Chapter 19: Returning memories (2)
After leaving the restaurant and returning to White River City, Feng looked at the official forums, but didn't find anything posted by Unstable Devastation, which confused him. He soon shrugged it off and went to the Bank to store some stuff, before heading to the Forging Association to make Basic Mana Armor Kits.
[Basic Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 10 Copper Ore, 3 Bronze Ore, 1 Basic Recovery Potion or 1 Basic Mana Regeneration Potion
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Basic Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Basic Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +80
Strength +3, Endurance +4, Agility +3
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 10 equipment or above.
[Basic Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +30
Intelligence +3, Endurance +4, Vitality +3
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 10 equipment or above.
[Intermediate Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 15 Iron Ore, 5 Fine Iron Ore, 1 Intermediate Recovery Potion or 1 Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potion.
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Intermediate Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Intermediate Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +200
Strength +10, Endurance +12, Agility +10
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 25 equipment or above.
[Intermediate Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +60
Intelligence +10, Endurance +12, Vitality +10
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 25 equipment or above.
[Advanced Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 20 Silver Ore, 8 Mithril Ore, 2 Advanced Recovery Potion or 2 Advanced Mana Regeneration Potion.
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Advanced Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Advanced Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +400
Strength +30, Endurance +40, Agility +30
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 50 equipment or above.
[Advanced Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +150
Intelligence +30, Endurance +40, Vitality +30
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 50 equipment or above.
[Peak Mana Armor Kit]
Materials required: 25 Gold Ore, 15 Mithril Ore, 2 Peak Recovery Potions or 2 Peak Mana Regenerations
Can be crafted into either Physical or Magical Advanced Armor Kit.
Bound to character after equipping.
[Peak Physical Armor Kit]
Defense +1000
Strength +100, Endurance +120, Agility +100
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 100 equipment or above.
[Peak Magical Armor Kit]
Defense +500
Intelligence +100, Endurance +120, Vitality +100
Maximum binding limit per character: 3
Can only be bound to Level 100 equipment or above.
Feng had previously wanted to upgrade his Forging mastery as quickly as possible, so he had only focused on making Peak Whetstones; as they're the fastest and easiest to make. He had only made three Physical Armor Kits and equipped them to boost his attributes.
Around two and a half hours later, he stopped forging. Seeing that the time was just about right, he used the pass to Blackwing City, teleporting there.
Shortly after Feng departed, another batch of players set foot in White River City. Immediately, White River City Region System Announcements rang out.
"Hahaha! We've finally arrived in White River City!"
"This place looks spectacular!"
"Such amazing NPCs!"
The moment Blackie and the others arrived in White River City, the amazing sight stunned them all. Their feelings alternated between joy, excitement, and an indescribable sense of pride.
Everyone had suddenly arrived in White River City. Aside from Blackie and Lonely Snow, who both remained calm, Cola and the others were in a daze. They thought that they were in a dream.
After several hours of grinding, Cola and the others reached Level 10, one after another. They acted in accordance with Feng's request, entering White River City and familiarizing themselves with the city. They would then receive some of the rare and daily quests, obtaining some rare items in exchange for the quests' completion.
However, shortly after they entered White River City, a system announcement entered their ears.
White River City Region System Announcement: 5 players have entered White River City. Activating White River City's Ranking List.
White River City Region System Announcement: 5 players have entered White River City. Activating White River City's Ranking List.
White River City Region System Announcement: 5 players have entered White River City. Activating White River City's Ranking List.
---
After the announcement repeated thrice, all the players within the White River City region were sent into a daze.
What sort of situation was this? More than five players have already entered White River City?
"Crap! What did these people eat when they grew up? I've only reached Level 8, yet there is already a bunch of Level 10s! Can't they play normally?!"
"It can't be, right? None of these people are Guild players! How could they all be independent players?!"
"Hahaha! Too awesome! Didn't those Guilds think they were very amazing? This will teach them that independent players like us are still the strongest!"
"Why haven't I heard of these people before? Just who are these people? Moreover, they even entered White River City together. They can't be players of the same party, right...?"
Players throughout the White River City region discussed Blackie and the others' entrance to White River City and the activation of the regional Ranking List. The players on the Ranking List were, without a doubt, everyone's focus right now.
"Investigate! I want to know just who these people are immediately!"
"They are all independent players! Immediately contact them! Even if we have to give them official positions, we must recruit them into our Guild!"
The various large Guilds all felt a heavy pressure weighing down on them.
The Ranking List should have been a competition between the various large Guilds, yet, it now belonged to a group of independent players. Moreover, they had taken hold of the top six positions. This utterly embarrassed these large Guilds. Right now, these Guilds needed to recruit these independent players into their Guilds. That way, these Guilds' names would also appear on the Ranking List.
