Chapter 2401 – Alba Gray’s Reward

An S-rank rating? Shi Feng was astonished when he saw the outcome of his quest.

He’d thought that he had barely passed with a C-rank rating. His team had spent nine days collecting the 1,000 Mana strands. He had never dreamed that he would earn an S-rank rating after taking so long.

Receiving an S-rank rating for high-ranked quests with completion rate indicators was incredibly difficult in God’s Domain. The quests themselves were typically challenging, and players had to complete the quest to near-perfection to achieve such a high result.

However, if players could earn an S-rank rating, the original rewards would be improved slightly. Although the bonus wouldn’t be very high, the additional rewards for an Epic ranked or higher quest would be extremely valuable.

A player had a 20% chance of earning an Epic item as their reward for completing an Epic quest, but if they gained the bonus from an S-rank rating, their chances of earning an Epic item would increase to 30% or even 40%.

When completing an Inferior Legendary Quest, an S-rank rating could lead to a Fragmented Legendary item as a reward, which was normally impossible.

Although Zero Wing had plenty of Fragmented Legendary items, every Fragmented Legendary item could enable a player to become a peak or apex expert in the future. Thus, every Fragmented Legendary item was a welcome addition.

After the system had notified Shi Feng of his results, Alba Gray approached him.

“Fellow adventurers, thank you for saving me from that curse. I owe you all a big favor. Although my Knight Division is no more, I will do my best to assist you with one matter,” Alba Gray gratefully offered, showing none of the arrogance Tier 5 powerhouses usually possessed.

System: You have obtained Alba Gray’s trust. Alba Gray’s Favorability of you has increased by 80 points. You have obtained Alba Gray’s Communication Crystal.

Alba Gray’s statement and the system notification excited every member of the team.

They had already witnessed the Hero’s power, and now, they could reach out to Alba Gray and ask him for a favor. None of them had expected to receive this kind of reward.

Guild Leader, with Alba Gray’s help, we can destroy one of Starlink’s cities! I can’t wait to see their faces!” Cola said, his eyes glowing as he gazed at Alba Gray.

“That’s right! Let’s destroy Starlink’s new city! I want to see how they intend to duke it out with us after that!” Blackie exclaimed, nodding.

Starlink had persistently caused trouble for Zero Wing, especially with its newest city. That city had claimed a ton of Zero Wing’s potential profit. If they destroyed it, not only would Stone Forest City regain its unique status as the only city in a Level 100 neutral map, but they could also deal a heavy blow to their enemy, killing two birds with one stone.

“No, we no longer need to resort to such a tactic,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

Starlink had constructed a city near a Level 100 neutral map, but even if Alba Gray destroyed it, there was no guarantee that Starlink couldn’t construct a new city. Moreover, other superpowers would soon have cities of their own in Level 100 neutral maps.

The various superpowers’ experts had already reached Level 100 and begun to challenge their Tier 3 Promotion Quests. Constructing a new city near a Level 100 neutral map wouldn’t be difficult before long.

Moreover, Alba Gray’s favor was incomparably valuable, especially now that he had become a Sword Saint. Even emperors would struggle to earn a favor from this Hero. Asking Alba Gray to attack a mere Guild City was like killing a mosquito with a bazooka.

Shi Feng then walked up to the freed Hero.

“Lord Hero, I am a forger and have always been passionate about my craft. I am particularly interested in Mana Forging, and I have heard that your research on the subject is unparalleled on the continent. I’d like to study your notes, if you’ll allow it,” Shi Feng stated his request after taking a deep breath.

A Tier 5 Sword Saint could even destroy a kingdom with ease, much less a city, but destroying a kingdom was nothing compared to the value of a Famed Smith’s knowledge.

Due to Alba Gray’s status as a Famed Smith, even Demigods treated him with respect.

Of the many things this NPC was known for, the most famous was his Mana Forging Notes. It was the capital Alba Gray had relied on to become a Famed Smith in the first place.

In fact, his Mana Forging Notes were one of the reasons that the Ten Saints Empire had become as powerful as it was now.

The various superpowers had fought tooth and nail for a single leaf of Alba Gray’s Mana Forging Notes. Some had even offered to trade Fragmented Legendary items for the pages.

With Alba Gray standing before him and offering him a favor, Shi Feng had to secure the very item that made the NPC so famous.

The Hero took a long look at Shi Feng, and the silence stretched until it felt awkward.

“Is the request too much?” Shi Feng anxiously asked.

You have a very good eye, young adventurer. You know what is most valuable,” Alba Gray praised. “Unfortunately, I’ve stored my Mana Forging Notes in the Ten Saints Empire’s imperial library. Not even I have the authority to retrieve them, and unfortunately, the materials I would need to create a copy no longer exist in this world.”

Sure enough.

Although Shi Feng was disappointed, he wasn’t surprised. The Ten Saints Empire treated Alba Gray’s Mana Forging Notes as a national treasure. The notes were even more valuable than a Legendary item.

Just as Shi Feng was about to give up and wondered if he should ask the Famed Smith to craft him a custom-made Fragmented Legendary Item, Alba Gary opened his mouth to speak again.

“But don’t be too disappointed. Before I penned the official Mana Forging Notes, I created a few drafts. Although I have lost many of them, I do have one volume of my drafts with me. If you don’t mind, I can gift you this volume,” Alba Gray informed Shi Feng as he retrieved an ancient booklet that radiated faint traces of Mana.

The booklet was old and tattered, but it felt somehow timeless, as if very few things in this world could destroy it.

“Thank you, Lord Hero. I will take good care of it,” Shi Feng said as he accepted the booklet. He was still disheartened that he couldn’t obtain the full compilation of the Mana Forging Notes, he was surprised and pleased that he could obtain one of the notes’ volumes.

Alba Gray had relied on his Mana Forging Notes to become a Famed smith. A single volume could easily rival the value of a Legendary item.

“There’s no need to thank me. If you need help in the future, you may contact me through my Communication Crystal,” Alba Gray said, smiling. He then transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from everyone’s vision.

System: You have earned Alba Gray’s Admiration. Alba Gray’s Favorability of you has increased by 10 points.

System: Alba Gray’s Favorability of you has reached 100 points. You have become Alba Gray’s friend.

Blackie and the others were confused as they watched the exchange. They didn’t understand why Shi Feng had asked the Hero for a tattered notebook, and based on their Guild Leader’s expression, he seemed ecstatic about it.

As Shi Feng stored the Mana Forging Notes’ draft volume in his bag, Yan Tianxing approached with a white energy crystal in hand.

“Guild Leader, this crystal Ulunium dropped is very strange. Even with my Master Appraisal skill, I couldn’t appraise it,” Yan Tianxing said, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes as he gazed at the energy crystal.