Star Moon Kingdom, Star Moon Royal City.
The teleportation hall shimmered with light as a group of players appeared in the bustling space. As soon as they materialized, many of the players inside turned to look.
Not for any other reason than that this twenty-person team had impressive levels and equipment—the lowest level among all twenty was 47, and even the worst gear was level-45 Gold-grade equipment. The man and woman leading the group were even more striking—their levels had reached 49, and their equipment was uniformly level-45 Dark Gold…
Even top-tier guild elites would be hard-pressed to match, yet none of them wore guild emblems. They were clearly independent players.
"What an incredible team. Who are they?"
"Didn't you see the Fire Fox emblem on their cloaks? They're the Fire Cloud Fox—one of the top fifty renowned adventurer teams in the Black Dragon Empire. See that Shield Warrior? That's their leader, Can Yun. He's ranked among the top hundred Shield Warriors in the entire Black Dragon Empire. I heard several first-rate guilds in the Black Dragon Empire offered him huge sums to recruit him, but he turned them all down."
"If they're from the Black Dragon Empire, why come to our Star Moon Kingdom?"
"Fire Cloud Fox came entirely because of Stone Forest Town. Their arena is an excellent place for experts like them to train and improve. But word is they're planning to make Zero Wing City their new base. The arena there can't compare to Stone Forest Town's yet, but the magic density is noticeably higher."
The players in the hall chatted endlessly about the impressive Fire Cloud Fox team. Some members of other adventurer teams even watched with envy—being a team that first-rate guilds actively tried to recruit was an honor not every team could claim.
"Every trip to the Beastman Empire and back is such a hassle, Captain. Can't we go somewhere else to level up next time?" Vice-Captain Yue Wange had no interest in the surrounding chatter and turned to Can Yun beside her. "The Beastman invasion is getting worse. In just these few days, the patrols we've encountered on the road—both in number and quality—have improved dramatically. At this rate, it's seriously impacting our leveling."
"As if it were that simple. If we don't go to the Beastman Empire on missions to take out Sky Burial Guild members, where's our mount money coming from?" Can Yun shot back. "Sure, it's affecting our leveling speed, and the route to the Beastman Empire gets harder each time. But opportunities like this to earn money don't come often. Come on, let's head to Zero Wing City and collect our bounty."
"I know, but those Beastmen—you saw them. They're getting stronger and stronger. At first they were Elites, now they're Leaders. Their combat skills keep improving too. Next time we go to the Beastman Empire, I estimate we'll need several more hours just to get there," Yue Wange said with a headache.
Although the teleportation town in Star Moon Kingdom wasn't that far from the Beastman Empire's border, beastman patrol squads along the way kept growing in number, consuming more and more of their travel time. Nearly half their time was spent dealing with patrolling Beastmen.
"True, those Beastmen are getting stronger. If they keep getting tougher next time, we'll switch to other locations for leveling and quests. Either way, our team has earned enough by now. Combined with our previous savings, we should have enough to buy a private residence in Zero Wing City," Can Yun considered after a moment, thinking Yue Wange had a point.
Making money was important, but they couldn't afford to fall behind in levels. If the Beastmen continued to grow stronger, leveling in the Beastman Empire wouldn't be worth it anymore. Other teams of comparable strength had already abandoned the Beastman Empire in favor of other maps—and they were actually gaining levels faster.
Just as Can Yun and the others were about to head to Zero Wing City, they suddenly overheard nearby players discussing the city.
"Is the Zero Wing Guild pulling our leg? Zero Wing City can really do that?"
"It must be fake. Teleporting to any location within a four-million-yard radius? Wouldn't that let you instantly reach whatever leveling zone you wanted?"
"It's an official announcement from the Zero Wing Guild—how could it be fake? If it were, it'd be exposed instantly. And did you see the teleportation fees? It's daylight robbery. We ordinary players don't earn that much in a day, and one teleport would hand all of it to Zero Wing."
"Zero Wing is way too powerful—actually pulling off something like this. They really are the number one guild in our Star Moon Kingdom!"
…
Players up and down the streets buzzed with discussion about Zero Wing Guild's sudden announcement, and many adventurer teams' eyes were shining with excitement.
Zero Wing City's location was no longer unfamiliar to Star Moon Kingdom's players.
It wasn't far from the kingdom's front line—separated only by a large forest. A four-million-yard teleportation range meant players in Zero Wing City could instantly appear at the Star Moon Kingdom's border, completely bypassing the Beastman patrol squads. It would save an enormous amount of time and eliminate the danger.
The only downside was the price—if you went the full distance, each person had to pay twenty silver coins…
But for a capable adventurer team, this was a guaranteed return on investment. The Zero Wing Guild was putting bounties on Sky Burial Guild members, so killing a few Sky Burial members would more than cover the travel fare. Plus, the Beastman Empire had richer resources and faster leveling—getting there had only been a problem because of the travel time.
"Captain, looks like we'll need to save up more money before we can buy a private residence in Zero Wing City," Yue Wange said with a smile, glancing at the announcement and then at Can Yun.
"This Zero Wing Guild really doesn't give anyone a break. If only they'd sold the private residences first!" Can Yun felt both happy and pained by the new development.
Zero Wing City's existing benefits were already impressive enough. Now with teleportation added, any adventurer team or expert player wanting to head to the Beastman Empire would surely choose Zero Wing City. Time was the greatest resource—twenty silver coins was nothing to a top player, and for a strong adventurer team it was trivial. Get a piece or two of equipment, and the teleportation fee would pay for itself. And guild members got a twenty percent discount.
Moreover, it wouldn't just be Star Moon Kingdom's players. Players from other kingdoms and empires would likely use Zero Wing City to head to the Beastman Empire too, since the Beastmen in every kingdom's territory were growing stronger. If they walked the whole way, the time required would only keep increasing.
While Can Yun was stressing about how to afford a private residence in Zero Wing City, the many adventurer teams and players already in the city had erupted in excitement. Those who had been planning to head to the Beastman Empire changed their minds entirely and headed straight for the Tower of Four Elements, spending twenty silver coins each to teleport directly to the Star Moon Kingdom's border.
As more and more players confirmed the teleportation was real, adventurer teams and expert players rushed to register as Zero Wing members. In less than an hour, over 1,042 people had become members of Zero Wing's teleportation array, bringing the guild over twenty thousand magic crystals. The rate of magic crystal income far surpassed even the arena.
As for the number of players who teleported out, it was even higher—over two thousand at once. Not everyone wanted to pay in magic crystals, and a single long-distance teleport, after deducting energy costs and maintenance, netted twelve silver coins per person. Two thousand players meant an instant two hundred and forty gold.
But these numbers paled in comparison to the players flooding into Zero Wing City. In less than an hour, the city's player population exceeded two million. Many were members of adventurer teams from other kingdoms and empires, and the entry fees brought in yet another massive windfall…