---
Meanwhile, Blackie and Lonely Snow obeyed Feng's previous request; the moment they entered White River City, the system asked if they wanted to place their names on the Ranking List. They both immediately rejected the offer. However, it was not a big deal for Cola and the other five members of the team. It was a good chance to cause panic in those large Guilds, and they could increase their fame while doing so.
"Why isn't Ye Feng's name there? Moreover, why do these names seem so familiar?" Gentle Snow opened the Ranking List, discovering that the top six players were all uniformly Level 10. However, the number one position did not belong to Feng, but a player named Fire Dance. Moreover, Feng's name was not among the top six Level 10 players at all. This situation confused Gentle Snow greatly.
"Snow, aren't Cola, Drowsy Sloth, and Gluttonous Mouse Ye Feng's teammates? They even left their names with ours at the Dark Moon Graveyard. I never thought that their leveling speed would be so fast." Zhao Yueru quickly recognized the names on the Ranking List. This scene had shocked her. After all, she had a clear understanding of the background of these players. They were definitely noobs of God's Domain, and they were not even close to being experts.
After receiving Zhao Yueru's reminder, sudden realization struck Gentle Snow. As a result, the usually calm and confident Gentle Snow, at this moment, revealed a look of surprise and bewilderment.
'Ye Feng, just who are you?' Gentle Snow could not help but inwardly wonder.
Leading a group of noobs into becoming the focal point of the entire White River City just how did Ye Feng do it?
Also, Ye Feng, his good friend Blackie, and Lonely Snow had actually refrained from displaying their names on the Ranking List. Gentle Snow could not understand this action. After all, the noobs that Feng had personally led had all risen to Level 10. She did not believe that his good friend, Blackie, and Lonely Snow had not become Level 10. The only possibility was that they hid their levels. But why would they want to hide their levels?
Wasn't this a good chance to increase their reputation?
Why would they hide them? What was there to gain?
Suddenly, Gentle Snow thought of a possibility, or better yet, the only possibility.
After she thought of this possibility...
Gentle Snow involuntarily shuddered.
There was only a small change to Gentle Snow's expression, yet, Zhao Yueru immediately discovered it.
"Snow, what's wrong?" Zhao Yueru worriedly asked.
It was the first time she had seen such a surprised look on Gentle Snow.
Although it was indeed unexpected that the group of noobs had become the Level 10 players, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise to Gentle Snow.
"It's nothing. I just thought of some matters; that's all," Gentle Snow waved her hand, dismissing Zhao Yueru's concern.
Gentle Snow paid no attention to Cola and the others who entered White River City, nor did she care that they had taken the top six spots on the Ranking List. What she was truly concerned about were Feng and his friend's levels.
If it were really as she imagined, becoming friends with Feng was a very wise decision.
---
Elsewhere, when Unstable Devastation and Fire Dance's past companions saw the Ranking List, they were all dumbfounded.
This was especially true for Fire Dance's past companions. Not only had Fire Dance reached Level 10, but Water Buffalo had also risen to Level 10. As a result, envy and regret ate at their hearts.
As they looked at the Ranking List, they tried to contact Fire Dance and Water Buffalo. They all tried to apologize, and they wished that they could mend and recover their past relationships. After all, this was only a game; there was no need to be so serious, and they had only been joking.
Meanwhile, Fire Dance and Water Buffalo had received their calls. However, they merely gave a single reply.
"There is no point crying over spilled milk. I do not wish to stay in touch in the future!"
Fire Dance's and Water Buffalo's words had unquestionably shattered their final hopes, sending them spiraling into a sea of endless regrets.
As for Unstable Devastation, envy nearly drove him mad. He clearly remembered that his team had killed Cola's group of three once before, their levels dropping to Level 7. When they met in Red Leaf Town's fountain, they were still Level 7.
On the other hand, Unstable Devastation's level had dropped to Level 7 after dying twice. During these past several hours, he had frantically grinded monsters and managed to reach Level 8. Yet, Cola's group had all reached Level 10 during this same period. Just what sort of leveling speed was this?
There was definitely something fishy about this. There must be some sort of method that allowed them to reach Level 10 quickly. Ye Feng obviously knew this method. It might even be some gigantic bug in the game. However, Unstable Devastation could do nothing against Ye Feng. He had no way to force this secret out of Feng.
Suddenly, an idea popped up in Unstable Devastation's head.
If he published this matter on the official forums, revealing this bug, the system might punish Feng for exploiting it. On the other hand, if it were not a bug, the other Guilds would definitely not let go of this great chance to rise to Level 10 swiftly. They would force Feng to reveal this leveling method. If Feng kept his lips sealed, he would make enemies out of every Guild in the White River City region. Meanwhile, if he revealed this leveling method and the system fixed it, it would similarly enrage the various Guilds. Regardless what Feng did, he could no longer continue mingling in the White River City region.
However, Unstable Devastation could not allow Feng to take any of these actions yet.
