Chapter 2173 – Candlelight Chamber of Commerce

“Join the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce?”

Upon hearing Shi Feng’s words, everyone present stared at him in astonishment, never having thought that the requirement would be so simple.

They all knew very clearly what a Chamber of Commerce in the virtual gaming world represented. It was an organization where members shared sales connections with each other for mutual benefit. However, whether one could actually benefit from this method of cooperation would still depend on the members’ capabilities.

If one sold excellent merchandise, they would naturally be able to make more money. Average merchandise, on the other hand, would soon be overshadowed by the other members’ merchandise, resulting in a drastic decrease in one’s own sales and profits. A Chamber of Commerce was a double-edged sword.

Generally, there were more cons than pros for a small Guild to join a Chamber of Commerce. The reason for this was because small Guilds lacked resources and invested very little into nurturing Lifestyle players. Hence, the quality of merchandise they could offer to customers went without saying. There was simply no way for small Guilds to compete with large Guilds. For a small Guild, joining a Chamber of Commerce was akin to opening the doors for large Guilds to earn money in their territory.

However, if it meant being able to obtain a temporary Residence slot in Stone Forest City, then joining the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce definitely had merit.

After all, with sufficient strength, a small Guild could not only earn a large amount of rare resources but also nurture its experts in Stone Forest City.

“Guild Leader Black Flame, are you saying that, so long as we join the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce, we’ll receive a temporary Residence in Stone Forest City?” Sixteenth Cloud pressed Shi Feng for confirmation.

She wasn’t particularly surprised that Zero Wing would attempt to establish a Chamber of Commerce. After all, there were so many Guilds currently seeking a partnership with Zero Wing. If Zero Wing could pool the strength of these Guilds together, then even superpowers would grow fearful. If Zero Wing wished to continue competing with Starlink, then establishing a Chamber of Commerce was, indeed, the best decision to make.

A complete Refinement Realm Legacy might allow a Guild to nurture many Refinement Realm experts, but accomplishing this required a lot of time, which just so happened to be the resource that up-and-coming Guilds like Zero Wing lacked the most.

Hence, rather than aim for an uncertain future, it was much better for Zero Wing to further enhance its current strength.

“That’s not entirely correct,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head. “To be precise, only advanced members of the Chamber will receive a temporary Residence slot in Stone Forest City. As for how you can become an advanced member, that will depend on the amount of contributions you make.”

“So, that’s the case.” Realization immediately dawned upon Sixteenth Cloud. Inwardly, she cursed at Shi Feng for being a sly old fox.

Originally, only a few Guilds should be able to partner with Zero Wing. Now, however, every Guild present would do so. Moreover, these Guilds would all desperately contest for the limited temporary Residence slots, which would allow Zero Wing to obtain the maximum amount of benefits possible.

Meanwhile, when the various Guild representatives heard Shi Feng’s condition, they understood the implications right away. Zero Wing was trying to have them compete for the limited temporary Residence slots and labor for it, indirectly making them Zero Wing’s subordinates.

“Guild Leader Black Flame, I’m afraid this arrangement is very unfair for small Guilds like us. Compared to the strength and resources large Guilds possess, what small Guilds have is insignificant. In the end, these Residence slots will still land in the hands of large Guilds. If that’s the case, small Guilds like ours might as well give up on competing right off the bat since we already know we won’t win. Moreover, we will even end up working for Zero Wing for free.”

“That’s right. Small Guilds like ours can’t compete against large Guilds at all. With your arrangement, how are we even supposed to compete? We might as well head back home now.”

For a while, a few representatives of small Guilds stepped forward and voiced their disagreement. These representatives even tried to get the representatives of other small Guilds to leave the venue with them.

Aqua Rose and Gentle Snow frowned upon seeing this scene.

Although they had expected that these small Guilds would react this way, they hadn’t anticipated such an organized refusal.

As for the representatives of large Guilds, they were gleefully watching this scene play out. After all, the fewer competitors they had, the better. In fact, they hoped that every other Guild present would stand up and quit the venue.

