Chapter 225 - Mana Armor Kit
While Shi Feng had been stuck in the Forging Room for the past two days, many of the players that had just entered the city were amazed by the scene they witnessed.
They never imagined that such benefits would be available in the city.
Whetstones were no longer items solely monopolized by Guilds. They could be purchased at the Starstreak Trading Firm along with the rare Intermediate Recovery and Mana Potions. Compared to other shops in White River City, the Starstreak Trading Firm's stock was far more thorough.
Most importantly, the Starstreak Trading Firm was the only location that sold Advanced Whetstones. This item had become the Starstreak Trading Firm's signature item and was only sold in limited numbers everyday.
With such an advantage, the Starstreak Trading Firm instantly obtained a strong foothold in the eight cities it occupied, suppressing the other shops.
During these two days, players no longer visited other shops to purchase their items, as they could simply purchase everything they needed at the Starstreak Trading Firm. As a result, business boomed for the trading firm.
Meanwhile, a huge incident also happened in White River City, and even Shi Feng, who was extremely knowledgeable about God's Domain, was shocked.
Ten Guilds had suddenly grouped, forming an entirely new, single Guild. This matter sent shockwaves throughout the entire White River City region.
Many of the second-rate and third-rate Guilds started panicking at this news. They all increased the treatment they offered to their members and continuously tried to recruit new members into their Guilds. Simultaneously, they also increased their speed of annexing smaller Guilds. As for the unrated Guilds, they started to form alliances to resist the annexation of these second-rate and third-rate Guilds for self-preservation.
White River City, which originally had hundreds of Guilds contending with each other for supremacy, suddenly entered a new phase where only a handful of powers contended with each other.
In reality, a dozen or so unrated Guilds coming together to form one large Guild would not greatly affect these second-rate and third-rate Guilds. The main reason this merger frightened these powerful Guilds was the guild at its core; it was none other than the top-tier, third-rate Guild, Dark Star.
Furthermore, Dark Star had a new Guild Leader. Lone Tyrant had suddenly become Dark Star's new Guild Leader, while the previous Guild Leader had been chased out of his own Guild.
Originally, Dark Star already had Lone Tyrant, who was ranked first on the Ranking List. They also managed to obtain the First Clear of several Hard Mode Team Dungeons. Previously, they had even competed against the Assassin's Alliance over supremacy in White River City. However, due to lacking a powerful background, they could not grow any stronger within a short time. Now that Lone Tyrant had become the Guild Leader, not only had Dark Star annexed a large number of Guilds, but they had also managed to recruit quite a few hidden experts. Just a short time after the merger, Dark Star had obtained the First Clear of two Hard Mode Team Dungeons, and one of them was even the First Clear of a 20-man Hard Mode Team Dungeon.
As a result, Dark Star's fame soared once again. They were no longer beneath the Assassin's Alliance; they might have already surpassed the Assassin's Alliance.
Currently, Dark Star's influence in White River City could rival that of a first-rate Guild. They had become one of the tyrants of White River City.
On another note, for reasons unknown, the first thing Lone Tyrant did after he unified those unrated Guilds was place a bounty on Shi Feng's head.
Moreover, the bounty he set was rather generous. As long as someone could kill Shi Feng to Level 0, he would immediately reward the person responsible with five million Credits and an elder position in Dark Star. Meanwhile, any player who killed Shi Feng once could receive a reward of 200,000 Credits.
In a virtual reality game, such a high bounty was mind-blowing.
Right now, major corporations in the real world were only offering an annual salary of five million Credits or so when recruiting well-known top-tier experts. On the other hand, Shi Feng was not even a great character from a first-rate Guild. Such a high bounty on an unknown player was a first in the world of virtual reality.
Even though they did not know what sort of enmity Lone Tyrant had with Shi Feng, many players had expressed their sympathies for Shi Feng. Meanwhile, Lone Tyrant's tyrannic actions had undeniably garnered the attention of many independent players, compelling them to join Dark Star to develop themselves further.