"Ye Feng, no man is wise all the time. I have finally grasped ahold of your weakness," Unstable Devastation grew excited. As long as he used this move to threaten Feng, Feng would obediently hand over the secret.
Just as he was about to contact Feng, the smile he saw before he died flashed in his mind. A grin that stretched from cheek to cheek, so wide his teeth were showing. Unstable Devastation shuddered when he remembered it. He had tried his best to erase the image from his mind, but it along with the excruciating pain were deeply integrated into his memory.
The fear he felt returned, causing him to shake uncontrollably. Unstable Devastation only managed to calm down a minute later and decided to not have any more dealings with Ye Feng.
Meanwhile, Feng who was talking with Aqua Rose, was surprised that he wasn't getting any calls from Unstable Devastation.
'Did I traumatize him?' Feng thought to himself. Who would have thought that there was such a good method for getting rid of annoyances? He should burn people to death more often!
At this moment, however, another male youth had appeared in the private room.
This person was a knight geared with heavy-armor. Based on his appearance, this man was obviously a Shield Warrior; a bone shield hung at his back, coupled with an exquisite, black-colored battle axe. These two pieces of equipment looked extraordinary, and one could easily tell that they were Secret-Silver rank. Moreover, this man was similar to Aqua Rose, in which they were both Level 9.
"Why are you here, Brilliant?" Aqua Rose asked, surprised at his sudden appearance.
"I only worry that others will try to scam you, so I came to check up on you. Last time, you spent tens of millions of Credits and returned with only a pile of worthless scrap paper. This incident invoked many elders' dissatisfaction."
"This time, you spent another large sum of money and manpower to purchase various ores and materials. Moreover, you didn't even notify the elders about any of your actions; they are furious right now. I'm here to tell you that, at the very least, you need their approvals in the future before you take action."
"Come back with me and offer them an explanation for now. Otherwise, those elders will make your life difficult in the future."
The man named Brilliant Wargod shot Feng a glare. He had always treated Aqua Rose as his own woman. Meanwhile, the black-hooded Feng before him was a small character, beneath his notice. Yet, this small character actually dared to have a tryst with Aqua Rose. Immediately, Brilliant Wargod tugged on Aqua Rose's hand, intending to take her from this place.
Aqua Rose slapped away Brilliant Wargod's hand, her crescent eyebrows wrinkling slightly. She had only managed to secure her relationship with Feng after much difficulty and was just about to enter a proper business discussion. She did not expect Brilliant Wargod to find out about it and actually came running to interrupt her. If it weren't for her and Brilliant Wargod's families having friendly ties, she would not pay him any attention.
"Brilliant, I have important matters to discuss. Return by yourself for now. As for the matter of the Guild elders, I'll give them an explanation when I return," Aqua Rose said impatiently.
For her trades with Feng, she always used her own money and people. The Guild elders had no right to interfere, nor did they have the ability. Not to mention, she was an honorary elder of the Guild, so her station was similar to theirs; they had no right to involve themselves in her matters. They were merely envious that she had earned a lot of money, and they all wanted a share of the pie.
Seeing Aqua Rose's attitude, Brilliant Wargod could only give up his efforts.
"Since you don't wish to go, I'll stay by your side to protect you. It'll destroy others' ideas of taking advantage of you," Brilliant Wargod glanced at Feng, his tone filled with ill intent as he spoke.
Aqua Rose became furious at his words. She and Feng were going to discuss extremely confidential trade secrets; how could she allow Brilliant Wargod to listen in?
"No, you should return," Aqua Rose spoke, her tone frosty.
Hearing Aqua Rose, Brilliant Wargod grew even more indignant. He sent a wrathful glare at Feng, sending a message to Feng secretly.
"I am an elder of Twilight Echo. Brat, you better know your place and scram. Aqua is my plaything, so you are not allowed to contact her again. You should know the consequences if I discover that you've done otherwise."
Brilliant Wargod was usually a tyrant of a man, and nobody dared defy him due to his identity. Whenever he met with a situation, he simply needed to announce his identity, and others would immediately flee with their tails between their legs. Now that he had spoken, Feng would be no exception to this, or so he thought...
"Miss Aqua, I have something that I'd like you to see," Feng smiled.
Aqua Rose grew very curious. Just what did Feng have to show her this time?
He forwarded Brilliant Wargod's message to Aqua Rose.
"Brilliant Wargod! Get out of my sight immediately! I don't wish to see you ever again! I will definitely tell uncle and aunty about this matter! Regarding the marriage affairs between our two families, don't even think about it from this moment onwards!" Aqua Rose's complexion was instantly livid the moment she read the message. She already disliked Brilliant Wargod. Now, not to mention publicly trying to drive Feng away, he even dared call her his plaything!
Brilliant Wargod was confused. Before he could even wonder why Aqua Rose wanted to sever their relationship, she had already kicked him from the private room.
