Chapter 2248 – Blackhearted Shop
s.h.i.+ Feng immediately agreed to open the Wanderer's Shop to the public after hearing the system notification.
Although it was possible to hire more NPC staff and renovate the Shop after the upgrade to 2-star status to lure in more customers, s.h.i.+ Feng did not have the money to do so.
He only had 1,000 Ancient Gold remaining, and every item and service in Dragonheart City cost Ancient Coins. Players even had to pay to enter the World Tower.
To enter the World Tower's first floor, where the Gravity Mountain Range was located, a team had to pay 5 Ancient Copper per player. If one wished to explore the World Tower's second floor, it would cost 1 Ancient Gold per player.
Dining in Dragonheart City was also very expensive. However, it was an unavoidable expenditure as the food and drink in Dragonheart City accelerated Stamina and Concentration regeneration, as well as expelling the Otherworld Energy that infected players' bodies, allowing players to reenter the World Tower sooner.
This was also why minor powers couldn't survive in Dragonheart City. Otherwise, the World Tower would've been crowded with players since it was such a wonderful place to level up and obtain resources. Players wouldn't need to waste hours traveling to high-level maps, subjecting themselves to strange energies.
s.h.i.+ Feng planned to bring Zero Wing's members to develop in Dragonheart City in the near future, so he couldn't afford to waste money.
Most importantly, he needed to pay 3,000 Ancient Gold once every ten days to maintain the Wanderer's Shop. It was best that the Shop started conducting business as soon as possible.
Shortly after the Wanderer's Shop opened to the public, an NPC entered the Shop to sell his item. Surprisingly enough, the NPC was selling a Tier 2 Skill Book. Unfortunately, his asking price was 60 Ancient Gold.
Not long after this NPC entered the Shop, players began to cross its threshold.
These players had only intended to window shop, but once they saw the available merchandise, they froze, their feet glued to the ground.
“c.r.a.p! Isn't this a Resurrection Scroll!? These are even rare in empires' Auction Houses! The last one I saw even went for 200 Gold, yet this place is only selling it for 50 Gold!”
Take a closer look. It cost Ancient Gold, not normal Gold.”
The players' eyes glowed with excitement when they saw the Shop's merchandise, but once they saw the listed prices, that excitement vanished. Well-known adventurer team experts like themselves could save up 50 Gold, but even if they sold everything they had on them, they still wouldn't have 50 Ancient Gold.
Yet, every item in the Wanderer's Shop cost Ancient Gold…
When s.h.i.+ Feng heard this group curse the Wanderer's Shop for its blackhearted prices, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. He had felt the same in the past. Despite being the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild, the Wanderer's Shop's goods had been too expensive for him. Needless to say, adventurer team members wouldn't fare any better.
s.h.i.+ Feng then left the Shop and hurried toward the agreed-upon meeting place to meet up with Melody and the others.
Since the Wanderer's Shop was now open for business, it would only be a matter of time before the various major powers in the city discovered it. He would not have to worry about the Black Market teleportation slots selling. He had also left 500 Ancient Gold with the Shop and instructed its NPC staff to purchase Epic materials. He decided to refuse NPCs' other items since he couldn't afford them at the moment. He could only slowly acc.u.mulate Ancient Gold through the Wanderer's Shop.
After a few minutes, s.h.i.+ Feng arrived at a bar in the city's inner area. The bar was called the Blue Rose, and as soon as he arrived, he discovered Melody's group, happily chatting with a Level 79 Tigerkin Berserker.
Not only was this Tigerkin Berserker very high-leveled, but his equipment was also quite impressive. The Berserker currently wore the Raging Punishment Set, a Level 75 Fine-Gold Set Equipment. His two-handed axe also gave off the glow effect unique to Epic items. The wild and powerful aura he radiated was even powerful enough to deter first-rate Guilds' peak experts.
Moreover, s.h.i.+ Feng could tell he was a Refinement Realm expert by the Tigerkin's movements. The Tigerkin Berserker's strength was even stronger than Melody.
“Big Brother Black Flame, have you settled your affairs?” Blue Bamboo asked when she saw s.h.i.+ Feng enter the bar. “Mhm, they're done.” s.h.i.+ Feng nodded.
