Chapter 495 – Bubbling Crystal City of Secrets

“What’s going on? A player’s private property?”

“Isn’t this an NPC City’s transportation firm?! Can players buy such a thing?!”

“Crap! Even if this transportation firm is available for purchase, the price shouldn’t be low. Which power decided to make such a huge investment?”

The players who were forcibly teleported out of the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm couldn’t help but be shocked by the revelation that a player had bought the transportation firm. They had never heard of players being able to purchase an NPC City’s transportation firm before, so they never thought it could be done in the Eternal Realm’s NPC Cities.

However, everyone quickly got over their surprise as their attention shifted to wondering which power was behind the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm’s purchase.

It should be known that transportation firms were one of the primary sources of income for players operating in NPC Cities. So, taking ownership of a city’s transportation firm was no different than controlling the economic lifeline of players in the city. While it might be good news for the power who owned the transportation firm, it was bad news for everyone else as they could potentially be put under heavy restrictions.

Of course, such restrictions would have little effect in the current Eternal Realm.

With the large influx of Holy Race players, it had become extremely difficult for players to transport merchandise across different maps. This was because the Holy Race players were focused on leveling up and gathering resources in the various maps, so they wouldn’t spare the human players they came across. Not to mention, they could earn Honor Points for killing human players.

Currently, the only reason players were willing to take on quests from the transportation firm right now was because Holy Race players and human players were still fighting over the entrance tokens. The Holy Race players did not have the spare energy to venture to other maps, so it wasn’t particularly dangerous to trade across maps.

However, once this period passed, apart from quests issued by NPC nobles, players were unlikely to take on any quests from a transportation firm.

…

Meanwhile, after purchasing the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm, Shi Feng quickly reopened the establishment, allowing all players to take on quests.

The transportation firms in God’s Domain earned their revenue through intermediary fees. The firm would charge up to 10% of what players earned from a quest taken from the firm. So, the more players there were doing quests, the more revenue a transportation firm could generate.

In the early stages of the Eternal Realm, a transportation firm could earn at least two Eternal Silver from a 20-man quest involving short-distance trading. If an NPC noble had issued the quest, the firm could stand to earn up to six Eternal Silver.

Meanwhile, during the early stages of the Crystal City of Secret, the city could gather at least a million players. Even with the Holy Race’s interference, it should still be possible for the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm to see over a thousand quests being completed each day. In other words, the transportation firm could make at least 30 Eternal Gold a day, which would help cover a significant portion of the building’s weekly management fee and lessen the burden on Shi Feng’s pockets.

Shortly after Shi Feng’s party of four left the City Hall, the entire City Hall went into an uproar.

Many people talked about the news of the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm being purchased, and the various powers began frantically looking into who was behind the purchase.

Although the Secret Crystal Transportation Firm had little constraint on the Crystal City’s various powers due to the Holy Race’s interference, it was still a form of restriction. If the transportation firm’s owner decided to target them, it could still cause them significant trouble, so it was necessary to investigate thoroughly.

At the same time, the Crystal City’s various powers began to frantically accumulate wealth.

This was because the various powers realized that if the Crystal City’s transportation firm could be purchased, it went without saying that the city’s other industrial buildings could be bought, too. The auction house and airport, in particular, became key targets of the various powers. If anyone managed to control these two buildings, it would be no different than if they controlled the entire city.

…

“Guild Leader Black Flame, isn’t it too early to buy the transportation firm now?” Desolate Fury asked Shi Feng when he saw the various powers’ players starting to purchase Eternal Coins at significantly higher prices than before. “Had we secretly saved up more money, we could have bought the auction house or airport instead. Either of those buildings would have been much more valuable than the transportation firm.”

The auction house and airport were places where players were bound to have to spend money in the future. If they could purchase one of these two locations before the various powers learned about the possibility of purchasing industrial buildings, the wealth and influence they could earn would be vastly greater than what they could get from the transportation firm.

“No, now is the right time to buy it. If we wait any later, buying it’ll become very difficult,” Shi Feng said, chuckling. However, he did not bother explaining further as he led the trio to the Underground Secret Palace.

It was true that controlling an NPC City’s auction house or airport was no different than controlling the entire city.

However, the Main God System naturally wouldn’t let players take control of these two buildings so easily. At first glance, the auction house and airport might seem like treasure troves, but in the Eternal Realm, they were losing businesses. Even in the early stages of the Crystal City of Secrets, it would cost a minimum of 10,000 Eternal Gold to purchase either of these two buildings, and the weekly management fee would be over 5,000 Eternal Gold.

To make matters worse, players could only take 5% of the profits generated by the auction house and airport. In other words, players who bought the auction house could only receive 5% of the establishment’s revenue, which was generated via processing fees. It was the same case for the airport.

Moreover, the fees charged by the auction house and airport were fixed by the system, and the only way players could increase them was by upgrading the buildings using special means. If players could not accomplish that, their only other option was to find ways to increase the city’s player population.

Essentially, the only reason players would buy the auction house and airport was to have more influence over the city. Meanwhile, this influence would last as long as their financial circumstances allowed it.

Currently, in the Crystal City’s early stages, the transportation firm was the only building with the opportunity to be upgraded. As for the other industrial buildings, they could not be improved at present. In a situation where the various powers desperately needed money for their development, whoever bought the Crystal City’s auction house and airport would be a fool.

…

Crystal City of Secrets, Underground Crystal Palace:

In the time that it took for Shi Feng to make a round trip to the City Hall, the number of players gathered in the plaza in front of the Underground Crystal Palace’s entrance had increased by several times. Meanwhile, teams of twenty or more players formed by the various powers could be seen waiting in line to enter the secret land.

“Party of six looking for one more member! We need a Level 150, Tier 5 Cleric or higher with at least three Fragmented Legendary items!”

“Twenty-man farming team recruiting ten more members! Looking for Level 150 experts and above! Secret Treasures obtained will be auctioned internally! Stay away if you can’t afford the entrance fee!”

“Employer team recruiting Level 150-plus experts of any class! The employer will cover the entrance fee! If we obtain a Secret Treasure, every team member will receive five Eternal Gold!”

Apart from those waiting in line, many players could also be seen looking for teams or forming teams in the plaza.

Just as Shi Feng was about to join the queue with his party, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd in the plaza.

Gentle Snow!