"I'm sorry that you had to see such a joke," Aqua Rose apologized.
"It's nothing. I'm used to such matters." Not minding matters at all, Feng said, "Let's continue discussing about our trade, then."
At this moment, Brilliant Wargod started loudly cursing outside the door, saying, "Black Flame, you despicable little man! You actually dare frame me! Get out here right now if you have the ability! I challenge you to a duel! The loser clears their level back to zero! Do you dare accept it?!"
"What? You can frame me, but can't accept my challenge?"
Just as Feng and Aqua Rose were about to resume their business talks, Brilliant Wargod finally came to a realization.
"Master Black Flame, I am truly sorry about this. I'll chase him away immediately." This was the first time Aqua Rose had realized that Brilliant Wargod was so obnoxious; his IQ was even in the negatives. With the existence of the Main God System, how could players possibly modify others' messages and IDs?
"No need. Let me deal with it," Feng rose from his seat, walking out of the private room.
"Black Flame, you despicable little man, you finally dare to show yourself! If you are a man, accept my challenge! If you lose, you will explain to Aqua Rose that you framed me! Do you dare accept?" Brilliant Wargod jeered.
"And when you lose?" Feng laughed.
"Hahaha! Can I even lose?" Brilliant Wargod was incomparably arrogant. He took out a map, saying disdainfully, "If you really are lucky enough to win, this item will be yours to keep. I only obtained this map after I organized a team of hundreds of elites to kill a wild Level 10 Lord ranked Boss. This was the only item it dropped."
"Master Black Flame, you can't agree to him! He is a Shield Warrior, so he has a massive innate advantage when dealing with physical-type classes! Moreover, the Diamond Guard he wears is a Level 9 Mysterious-Iron Set Equipment. His weapon and shield are also Level 9 Mysterious-Iron ranked items, and he has over 1,400 HP. Moreover, Brilliant Wargod has powerful techniques, himself; even two to three physical-type class experts attacking together wouldn't be his match!" Aqua Rose hurriedly stopped Feng. It was simply a farce for a Swordsman to duel a Shield Warrior. Moreover, Black Flame was only a forger; his battle prowess was sub-par at best.
"What? Afraid?" Brilliant Wargod jeered as he glared at Feng.
"Alright, I'll agree," Feng smiled.
"What did you say?" Brilliant Wargod was stunned.
"Of course, I accept your challenge," Feng smiled.
After Feng's reaffirmation, Brilliant Wargod knew that he did not hear wrong. Originally, he had thought that Feng would immediately reject his challenge after learning how fearsome he was. He had even been in the midst of thinking of a way to provoke or anger Feng into accepting his challenge. However, it would seem that he had simply been wasting his time.
"I didn't think that you would have the guts. Since you've accepted, let's take this outside. Rest assured, I'll give you a quick and painless death, and I won't embarrass you too much! Hahaha!"
Saying so, Brilliant Wargod laughed as he headed towards the restaurant's exit.
"Master Black Flame, you really shouldn't agree to him. Although he usually bullies others with his authority, his strength ranks within the top five amongst all the Shield Warriors in Echo Twilight. Moreover, the Diamond Guard Set Equipment he just obtained is Mysterious-Iron rank, while his Giant Bear Waraxe is Secret-Silver rank. On the other hand, you are a Swordsman. You also focus on your subclass as a forger. Dueling him would only be a farce," Aqua Rose said worriedly as she walked over to Feng.
"Miss Aqua, thank you for informing me of this. You can rest assured that I will settle this battle very quickly."
Finished speaking, Feng exited the restaurant as well, leaving behind a dazed Aqua Rose.
After wasting her breath for so long, it turned out that Feng did not understand her at all. On the contrary, he even headed to the duel with confidence. Aqua Rose started to suspect that she had misspoken, causing Feng to think that Brilliant Wargod was extremely weak.
The moment Feng set foot out of the restaurant, Brilliant Wargod sent the duel challenge. Moreover, the rewards and punishments were already set, and only Feng's agreement was necessary to start the duel officially. As the rules were absolute, once both sides agreed to them, there was no escaping the rewards or punishments. Even if players were unwilling to hand over the items gambled, the system would still automatically transfer the items to the winner; the loser would similarly receive the punishment agreed upon before the duel.
"If there are no problems, click the agree button," Brilliant Wargod smiled coldly.
Feng gave the conditions a general glance. After confirming that there were no problems, he clicked 'Agree.'
"Let's start this meaningless battle, then."
Immediately after Feng clicked agree, gigantic numbers appeared floating in mid-air. It was the 10-second countdown timer for the start of the duel, and players were given this time to prepare for the upcoming battle.
"Hahaha! Little brat, although this duel will be extremely boring, since you've dared slander me in front of Aqua Rose, this young master will make things a little more fun! I'll let you know what the difference in strength truly is and how it feels to painfully struggle!" Brilliant Wargod retrieved his shield and one-handed axe from his back, his face revealing a sinister smile. He looked just like a hungry wolf hunting its prey, and a red glint flashed in his eyes as he glared at Feng.