However, from Shi Feng's point of view...
Lone Tyrant was simply a lunatic. He had snatched away only one First Clear away from Lone Tyrant; was there really a need to be so unforgiving?
Moreover, Shi Feng was really confused as to when Dark Star had become such an amazing existence. They had actually managed to annex more than ten unrated Guilds within such a short amount of time. One should know that each Guild would have at least one to two thousand members. In the case of a larger Guild, there might be even five to six thousand members. Yet, Dark Star had actually devoured and incorporated them in a single go with room to spare. Even the Assassin's Alliance did not possess a background strong enough to carry out such a feat.
Although Dark Star was very powerful right now, Shi Feng considered the bounty on his head no more than a joke.
If Shi Feng were only a normal expert, he might have trembled in fear as he could not continue mingling in White River City. However, was Shi Feng a normal expert? No, he wasn't. In a situation where everyone else had yet to familiarize themselves with God's Domain fully, Shi Feng already had ten years' worth of experience playing in God's Domain as an expert Swordsman.
As of this moment, Lone Tyrant, the current first ranked player on the Ranking List, was only Level 14. However, during the time Shi Feng had spent cooped up inside an Intermediate Forging Room producing Advanced Whetstones, he had already recovered to Level 16. Shi Feng was leaps ahead of Lone Tyrant regarding EXP they had.
Moreover, with his current Level and equipment, Shi Feng had dared to face an absolute powerhouse head-on from his previous life. So, why would he possibly be afraid of Dark Star?
This time, however, Shi Feng could not use the same strategy he had with Martial Union within Red Leaf Town. There was nobody in White River City who dared provoke a tyrannic tiger like Dark Star. Moreover, Dark Star had too many members; Shi Feng would go bankrupt if he placed a bounty on all its members. Not to mention, whether it was Gold Coins or Credits, Shi Feng was sorely in need of both right now.
Hence, Shi Feng chose to ignore Dark Star and instead, focus on his own matters, producing Mana Armor Kits.
Compared to normal Armor Kits, Mana Armor Kits were far more powerful. Aside from providing additional Defense, normal Armor Kits only provided a small bonus to Attributes. On the other hand, Mana Armor Kits provided a significant bonus. Moreover, Mana Armor Kits could be equipped on both plate and cloth armor. The materials needed to produce them were also very basic; no expensive or rare materials were necessary at all.
[Basic Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 10 Copper Ore, 3 Bronze Ore, 1 Basic Recovery Potion or 1 Basic Mana Regeneration Potion
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Basic Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Basic Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +80
Strength +3, Endurance +4, Agility +3
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 10 equipment or above.
[Basic Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +30
Intelligence +3, Endurance +4, Vitality +3
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 10 equipment or above.
[Intermediate Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 15 Iron Ore, 5 Fine Iron Ore, 1 Intermediate Recovery Potion or 1 Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potion.
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Intermediate Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Intermediate Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +200
Strength +10, Endurance +12, Agility +10
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 25 equipment or above.
[Intermediate Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +60
Intelligence +10, Endurance +12, Vitality +10
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 25 equipment or above.
[Advanced Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 20 Silver Ore, 8 Mithril Ore, 2 Advanced Recovery Potion or 2 Advanced Mana Regeneration Potion.
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Advanced Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Advanced Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +400
Strength +30, Endurance +40, Agility +30
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 50 equipment or above.
[Advanced Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +150
Intelligence +30, Endurance +40, Vitality +30
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 50 equipment or above.
As long as a player bound three Mana Armor Kits to their equipment, they would have the equivalent of an additional piece of precious equipment. Whether in a normal battle or Dungeon raid, the Mana Armor Kits would provide an immense improvement to a player. Who could resist such an enticing item?
Chapter 226 - Attracted by Fame
On a street located in the heart of the Trade Area, a man hiding himself under a hooded cloak hurriedly walked into the tall building, the Starstreak Trading Firm, by the roadside.
