As soon as Shi Feng finished giving his instructions, Water Color Rose stared at the closed video comm in prolonged silence.
Increasing the bounty from the Heavenly Corrosion Guild — it sounded simple enough, but the cost involved was no trivial matter that a few tens of thousands of gold could easily cover.
Zero Wing City was indeed profitable. Just the daily entry fees alone brought in over five thousand gold.
But the war of attrition against the Heavenly Corrosion Guild had already stretched Zero Wing Guild's finances to the breaking point. Raising the bounty to any meaningful degree would require well over a hundred thousand gold, and there was simply no way to make that happen.
But where were they supposed to come up with over a hundred thousand gold…
"Sister Rose, are we really going to increase the bounty?" Yaya, standing beside Water Color Rose, asked cautiously.
The roughly twenty thousand gold remaining in Zero Wing Guild's coffers was their emergency fund. If they dipped into that, a single misstep could plunge the guild into despair.
"Announce it publicly." Water Color Rose took a deep breath and said with some resignation, "Even if we don't raise the bounty, the remaining top-grade equipment in our guild treasury won't last long either. Without a higher bounty, the consumption of top-grade equipment will only accelerate. We might as well go all in against the Heavenly Corrosion Guild and Black Water Financial Group!"
Yaya promptly posted the news on the Star Moon Kingdom's official forums.
The moment it went up, it drew the attention of every player in the Star Moon Kingdom. Within moments, clicks surpassed a million.
"Is Zero Wing Guild really going head-to-head with the Heavenly Corrosion Guild? They've actually doubled the bounty to match!"
"Looks like Zero Wing Guild is getting serious!"
"The Heavenly Corrosion Guild has the backing of Black Water Financial Group with their massive capital — that's one thing. But how does Zero Wing Guild have that kind of money too?"
"Maybe it's a deathbed gamble, trying to scare the Heavenly Corrosion Guild. I heard Black Water Financial Group not only sent experts to help the Heavenly Corrosion Guild but also provided two hundred thousand gold in funding. On top of that, Ancient Rock City is currently the hottest spot in all the surrounding nations. How could Zero Wing Guild possibly win with just Zero Wing City's income?"
"Exactly. I heard Ancient Rock City's player population has already exceeded six million. There's no entry fee, sure, but the repair rates the Heavenly Corrosion Guild charges are astronomical. And the lodging fees — even if the guild only takes a cut, the income is nothing to scoff at."
"Let them keep raising each other's bounties — the higher, the better! That's my mount money sorted!"
…
The public had little faith in Zero Wing Guild's chances against the Heavenly Corrosion Guild, but privately, everyone was delighted. Opportunities to make this kind of money didn't come around every day.
In the Beastman Empire, at the Heavenly Corrosion Guild's stronghold in Ancient Rock City.
"Guild Master Duzang, it looks like Zero Wing Guild's finances are quite substantial as well. Are you sure everything is fine on your end?" Lei Jingyang frowned slightly as he read Zero Wing Guild's latest announcement.
In order to drain Zero Wing Guild's funds as quickly as possible, they had doubled the bounty — which in turn multiplied their own expenses several times over. A rough estimate put their daily expenditure at fifty to sixty thousand gold, nearly equaling Ancient Rock City's entire daily revenue. It was far from the cakewalk that outsiders imagined.