Only at this moment did Aqua Rose exit the restaurant. Looking at Brilliant Wargod's appearance, her expression immediately sank.
"I'm finished..." Aqua Rose already despaired.
Very quickly, the 10-second preparation time ended.
"Little brat, I'll first cripple all four of your limbs! I'll turn you into a crawling worm, then toy with you slowly!" Brilliant Wargod lifted his Bone Shield while his other hand wielded the Giant Bear Waraxe. His face revealed a sinister smile as he charged at Feng. Brilliant Wargod's current appearance did not resemble anything human. Instead, he looked more like a lunatic possessed by a demon. After entering this crazed state, Brilliant Wargod became extraordinary fast and nimble.
Feng didn't want to waste any more time on this idiot who'd only be mentioned one more time after this. He had thought about testing his new burning trauma theory, but decided it wasn't worth the time on Brilliant Wargod since he won't be able to see any results. He took a step forward and suddenly appeared behind Brilliant Wargod.
Before Brilliant Wargod could turn around, he felt pain. Immediately after, an agonizing wail resounded throughout the streets. A damage of over -3,000 appeared above his head, in the blink of an eye, he only had 1 HP remaining. Brilliant Wargod fell to his knees, his eyes filled with shock and fear.
As this was only a duel, Brilliant Wargod could escape death this time.
However, as Brilliant Wargod regained some of his spirit, he finally understood Feng's comment of this would be a boring battle. At that time, Brilliant Wargod had still thought that it was Feng's arrogance, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. In reality, however...
"No!"
Brilliant Wargod exclaimed as he noticed his levels swiftly decreasing. In the blink of an eye, he had already fallen to Level 0.
The sinister punishment Brilliant Wargod had previously set for Feng had all come biting back at him. The system also transferred the map he gambled into Feng's inventory.
This time, not only had he dug his own grave, but he also bought his own coffin, suffering twice the loss.
"Miss Aqua, I'm done. Let's continue our talks," Feng looked towards Aqua Rose with a smile as he spoke.
Brilliant Wargod glared at Feng with a malicious expression, his teeth gnashing. Immediately after Feng turned his back on Brilliant Wargod, the Shield Warrior took out a Tier 1 Magic Scroll, using it on Feng.
"Black Flame, die!" the Tier 1 Magic Scroll that Brilliant Wargod used was a flame-type spell called Flame Spear. The scroll contained a relatively strong, single-target, destructive spell. In any case, Brilliant Wargod had already fallen to Level 0. He would not suffer a loss if the guards captured and jailed him. At worst, he would just have to delete his account and start all over again. It would be acceptable if he could kill Feng and appease his hatred.
"Careful...!" Aqua Rose warned.
Feng side-stepped and dodged the spear. Although it would barely tickle, he didn't want to reveal how high his defense and attributes are in front of Brilliant Wargod; so he chose to dodge it.
"H-how's that possible!?" Looking at Feng standing there, Brilliant Wargod retreated several steps; his trembling finger pointed at Feng as he panicked.
"This, you don't need to know. However, since you've dared take action here, I'm guessing that you're prepared to receive your punishment," Feng softly said
"He dodged it?" Aqua Rose was similarly shocked.
While the two suffered their shock, the Black Knights of Blackwing City had arrived.
Compared to other towns and normal cities, Blackwing City's management was far more strict. The penalties it administered were even more unbearable. Not to mention, Brilliant Wargod had actually dared attack Feng, who possessed the status of a Demon Hunter.
"Brilliant Wargod, you have committed an offense against Blackwing City's laws. Moreover, you attacked the Lord Demon Hunter. From now on, you will remain in jail in Blackwing City for 15 days. After your release, all your Attributes would be decreased by 10% for a duration of ten days, and the EXP you gain will decrease by 20%," the Black Knight Captain walked up to Brilliant Wargod, stating his verdict.
Hearing such a penalty, Aqua Rose sucked in a cold breath. This penalty was simply too heavy. Even if they locked Brilliant Wargod up for 15 days, as an elder of Twilight Echo, there were other people available to help him level back up. However, now that he was Level 0, with the 15-day gap and 20% EXP gain reduction, Brilliant Wargod would need to grind ceaselessly for over a month to catch up with the level of the majority of the players, not to mention catching up to the top-ranking players.
"Hahaha! Black Flame, I admit that you are amazing! However, from the moment I took action, I had already decided to delete my account and start all over again! Did you really think I would fear the system punishment?" Although Brilliant Wargod trembled slightly when he heard the penalty he was to receive, giving it another thought, he planned to delete and rebuild his account. What should he be afraid of?
