Chapter 2478 - True Foundations
Hell Rush’s question stunned the rest of the Hell Legion in the Mana Barrier. They all stared at Shi Feng in astonishment.
“Is he really human?”
They had heard that Shi Feng had something to do with the Silver Divine Dragon, but they had never thought that he would be capable of controlling it and be able to suppress the Mana Barrier.
Having either power would overjoy any of God’s Domain’s superpowers. Both a Dragon and a Domain treasure would be incredibly useful when defending fortresses and rendering other superpowers’ attacks useless.
And now, they learned that Shi Feng had both. It was absurd!
“That’s correct; I’m Black Flame,” Shi Feng replied, nodding.
“I never could’ve guessed how much strength you’ve hidden. The various superpowers’ heads are already aching over your Dragon, yet your power isn’t limited to the creature.” Hell Rush could not help his bitter smile as he spoke to Shi Feng. “The Hell Legion admits defeat.”
Although the Mana Barrier was still around them, and they had quite a few more to protect themselves from Auerbeck, the magic arrays were meaningless if they couldn’t teleport out of the Starlight Fortress. It would only be a matter of time before they ran out of Mana Barriers.
Without the barrier to protect them, they wouldn’t have a hope of escaping the Divine Dragon.
As for trying to face Auerbeck in battle, that would be futile. They could barely move under the Infant Dragon’s Dragon Might, much less fight.
In other words, the Hell Legion was utterly at Shi Feng’s mercy.
Rather than waste time with pretenses, Hell Rush thought it wise to surrender.
However, after his statement, he and his team heard a clear, soft voice.
“Commander Rush, I’m afraid we have a misunderstanding. I invited you here at Guild Leader Black Flame’s request. Since you are the Starlight Fortress’s esteemed guest, Black Flame decided to welcome you personally.”
Another figure stood from her position on Auerbeck’s back; it was Fithalia, the Divine Hymn Legion’s commander.
“Welcome us?” Hell Rush rolled his eyes.
Why would anyone use a Dragon to welcome guests?
Not only had Shi Feng arrived on the back of his Dragon, but he had also used a Domain tool. Did they really consider this a proper ‘welcome’?
The rest of the Hell Legion glared at Fithalia. Even a fool would recognize this display as a warning.
However, they had no choice but to endure the act.
“This isn’t a suitable place for our conversation, Commander Rush. Let’s continue inside the Fortress Lord’s Mansion,” Shi Feng said, unconcerned with whether Hell Rush believed Fithalia or not. He then leaped off of Auerbeck and canceled Miniature World before leading his guests toward the mansion.
The Hell Legion’s several vice commanders looked toward their leader, wondering how Hell Rush would respond.
“Since we’re already here, we might as well talk,” Hell Rush muttered to his vice commanders. He couldn’t tell what Shi Feng was after, and the Swordsman currently held the Hell Legion’s fate in his hands. Hence, he decided to concede.
Hell Rush then followed Shi Feng to the Starlight Fortress’s Fortress Lord’s Mansion. Meanwhile, his vice commanders instructed the rest of the legion’s members to find a place to rest before they followed.
When Hell Rush and his entourage walked toward the Fortress Lord’s Mansion, located in the fortress’s core, they were shocked. As they grew closer to the mansion, they could feel the Mana growing denser. They sensed that the Mana around them had already become 30% denser when they were only half-way to their destination.
A 30% increase could raise their training efficiency with combat techniques, Skills, and Spells by at least 50%, and it would be particularly prominent when practicing Advanced and Bronze Combat Techniques. Training in this environment would yield even better results than when they trained in the Mana-dense secret lands under Netherworld Empire’s control.
“Huh? What is that place?” Hell Rush asked, noticing an ancient tower a short distance away from the Fortress Lord’s Mansion.
The tower only had five floors, but the concentration of Mana around it was second only to the Fortress Lord’s Mansion. Even in the Starlight Fortress’s high-Mana environment, the tower stood out like a shining beacon.
“That’s the Fortress Prison,” Fithalia explained. “It’s where we intend to keep players who cause trouble, similar to the prisons in NPC cities.”
