Chapter 2667 – Foundation Skyrockets

Silverwing Town, Zero Wing’s Residence, second underground floor:

At this moment, over 300 NPCs stood inside an underground hall, which was half the size of a football field. These NPCs all looked old and injured. The 100-plus Tier 3 experts of Zero Wing present could not help their confusion over the presence of these NPCs.

“With the situation outside so tense already, why did the Guild Leader gather us here instead of having us prepare for battle?” a tall and thin Level 115 man wearing the emblem of Zero Wing’s main force reserve member muttered, perturbed.

This tall and thin man was once the vice commander of an adventurer team. He had joined Zero Wing not that long ago and had gained his position as a reserve member of the main force only after Shi Feng had left the eastern continent. Hence, he did not have a very clear idea of just how powerful the Guild’s foundations were.

What the man understood very clearly was just how powerful the Faux Saint monsters were—especially after their numbers reached a certain scale. Several million Faux Saint monsters charging toward Silverwing Town was definitely a disaster.

However, instead of further strengthening the town’s defenses, Shi Feng had actually gathered all of the Guild’s Tier 3 reserve main force members tasked with defending Silverwing Town in this basement hall. In fact, he had even kept them waiting here for such a long time with nothing to do but look at these old and ailing NPCs.

This was simply insane!

At this moment, many of the Tier 3 experts present were also confused by this situation.

Silverwing Town was by no means a small place. There were many locations that needed defending. They still needed to organize the Guild’s other Tier 3 experts and Tier 2 members. They had already been tight for time, yet they had actually wasted two whole hours idling here.

The players gathered could not help but wonder if Shi Feng had given up on Silverwing Town already.

To Zero Wing’s core upper echelon, Silverwing Town might be just another one of the Guild’s Residences. However, for players like themselves who had lived in Silverwing Town all this time, it was their home.

Just as everyone was grumbling about the current situation, Youlan and Melancholic Smile walked to the staircase leading upstairs. They then flanked the staircase and quietly looked at the man descending it, a respectful expression appearing on their faces.

“Guild Leader, all Tier 3 reserve main force members with a position of Viscount or above are here. They have already signed the confidentiality contract. With the Personal Guard slots they have, we will be able to accommodate all of the NPCs gathered,” Melancholic Smile quietly reported to Shi Feng.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Shi Feng said, nodding.

Originally, he had been keeping the Water of Life top-secret. After all, only by doing so would he have an easier time collecting injured NPCs with good potential. However, now that God’s Domain had developed to such a state, he no longer had the leeway for such secrecy.

After Shi Feng said so, Melancholic Smile had the gathered NPCs line up before her. She then distributed the Water of Life to every one of them, the situation further confusing the reserve main force members present.

“What are they doing?”

“What dense life energy!”

“Why do all these NPCs look so excited?”

Many people knew of the Water of Life in God’s Domain, but not many people had seen it in person.

In the eyes of Zero Wing’s reserve main force members, Melancholic Smile was merely distributing potions brimming with life energy to the NPCs gathered. However, when these NPCs received the potion, their gloomy and lifeless expressions immediately brightened up, their eyes glowing with hope and energy. Every one of these NPCs even excitedly thanked Melancholic Smile and swore loyalty to her. This situation baffled the Zero Wing members.

They could all tell that these NPCs were not Personal Guards but independent NPCs. There should be no way these NPCs would show such gratitude toward players, much less take the initiative to swear loyalty to a player.

As the reserve main force members were stewing in confusion, frightening auras burst forth from the gathered NPCs, one after another.

Previously, none of these gathered NPCs was a match even for ordinary Tier 2 NPCs. Now, however, even the weakest of them radiated an aura that made even the Refinement Realm experts present shudder.

When the auras of these 300-plus NPCs flooded the hall, the 100-plus reserve main force members could not help stumbling back with nervous expressions as they cautiously eyed the NPCs before them. At this moment, they could tell that, so long as these NPCs willed it, none of them would leave this basement alive.

Not to mention, the strongest few auras even made them feel as if they stood before a bottomless abyss. The owners of these auras were definitely not just ordinary Tier 3 NPCs. While bathed in these auras, everyone felt as if they were standing inside a muddy swamp, their bodies incredibly sluggish. In fact, they had also lost control over the ambient Mana around them.

“A Mana Domain?!”

At this moment, even Youlan goggled in shock at this situation. Although she knew that Shi Feng and Melancholic Smile had gathered these old and ailing NPCs for a purpose, she never imagined that they would be carrying out such an ambitious enterprise.

Not only did they instantly turn 300-plus old and ailing NPCs into lively tigers, but three of these NPCs even possessed a Mana Domain. This was simply unbelievable.

Normally, a naturally occurring Mana Domain was something only Tier 4 NPCs possessed. A Mana Domain was also the biggest difference between Tier 3 and Tier 4 NPCs and the reason why Tier 4 NPCs could trounce Tier 3 NPCs.

It was also because of this Mana Domain that Saint’s Hand had never dared stretch their hands toward Silverwing Town. After all, Silverwing Town had the protection of the Magic King Craig Midlands, who had already been promoted to Tier 4. In front of the Magic King, Tier 3 players would be one-shot kills.

Now, out of the 300-plus NPCs present, there were actually three NPCs with a Mana Domain. This meant that these three NPCs were only one short step away from Tier 4.