Since Feng already obtained the map he wanted from Wargod, he naturally ignored him and turned towards Aqua "Shall we continue our business?"
Aqua Rose nodded while Brilliant Wargod became enraged upon being ignored by Feng
Suddenly, Four Level 200 Black Guards appeared on Light Street, each wielding a black spear in their hands and walking towards Brilliant Wargod; the intended to take him away.
"Don't even think of catching me."
Brilliant Wargod immediately logged out of the game. However, an unbelievable situation occurred. One could describe this as an out-of-body experience. Like an empty shell, Brilliant Wargod's body suddenly fell to the ground, motionless.
However, the four Black Guards did not care much about this.
Two of the knights grabbed ahold of Brilliant Wargod's body from each side, dragging him away from Light Street. Soon after, the Black Knights also dispersed from the scene.
"Master Black Flame, what is going on here? Didn't Brilliant Wargod log off? Logically, his body should also have disappeared!" Aqua Rose looked at Feng, her shining eyes blinking as she asked. Although Aqua Rose did not know why she would ask Feng, her instincts told her that Feng might know the answer.
Feng simply smiled and said, "It should be that the system doesn't allow players avoid punishment."
"So, it is like that."
Aqua Rose understood the truth of the matter. Regarding the calamity that had befallen Brilliant Wargod, Aqua Rose did not display a hint of sympathy. On the contrary, she was very grateful for Feng's significant help. Her and Brilliant Wargod's families had always been friendly with each other, and both families intended to increase and widen their wealth and influence through marriage. On the other hand, Aqua Rose had, from the very beginning, opposed this notion. She intended to create a legacy for herself, increasing her right of speech within her family to oppose this marriage.
God's Domain just so happened to have given her this very good chance. As long as she could further herself in God's Domain, and adding in Brilliant Wargod's actions, she could easily vanquish the notion of marriage between the two families.
After dealing with the matter of Brilliant Wargod, Feng and Aqua Rose returned to the restaurant and resumed their business talks.
"Master Black Flame, these are the various forging materials that you've requested. Due to limited bag space, I've only brought the rare and precious materials. This time, Master Black Flame has helped me a great deal, so I'll sell these to you at a lower price. You just need to pay me 43 Gold Coins for them," Aqua Rose displayed the transaction list, smiling as she spoke. The cost of purchasing all these materials came to a total of just over 37 Gold. Originally, Aqua Rose intended to sell all these materials to Feng for 50 Gold. However, since Feng had helped her out, she chose to earn a little less in this transaction.
Feng started to remove a pile of Level 8 and Level 9 Bronze Equipment and quite a lot of Mysterious-Iron Equipment from his bag as he spoke. In the blink of an eye, Feng had filled the private room with equipment, dazzling the sight of all beholders. Making a general count, Feng had over 500 pieces of equipment. "There's something I would like to inform Miss Aqua about. There was a complication with the Silver Dawn Forging Design, so it might be a bit different from the one you saw in the auction. I hope this doesn't inconvenience Miss Aqua." Feng said, before he took out the 20 Silver Lakes.
Aqua Rose had been disappointed when she heard something happened to the Silver Dawn Forging Design, and thought Black Flame wasn't able to make the Secret-Silver Silver Dawn, so he came up with a excuse. However, when she saw the Silver Lakes, she instantly became dumbfounded. Only after tens of seconds had passed did she gradually recover her spirit, and shock filled her eyes as she looked at Feng.
One could easily outfit a large elite team with this much equipment. Moreover, Feng had forged the majority. Aqua Rose was greatly confused at how Feng could forge so much equipment all by himself. After all, she had personally witnessed forgers create equipment before. The process could be summed up in one word – slow. These were all Bronze and Mysterious-Iron ranked Equipment. If one were not careful while forging them, the result would easily fail. So, the process of forging equipment of such quality was definitely much slower than that of Common Equipment. Since the last time Aqua Rose met with Feng, only a little more than three days had passed. Even if Feng continuously forged equipment without sleep or food during this period, it should still be impossible for him to forge this much equipment.
"Miss Aqua, I already brought the equipment. State a price," Feng smiled.
Aqua Rose immediately felt as if she had been cheated. Originally, she intended to make a big profit off of Feng. However, with 500 plus pieces of high-level equipment placed before her, even if she sold herself to Feng, it still might not be enough...
The private room of the restaurant was very large. However, it was insufficient to contain all of the weapons and equipment that Feng had taken out. The entire room was cramped with items right now. After counting for a long while, Aqua Rose finally had a firm grasp on the number of weapons and equipment that Feng had brought.
Among them, there were over 200 Level 8 and above Bronze Weapons, over 300 pieces of Level 8 and above Bronze Equipment, 70 Level 9 and above Mysterious-Iron Weapons, 80 pieces of Level 9 and above Mysterious-Iron Equipment, 1 piece of Level 9 Secret-Silver Equipment, which was the result of a Chance Upgrade, and 20 Level 10 Light-Gold Silver Lakes.
