Chapter 2451 - Western Continent's Situation
“Establish a city?”
Shi Feng’s request stunned Adolf for a moment. He even wondered if this Guild Leader was pulling his leg.
If Yan Xiaoqian had heard Shi Feng, she would assume the Swordsman had either lost his mind, or he was dreaming.
As on the eastern continent, players could establish Guild Towns and Cities in the west, but because of a few differences, there were far fewer Guild Towns and Cities on the western continent.
One difference was the fact that the various NPC kingdoms and empires left the management of almost all of their towns and cities to the Adventurer’s Association, which, in turn, entrusted matters of security to the various Guilds in the form of quests. This forced the various Guilds to invest tons of manpower in the NPC towns and cities’ management, ensuring their authority. Hence, the western continent’s various powers severely lacked manpower, and very few were capable of establishing Guild Towns or Cities of their own.
There was another major difference that contributed to the various powers’ unwillingness to establish Guild Towns and Cities.
The Demonic Creature armies!
The invading Demonic Creatures’ attacks weren’t limited to towns and cities within a country’s borders. Occasionally, they would also besiege towns and cities deep within kingdoms and empires. Regardless of where the various powers established their Guild Towns or Cities, they’d still have to deal with the Demonic Creatures’ invasion.
These Demonic Creature armies weren’t like the monster sieges on the eastern continent. They operated like kingdoms and empires’ well-trained NPC armies. They could even use war weapons against towns and cities.
Meanwhile, Guild Towns and Cities didn’t have the support of a large number of NPCs like NPC towns and cities. Guilds would have to hire a limited number of NPC soldiers and rely on their own members to stop these Demonic Creatures. It was easy to imagine how much manpower would be necessary to protect a Guild Town or City.
This was why so few powers had established their own Guild Town or City on the western continent, and those that managed the feat were undoubtedly powerful. At the very least, a power would need to be on par with a first-rate Guild to maintain a single Guild Town or City. Only those that ranked among the top of first-rate Guild could maintain two Guild Towns or Cities. It’d be no exaggeration to call them pseudo-superpowers.
And yet, Shi Feng wanted Divine Tribe to help him establish a Guild City on the western continent. If he were asking this of any other superpower’s upper echelon, they’d likely throw him out the door.
This wasn’t a partnership; it was daylight robbery!
“Guild Leader Black Flame, are you aware of the situation on the western continent? Establishing a Guild City here is even more difficult than you imagine. Even now, Divine Tribe only has the power to maintain five Guild Towns and Cities,” Adolf explained after taking a moment to calm himself.
Constructing a Guild City on the western continent wasn’t difficult, but protecting it was. No ordinary power could afford the amount of manpower and resources it would require.
Zero Wing only had 10 players on the western continent right now. Even if Shi Feng were heaven-defyingly strong, he couldn’t defeat an entire army of Demonic Creatures by himself. It would be up to Divine Tribe to dispatch a player army to protect Zero Wing’s city, and in doing so, Divine Tribe would likely have to invest more in the endeavor than it would gain from its alliance with Zero Wing. Zero Wing was only a pseudo-superpower in the east right now; it didn’t have much influence, and it could only secure a limited amount of resources.
Moreover, the manpower Divine Tribe would have to invest would be manpower the Guild couldn’t use in the future. It simply wasn’t a worthwhile trade.
“I understand how difficult it is to establish a Guild City on the western continent, which is why I’m asking for Divine Tribe’s help.” Shi Feng nodded while chuckling. “If your Guild can agree, I am willing to purchase 3,000,000 Magic Crystals of rare materials from Divine Tribe at market price!”
Shi Feng knew a little about the western continent’s situation, so he knew that establishing a Guild City here would be a major challenge, especially for Zero Wing, a Guild that didn’t even have a hint of a foundation in the west.
However, a Guild City was necessary for Zero Wing’s future development. Without one, the Guild wouldn’t have a foothold in the west and would be subjected to the local powers’ suppression.
This was why the various powers, who could travel between the continents, always established strongholds in both places. The Azure Chamber of Commerce’s Demonstone Town, which stood outside of the Fire Dragon Empire, was one such example. With its own trade hub, Azure didn’t have to worry about superpowers’ suppression, even if they grew jealous.
He also needed a Guild City to deal with an even greater problem.
More powers would establish routes between the two main continents as time passed, and when they did, Zero Wing would face even more competition. Even Divine Tribe might find a way to the eastern continent, and when it did, it would sell its resources in the east rather than rely on Zero Wing as a middleman, earning more profits as a result.