Due to its raging popularity, there were plenty of players entering and leaving the Starstreak Trading Firm. Moreover, players who wore cloaks were common at the trading firm, so the hurried man did not attract the attention of other players.
However, if one observed carefully, they would discover two exquisite longswords strapped to his back. Of the two swords, one released a faint glow that resembled a black flame, while the other released a green stream of light. One could easily tell that these two swords were extraordinary items. Moreover, the style of this man's equipment clearly indicated it was a Set Equipment and a high-quality Set Equipment at that.
This person was none other than Shi Feng currently disguised as Black Flame.
Previously, after spending most of his day hiding in a Forging Room, Shi Feng had forged a total of 600 Basic Mana Armor Kits; 400 of them were Physical Armor Kits, while the remaining 200 were Magic Armor Kits.
A large amount of Copper Ore, Bronze Ore, Intermediate Recovery Potions, and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potions was required to make so many Armor Kits. Fortunately, Shi Feng had these materials in spades.
With the Philosopher's Stone, Shi Feng could refine Stones into Ores. There was no need for him to purchase any at all. As for Basic Potions, he simply needed to spend some money to purchase a large stock of them. However, when compared to the value of the Basic Mana Armor Kits, the cost of these potions was practically negligible.
Shi Feng had even resolved the issue of production success rate, which was the most troublesome factor when producing the Basic Mana Armor Kits.
For starters, as an Advanced Forging Apprentice, Shi Feng possessed a 20% success rate when forging the Basic Mana Armor Kits. After factoring in the Book of Forging and the various supporting tools he possessed, his success rate was further boosted to 66%. Although there was still the chance of failure, each try would only cost him 70 Copper Coins.
With Shi Feng's current wealth, he would not feel even an itch from losing such a meager amount of money.
After arriving at the third floor of the Starstreak Trading Firm, Shi Feng quickly discovered a long line of people in the hallway. These people were currently queued up outside an office. A majority of these people consisted of NPCs, while the minority were players.
"Hey, do you know what 'first come, first served' means?"
"You mannerless brute! You actually dare break the rules that Lady Anna has set!
"Bro, you sure have guts, huh? Aren't you afraid of Goddess Anna kicking you out?"
Regardless if it were the NPCs or players queued up in the hallway, all of them sent fierce glares at Shi Feng. However, their anger did not stem from their hatred of meeting Shi Feng for the first time. Instead, they were afraid of Shi Feng's rudeness earning the ire of Lady Anna. They had been painstakingly waiting to meet Lady Anna for a long time now. If Lady Anna chased all of them away in a fit of rage, it would be a tragedy.
"What are you guys queuing for?" Shi Feng asked curiously.
Shi Feng casually glanced at the people queued up in the hallway. Just from a rough estimate, there should be over 200 people present; this was in no way a small number. Moreover, looking at how all of these people referred to Anna as "Lady Anna" or "Goddess Anna" with both admiration and respect, Shi Feng couldn't help but grow astonished.
"You dare come here without even knowing this?" Everyone immediately rolled their eyes at Shi Feng. They looked at Shi Feng as if he was a noob, their gazes filled with disdain.
"The Starstreak Trading Firm is currently hiring a large number of Forgers and Potionmakers. If we're chosen and can work for Starstreak, we will enjoy a private workshop all to ourselves. Moreover, the trading firm will provide us with an endless supply of materials. If we perform well, the trading firm will even reward us with our very own private research room and provide us with all the materials we need to carry out our research. In other words, as long as we can become a Forger or Potionmaker of Starstreak Trading Firm, both money and fame will be available for our picking."
Speaking up to this point, everyone couldn't help but sigh incessantly. They felt great envy towards those who had already become Forgers and Potionmakers of the Starstreak Trading Firm. However, when a female player suddenly walked out from the office with a disappointed look on her face, everyone's mood immediately dampened.
Due to Starstreak growing more and more famous, the number of NPCs and players who wished to join the trading firm had also grown explosively. Hence, the tests' difficulty had also been increased. It was no longer as easy as the trading firm's initial recruitment.