“Zero Wing’s ambitions are quite large. Unfortunately, it lacks the ability to control these small Guilds,” Sorrowful Silence commented as he watched the representatives of small Guilds prepare to leave the room en masse. “At the end of the day, Zero Wing’s foundations are still too shallow. If it were a superpower making this offer, these small Guilds would’ve most likely agreed without hesitation.”

At this moment, aside from Sorrowful Silence, Unyielding Heart also felt this way.

Zero Wing simply had too few territories under its control right now. The number of territories and sales connections it possessed couldn’t even compete with that of veteran first-rate Guilds. A weak Chamber of Commerce like Candlelight just didn’t hold any attraction for the various small Guilds. On the contrary, membership in the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce would let Zero Wing bleed them dry.

However, just when the representatives of the various small Guilds were about to leave the room, a calm voice penetrated everyone’s minds.

“What you’re saying is correct, but let me say this first: so long as you become a member of the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce, you’ll enjoy a 20% discount on Stone Forest City’s entry fee. Moreover, you’ll get to purchase items that the Candlelight Trading Firm does not sell to the public,” Shi Feng said, smiling calmly as he looked at the small Guilds’ representatives.

As soon as Shi Feng was done speaking, the departing representatives fell into a daze, their breathing becoming slightly heavy.

“Items not sold to the public? Does this include the Crystal Light Set displayed on the first floor?” a small Guild’s representative could not help asking Shi Feng.

The discount on Stone Forest City’s entry fee might be very tempting, but a 20% discount was basically negligible to the various powers. However, Candlelight’s merchandise was a different story. After all, they had seen the three Crystal Light Sets displayed in the first-floor hall. Those could tempt even superpowers into action.

“That’s right. Including the Crystal Light Set,” Shi Feng affirmed, nodding.

The moment he nodded his head, the entire reception room fell deathly silent. Even Sixteenth Cloud and Sorrowful Silence, who were originally planning to watch Zero Wing make a fool of itself, reflexively widened their eyes as they stared at its Guild Leader.

That was Level 60 to Level 80, eight-piece Dark-Gold Set Equipment they were talking about!

They had believed that Zero Wing was merely flaunting its strength before the various Guilds present by putting the Crystal Light Set on display. Now, however, Shi Feng was telling them that they could actually buy those Crystal Light Sets. How could this not excite them?

As for the various small Guilds’ representatives, their minds momentarily froze. They simply could not understand what Shi Feng was thinking, to be willing to sell such precious set equipment.

However, after a moment of silence, everyone inside the room stopped wondering why Shi Feng pulled such an insane move. Instead, the various small Guilds’ representatives promptly returned to their seats and expressed their willingness to join the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce, afraid that he would regret his decision if they waited any longer.

What no one present knew was that Shi Feng had never intended the Crystal Light Sets to be exclusive to Zero Wing; he had always planned to sell them as merchandise.

This was because, as players continued leveling up, the Crystal Light Set would quickly fall obsolete, uncompetitive with Epic items. Hence, he naturally had to sell the set while it was still valuable, converting it into Coins and resources for Zero Wing’s development.

The various small Guilds present eagerly applied to join the Candlelight Chamber of Commerce, their eagerness surpassing even that of the large Guilds present.

“Zero Wing is really ruthless, actually offering to give away set equipment like the Crystal Light Set just to attract these small Guilds.” Sorrowful Silence marveled at Shi Feng’s generosity. In Zero Wing’s shoes, Shining Tiger would never choose to sell the Crystal Light Set to others.

“No pain, no gain. While it might seem as if Zero Wing gave up a huge advantage by selling the Crystal Light Set, Zero Wing obtained the strength and sales connections of more than a hundred Guilds in return,” Sixteenth Cloud said when she saw the eagerness of the Guild representatives around her. “Meanwhile, now that Zero Wing has gained such stren抑 and connections, the various superpowers will have to think twice before targeting Zero Wing in the futo

At this point, Sixteenth Cloud could already foresee the appearance of another powerhouse in God’s Domain!