Chapter 493 – Golden Party?
If I buy the Crystal City’s Transportation Firm, I wonder if the Brilliant Sky Temple of my past life will go crazy.
Shi Feng was filled with complicated feelings as he looked at the Underground Palace Emblem in his hand.
The Eternal Realm was a unique existence in the Greater God’s Domain. Unlike other Realms that were already well-developed, the entire Eternal Realm was still in its infancy. There existed no kingdoms or empires in the Eternal Realm, only NPC Cities.
As a result, the functional buildings of each NPC City, such as auction houses, airports, and transportation firms, could all be bought by players. In other Realms, players were only limited to purchasing the shops and lands of NPC Cities.
Of course, the cost of buying these industrial buildings was unimaginable, and the cost would only increase along with the city’s population. In the later stages, it would cost over one hundred thousand Eternal Gold just to buy an ordinary NPC City’s airport. On top of that, there was also a high management fee of several tens of thousands of Eternal Gold to be paid every month. If one could not afford the management fee, the industry building would be confiscated immediately.
Without strong financial resources and influence, not only could one not make money through industry buildings, but one would also lose money to the point of bankruptcy. In Shi Feng’s previous life, some upper-ranking hegemonic powers had even fallen into ruin because of their greed.
As for the Brilliant Sky Temple, it was originally only a top-ranking hegemonic power that was close to becoming a pseudo-apex power in Shi Feng’s previous life. Meanwhile, the Guild became a laughing stock among everyone in the Eternal Realm’s early stages because it decided to purchase the Crystal City of Secrets’ Transportation Firm. However, sometime after its purchase, it had quickly grown from an upper-ranking hegemonic power into a bona fide apex power in the Greater God’s Domain, its feat stupefying the various pseudo-apex powers.
Transportation firms were not profitable in the Eternal Realm’s early and mid stages, and this was because of the Holy Race’s presence. The constant harassment of the Holy Race players became a strong deterrent for players to become merchants.
After all, even if a merchant caravan could successfully fight off the Holy Race players they came across, most of the caravan would be destroyed by the end of the fight. Not only would merchants not earn a single coin, but they might even lose money because of their destroyed goods. Therefore, there were no players willing to take on such tasks.
Since owners of transportation firms made their money from intermediary fees, they would have no income if no player was willing to operate as a merchant. On the contrary, they would even have to pay a frightening management fee every month.
This was also why the various powers laughed at the Brilliant Sky Temple for purchasing the Crystal City of Secrets’ Transportation Firm. Because the Brilliant Sky Temple had purchased the Eternal Realm’s mid-stage, the Guild had ended up paying an upfront cost of over five thousand Eternal Gold.
Yet, just when everyone thought the Brilliant Sky Temple would come to regret its decision, the Brilliant Sky Temple suddenly used an item called the Heroic Mark to upgrade Crystal City’s Basic Transportation Firm to an Advanced Transportation Firm. Then, as a result, many NPC nobles and even great nobles began to issue commissions via the firm.
In no time at all, this Crystal City of Secrets’ Transportation Firm became a hot commodity for all players and powers.
Most Basic Transportation Firms only offered commissions made by ordinary NPCs, and only rarely would NPC nobles make a commission. Meanwhile, only when a commission came from an NPC noble could players obtain City Reputation by completing it.
Reputation was the basis for taking over NPC Cities. However, daily quests that rewarded City Reputation were relatively rare, and noble commissions were even rarer.
However, so long as players managed to complete a noble commission, they could earn a large amount of City Reputation and a chance of obtaining a Secret Treasure as a reward. Although the chances were low, noble commissions were still one of the more reliable ways for players to obtain Secret Treasures.
As for Advanced Transportation Firms, not only did they offer many more commissions from NPC nobles, but they would also offer commissions made by NPC nobles of other cities. Meanwhile, by completing these foreign nobles’ commissions, players could obtain Reputation Points for the corresponding NPC Cities.
As a result, after the Crystal City’s Transportation Firm got upgraded to the Advanced rank, the various powers frantically fought over the commissions issued by the firm. This, in turn, allowed the Brilliant Sky Temple to make a killing. During the Eternal Realm’s later stages, the firm generated a daily income of several tens of thousands of Eternal Gold for the Brilliant Sky Temple. Many experts had even chosen to join the Brilliant Sky Temple so that they could take on commissions issued by great nobles.
As for the Heroic Mark, it was one of the drops from the Underground Secret Palace’s Level 155 Floor Master. It was a guaranteed drop on the Floor Master’s First Kill, and the Brilliant Sky Temple just so happened to have secured it. Because of it, the Guild decisively raised funds to purchase the Crystal City’s Transportation Firm…
Currently, access to the various city maps had only become available recently, so not many players have entered the Crystal City of Secrets yet. Because of this, the city’s transportation firm should be very cheap. At most, it would cost one or two thousand Eternal Gold. With his current wealth, he shouldn’t have any trouble purchasing it.
As long as he can get the Heroic Mark, the transportation firm would definitely become an endless treasure trove, its value far surpassing the city’s various commercial properties.
Thinking up to this point, Shi Feng dared not waste any more time, promptly leaving Dark Star and logging into God’s Domain. Then, he contacted Desolate Fury’s group of three.
“I plan to do a quest in a secret land. Are you three interested in joining me?” Shi Feng asked. “There is a chance for Secret Treasures to drop in that secret land. If any drop, we will distribute them by priority of classes.”
The Underground Palace Emblem could open a teleportation gate that allowed up to six players to enter. Even with his current strength, it would be a challenge for him to solo the Level 155 Floor Master. However, if he had the help of three other Tier 5 experts, his chances of success would increase a little. Not to mention, he could use this opportunity to train Desolate Fury, Leroja, and Cross. After all, the trio possessed great potential. They were simply lacking Legacies and opportunities.
“Secret Treasures?” Desolate Fury’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “That’s great! The three of us have finally learned Flowing Space recently, and we’ve been itching to try it out. Wait for us, Brother Black Flame! We’ll head over there now!”
“All three of you have learned Flowing Space?”
Desolate Fury’s words stunned Shi Feng. Flowing Space was a Gold Combat Technique developed by the Goddess of Space. Even if one managed to grasp only the technique’s First Step, Stepping Space, one would still be considered a bona fide Golden Master and an apex existence among players of the same tier.
“Mhm. All three of us have learned it.” Desolate Fury nodded. Then, in a slightly embarrassed tone, he continued, “Leroja and Cross managed to grasp the technique’s essence less than half a day after using the Legacy Crystal. If it weren’t for them practicing beside me continuously, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to grasp it.”
“That’s still very impressive! After all, that’s a Gold Combat Technique we are talking about! It’s not something you can just learn on a whim!” Shi Feng said, feeling delighted.
Although he had long known that the trio had great potential, he did not expect their talent and potential to be so high.
With this, their party would have four Golden Masters!
Not even apex powers could afford to casually assemble such a party. Had such a party appeared during the encirclement in the Corrosion Mountain Range, the various powers present at the time would have been scared to death.