"How many consecutive eliminations have that been already?"
"I think this should be the seventh. The test is becoming more and more challenging. Previously, one of every five applicants would succeed. Now, only one out of eight succeed. I wonder what the chances will be when it is my turn?"
The people queued near the back started growing anxious.
"Anna sure is strict." Shi Feng revealed a bitter smile.
Although having such strict selection criteria wasn't a problem, players were still fundamentally different from NPCs. Especially for players who were timid and introverted, it was a little extreme to reject them after undergoing only a single test.
Cream Cocoa, the female player who had just walked out from Anna's office, was one such example. In the past, Cream Cocoa was a genius forger who had the title as one of the Ten Great Master Forgers of Star-Moon Kingdom, and Shi Feng was fully intent of recruiting her into his Guild in this life.
He did not think that, shortly after Cream Cocoa had left the Assassin's Alliance, she would immediately come to Starstreak, only to be rejected once more.
Fortunately, Shi Feng had made a trip to Starstreak Trading Firm. Otherwise, he would similarly be shedding tears of regret with Cruel Sword…
"Hah… another failure… Where am I supposed to head to now?" At this moment Cream Cocoa wore a dejected expression. Previously, she had been chased out of the Assassin's Alliance due to her production success rate being overly low. Now, Starstreak Trading Firm had also rejected her. After these consecutive failures, she no longer knew where she should head. "Am I really not cut out for forging? Maybe I should go adventuring and fight like the other players. However, I am a sports idiot. How am I supposed to fight like the others?"
"Hello. Are you here to apply for a job at Starstreak Trading Firm?" Shi Feng asked, blocking Cream Cocoa's path.
"Mhm," Cream Cocoa nodded as she glanced at Shi Feng. Currently, she did not have the mood at all to pay any attention to a stranger.
"Are you interested in taking another test?" Shi Feng asked with a smile.
Shock flashed in Cream Cocoa's eyes. Immediately, she lifted her head and focused on Shi Feng. For a moment, she had even thought that Shi Feng was one of Starstreak's personnel. However, when she failed to find the Starstreak Trading Firm's emblem on Shi Feng's clothing, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Hahaha! Who do you think you are? Starstreak's President? Can you let someone, who has already been rejected, take the test again? If you wish to pretend, at least think of the time and place. Look at where you are at right now. At the very least, you should get a Starstreak Emblem before putting up your act," a tall and beautiful Cleric sneered as she sent a disdainful gaze at Shi Feng.
However, Shi Feng did not get angry at this girl's provocation. Instead, he used Observing Eyes on this tall beauty.
[Melancholic Smile]
Level 10
Cleric
Seeing this name, Shi Feng was shocked. Although not as famous as Cream Cocoa, Melancholic Smile, the tall beauty of a Cleric before him, was also one of Star-Moon Kingdom's future Master Forgers.
Shi Feng truly did not think that the Starstreak Trading Firm could be so attractive as to lure two future Master Forgers.
"My bad, I forgot to introduce myself. I am…"
Just as Shi Feng was about to introduce himself, Anna suddenly walked out from the office as she called for the next batch of interviewees. However, the moment her eyes spotted Shi Feng, she hurriedly walked over to Shi Feng in a panic.
Meanwhile, everyone else revealed ridiculing smiles as they watched Shi Feng. They fully intended to enjoy the show that was about to play out.
You've humiliated yourself big time, now.
Shi Feng actually dared pretend to be Starstreak Trading Firm personnel. Now that he had been caught in the act, he would definitely be shown the way out.
"Your Excellency, this subordinate is extremely sorry for this! I did not think that these people would disturb you. I will immediately send them away," Anna glared at Cream Cocoa and Melancholic Smile, hurriedly apologizing to Shi Feng.
Chapter 220 - Tier 4 Magic Scroll
First-floor reception hall of Starstreak Trading Firm.