You're just in time. Here, let me introduce you. This is my friend, Swimming Dragon. He's the commander of the Dragon Riders adventurer team,” Melody said. She then turned to Swimming Dragon and continued, “This is Zero Wing's Guild Leader, Black Flame.”
“So, you're that famous Sword King!” Swimming Dragon looked at s.h.i.+ Feng in surprise.
As Dragon Riders mainly operated on Dragonheart Island, Swimming Dragon was not particularly familiar with Guilds and experts outside of his home base. However, the top 50 experts on the G.o.d's Domain Experts List were a different story. Furthermore, s.h.i.+ Feng's rank had recently risen on the Experts List. In the latest issue, s.h.i.+ Feng had been ranked 14th. The man was difficult to miss.
Although the G.o.d's Domain Experts List was not a clear indicator of an expert's strength, those who could earn a high rank were definitely extraordinary.
However, s.h.i.+ Feng didn't seem any different than an average person as he sat before Swimming Dragon. If not for Melody's introduction, he might've dismissed the Guild Leader as an ordinary player. He couldn't sense the imposing aura that was typical of powerhouses. In fact, s.h.i.+ Feng's aura felt quite weak.
“h.e.l.lo,” s.h.i.+ Feng replied with a slight nod.
After a brief introduction, Swimming Dragon informed the group of what he had learned about the pathway to the western continent. However, to everyone's disappointment, the pathway didn't actually exist. Players had simply discovered a King-cla.s.s sea monster a short distance away from Dragonheart Island. Based on what the various superpowers had discovered, this sea monster had a chance of dropping a teleportation stone that could transport players to the western continent.
The various superpowers had only spread the news because of how powerful the King-cla.s.s sea monster was. There was also a group of powerful sea monsters protecting this King-cla.s.s, and it would take more than two superpowers to take the King-cla.s.s sea monster down. Hence, the various superpowers intended to use the various major powers' strength for the raid.
When they found this out, the various naval powers that had gathered in Dragonheart City hurried toward the island nearest to the King-cla.s.s sea monster. They would begin the raid once they had enough overall combat power.
Swimming Dragon had voiced his intentions to join the raid to see if he could get a piece of the pie. Melody's group was interested in taking a look, as well. Naturally, s.h.i.+ Feng wouldn't refuse this opportunity and decided to travel to the island with Swimming Dragon and the others.
“There are so many people here!” Blue Bamboo was astonished when she saw the number of s.h.i.+ps in the port.
There were usually plenty of s.h.i.+ps in Dragonheart City's port, but right now, there were at least 10 times more s.h.i.+ps than normal. Just leaving the port was a challenge.
“It will take too long to get to Tranquil Mine Island by s.h.i.+p. Dragonheart City has a specialized transport s.h.i.+p that travels to that island. The trip will be easier if we take the transport s.h.i.+p,” Swimming Dragon said. “Previously, I've already asked someone to purchase our tickets. We can just get on board the transport s.h.i.+p directly.”
After saying so, Swimming Dragon led s.h.i.+ Feng and the others to the transport s.h.i.+p's dock.
Players crowded around the docked transport s.h.i.+p, everyone waiting to board. With no other choice, s.h.i.+ Feng and his latest companions patiently waited in line.
After waiting for more than half an hour, it had come time for s.h.i.+ Feng's group to board the s.h.i.+p, but suddenly, to burly men approached them. One of these players was Level 78, while the other was Level 79. When the surrounding players saw these men, they promptly stepped out of the way and did their best to avoid meeting their eyes. Both of these experts possessed powerful backgrounds in Dragonheart City, and ordinary experts wouldn't dare provoke them.
“Swimming, I've heard you've purchased tickets to board the s.h.i.+p. Give them to me; I'm in a rush,” the Level 78 s.h.i.+eld Warrior said, grinning at Swimming Dragon. “Relax, I won't just take advantage of you. I'll pay the favor back later.”
“You're too late, Ironhand. I've already given my tickets away,” Swimming Dragon said, shaking his head.
“Does that matter? People are easy to replace. Tell me who they are, and I'll negotiate with them. I'm sure they'll gladly agree to give me their tickets,” the s.h.i.+eld Warrior named Ironhand said, laughing.
