Star Moon Kingdom, Star Moon City.
The bustling teleportation hall was teeming with players coming and going. Merchant players and famous adventure teams from other kingdoms and empires could be seen everywhere.
Though Star Moon City couldn't compare to White River City, it served as a transit hub for the Star Moon Kingdom. And with the kingdom situated near the Orc Empire, Star Moon City had grown into a major metropolis boasting a player population of nine million — respectable among the various royal capitals, and more than enough to attract experts from surrounding kingdoms looking to make a name for themselves.
However, the moment a group of players bearing dark markings on their foreheads appeared in the hall, every player inside fell silent. All eyes locked onto the figures stepping out of the teleportation magic circle.
Every single one of these hundred-plus players was above Level 92, with the highest reaching Level 93.
For reference, the highest publicly known level in the Star Moon Kingdom was a mere Level 88. Compared to these newcomers, it was like comparing heaven to earth.
Beyond their staggering levels, the experts present could feel a powerful pressure radiating from these people — as if they were facing Great Lord-level bosses of the same tier. Over a hundred of them gathered together was like having more than a hundred Great Lords in one place. Even players who had reached the Extraordinary level wouldn't dare take half a step closer.
"Team Leader, there are a lot of people here, but their levels are so low. And it's obvious none of them have received divine blessings," a Level 92 female Ranger in the group remarked, scanning the crowd in the hall. "Looks like the Divine Realm Continent's development rate is far behind our Shadow World. The only thing they have going for them is slightly better weapons and equipment."
"It seems different places develop at very different speeds. This is actually an opportunity for our Shadow Empire. Weapons and equipment are clearly much easier to obtain here on the Divine Realm Continent. With so many planes opening up, we were lucky enough to be near the World Passage and discovered it quickly. This way, our Shadow Empire can gain a foothold here ahead of everyone else." The bald young man at the front of the group, a Level 93 wearing black leather armor, grinned. "This Star Moon Kingdom will serve perfectly as our Shadow Empire's base for entering the Divine Realm Continent. Go investigate which factions exist in this kingdom. Those willing to submit to our Shadow Empire can stay. The rest — deal with them."
At the bald youth's command, the hundred-plus players scattered in every direction, sending waves of panic through the crowd.
Meanwhile, it wasn't just the Star Moon Kingdom. Players from various plane worlds were appearing across numerous kingdoms throughout the Divine Realm Continent, making the already turbulent landscape even more chaotic.
As players from different planes continued to pop up in the Divine Realm's kingdoms, the Northern Fortress deep in the Earth Core Mountain Range on Dragonheart Island was experiencing a frenzy of its own.
Shi Feng had originally estimated it would take some time for the fortress shops to be leased out — after all, the benefits of medium-sized fortress shops needed time to be understood and appreciated. Yet the major powers on Dragonheart Island had snatched up over a hundred of them without a moment's hesitation.
Though they were only leasing for a single month with no intention of long-term rental, it still netted Shi Feng over six hundred million Credit Points. Combined with the Credit Points from Zero Wing City's shops converting to Credit Point-only payment in the later phase, the total came to eight hundred million Credit Points — an absurdly lucrative haul.
With this sum of Credit Points, Shi Feng handed it all over to Xiao Yu in one go.
It might not be enough to establish multiple large-scale training centers in a city like Fenglin City, but setting up seven or eight small branch locations was absolutely no problem. More importantly, the primary purpose of these branches was to promote the virtual combat platform, get Fenglin City's players into the habit of visiting the Tiandou Training Center, and attract large numbers of players in bulk. For that goal, the training equipment didn't need to be particularly advanced.
Once the layout was complete, combined with Zero Wing's reputation, attracting players to the Tiandou Training Center and funneling fresh blood into Zero Wing would be a foregone conclusion.
Beyond the massive Credit Points, the Northern Fortress had also generated an unimaginable amount of Ancient Gold Coins.
Normally, a small fortress earning four to five thousand Ancient Gold Coins per day would be considered peak performance. For a newly established fortress, hitting two thousand per day would be reason to celebrate.
But the Northern Fortress's popularity exceeded all expectations. The fortress inns, in particular, had been entirely booked out by the major powers and adventure teams.
It was worth noting that reserving an entire inn required payment in Ancient Gold Coins — Ancient Bronze Coins and Ancient Silver Coins wouldn't do. The fortress received its cut through the inns, earning whatever currency the players paid in. With all the major factions paying in Ancient Gold Coins, that was exactly what the fortress collected.
In a single day, Zero Wing's net income came to seven thousand Ancient Gold Coins — and that was after splitting profits with Feng Qianyu's side. As time went on and more players flocked to the Northern Fortress, the buildings inside could be upgraded to include higher-tier inns, generating even greater Ancient Gold Coin revenue.
Beyond player-related income, as the fortress grew increasingly prosperous, NPCs would bring in their own substantial earnings. Reaching a daily income of fifteen thousand Ancient Gold Coins was no longer just a dream.
"Guild Leader, if those War Blood people found out about our income, they'd probably cough up blood from sheer rage," Hei Zi said, beaming as he watched the fortress earnings climb higher. "With this kind of money, it won't be long before Zero Wing can put down real roots in Dragonheart City. We'll bring more guild members here to develop, and then let's see how War Blood tries to stop us!"
"Don't underestimate War Blood, Hei Zi," Yan Tianxing said earnestly. "They've still secured a fortress of their own, and they have the Astronomical Observatory backing them. Their development speed isn't something to take lightly. Especially War Blood Adventure Team's naval forces — even the Thirteen Royal Courts have to treat them with caution."
Resources were important, but ultimately it all came down to fists. Here in the Earth Core Mountain Range, War Blood might not be able to do much against the Northern Fortress right now. But in the Sea of Death, they could do whatever they pleased — and the resources throughout the Sea of Death far surpassed those of the Earth Core Mountain Range.
"Tianxing's right. We've got the resources now. The next step for Zero Wing is converting those resources into combat power."
Shi Feng nodded and pulled the Storm Speedboat blueprint from his inventory, handing it directly to Yan Tianxing. He put Yan Tianxing in charge of the speedboat's production. As for the required materials, the Ancient Silver Coins and Ancient Gold Coins earned from the Northern Fortress could easily purchase everything in Dragonheart City. As for the primary materials needed to craft the Storm Speedboat, Shi Feng had already stockpiled a large quantity long ago — he simply hadn't had a use for them until now.
When Yan Tianxing laid eyes on the Storm Speedboat blueprint, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
He might not have spent much time at sea, but during his time on the Sea of Death, he understood all too well how significant a Bronze Rank speedboat could be. If they could assemble an entire fleet, they would be able to roam the Sea of Death with impunity.
After assigning the Storm Speedboat production work, Shi Feng left the Northern Fortress. Once he emerged from the Earth Core Mountain Range, he used a White River City return scroll and teleported back to White River City, ready to begin his Tier 3 class advancement.