Chapter 1638: 3-star NPC Shop

Translator:

Exodus Tales

Editor:

Exodus Tales

Chapter 1638 – 3-star NPC Shop

Star-Moon Kingdom, Zero Wing City:

Since there was no need for players to construct NPC Shops personally, tall buildings began to rise in Zero Wing City as soon as Aqua Rose made the necessary payments.

The Shops 2-star NPC Merchants required usually only had two or three floors, costing between 500 and 1,000 Gold to construct. As for the Shops for the two 3-star NPC Merchants, one had five floors, while the other had six floors. Each had cost over 2,000 Gold to construct.

Fifteen minutes after Aqua Rose made the payments, the NPC Shops were complete. The added buildings made Zero Wing City look far more prosperous.

The two 3-star NPC Merchants’ Shops, which were both located in the heart of Zero Wing City, were particularly eye-catching. The architecture of these Shops was even more gorgeous than the Candlelight Trading Firm. One could tell that these two Shops were extraordinary at a glance.

Meanwhile, one of the Shops functioned as a grocery store, while the other focused on magic.

“Huh? When did these two NPC Shops get here?”

“These buildings are so extravagant! Quick; let’s go in and take a look!”

Many passersby quickly took notice of the two NPC Shops in Zero Wing City’s central district, and they couldn’t help but take a closer look.

When these players entered the Shops, they were stunned by what they saw.

Each of the two Shops offered all kinds of items, some of which couldn’t even be found in kingdoms’ capital cities. Moreover, many items, which they had never seen before, were on display in crystal cabinets.

“Isn’t this a complete set of Basic Magic Array Scrolls?! You can actually find something like this in a Shop?”

“Crap! This is a Tier 1 AOE Attack Magic Scroll!”

“Amazing! This is a Bronze Pickaxe! If I had, my mining efficiency would increase like crazy!”

“What?! This Shop even has Basic Traps?!”

Everyone’s eyes nearly fell from their sockets when they saw the items on display in the dozens of crystal cabinets in the magic store’s first-floor hall.

Basic Magic Arrays were rare on the market, mostly because it was extremely difficult to collect a complete set. Normally, only the various large Guilds were capable of collecting a complete set. To independent players and adventurer teams, Basic Magic Arrays were treasures that they could only gaze at longingly.

The Tier 1 Magic Scrolls were also extremely rare and could save players lives during critical moments.

The Basic Traps were also considerably effective against both players and monsters.

Every one of these items was incredibly scarce on the market, yet they were actually for sale in these NPC Shops. Moreover, the items’ prices were slightly lower than market price.

“Quick! Notify the commander! We must get this Basic Magic Array no matter what!”

“Hello? Guild Leader? I just found some Bronze tools in a grocery store in Zero Wing City!”

For a time, the players visiting the two 3-star NPC Merchants’ Shops busily contacted their companions or superiors, reporting the Shops’ available items.

“What?! Zero Wing City actually has such Shops?!”

“I’ll have someone bring the money immediately! Keep an eye on those items!”

...

The various major powers’ upper echelons were wrought with desire over the new NPC Shops in Zero Wing City. They promptly issued commands to acquire these items, no matter the cost.

In less than ten minutes, the two NPC Shops were overcrowded with players, becoming even more popular than the Candlelight Trading Firm.

News of these NPC Shops quickly spread throughout Star-Moon Kingdom.

Many players might not regard the Double EXP buff as important or have any interest in the Orc Empire, but every player was interested in obtaining rare items. This was especially true for tools that could help players defeat powerful monsters, such as Tier 1 Magic Scrolls and Basic Magic Arrays.

Usually, only Guilds had the opportunity to use such items. They couldn’t simply be purchased with enough money.

After acquiring these tools, players could take down powerful monsters they previously had to avoid.

...

“Guild Leader, now that every NPC Merchant has begun their Shops’ operation, shouldn’t we purchase some of their products for ourselves?” Although Aqua Rose had known about the NPC Shops’ products, she couldn’t ignore the temptation now that they were available for purchase.

Some of the rare items in these Shops were even rare in capital cities’ Auction Houses. If they purchased these items and sold them in Zero Wing’s Auction House, they’d make a huge profit.

“No need. Rather than trying to make a profit through resale, attracting more players to Zero Wing City is more important,” Shi Feng said, chuckling. He could sympathize with Aqua Rose’s desire, but doing so would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

NPC Shops were a Guild City’s lifeblood because they sold rare items every day, which attracted a constant stream of players to the city, increasing its popularity. The increased popularity would then help boost the city’s various revenue sources. The resulting additional entry fees alone would outstrip the profits they could earn from reselling the NPC Shops’ items.

After giving the matter some thought, Aqua Rose saw the reasoning in Shi Feng’s decision.

Less than half an hour after the NPC Shops’ grand opening, they had attracted over 300,000 more players to Zero Wing City. That was more than 1,800 Gold in entrance fees. As time passed, even more players would visit Zero Wing City, and at this rate, there was no need to resell items.

“Right, pull out some funds to purchase these materials. Buy as many of them as you can as long as the prices aren’t more than 10% higher than market value. Once you have them, send all of the materials to me,” Shi Feng instructed after examining the materials he had left to forge the Magic Light Set.

Although he had Melancholic Smile gradually collect the necessary materials, the cost was simply too high. Overall, Melancholic Smile had only managed to purchase around 100 sets of materials for him. Now that Zero Wing had funds to spare, he needed as many materials as possible.

“Alright. I’ll send someone to purchase them immediately.” When Aqua Rose saw the list of materials Shi Feng required, she was slightly astonished. However, now that Zero Wing City’s income soared, she was confident in acquiring a large stock.

...

Orc Empire, Ancient Rock City:

The atmosphere in the Guild Leader’s office in Heaven’s Burial’s Residence was extraordinarily tense.

“What is going on with Zero Wing? Is some major corporation supporting it in secret?” Singular Burial grumbled, greatly displeased with the latest status report on the rival Guild. At the same time, he felt an immense pressure bear down on him.

Not long ago, it had been obvious that Zero Wing was about to crumble.

Yet, it was now full of vim and vigor. In fact, the Guild was doing so well that it had even awarded over 100,000 Gold in bonus GCPs. The large number of NPC Shops that had recently risen in Zero Wing City was even more impressive.

Singular Burial couldn’t help but wonder if Zero Wing were somehow growing richer as the Guild fought Heaven’s Burial.

“Guild Leader, our people are keeping a constant eye on this matter, but we haven’t discovered any major corporation supporting Zero Wing from the shadows. Blackwater has also confirmed this,” Daybreak Fog said, shaking her head as she answered Singular Burial with absolute certainty. “We are sure that Zero Wing’s recent income stems from Zero Wing City...”

“Zero Wing City?” Singular Burial’s expression darkened when he read the statistics report on the Guild City.

Although he hated to acknowledge it, Zero Wing City had far more potential than he had expected. He had never thought that a Guild City could develop so quickly, nearly surpassing Ancient Rock City.

“This is interesting. It would seem that Zero Wing’s foundations are much sturdier than we imagined,” Lei Jingyang, who currently sat nearby, commented, laughing. “However, this is all they can accomplish. Since they refuse to surrender, can we now take action?”

“Indeed. Young Master Lei, you can use the Evil Demon army to obliterate Zero Wing!” Singular Burial nodded. Sneering, he continued, “It’s about time we show them how frightening our Evil Demon Army truly is!”