Chapter 986: War of First-rate Guilds
Translator:Hellscythe_
Editor:FluffyGoblyn
"Boss Wave, there's no mistaking it. If you don't believe me, take a look at these pictures. Our Shops in these locations are now owned by the Candlelight Trading Firm," the bald, middle-aged man reported as he displayed the pictures his subordinates had taken.
Abandoned Wave's expression darkened as he looked through the images.
"Gentle Snow!" Abandoned Wave slammed his palm on the wooden table, the impact shook the wine glass and bottle of Witch's Tear, nearly sending them to the ground.
He had never imagined that, as soon as he forced Gentle Snow out of her position and killed her subordinates, the woman would counter with such a move. He hadn't even had a moment to enjoy his victory.
In reality, Abandoned Wave wasn't the only person that Gentle Snow's actions had infuriated. The upper echelons from Star-Moon Kingdom's various large Guilds wore twisted expressions when they heard the news.
"What, exactly, is Gentle Snow trying to do?!"
"Has she lost her mind?! She actually sold so many high-potential Lands to Zero Wing!"
The various Guilds loathed Gentle Snow's latest decision. They would rather pay double the price to purchase Gentle Snow's Lands and let them rot in their hands than let them fall into the Candlelight Trading Firm's hands.
These Lands had originally housed Ouroboros's New Moon Trading Firm. Now, however, they housed the Candlelight Trading Firm. Although the Storefronts were the cheapest variations, curious players had already crowded the Shops' entrances, interested in the sudden change and purchasing items.
It was very easy to transfer a Shop's ownership to another player in God's Domain. One simply needed to visit a City Hall and follow the necessary procedures. If one didn't intend to modify the shop, only changing the name, they could immediately have NPCs do so free of charge.
The Candlelight Trading Firm had always been known for its Light Stones and Armor Kits.
The Intermediate Armor Kits, in particular, usually sold out the instant they were restocked. If not for its low production volume, the Candlelight Trading Firm would've long since dominated Star-Moon Kingdom's market. Even so, Candlelight had still become Star-Moon Kingdom's number one trading firm.
Moreover, due to the Candlelight Trading Firm's lack of background, it had only purchased a limited number of high-potential Lands, despite all of its efforts. As for major cities' golden Lands, first, the trading firm could not afford them. After all, one golden Land was worth around three or four high-potential Lands in the same city. Unless Zero Wing intended to set up a particular city as its main headquarters or went on a spending spree, it would not purchase a city's golden Lands. Second, Zero Wing's members did not have the required Reputation to purchase golden Lands in other cities. Therefore, the Candlelight Trading Firm's development in Star-Moon Kingdom was limited.
On the other hand, to avoid competition with the Candlelight Trading Firm, Gentle Snow's high-potential Lands had been purchased in cities that lacked Candlelight's presence or were located far from Candlelight's Shops.
By selling these Lands to Zero Wing, Gentle Snow had just compensated for the Candlelight Trading Firm's shortcomings. Moreover, the Candlelight Trading Firm had recently recruited a large number of Lifestyle players. Once the trading firm nurtured these Lifestyle players, it would be a disaster for their Guilds, who were already limited to a small corner of the market. However, they could not do anything to oppress the Candlelight Trading Firm in Star-Moon Kingdom…
…
While Star-Moon Kingdoms' various large Guilds tried to think of a solution to cope with the Candlelight Trading Firm's new strength, Shi Feng had teleported to Emerald City from the Black Dragon Empire's imperial capital, Black Dragon City.
As soon as Shi Feng exited the Teleportation Hall, he found just as many players in Emerald City as there were in White River City. Only the players' Levels and equipment was slightly inferior to those in his home city.
Currently, due to the teleportation house, one could easily find Level 37 or Level 38 players roaming about White River City's streets. Prior to that, Level 39 experts were as rare as a phoenix feather.
Emerald City, however, was different. Shi Feng rarely saw Level 36 players roaming the streets, much less those who had reached Level 37 or higher.
However, unlike kingdoms, second- or first-tier cities with populations ranging in the tens of millions were designated to God's Domain's empires. It was easy to find many Gaming Workshops and Guilds based in these cities. With Emerald City being one of the top ten cities of the Black Dragon Empire, Shi Feng saw members from no less than ten different Guilds going about their business.
Such a sight was rare in Star-Moon Kingdom. Generally, only three or four large Guilds contested over its major cities. Emerald City, on the other hand, had more than ten, and even the weakest among them were second-rate Guilds. As for first-rate Guilds, Shi Feng counted three from where he stood. Emerald City already had as many first-rate Guilds as Star-Moon Kingdom.
I recall that the Undefeated Dynasty had been Emerald City's ruling Guild in the past. Among the many first-rate Guilds, Undefeated Dynasty was relatively tolerant. I shouldn't need to worry about any trouble if I set a Shop up here.Shi Feng secretly assessed the city's situation as he rode an advanced horse carriage.
Based on what he could see, a large number of the Guild players roaming the streets belonged to Fantasy Shrine and Undefeated Dynasty. The other first-rate Guild was World Dominators, which Shi Feng was familiar with.
Ever since Zero Wing had become White River City's overlord, World Dominators had withdrawn from Star-Moon Kingdom, shifting its focus to the Black Dragon Empire and other kingdoms.
Mountain ranges surrounded Emerald City, and it produced rare ores and Emeralds. It was considered a strategic city in the Black Dragon Empire. There were only so many Guilds in the city right now because the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion paid little attention to them.
After Shi Feng alighted from the horse carriage, he saw over a dozen independent players leaving the New Moon Trading Firm. These players had very high levels, with the lowest among them being Level 36 and the rest being Level 37. In a large Guild, they would be elite members. As for their combat standards, at this stage of the game, it was very difficult for independent players who hadn't reached the Trial Tower's fifth floor to reach Level 37.
Moreover, these players were well-equipped. Even the most inferior piece of equipment they wore was a Level 35 Secret-Silver rank. In the eyes of ordinary players, they would definitely be considered experts.
"Damn it, to think that Intermediate Regeneration Potions and Intermediate Mana Recovery Potions would sell out so quickly. If I had known that something like this would happen, I would've stockpiled. Now, I won't be able to earn a little bounty reward no matter how much I try."
"There's nothing we can do. Who would've expected Fantasy Shrine and Undefeated Dynasty to start a war against each other in Emerald City? They are even placing bounties on each other's members."
"Really, though, what is up with these Guilds? Why did they suddenly declare war on each other? Haven't they tolerated each other pretty well until now?"
"Based on some insider information I obtained, it seems that the two Guilds have discovered a town above a Mithril vein. If the town is captured, players can mine the vein freely."
"A Mithril vein?! Won't they be rich if they capture the town?!"
"I know, right? However, the NPCs guarding that town are extraordinary. Capturing the town will be very difficult. If one Guild ambushes the other, the latter's efforts will go to waste. That's why both sides are trying to chase each other out of Emerald City."
"Large Guild members sure have it easy. While independent players like us are exhausting ourselves just to find ordinary ores, they get to mine Mithril Ore in the safety of a town!"
As these players spoke of the Mithril vein, they nearly drooled.
Although Mithril Ore was not particularly valuable, it was frequently used to forge weapons and equipment. Generally, selling the Mithril ore one had was very easy. If they could harvest a steady supply of the ore, they could earn more money than they could imagine.
"A Mithril vein?" Shi Feng's lips curled into a smile as he watched the departing independent players.