Amazing! The harvest this time is massive! Shi Feng himself was surprised by this outcome.

Although there were no Tier 4 NPCs in the batch of recovered NPCs this time, just gaining three Tier 3 NPCs with a Mana Domain was plenty amazing already. After all, so long as these three NPCs received sufficient resources, reaching Tier 4 should be a shoo-in.

Moreover, aside from these three NPCs, the quality of the other 300-plus NPCs was considerably good as well.

Of the other 300-plus NPCs, one actually possessed Growth Potential at the Dark-Gold rank, 11 at the Fine-Gold rank, 151 at the Secret-Silver rank, and the rest at the Mysterious-Iron rank.

In God’s Domain, NPCs that possessed Growth Potential at the Fine-Gold rank or above could only be found by luck. Aqua Rose had already swept through the old and ailing NPCs of numerous countries once. The fact that they could obtain so many NPCs at the Dark-Gold and Fine-Gold standard in the second batch was truly incredible.

After all, any random Tier 3 NPC at the Fine-Gold rank could suppress current Tier 3 Domain Realm experts. Even the various superpowers would not possess more than a handful of such existences.

Now, Zero Wing had just gained 15 of such NPCs. Moreover, three of them possessed a Mana Domain, of which two were at the Fine-Gold rank and one was at the Dark-Gold rank. If the various superpowers were to learn of this haul, they would definitely die of envy.

Meanwhile, after a brief moment of silence in the hall, Shi Feng turned his gaze toward the reserve main force members assembled before him.

“Alright, stop daydreaming. Line up according to the number assigned to you and start signing a contract with these NPCs,” Shi Feng said with a clap of his hands.

Shi Feng’s words triggered an uproar among the gathered players.

“Crap! Is this for real!?”

“Even the weakest among these NPCs is at the Mysterious-Iron rank, right?”

“We can contract these NPCs as our Personal Guards?”

Everyone felt as if they were in a dream when they heard Shi Feng’s words. The fact that the Guild could recruit so many powerful NPCs was already plenty amazing. Now, however, they were being told that they could have these NPCs as their Personal Guards. They couldn’t believe their ears.

The various first-rate Guilds treated even Mysterious-Iron Guards as family heirlooms. Normally, only the Guild Elders would have the qualifications to contract such NPCs as Personal Guards. As for Secret-Silver Guards, they belonged to the Guild Leader and Grand Elders. Everyone else should not even think of obtaining them.

Now, however, Zero Wing was actually letting mere reserve members of its main force contract with Mysterious-Iron Guards and above. This situation was even more fabulous than if the Guild had granted every one of them a Level 100-plus Epic Weapon.

However, in no time at all, everyone snapped out of their daze and dashed forward to line up before Shi Feng.

As for the distribution of the NPCs, Shi Feng first granted every player in line a Secret-Silver NPC. As for the two Dark-Gold NPCs, he assigned Melancholic Smile and Youlan one each. He also granted both of them and Liang Jing one Fine-Gold NPC each. This way, the three of them would no longer have to worry about their security when traveling around God’s Domain. As for the remaining Fine-Gold NPCs, he assigned them to the 11 people in line who had made the most contributions to the Guild. Upon seeing this, the other Zero Wing members inevitably grew envious.

That was a Fine-Gold Guard they were talking about!

With the strength of a Fine-Gold Guard, one would not have to worry even when coming across a 100-man, Tier 3 team. In fact, the Tier 3 team would most likely try to avoid the Fine-Gold Guard.

“This is wonderful! With the addition of these Personal Guards, we should have no problem withstanding the Faux Saint monsters’ attack!” Youlan breathed out a sigh of relief when the distribution of the Personal Guards was over.

Although Silverwing Town was only an Advanced Town, Zero Wing had invested plenty of resources and funds into its development. While its defensive capability might not rival that of a Guild City, its capability was not that far off, either. Not to mention, the town also had five Magic Towers and a Tier 4 NPC protecting it. With the addition of so many Tier 3 Personal Guards, there shouldn’t be any problem defending Silverwing Town from the Faux Saint monsters.

“Withstand?” Shi Feng shook his head at Youlan’s sigh. Sneering, he continued, “Since they dare to come, then they shouldn’t think of leaving anymore!”

After saying so, Shi Feng tasked Youlan and Melancholic Smile with arranging Silverwing Town’s defenses. As for himself, he made his way to Silverwing Town’s Town Lord’s Mansion.

Inside the control room of the Town Lord’s Mansion, Shi Feng took out 600 Mana Stones and arranged them above the core magic array.

The Mana Forging Notes recorded plenty of powerful items. However, the highlight of the volume he received from Alba Gray was a special magic array capable of strengthening other magic arrays to whole new heights.

Of course, this improved strength did not come for free. The strengthening would triple the consumption of the target magic array. The target magic array would also take longer to recover naturally. However, compared to the possible benefits, this was a small price to pay.

When Shi Feng finished drawing the special magic array using the Mana Stones, a crimson pillar suddenly emerged from the core magic array.

Following which, the sound of a system announcement suddenly entered Shi Feng’s ears.

...

System: Silverwing Town has met the qualifications for promotion to a Basic City. Do you wish to promote it to a Basic City?