As soon as Shi Feng finished issuing his orders, Melancholic Smile and You Lan in the Dark Night Empire sprang into action as well. They posted an announcement on the Dark Night Empire's official forum under the Zero Wing Guild's name: purchasing exclusive Dark Night Empire materials at high prices while selling common commodities at rock-bottom prices.
The moment this news dropped, it sent shockwaves through the entire Dark Night Empire. Everyone found it absolutely unbelievable.
"Insane! They've completely lost their minds!"
"No way — is Zero Wing actually trying to start a war with Star Ring?"
In the Dark Night Empire, everyone already knew of Zero Wing's name. After all, Zero Wing had previously helped the Hundred Blossoms Palace hold back Star Ring's advance.
And after the auction competition, Star Ring's suppression of Zero Wing was hardly a secret. Anyone with half a brain and a few connections could find out.
But here was the thing — Star Ring had only just announced in the Star Moon Kingdom that it would deal with Zero Wing, and now Zero Wing had turned around and done this in the Dark Night Empire. It was a naked declaration of war against Star Ring.
This explosive news reached every major power in the Dark Night Empire at the speed of light, leaving them all stunned by Zero Wing's audacity.
"What exactly is Zero Wing thinking? Don't they realize Star Ring has already obtained the Auction House in Dark Night City?" Fei Xin, the First Vice Master of Hundred Blossoms Palace, stared at the freshly received message and couldn't help but exclaim in exasperation.
Everyone knew that Star Ring had secured the Auction House in Dark Night City, which effectively cemented its position as the overlord of the Dark Night Empire. Even the two top-tier guilds in the empire — Battle Soul Unfallen and Crimson Emperor — wouldn't dare pull something like this.
Moreover, Star Ring controlled two additional Auction Houses on top of that. Combined with its already formidable capital, its financial power was simply beyond imagination. To pick a fight with Star Ring on its home turf in the Dark Night Empire, where it had been entrenched for years? That was sheer madness.
"I've heard that under Star Ring's suppression, Zero Wing's entire guild has been thrown into turmoil. Maybe this is just Zero Wing's way of rallying morale and unity," Mu Yun offered from the side.
In her view, this was the only play Zero Wing had left. A guild's cohesion and fighting spirit were everything — once the members' hearts scattered, the guild was finished.
"But they can't just go about it like this," Fei Xin said slowly. "This is essentially a public declaration that Zero Wing is formally going to war with Star Ring. If they lose, Zero Wing's situation will only get worse. Besides, economic warfare like this burns through a guild's resources at an absurd rate. This isn't some battlefield out in the wild — it's a pure contest of financial power and resources between guilds. War supplies and combat items are completely useless."
Mu Yun fell silent at that.
Everything Fei Xin said was true. An economic war of attrition was devastating to a guild. War items couldn't help at all, and unlike battles on the open field — where a guild could absorb a few defeats and keep going — losing an economic war of this scale carried the very real risk of a guild dissolving entirely. And whether you won or lost, the losses would be catastrophic.
Meanwhile, aside from Hundred Blossoms Palace finding Zero Wing's actions baffling, the Dark Night Empire's Battle Soul Unfallen was also discussing the matter.
"Zero Wing has really gone and overplayed their hand this time," Mu Cheng remarked, scanning the heated discussions on the official forums, and let out a quiet sigh.
"Grandfather, Zero Wing does have Zero Wing City — essentially a gold mine — plus they obtained the Auction House in White River City. Their financial strength is quite impressive. Wouldn't this kind of move hurt Star Ring just as badly?" Mu Lingsha asked, puzzled.
Other guilds might not grasp the true value of Zero Wing City, but as a superpower, Battle Soul Unfallen understood all too well.
Because Zero Wing City was situated in the Witch's Hill region, setting aside the massive daily gate fees it collected, the teleportation fees alone to the Otherworld Gate were staggering. The treasures inside the Otherworld Gate were plentiful, and leveling there was far faster. Now it wasn't just players from the Star Moon Kingdom making the trip — players from several neighboring countries were gradually heading there to grind as well.
That revenue alone was no less than what the White River City Auction House brought in.
"You're underestimating Star Ring," Mu Cheng said, shaking his head. "Don't forget — Star Ring controls the Auction House in Dark Night City, which is essentially the economic lifeline of the entire city. Whether players can even enter the Auction House is entirely at Star Ring's discretion. And Star Ring has three Auction Houses in total — even if the income from one took a serious hit, they could afford it. Besides, the disparity in strength between the two sides is plain as day, and their influence over players is worlds apart. Do you really think people are going to sell their goods to Zero Wing for a handful of cheap coins?"