 10 to 20 Strength. Very few players were willing to trade such a precious item for a few TCP.

Following which, Shi Feng left the reception room and headed downstairs.

Fire Dance, who was in Stealth, approached with an anxious expression and reported, “Guild Leader, this isn’t good. The House of Seas is selling a large number of Sea God’s Blessings in Shops throughout the various empires. Moreover, they are selling them for 1 Gold per bottle. Everyone has stopped buying the potion from the Auction House. In addition, the House of Seas is purchasing Runic Fragments without limit in the various towns and cities for 4 Silver per stack. I’m afraid that it won’t be long before they buy out all of the Runic Fragments other players have accumulated. If that happens, it won’t be easy to purchase fragments in bulk anymore.”