There was close to a total of 700 weapons and pieces of equipment. With this much equipment, Aqua Rose would have no problems gearing up even a 100-man team.
Moreover, this was Aqua's first time seeing a Fine-Gold Weapon. Even Twilight Echo hadn't managed to obtain one, yet, Black Flame had casually displayed twenty.
Aqua Rose no longer knew how to describe Black Flame. Despite having an immeasurably high strength, his standards as a forger were also at their apex, as Aqua Rose had yet to hear news of any player forging a Secret-Silver ranked item, let alone a Fine-Gold item. Black Flame's existence simply caused others despair.
At the same time, Aqua Rose had finally come to an understanding of just how frightening a forger could be.
"Miss Aqua, you look a little pale. Are you alright?" Feng looked at the dazed Aqua Rose, asking with concern; but contrary to that concern, there was a faint smile on his face.
"Me?" As Aqua Rose regained her senses, she involuntarily wiped the sweat from her forehead, "I'm fine. Why would I have any problems?"
"Is it possible that Miss Aqua cant afford this many weapons and equipment? If this is so, just pick as many as you can,"
"Master Black Flame, I want all of these items. However, can we carry out the transaction with Credits? Otherwise, if I give Master Black Flame all of my Gold Coins, I would starve," Aqua Rose smiled bitterly.
There were so many good items before her eyes, and it would be a sin not to gobble all of them up right now.
What did the various large Guilds lack the most? The answer was obvious: high-level weapons and equipment. Level 8 and above weapons and equipment just so happened to be what Guilds lacked the most.
Just a single piece of Level 8 Bronze Equipment was worth well over 20 Silvers on the market right now. Level 8 Bronze Weapons even sold for 30 Silvers or more, while Level 9 Mysterious-Iron Equipment was worth 50 Silvers or more, and Level 9 Mysterious-Iron Weapons sold for 80 Silvers or more. As for the Level 10 Fine-Gold Weapons, the Silver Lakes, they were priceless treasures, and not a single person out there would willingly sell one.
If a price were truly to be set, with the Silver Lakes's Attributes, at the very least, it would sell for 5 Gold Coins or more. Twenty Silver Lakes would then equate 100 Gold Coins. That was nearly half of all the game currency Aqua Rose owned. Moreover, this was the lowest price for the Silver Lake.
"That's fine as well. I'll just take these forging materials, in addition to 100 Gold, to cover for a portion of the bill. You can pay the remainder using Credits," Feng didn't really care about the Silver Lakes since they'll soon become useless, and he had all of the items he got from Faust, so he didn't really need them.
"This..." Aqua Rose hesitated for a long time. In the end, however, she gnashed her teeth as she agreed, saying, "Alright; I understand."
Hearing Feng's words, Aqua Rose really wished that she could recruit Feng. In just a few moments, Feng had taken away a greater half of the Gold Coins she had earned after much effort. Aqua Rose felt extreme frustration in her heart.
Very quickly, the two of them completed their transaction.
Aside from obtaining the 43 Gold's worth of materials from selling the equipment, Feng also obtained an additional 100 Gold Coins and over 2 million Credits. Feng had made a huge profit from this trade.
Meanwhile, Aqua Rose was also greatly pleased. With this many weapons and equipment, she could greatly strengthen her own legion and very quickly turn it into the number one legion in Twilight Echo. At that time, her right to speak would also grow, while those elders would no longer dare speak nonsense in front of her.
"Master Black Flame, let's schedule next trade for four days from now? It just so happens to coincide with the day the Blackwing Auction will be held. What do you think?" Without realizing it, Aqua Rose treated Feng as a good friend now.
"Alright. I can also save the number of uses left on the pass," Feng nodded in agreement.
Soon after, the two parted ways, and Feng went to purchase more Frost Grenades. He then returned to White River City.
The moment Feng returned to White River City, he immediately emptied all of the forging materials he had on him into the Bank. Feng then checked, and as he expected, Unstable Devastation didn't do anything. Since he didn't come looking for trouble, Feng decided not to hunt him down again. He then logged off.
After logging off, Feng started training his body. After training and strengthening his body these past few days, Feng was no longer as frail and thin as he used to be. Currently, Feng's body had grown much sturdier.
As usual, after completing his daily workout routine, Feng paid a visit to the Workshop to check on its current renovation progress.
"Brother Feng, you're here! The Workshop's renovation is complete. We are just waiting for the gaming facilities we ordered to arrive, and we'll set them up." Blackie said when he saw Feng "I heard from the others that you told them to come here today. Are you going to return their memories?"
