Chapter 69 – Monstrous Mana
Miniature Ancient World, Rock Devil City:
As a city situated deep in the mountains, Rock Devil City sat at the top of a mountain, overlooking the surrounding mountains while surrounded by a thin layer of mist.
Due to the magnificent scenery here, Rock Devil City became crowded with players only a few days after the Miniature Ancient World’s opening. Now, the city’s player population had already exceeded 10 million, and it could be considered above average among the nearly 1,000 cities in the entire Miniature Ancient World.
Apart from the magnificent scenery, Rock Devil City also had something other NPC Cities did not.
The Thousand Stars Tower!
The Thousand Stars Tower was an ancient construction that measured several thousand meters in height. It was also because of this tower’s presence that many powers had chosen to establish their base here.
The Thousand Stars Tower was essentially a super-sized hotel. So long as one could afford the rent, one could rent a residence inside the tower that could accommodate a large number of players. These residences were rentable Guild Residences in a sense.
Meanwhile, in the middle zone of the Thousand Stars Tower, several hundred players clad in Level 100 Dark-Gold Equipment had gathered in a residence the size of a Large Shop. These players were of varying ages, with the youngest being only 20 years old while the oldest was already in their fifties. All of these players carried a decisive air around them, and one could tell that these people were veterans of combat at a glance. They were undoubtedly experts who had experienced numerous life or death trials. They were completely different from the sheltered talents nurtured by the various large Guilds.
“Is there even a need to talk with them, Commander?” a bald, middle-aged Guardian Knight asked as he looked at the elegant and lovely woman before him. The Level 102 Guardian Knight looked like he was in his mid-forties, and he wore dark-gray heavy armor while carrying a spear and a s.h.i.+eld on his back.
“Of course,” the woman wearing a n.o.ble light-blue robe said, sipping on a cup of refres.h.i.+ng tea as she looked at the mountains outside the window. “We were only able to form an adventurer team in the Black Dragon Empire back then because of Blackie and the Guild Leader secretly supporting us. We are also in need of experts currently. Now that they’ve been kicked out of Shadow, it’s a good opportunity for us.”
“But by the looks of it, the Guild Leader plans to operate without investors. How are we supposed to negotiate with him?” the bald Knight said. “The current G.o.d’s Domain is no longer the same as ten years ago. Establis.h.i.+ng a large Guild is even more difficult than establis.h.i.+ng a listed company. Every aspect of a Guild requires money. I’d have no comments if he has money, but does he have any, though?
“Moreover, even if he does have the money, I still don’t think he is qualified to be the Guild Leader. Times have changed, and strength is everything now. He is no more than a Tier 3 expert even at his peak, and his combat standard is at the Half-step Refinement Realm at maximum. How can he compare to you, Commander?”
Hearing the Guardian Knight’s words, the several hundred players nearby nodded their heads in agreement.
At present, Su Qianliu had already become an expert standing at the peak of Tier 4, and she was a well-known expert even in the Black Dragon Empire. She was completely different from when she was still one of Shadow’s Five Demon Generals. It was also because of her strength that those investors were willing to invest so much money into helping them establish a Guild.
“That’s different. I only got lucky and made a breakthrough,” Su Qianliu said, shaking her head. “I am not interested in the Guild Leader position, either. Personally, I’d prefer if we could pull the Guild Leader and the others to our side. That way, our Guild will have a more stable time developing.”
“If that’s your decision, we will naturally comply,” the Guardian Knight said, sighing. Then, he chuckled and continued, “Also, you don’t have to worry about convincing them. After all, they have no idea how strong we are right now. They probably still think that we are a weak adventurer team.”
Shadow was based in the Star-Moon Kingdom, so it was utterly unaware of how their adventurer team fared in the Black Dragon Empire and how much improvement their adventurer team had made.
Initially, their adventurer team had only started as a small group of several hundred players. Now, though, the adventurer team already had several thousand members. Moreover, their adventurer team even had three Refinement Realm experts, ten Half-step Refinement Realm experts, and nearly two hundred first-rate experts. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that their adventurer team’s main force was stronger than even Shadow’s main force.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to Rock Devil City and been able to occupy a residence in the Thousand Stars Tower’s middle zone. After all, the cost of renting a residence here was 100,000 Gold and 100,000 Magic Crystals per month.
“Isn’t it almost the appointed time? Why aren’t they here yet? Do they really think we have a lot of time on our hands?” a tall and beautiful girl carrying a two-handed saber that was as long as she was tall said in dissatisfaction.
“Just wait a little bit longer,” Su Qianliu said as she looked at the impatient girl. Then, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly as she continued, “By the way, I heard that you’d made significant improvements again recently, Snow. Even Firecloud says that he is no longer a match for you. I guess it won’t be long before you become our adventurer team’s number one expert.”
The beautiful girl was named Happy Snow, and she was their adventurer team’s pride. Not only did she reach the Refinement Realm at a young age, but she had even mastered an advanced combat technique. Her talent was comparable to that of the various superpowers’ top-tier geniuses. Meanwhile, the fact that she managed to defeat Firecloud, a vice commander in their adventurer team, further validated her strength.
“You’re making fun of me again, Big Sis Qianliu,” Happy Snow said. Then, she glared at the bald Guardian Knight, who was scratching his head awkwardly, and she said, “I only won because Uncle Firecloud let me. He never fights me seriously.”
While Su Qianliu and her companions were chatting merrily with each other, several dozen people appeared outside the residence’s courtyard.
“They’re finally here,” Firecloud, the bald Guardian Knight, said when he saw s.h.i.+ Feng’s group walking into the courtyard. Then, in a contemptuous tone, he said, “it seems they brought quite a few first-rate experts with them. Unfortunately, they are overestimating themselves if they think they can convince us with just that.”
After saying so, Firecloud snapped his finger. Immediately afterward, the players standing around him stopped suppressing their auras, their auras exploding forth like an erupting volcano. Many of the players walking on the street outside the residence were even frightened by this situation.
“Putting on a show of power?” s.h.i.+ Feng couldn’t help but smile and shake his head when he noticed Firecloud and the others unleas.h.i.+ng their auras simultaneously. “Alright, then. Blackie, it’s best if you show them who’s stronger.”
“Roger!” Blackie immediately grew excited when he heard s.h.i.+ Feng’s words. Then, he turned around and said, “Brothers, no need to be polite with them!”
As soon as Blackie finished speaking, the Zero Wing members present quietly nodded and stopped suppressing their auras and Mana as well.
Boom!
Immediately, with Zero Wing’s members as the center, a towering pillar of Mana visible to the naked eye appeared in the middle of the courtyard. The terrifying aura Zero Wing’s members radiated also drowned out the auras of Firecloud and the others.
“This… How… How is this possible?!”
Firecloud couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked at Blackie and the others.