The Starstreak Trading Firm's store was different from normal stores. As it specialized in big businesses across cities, it had its own specialized reception room set up in the building. At the same time, there was also a sales area located on the first floor of the building. The sales area sold various merchandise such as clothing, weapons, equipment, potions, alchemy products, magic scrolls, and much more. This place was just like a supermarket in reality.
A trading firm was different from the Auction House. As the Auction House charged players exorbitant processing fees, the items sold there were far more expensive than the items sold in normal stores. Earning money in God's Domain was no simple task. Hence, rather selling their wares at the Auction Houses, losing 15% of their profits in the process, a large majority of the players in God's Domain would prefer to spend more time, selling their wares at trading companies or stores.
"Esteemed Sir, how may I assist you?" The beautiful and dignified young lady at the receptionist counter smiled at Shi Feng.
"I wish to meet President Henry. Please tell President Henry that Lady Sharlyn sent me to speak with him," Shi Feng said.
"Please wait for a moment. I will notify the president immediately."
The receptionist immediately took out a Multicolored Communication Crystal, transferring Shi Feng's information through the crystal.
After several minutes…
"Mister Ye Feng, the President is waiting for you in the President's Office on the third floor."
"Thank you."
Immediately, Shi Feng walked towards the spiral staircase in the distance.
When he arrived before the President's Office on the third floor, he met two Level 150 guards who stood by the office's door. Average players were absolutely not allowed to enter the President's Office.
In the past, countless Guild executives had queued up in front of this office. They had wished to meet with President Henry to discuss matters of renting out the first floor of Starstreak Trading Firm's store for business. Unfortunately, they did not manage to catch even the shadow of President Henry.
However, when Shi Feng walked up to the office, the two ferocious-looking guards immediately parted the sturdy, mahogany doors for him.
Inside the luxurious and spacious office, a man in his fifties sat on a sofa in the middle of the room. The man had an elegant and dignified appearance. This person was indeed President Henry of Starstreak Trading Firm, and he was a well-known financial magnate in White River City.
"Your Excellency, Ye Feng, please, sit," President Henry said when his eyes met Shi Feng's, his finger pointing to the beastskin sofa before him.
"President Henry, this is the contract that Miss Sharlyn wanted me to bring to you." Shi Feng sat down. He retrieved the contract from his bag, handing it over for Henry's inspection.
"No need. Before you arrived, Her Highness Sharlyn had already notified me of your coming here. I've also learned some information about you from Her Highness Sharlyn. The young truly are promising," Henry praised. He then said, "Since you are here now, I feel reassured."
"Reassured? What are you reassured about?" Shi Feng had a bewildered look on his face. Just what was President Henry saying?
Also, just what did Sharlyn tell Henry?
"Oh? Did Her Highness Sharlyn not tell Your Excellency about it?" Confused, Henry said, "This contract was set between me and Her Highness Sharlyn. As long as Her Highness can save the Starstreak Trading Firm from its current predicament, she will obtain 20% of Starstreak Trading Firm's shares and the Tier 4 Magic Scroll that was obtained from the ancient ruins."
"You say 20% of the company's shares and a Tier 4 Magic Scroll?" Shi Feng's expression froze.
Sharlyn was simply ruthless. Sharlyn had sent him to deal with the predicament, yet, she would receive a Tier 4 Magic Scroll in addition to 20% of the company's shares?
"That's right. I've already mentioned this to Her Highness. As long as Your Excellency can save us from this predicament, that Tier 4 Magic Scroll will belong to Your Excellency," Henry said, nodding his head.
"May I know what kind of magic scroll it is?" Shi Feng was incredibly curious about the Tier 4 Magic Scroll.
In the past, the most powerful magic scroll Shi Feng had seen was only a Tier 4. If he sold the scroll, the minimum price for it would be 500 Gold Coins. If it were an amazing Tier 4 Magic Scroll, he could even sell it for over 1,000 Gold Coins. However, players who obtained a Tier 4 Magic Scroll were not usually willing to sell it.