Thus, it was imperative that Zero Wing have its own Guild City on the western continent.
“Three million Magic Crystals?” Adolfs eyes grew wide as he stared at Shi Feng in shock, and his breathing grew labored. He had never dreamed that Zero Wing was so frighteningly wealthy. “Are you telling me the truth, Guild Leader Black Flame?”
Magic Crystals were hard currency on the western continent. Players could easily buy certain rare materials with Magic Crystals, while they couldn’t do the same with Coins. Vendors even offered discounts if players were willing to pay with Magic Crystals.
The western continent wasn’t like its eastern counterpart. Not only were Magic Crystals scarcer, but demand for them was higher, as well. Take the Combat Runes the various powers used, for example. Magic Crystals were the main material to craft these Combat Runes.
This was precisely why Divine Tribe had sent one of its trump card legions to capture Azure’s Demonic Silver mine, despite it only being a Grade 3 vein. The mine dropped Magic Crystals.
Three million Magic Crystals!
It was an astronomical amount to any of the western continent’s superpowers.
Not only would securing 3,000,000 Magic Crystals allow Divine Tribe to surpass other superpowers when exploring Level 100 neutral maps, but it would also resolve the Guild’s lack of materials for its Combat Rune research, allowing Divine Tribe to craft Tier 3 Combat Runes. Divine Tribe would be able to truly stand among the various superpowers. It might even have the potential to grow stronger than the continent’s existing Super Guilds.
“Of course, but my offer does depend on your sincerity in our negotiations, Great Elder,” Shi Feng replied. When he saw the burning passion in Adolfs eyes, he could not help but marvel at the Magic Crystals’ effects.
Although Shi Feng had been aware of how valuable Magic Crystals were on the western continent, he had never expected the continent’s powers to be this desperate for them. Adolf was on the cusp of becoming a peerless monster himself, yet even he seemed intensely excited at the prospect of so many Magic Crystals.
After a moment of hesitation, Adolf gritted his teeth and said, “Deal. I can represent Divine Tribe in agreeing to your demands. However, Divine Tribe can only dispatch 80,000 elites and 20,000 experts to help you defend your city. Whether or not these players will be successful will depend on your arrangements.”
“An army of 100,000 is sufficient, but I will need to borrow one of your trump cards to capture a city,” Shi Feng agreed, nodding.
An army of 80,000 elites and 20,000 experts was essentially the limit that any first-rate Guild in the east could dispatch to a Guild Town or City. Unfortunately, maintaining the western continent’s NPC towns and cities needed too much manpower.
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll send MacAffrey’s legion to assist you. However, I must warn you; if our legion loses more than 30% of its players, they will retreat.”
Shi Feng’s additional request didn’t surprise Adolf. Capturing an existing, hostile NPC city was the fastest way to establish a Guild City in the west.
Shi Feng and Adolf then signed a contract, solidifying their agreement. The contract stipulated that Divine Tribe would gather the rare materials Shi Feng requested within seven days and grant Shi Feng access to a 100,000-man army to help him protect Zero Wing’s city for three months. In exchange, Shi Feng would pay Divine Tribe 3,000,000 Magic Crystals. Divine Tribe would also become Zero Wing’s sole ally in the west, and any materials Zero Wing required from the western continent would be purchased from Divine Tribe, unless another party could offer the materials at a lower price.
Once the contract was signed, MacAffrey was instructed to return with his legion to Silver Lion City. Shi Feng was then given full authority over the legion.
Silver Lion City, Divine Tribe’s Guild Residence:
“Guild Leader Black Flame, may I know what your plans are? With our current combat power, there are only a few resource cities in Level 90 maps that we can capture. Considering the difficulty of protecting the city, I suggest we capture a resource city in a Level 80 map instead,” MacAffrey recommended as he pointed to areas on the map he held.
Capturing a resource city in a Level 90 map would be quite difficult due to the Level 100-plus NPCs or monsters that protected the cities. They would also encounter Level 100 Mythic combatants.
Capturing a city in a Level 80 map would be far less of a challenge. Although these areas were a lower level, Guild Cities could be transferred to a different location once they met the requirements. Moreover, Zero Wing was merely trying to secure a foothold on the western continent, not contest for hegemony. Capturing a resource city in a Level 80 map would more than serve its purposes.
“No, I’m not interested in these cities. I want Star Valley’s Starlight Fortress!” Shi Feng declared, shaking his head as he pointed to a location several kingdoms away from the Silvermoon Empire. To be precise, he indicated a fortress in Star Valley, a forbidden land in the southern region of the western continent. Securing this fortress was his main goal in visiting the west.