Chapter 2439 – Commotion at Cold Spring Cold Spring

Canyon, Stone Forest City:

Under Aqua Rose’s lead, Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade reached the City Lord’s Mansion. Just as they were about to enter it, a group of Level 100 players, who had just arrived at Stone Forest City, happened to walk by, their eyes filled with shock and wonder as they took in the players around them.

“Are there so many Tier 3 experts here normally? Isn’t Stone Forest City a little too amazing?!” a Level 100 female Elementalist exclaimed.

Tier 3 experts were currently the strongest combatants in the game. Even first-rate Guilds would be fortunate to have a dozen Tier 3 experts under their command. Since there were only a few first-rate Guilds in every kingdom and empire, it was incredibly difficult to come across Tier 3 players.

Normally, it would be rare to encounter a handful of Tier 3 players even on the main street of an empire’s capital. Now, however, there were easily more than two dozen Tier 3 players walking along Stone Forest City’s main street.

However, the resident players of Stone Forest City were behaving as if this situation was normal. Everyone was doing their own thing and paid no attention to the Tier 3 players.

“There’s nothing to get surprised about. Do you know what kind of place Stone Forest City is?” the level 102, Tier 3 Shield Warrior, who was the female Elementalist’s team leader, said. In a low tone, he continued, “Remember to be extra careful when you’re here in the future! Even if the Hundred Flowers Palace is a first-rate Guild in the Dark Night Empire, it still can’t ensure your safety here! You can only let your guard down after you have reached Tier 3 as well!”

Currently, Stone Forest City was the only Guild City established in a Level 100 neutral map, so it held a powerful attraction for players. However, aside from Zero Wing’s partner Guilds, other players and powers that wished to enter the city could do so only by renting the city’s private houses.

Meanwhile, Stone Forest City’s private houses were both incomparably rare and expensive. Ordinary experts couldn’t afford them at all. One could say that every player residing in Stone Forest City either possessed powerful backing or was an extremely powerful individual.

Due to this reason, if one accidentally offended someone in Stone Forest City, particularly the Tier 3 players of the city, then one would be in for an absolute nightmare.

Players might be safe inside Stone Forest City, as there were NPC Knights and Zero Wing’s experts patrolling it. However, once players left the city, it was a different story. Tier 3 players ruled the fields outside. One would not receive any respect even if they originated from a first-rate Guild.

Upon hearing this Level 102, Tier 3 Shield Warrior’s words, the Hundred Flowers Palace’s dozen or so talented newcomers promptly nodded their heads and no longer dared to speak casually. Right now, they could clearly sense the attention and auras coming from the people around them. The gazes of the Tier 3 experts, in particular, carried a hint of killing intent. It was as if these people were hunters that had just found their prey.

Fortunately, there were Level 115-plus, Tier 2 NPC Knights, as well as Zero Wing and Secret Pavilion experts, maintaining order in the city. There was also the fact that their team leader was a Tier 3 Shield Warrior. Otherwise, these Tier 3 experts would no doubt find opportunities to kill them in the city and plunder the Level 100 top-tier weapons and equipment their Guild had prepared for them.

“It seems the situation in Stone Forest City is becoming increasingly unstable.” Yuan Tiexin frowned grimly as he looked at the Tier 3 experts roaming the main street. He felt that he had still underestimated the difficulty of developing and managing Stone Forest City.

Although Zero Wing already had more than 50 players that had reached Tier 3, that number was still far from comparable to the total number of Tier 3 experts in a single kingdom or empire. Moreover, as more time passed, the number of Tier 3 players in the various kingdoms and empires would only increase at a pace that far outstripped Zero Wing’s.

Take the current Stone Forest City, for example. Previously, Zero Wing was capable of suppressing all of the Tier 3 players operating within the city with just two dozen Tier 3 experts. Now, however...

It was no exaggeration to say that the total number of Tier 3 experts Zero Wing commanded couldn’t even rival the number of Tier 3 experts dwelling in the city. As more time passed, this gap would only widen. After all, Cold Spring Forest was a leveling heaven for players. More and more Tier 3 experts would seek to develop here in the future.

Meanwhile, as Stone Forest City’s Tier 3 expert population increased, the city’s security would also become a big problem. Although the Secret Pavilion had garrisoned plenty of its own Tier 3 experts in the city, security remained a problem. After all, Tier 3 experts were powerhouses capable of committing crimes and escaping from even major NPC cities, let alone a Guild City like Stone Forest City.