"It is a Tier 4 Position Teleportation Scroll. With it, one can teleport to anywhere they wished within an instant. However, this scroll was made using the technology of an ancient civilization. In our current era, we have no way of replicating such technology. Hence, this scroll is the only one that currently exists in Star-Moon Kingdom. It is priceless," Henry said pridefully. This scroll was his most precious treasure; he had always been reluctant to part with it. If it were not for the trading firm facing a great predicament, he would never willingly offer this Tier 4 Magic Scroll as a remuneration.
Hearing Henry saying so, Shi Feng came to a realization.
If he had the Tier 4 Position Teleportation Scroll, he could teleport directly to the Dark Den. He would not even have to waste time searching for its exact location. It was no wonder Sharlyn was so confident in her information.
"President Henry, I wonder what sort of predicament your trading firm wishes me to solve?" Shi Feng asked.
"To be honest, bandits have snatched one of our shipments carrying precious merchandise, costing the trading firm massively. To make up for the loss, our trading firm had to pay a large sum of money as compensation, which in turn, resulted in our trading firm facing its current crisis. So, I hope that Your Excellency can help us resolve this predicament. Otherwise, if this problem drags on for another month, our trading firm will have to declare bankruptcy," Henry unhurriedly explained.
"Then, President Henry, are you telling me to get rid of those bandits and retrieve your stolen merchandise?"
"It would be best if that is possible."
"Then, which band of bandits stole your merchandise?"
"The Black Scorpion Corps of Black Cloud Ridge, led by Black Scorpion himself. He is a Level 180 Tier 3 Shadow Warrior. If you can get rid of him and retrieve our merchandise, I would greatly appreciate it."
Hearing the words "Tier 3 Shadow Warrior," Shi Feng nearly fell off of his seat.
Was President Henry telling him to deal with a Tier 3 NPC? Only players who did not know how to write the word "death" would accept this request! Not to mention a month, Shi Feng would still fail this task even if he had two years to complete it!
This had to be a joke!
Shi Feng had originally thought that the Epic Quest's difficulty had been reduced. Rather, wasn't this the exact opposite?!
Noticing Shi Feng's troubled expression, Henry once more unhurriedly said, "If Your Excellency feels that this request is too difficult, there is a second option. It is also for this reason that Her Highness Sharlyn sent Your Excellency here."
Shi Feng slightly recovered from his shock as he heard that there was a second option.
"In reality, our trading firm also feels that it is impossible to retrieve the merchandise. The only possibility for Starstreak Trading Firm to get through this predicament is for us to collect 30,000 Gold Coins within a month.
"Her Highness Sharlyn has always praised Your Excellency as a business prodigy. If Your Excellency manages our Starstreak Trading Firm, I believe that we can achieve that goal."
Seeing Henry's anticipating gaze, Shi Feng only wanted to curse.
Just because he managed to earn a few Coins, he was suddenly a business prodigy...
What kind of sick joke was this?
Earning 30,000 Gold in a month! Moreover, he didn't actually have 30 days at all! Considering the time when the great demon would appear, Shi Feng would, at most, have 20 days to earn 30,000 Gold Coins. Even if he currently earned 100 Gold or so per day, ten days would only net him 1,000 Gold, while 30 days would only net him at 3,000 Gold. That was only one-tenth of the required amount!
Players were still stuck in the initial stages of God's Domain right now, so it was impossible for anyone to make that much money.
If one added a week's earnings of every player in the White River City region together, it might equal 30,000 Gold. How was he supposed to earn that sort of money?
He might as well become a bandit and snatch the money from someone else.
No, that's not right! Even if he tried to steal it, there was no way he could get that much money!
Before Shi Feng could reject the quest, a system notification popped up before him.
System: Epic Quest Phase 2 'Gospel Project' accepted.
Quest content: You have become the manager of Starstreak Trading Firm! Earn 30,000 Gold Coins within a month and resolve Starstreak Trading Firm's predicament! Rewards Unknown.