As a golden glow rose from the teleportation array, Shi Feng disappeared from Blue Jade City to arrive in Stormwind Town .
Stormwind Town was the only safe location within Stormwind Shelter . While it was called a town, it was not one bit inferior to the NPC cities in Star-Moon Kingdom with a player population of 500,000 or so . Moreover, the NPC guards garrisoned here were all Level 120 and above . The town's security was only second to Sea's End's twelve major cities .
Not many have come here to level up yet . Shi Feng examined his surroundings after leaving the Teleportation Hall . He saw fewer players on the street than NPCs .
However, after giving the matter some thought, he found the situation reasonable . After all, Stormwind Shelter was a Level 40 to Level 65 map . At this stage of the game, only a minority of players were capable of reaching past Level 40 . Even if players in Sea's End leveled up more quickly than those on land, there shouldn't be too many players capable of reaching Level 40 and beyond .
Not to mention, Stormwind Shelter was far more dangerous compared to maps of similar levels . As a result, fewer players were willing to visit this place .
In fact, Stormwind Town possessed such high-level NPC guards due to the dangerous environment . Not only did players have to watch out for sea monsters when they left the town's protection, but they also had to be wary of Sahuagin ambushes .
Stormwind Shelter was home to the foreign race known as Sahuagins . Leveling here was at least twice as challenging as in similar maps . Even if elite players from Sea's End formed a team, they would find it very difficult to survive here . A team would need expert leads at the very least .
This was because Sahagins were not stupid like sea monsters . They were capable of jumping onto players' ships to engage in melee combat . At the same time, they would command sea monsters to attack ships, attacking players from all sides . As a result, players seeking to level in Stormwind Shelter needed high-quality ships and high combat standards . This was a trial for those living in Sea's End .
Although very few players currently resided in Stormwind Town, correspondingly, players who had consistently grinded in Stormwind Shelter were stronger on average . Most of the players around town were Level 41, with many having already reached Level 42 . In Star-Moon Kingdom, only experts were Level 40 or higher…
As for the weapons and equipment Stormwind Town's players wore, even the most inferior was Level 40 Secret-Silver Equipment .
"Forming a team to grind in Corrosive Cave! I already have an advanced speedboat! Applicants must be Level 41 or above and must have at least four pieces of Level 40 Fine-Gold Equipment!"
"One-day trip to Sahuagin's Nest! Only recruiting Level 41 and above experts! Must have six pieces of Level 40 Fine-Gold Equipment! Those with Level 40 Dark-Gold Weapons get priority! We'll hold an internal auction for any loot!"
…
As soon as Shi Feng stepped onto the main street, he was greeted by the sight of players attempting to recruit team members . Their minimum requirements were astounding .
However, Shi Feng paid little attention to these players as his goal was in the business district by the town's main entrance .
The business district was Stormwind Town's most lively location . The players there were preoccupied with setting up stalls and selling wares .
"Selling this Fine-Gold ranked Blast Bow at a low price! Interested buyers come quickly!"
"Selling Sahuagin's Journals, 12 Silver per page! Want to complete the quest? Don't miss out on this opportunity!"
"Purchasing Silver Tears for 3 Silver each! Only purchasing 100 drops!"
…
Unlike in Star-Moon Kingdom, players residing in Sea's End's towns would not sell their items at the Auction House . Instead, they set up stalls in their respective business districts . There were two main reasons for this . The first was that Auction Houses were only available in the twelve major cities . Due to the large distance between each island, teleportations fees were exorbitant . For example, it cost Shi Feng 52 Silver to teleport from Blue Jade City to Stormwind Town . Normally, players would teleport to District town, rather than Stormwind Town, crossing the remaining distance on their speedboats . Although this path took a lot of time, it was much cheaper to teleport to District Town .
The second reason was that fees in Sea's End's Auction House were much higher than on land; the fee was roughly 20% of the item's total value . It was a fraudulent amount . However, one had to admit that the services one obtained in return for such an exorbitant fee were worthwhile . When using one of Sea's End's Auction Houses, a player's item would display in all twelve major cities . One would not have to worry about their items not selling . However, for mundane, low-value items, players generally had to rely on their own stalls . Either that, or they would accumulate those items for some time before selling them in bulk in an Auction House .
Very quickly, Shi Feng arrived before an NPC grocery store in the business district .
"Dear customer, may I know what you are looking for? Our Shop offers a wide range of fine products at affordable prices," the shopkeeper, a chubby, middle-aged man with a short beard, said as he greeted Shi Feng .