Take the current situation, for example. The Tier 3 experts operating in Stone Forest City no longer bothered to hide their killing intent. After all, they understood that managing them was already a challenge for Zero Wing. The Guild no longer possessed absolute might and authority in the city. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Tier 3 experts started secretly taking action within city limits.

Yet, despite Stone Forest City falling into such a predicament, not only did Shi Feng not try to think of ways to stabilize the city’s situation and properly develop Zero Wing in secret, but he had even gone and aggravated the various superpowers, leaving the superpowers with no choice but to annihilate Zero Wing.

Now that the situation had come to this, even the Secret Pavilion would have a very difficult time guaranteeing Zero Wing’s safety.

However, Yuan Tiexin did not put too much thought into the matter. Instead, he promptly followed Aqua Rose through the City Lord’s Mansion’s entrance. Right now, his priority was to persuade Shi Feng to hand over the Twelve Elemental Pillars’ benefits. Otherwise, the Secret Pavilion would have nothing to negotiate with to fend off the various superpowers.

However, just as the trio were about to enter the inner courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion, a regional system announcement suddenly sounded in their ears.

Cold Spring Forest Region System Announcement: The seal on Stone Forest City has been lifted, and the city is now officially open to the public. All players may now enter the city to rest after paying an entrance fee.

The system announcement repeated three times. Although the Main God System’s mechanical voice contained no emotions, its words thoroughly stunned Yuan Tiexin.

“Is he insane?” Looking at the system announcement, Yuan Tiexin even wondered if he had heard and seen wrong.

Even when Stone Forest City was sealed, Zero Wing was already having difficulties managing the city. If the city was opened to the public, Yuan Tiexin did not dare to imagine what it would become.

After all, the various superpowers were keeping a close eye on Zero Wing. They might have even started forming alliances already. Opening Stone Forest City to the public now would be no different from gifting the city to the various superpowers.

Vice Guild Leader Aqua, what is Guild Leader Black Flame trying to do? Is he really planning to forsake his life for money?” Purple Jade could not help asking Aqua Rose after seeing the system announcement.

In Purple Jade’s opinion, Shi Feng was already plenty crazy for selling a treasure like the Twelve Elemental Pillars in bulk.

Now, he had actually gone a step further and opened the insecure Stone Forest City to the public. At this rate, even if the various superpowers did not take action, Stone Forest City would still fall into ruin from the large number of experts that would swarm into the city.

At this moment, let alone Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade, even the players operating within the Cold Spring Forest were stunned by this announcement. None of them had thought that Zero Wing would actually allow the public into Stone Forest City.

After all, current Tier 3 players were no longer the same as before, no longer existences that ordinary NPC soldiers could suppress. If a large number of Tier 3 experts swarmed into Stone Forest City, the city might still belong to Zero Wing, but the Guild would no longer be its absolute ruler.

Following a brief moment of surprise, the players operating within the Cold Spring Forest were ecstatic at this piece of news.

Stone Forest City’s opening meant that they could operate freely in the Cold Spring Forest in the future. They no longer had to waste time traveling between the neutral map and an NPC city. They would also have a much easier time challenging their Tier 3 Promotion Quest. Meanwhile, all they had to pay in exchange for these conveniences was a small entrance fee.

“No, I definitely cannot let him mess around like this! The Secret Pavilion is also a shareholder in Stone Forest City! We need to seal Stone Forest City again right away! If we wait until all of Cold Spring Forest’s experts enter the city, then the entire city will fall into ruin!”

Yuan Tiexin felt that Shi Feng had truly gone insane this time. After saying so, he immediately dashed toward the City Lord’s Mansion’s inner courtyard, planning to make his way to the City Lord’s Office, as players could choose to open or seal the entire city only in the office.

However, as soon as he opened the doors to the inner courtyard, a tsunami-like aura immediately struck him, driving an overwhelming sense of fear and helplessness into him.

Both Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade abruptly jumped back, instantly putting a huge distance between themselves and the inner courtyard’s entrance. They wore extremely grim expressions as they looked warily at the inner courtyard’s plaza, which rivaled the size of a football field.

“Tier 3...NPCS?”

“What is going on here?”

When Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade first arrived at the small plaza, confusion had momentarily overwhelmed them. Afterward, they gasped reflexively.

Their reaction was because the plaza was filled with Level 115-plus NPCs—all of whom had actually reached Tier 3. Moreover, these NPCs radiated incredibly powerful auras, with the strongest NPCs inspiring despair even in experts like Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade.

At this moment, Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade felt as if he had just opened Pandora’s Box.

Meanwhile, the most frightening thing was that all of these Tier 3 NPCs were staring at them right now.