“It’s the same as the prisons in NPC cities?” Hell Rush wore a grim expression after hearing Fithalia’s answer.
His vice commanders stared at the ancient tower in horror.
If they died within the fortress, they would, at most, lose a level and a piece of equipment. With the Hell Legion’s strength, they could recover from the losses in no time.
But none of them wanted to face imprisonment after a death. That outcome would be even worse than if they died three or four times in a row.
Time was more important than money in God’s Domain, especially for frontline players. Opportunity waited for no man. They would only have the highest chances of growing stronger by maintaining their positions at the forefront of the game’s player base, and they might even find a rare opportunity that could change their fates.
If they were stuck in jail for five or six days, however, they’d fall behind, and catching up would be insanely difficult.
A Dragon?
A Domain tool?
Those were insignificant compared to the Fortress Prison.
Auerbeck might be able to annihilate the Hell Legion with the help of a Domain tool, but the legion’s members would recover to their peak in three or four days. They might even become stronger than they had been.
Spending a handful of days in the prison, on the other hand, would cripple the legion. Catching up would take at least one to two months.
The Fortress Prison alone was more than enough to deter any power from assaulting the Starlight Fortress.
While Hell Rush and his vice commanders secretly plotted to investigate the Fortress Prison, they arrived at the mansion.
The Fortress Lord’s Mansion was now fully repaired and looked like a castle from a fantasy novel. An ancient, mysterious aura surrounded the castle, and the ambient Mana within its vicinity was mesmerizing. There was simply no comparison between the Mana here and the Mana in the rest of the fortress. For a moment, Hell Rush and the others even had the urge to stay for the rest of their lives.
“Guild Leader Black Flame, may I know what business you have with us? If you’d like to discuss something, please, get to the point. I’m not fond of posturing and word games,” Hell Rush told Shi Feng seriously.
Hell Rush now had a good understanding of the Starlight Fortress’s situation. In his opinion, capturing or causing a ruckus in the fortress was simply impossible for the various superpowers, including Netherworld Empire. He couldn’t think of a reason that Shi Feng would specifically invite the Hell Legion to talk.
“Now that you’ve seen the Starlight Fortress for yourselves, I’m sure you’re quite interested in the fortress. I’ve asked you here to negotiate an alliance. Although I can’t offer a temporary Residence, I would like to offer Netherworld Empire’s members a 40% discount on all basic expenditures within the Starlight Fortress,” Shi Feng explained, chuckling.
“Forty percent? Are you serious?” The offer instantly tempted Hell Rush.
Star Valley was a forbidden land far away from civilization, and travel to the map was incredibly inconvenient. This was precisely the reason that Netherworld Empire wanted the Starlight Fortress’s sole temporary Residence. If his Guild could secure a Residence within Star Valley, Netherworld Empire’s members could teleport to the forbidden land, saving plenty of travel time and Coins.
Although not having a temporary Residence would be inconvenient, a 40% discount on all basic expenditures within this fortress would allow Netherworld Empire to save a ton on development costs.
Basic expenditures weren’t limited to facilities, such as hotels. Entrance fees would be included, as well, which players had to pay every time they wanted to enter the fortress. The discount wouldn’t be a major issue if Netherworld Empire only wished to send a few hundred players, but if the Guild sent thousands, a 40% discount could save them an astronomical amount of money.
“Of course.” Shi Feng nodded.
“What do you need us to do?” Hell Rush asked.
With the Fortress Prison, the Starlight Fortress’s operations would be unshakable. Logically, Zero Wing and Divine Tribe shouldn’t need Netherworld Empire’s help to safeguard the fortress.
“I wish to borrow the entire Hell Legion for a mission!” Shi Feng declared.
“Borrow the Hell Legion?” Hell Rush stared at the Swordsman in confusion. “What do you want us to do?”
Zero Wing had already allied with Divine Tribe, which was a super-first-rate Guild and even stronger than some Super Guilds. It was no exaggeration to claim that Divine Tribe could deal with most matters in the west with relative ease. Zero Wing shouldn’t need the Hell Legion’s strength for anything.
“It’s nothing major. I only wish to enter Star Valley’s God Mode Regional Dungeon to retrieve an item,” Shi Feng stated calmly.