"I'd like to rent your Shop," Shi Feng announced, wearing the Stormwind Emblem .
He had already inspected the business district and was rather fond of this grocery store's location . Using it as a secret Shop for the Candlelight Trading Firm would be ideal . Although he preferred to purchase the Shop, he didn't have much money to spare at the moment . Hence, he settled with renting the Shop for now .
Unlike in Star-Moon Kingdom, players did not have to negotiate with the Town Hall to purchase town Shops in Sea's End . Players simply needed to negotiate a price with the Shop owner . Of course, players had to possess sufficient authority within the town as a precondition . Even renting a Shop required a certain level of authority . However, while renting a Shop was much cheaper than outright buying one, there were two risks to consider . The first risk was that Shops were rented to the highest bidder . Once a Shop's rental period ended, players would have to outbid each other if more than one wanted the Shop . The other risk was that, if another player bought the Shop while it was being rented, the tenant would be deprived of their ownership once the rental period ended .
Hence, renting was only a temporary solution . When taking long-term profits into account, it was better to purchase a Shop .
"Dear customer, you have good eyes! Our Shop has existed for more than a hundred years . We also have the best location in town . As you are a valued guest, I can offer you a 10% discount . You can rent this Shop for 900 Gold per month," the shopkeeper said, joy lighting up his eyes as he rubbed his hands together .
"Alright, I'll rent a month . " Shi Feng was slightly astonished when he heard this price . However, it was reasonable as this would become a miniature holy land in the future . The price to purchase the Shop was certainly ten times higher than the rental fee .
Following which, Shi Feng paid the 900 Gold and obtained the lease for the grocery store .
Shi Feng had no intentions of refurbishing the Shop, and he didn't intend to replace its staff . He simply hung a signboard beside the Shop's entrance .
Our shop is purchasing Runic Fragments in bulk for 5 Silver Coins per stack! We are only purchasing a limited number each day!
Although it was only a small, wooden signboard, when the passersby saw it, they were stunned .
"Crap; am I hallucinating? An NPC is actually purchasing Runic Fragments for 5 Silver Coins per stack?!"
"Did the House of Seas open this shop?"
"Hahaha! Wonderful! I was just thinking of returning to a city to sell my Fragments to the House of Seas . Although the price is slightly lower here, if I sell my stock, I can save on teleportation fees!"
…
Many players grew ecstatic as they looked at the two-story-tall grocery shop .
Throughout Sea's End, only the House of Seas' Shops purchased Runic Fragments in bulk for a high price . No one else dared to do so . As for NPCs, they only purchased Runic Fragments for 40 Copper per stack . Rather than selling Runic Fragments to NPCs, players made more profit by stocking up and looking for an NPC Master Alchemist to synthesize Runic Crystals . Although the synthesis success rate was only 10%, the synthesized Runic Crystals sold for at least 10 Silver each .
If one were lucky, they could get one Runic Crystal for every five Runic Fragment stacks . It was the equivalent of selling Fragments for 2 Silver per stack . Unfortunately, raising one's Favorability with an NPC Master Alchemist was somewhat difficult . Synthesizing Runic Crystals also cost time and money . As a result, ordinary players rarely choose this option .
Hence, now that an NPC Shop wanted to purchase Runic Fragments at 5 Silver per stack, why wouldn't they be excited?
This was a great opportunity for them to make a fortune!
Immediately, players swarmed the grocery store, dashing straight towards the NPC staffs manning the Shop and tapping open their trade windows . Initially, these players placed one stack in the trade window . After confirming that the purchase price was indeed 5 Silver per stack, they placed every Runic Fragment they had into the window and clicked 'Trade . '
The entire process as smoothly as flowing water . These players' trades were far faster and more accurate than dodging Boss monsters' attacks .
In the blink of an eye, the grocery store had purchased over 200 stacks of Runic Fragments . Meanwhile, the 1,000 Gold Shi Feng stored in the Shop dropped by around 10 Gold .
"Damn it! I still have a ton of Runic Fragments in my Warehouse! Please wait for me!" Aside from the crowd that had rushed into the store, a larger crowd dashed to the Bank on the main street . Some players had even gone as far as to leave their own stalls unattended .
Meanwhile, news of the nameless Shop's request for Runic Fragments spread very quickly throughout Sea's End .
Note : Please download the sponsor's game to support us!
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login