"Yes. For those I can at least" Feng nodded. The only ones he could return the memories of are Cola, Violet and Fire. He hadn't seen Drowsy Sloth and Gluttonous Mouse after he got his ability as they were too low level, they had barely reached the Half-step Refinement realm from what he had heard. If not for the fact they were old members, they wouldn't have even qualified to be in Zero Wing. While he had only glossed over Lonely Snow in a giant crowd during a war preparation. As for Water Buffalo, he had unfortunately died in a battle.
Feng and Blackie then started putting up the finishing touches to the Workshop while waiting for the others to arrive. A few hours later, Cola was the first to arrive. He looked similar to how he looked like in God's Domain, and he was over two meters tall.
Since there was no one around yet, Feng decided to return him his memories immediately. Feng had to stretch his arm out in order to reach Cola's forehead. Although he didn't need to specifically touch a person's forehead in order to return their memories, it was a lot easier from there than other parts of the body.
"Guild Leader?" A minute or so after Feng started the process, Cola's eyes came back into focus; and naturally, he was confused as he asked doubtfully. From his perspective, one moment he was sitting on a couch while worriedly waiting for news about what happened to Feng[2], the next moment he was standing here with Feng and Blackie in front of him.
They spent a few minutes explaining to him what happened, and after they were done, Cola had mixed feelings about it. Similar to Blackie, he felt that he had been too useless, and needed to get stronger. They continued to put the finishing touches on the Workshop while waiting.
Half an hour later, Drowsy Sloth arrived, Feng spoke to him and Sloth signed a contract for the Workshop. Around twenty minutes later Lonely Snow arrived and he did the same thing.
An hour later, the shy Violet Cloud arrived. Feng brought her to his office to sign a contract like the others, and returned her memories to her. While waiting for Violet to stabilize, Feng reclined in his chair and took deep breaths. Although it wasn't as exhausting as when he did it the first time, using his ability in such a way repeatedly was very difficult.
"Big brother Feng?" Violet asked uncertainly. Feng gave her the short version of what happened. She already knew about Feng's ability, so she wasn't that shocked, but when she realized that Feng had probably died, tears welled up in her eyes. Feng just smiled and comforted her. He continued resting after Violet calmed down and left the office.
Gluttonous Mouse arrived soon after an hour or so and signed a contract as well. When the sky started to darken, Fire Dance and Water Buffalo finally arrived. Feng first spoke with Water Buffalo, having him sign a contract, before he called Fire Dance into the office. When Fire sat down, Feng placed a finger on her forehead and returned her memories.
When he finished, Feng's face was as pale as a sheet, and sweat formed on his forehead. He now felt even more exhausted than when he first returned Blackie's memories.
'It seems three a day is my current limit. I'll definitely pass out if I try one more time.' Feng thought to himself as he leaned back and closed his eyes while waiting for Fire to stabilize. A few minutes passed, and Feng nearly fell asleep, when he heard a weak voice.
"F-Feng?" Feng opened his eyes in surprise, since Fire Dance usually calls him Guild Leader or something of that sort, but she has never called him by just his name. When he looked at her, her eyes were wide open and tears were running down her cheeks, her entire body shaking. Before Feng could say anything, Fire jumped over the table and hugged him.
"Did you die too?" Fire barely managed to say through the tears with a rugged voice. She already knew that she had died, so Feng being here with her could only mean that he died, too; and they ended up in the same place after death.
"We're both alive, Fire." Feng said when he snapped out of it. Fire stopped shaking and crying when she heard that. She pulled back her head and looked at Feng in confusion. Feng then explained what happened "Could you... get off me now?" Feng said after finishing his explanation. Fire was still clinging onto him tightly, as if she was afraid he would disappear.
"Oh, sorry." Fire finally realized that she was still on top of him. She hurriedly got up and went back to her seat, her face completely red.
"Anyway, I need to rest. Bringing back three people's memories is really tiring." Feng said as he got up, but ended up falling back in his chair.
"I'll go get you a Nutrient Fluid!" Fire immediately stood up and said when she saw Feng was unable to stand. She quickly left the room while wiping away any tears that were left on her face. A few minutes later, she returned and gave Feng one of the A-rank Nutrition Fluids they had stocked up.
After drinking it, Feng felt energy returning to his body .
"Thanks." He thanked Fire and went back to resting in his chair.
"I'll take my leave, then." Fire seemed to want to say something more, but chose to stay silent after a moment of struggle, and left.
'That was really awkward.' Feng opened his eyes once Fire left. In truth, he wasn't as tired as he pretended to be, but he thought it would be awkward to talk to Fire right now. So he chose to use his usual method, which is - Ignore the problem until it goes away, it will probably be fine.
After Feng rested for another half an hour, he got up, said bye to Blackie and the others, and went back to his apartment. He ate a meal and drank another A-rank Nutrition Fluid, before logging into God's Domain.
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1. Since when are there crossbows in God's Domain? I don't remember anyone ever using a crossbow.
2. I know it doesn't make sense that he can return memories from a period after he saw the soul, but don't question it.
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