Shi Feng stared at the words "Peddler Shop," his heart surging with both excitement and disbelief. He had never imagined he would be this lucky, stumbling upon an opportunity like this.
"Can I purchase this Peddler Shop?" Shi Feng couldn't help but turn to the female elven NPC beside him and ask.
The Peddler Shop was something extremely unfamiliar to players. Even the current major superpowers probably had no idea what a Peddler Shop was.
However, there was another name for the Peddler Shop — and there wasn't a single major power that didn't know it.
That name was the Black Market!
It was an exchange that existed in the shadow world, spanning every neutral zone across the entire Divine Realm. The sheer variety of items available surpassed any NPC Auction House. From flying mounts and fragments of Legendary items down to potions and combat techniques, everything was for sale. It was truly a paradise for those with deep pockets.
Of course, a Peddler Shop wasn't something you could just buy whenever you pleased. These shops appeared at random in major neutral NPC cities and would only exist for a limited time before vanishing. Whether you could purchase one depended entirely on luck.
The current asking price for the Peddler Shop was nine thousand ancient gold coins, which happened to fall right within his budget.
"Of course you may, but once purchased, this shop cannot be renovated for any other purpose. Additionally, you will need to pay a management fee of three thousand ancient gold coins every ten days. If the fee goes unpaid, we will reclaim the shop," the female elven NPC explained.
"Quite the rip-off. No wonder so many factions came to buy shops and not a single one chose a Peddler Shop," Shi Feng muttered with a slight click of his tongue.
Normally, a one-star peripheral shop in Dragon Heart City had a management fee of only one thousand ancient gold coins per month. A one-star shop in the inner district ran between fifteen hundred and eighteen hundred. But a peripheral Peddler Shop demanded three thousand ancient gold coins every ten days — that was nine thousand per month!
Nine thousand ancient gold coins!
Even a first-rate faction that had been operating in Dragon Heart City for quite some time would only earn a little more than nine thousand ancient gold coins in a month. That kind of management fee was probably something only a superpower could afford.
But no superpower would be willing to spend that kind of money.
A one-star Peddler Shop carried almost nothing of value — just ordinary clothing and miscellaneous goods. It would buy common herbs and ores from vagrants, with absolutely no profit margin. It was far worse than even an ordinary general store, which at least could sell player-crafted items. A Peddler Shop couldn't do even that. It was, in every sense, a money-losing operation.
Losing money on top of paying nine thousand ancient gold coins a month in management fees — only a madman would willingly buy one.
"Esteemed Bronze Legacy bearer, are you certain you wish to purchase this Peddler Shop?" the female elven NPC asked once more.
"That's right. I'll take it," Shi Feng confirmed with a decisive nod.
Yes, a Peddler Shop was a money-loser — a massive one at that. It was essentially paying to keep a shop alive.
But that money only needed to be spent until the shop reached two stars, because only at two stars did a Peddler Shop begin to reveal its true value.
That value came in two forms — two abilities that were nothing short of divine.
The first was the ability to acquire rare items that were not in regular circulation. Things like magical codices — items that kingdoms and empires strictly prohibited — or Skill Books of Tier 3 and above.
A Tier 3 Class was considered a mid-tier force across the entire Divine Realm. The fact that the governors of certain NPC cities within kingdoms and empires were Tier 3 Classes spoke volumes. Such power was tightly regulated by kingdoms and empires, which was exactly why Tier 3 Class promotions required travel to neutral maps rather than remaining within kingdom or empire territory.
The second great ability was the Black Market Portal, which could transport players into a Black Market exchange. However, there were strict limits on the number of slots available — and not only that, there were also caps on how many times each slot could be used. This was where the Peddler Shop's primary merchandise came from, and as the shop's owner, Shi Feng would have the advantage of first pick — the benefits of being closest to the source.
In his previous life, many factions had been unaware of this and had let golden opportunities slip through their fingers. Only a few factions had been fortunate enough to purchase Peddler Shops. He called it fortunate because the number of Peddler Shops in each neutral NPC city was limited. In a large NPC city like Dragon Heart City, there could be at most fifteen.
Once a player purchased all fifteen Peddler Shops in a major neutral NPC city, no more would ever appear — unless an existing one was reclaimed by the NPCs, creating an opening. Otherwise, everyone else could only watch, with no recourse whatsoever.
Once Shi Feng confirmed the purchase, the female elven NPC began processing the paperwork.
In less than five minutes, Shi Feng had spent nine thousand ancient gold coins and obtained the deed to the Peddler Shop. Immediately after, all the information pertaining to the shop appeared in his hands.