The moment Shi Feng spoke his refusal in the great hall, the entire room fell silent. Dark Sin Heart's expression also changed dramatically—he hadn't expected Shi Feng to refuse outright, without even trying to be diplomatic.
The blue-haired woman standing behind Mo Qiubai stared at Shi Feng in disbelief.
In her view, Shi Feng should have leaped at such an offer. Their Giant's Heart's strength was nothing to scoff at—they practically monopolized the entire Sea God World and could hold their own against the super guilds.
Being willing to trade with Giant's Heart meant earning their favor, something countless factions would kill for. Especially during this turbulent period, when forces from various planes had emerged and establishing a foothold on the Divine Realm's continent was incredibly difficult—several major factions had already been wiped out as a result.
The airship might be extremely precious, but it was already known to every major superpower, and they all had their eyes on Zero Wing. The trouble heading Zero Wing's way would be enormous.
After all, an innocent man is guilty simply because of the treasure he carries!
If Zero Wing agreed to trade, they could not only receive a massive haul of resources to strengthen the guild's top experts but also earn the favor of Giant's Heart. With that backing, forget about the Battle Blood Adventure Team—even the Star Ring Guild wouldn't dare move against Zero Wing so recklessly. Yet Shi Feng had refused without a second word, so decisively, without even a hint of hesitation.
"Does he not know how powerful our Giant's Heart is?"
That was the only possibility the blue-haired woman could think of. Otherwise, how could he reject such a good deal so decisively?
"Your Zero Wing doesn't plan to sell? What a pity." Mo Qiubai showed no anger at Shi Feng's refusal—in fact, he was remarkably calm. "In that case, I wonder if you'd be willing to lend me the airship to help me complete a mission? I'm willing to offer five Ocean Boundary Stones as compensation."
"Help complete a mission?" Shi Feng considered for a moment. "That shouldn't be a problem. How long will the mission take?"
He was genuinely tempted by the Ocean Boundary Stones. They were treasures that allowed players to learn combat techniques, ranking among the top five most valuable items in the entire Divine Realm.
Based on the market price from his previous life, roughly two Ocean Boundary Stones could be exchanged for a single Epic-grade equipment piece above Level 100—and even then, ordinary factions wouldn't get the chance.
Now Mo Qiubai was offering five Ocean Boundary Stones, the equivalent of two and a half Epic-grade equipment pieces above Level 100. That was an extremely generous offer.
With five Ocean Boundary Stones, five of the guild's top experts could master Bronze-rank combat techniques, gaining the strength to fight Domain-level experts head-on.
As for Bronze-rank combat techniques, other guilds might be desperate for them, but they weren't hard for Zero Wing to obtain. After all, Zero Wing had acquired several Bronze Inheritance Stone Tablets. Moreover, the Secret Skill Thunderlight was currently mastered by Shi Feng alone. If Fire Dance or Bai Qingxue could learn it, wielding the power of their Legendary-grade fragment weapons, the resulting strength would be extraordinary.
"About three days," Mo Qiubai estimated, giving a fairly accurate timeframe with a smile. "If we finish faster, I can add one more Ocean Boundary Stone. And even if we fail, I'll still pay one Ocean Boundary Stone as rental and damage compensation for the airship."
"That works. When do we start?" Shi Feng hadn't expected Mo Qiubai to be so generous, so he stopped hesitating. Ocean Boundary Stones were incredibly important even to the major super guilds, let alone Zero Wing.
If Zero Wing currently had enough materials to build more than two Red Dragon Airships, he would have seriously considered trading one for a batch of Ocean Boundary Stones to bolster Zero Wing's roster of top experts.
"Based on timing, we'll set out in about fifteen hours." Seeing that Shi Feng had agreed, Mo Qiubai continued, "The place we're heading is very dangerous. I hope you'll use this time to rest and prepare properly."
"Alright, let's sign the contract now." Shi Feng checked the time. He didn't have anything pressing to do at the moment, so this was a perfect opportunity to earn some extra income.
Mo Qiubai and Shi Feng then drew up a contract, binding both parties to its terms so they could proceed with the mission in good faith.
After Shi Feng left the hall to sign the Void Origin Stone cooperation contract with the Freedom Alliance, the blue-haired woman who had been standing behind Mo Qiubai finally spoke up.
"Vice Leader, are you really going to challenge it again?" the blue-haired woman asked.
Others might not understand what Mo Qiubai was planning, but she knew perfectly well. It was an Epic-grade main story quest in the Sea God World, with only three challenge attempts total. Two had already failed, leaving just one remaining. If they failed again, the quest would be permanently wasted.
"With the airship this time, our chances are quite good. Besides, the quest's time limit is almost up." Mo Qiubai smiled. "As long as we succeed this time, our Giant's Heart will be firmly established in the Fire Dragon Empire. Even the Pride Empire wouldn't be able to shake us there, even with their full might."
"But is it really okay to bring that Nightwind along?" the blue-haired woman asked worriedly. "Only ten people are allowed into that place. Without a special inheritance, even top experts can't last more than ten seconds inside. If you die, you're immediately teleported out—there's no chance of resurrection."
"It is troublesome inside, but I'll have Green Claw and the others take on as much of the burden as they can. Plus, you've mastered the Domain too, so your strength has increased significantly. It shouldn't be a problem," Mo Qiubai said.
"I'll go notify Green Claw and the others then." The blue-haired woman nodded, secretly hoping Shi Feng wouldn't be too much of a liability.
Meanwhile, after Shi Feng signed the Void Origin Stone cooperation contract with the Freedom Alliance, both the major maritime powers and the various captains of the Freedom Alliance were stunned. None of them had expected Zero Wing to hold onto the Void Origin Stone rights, and even more surprisingly, Giant's Heart hadn't objected.
With Zero Wing's cooperation rights for the Void Origin Stone secured, both Unfalling Light and Zero Wing would have a stable source of income.
However, Unfalling Light's naval strength was still somewhat lacking. Shi Feng directly lent them the Rainstorm Sloop and arranged another full shipment of Void Origin Stones. Dark Sin Heart, for his part, emptied his coffers and purchased seven Bronze-rank speedboats and two sailboats at Phantom City, instantly boosting Unfalling Light's naval strength considerably and giving them the capability to transport Void Origin Stones across the Chaos Sea.
Jun Wuchang also threw his full support behind Dark Sin Heart, dispatching elite vessels from his own fleet to assist, thoroughly stabilizing Unfalling Light's operations in the Chaos Sea.
This way, even without the Red Dragon Airship, Unfalling Light could still transport the Void Origin Stones to Phantom City. They could also deliver Zero Wing's share of the Void Origin Stones to Zero Wing's branch in the Apocalypse Empire.
For others, transporting Void Origin Stones to the dark faction's territory was a lucrative opportunity. But for Shi Feng, the Void Origin Stones themselves were far more valuable—especially in large quantities, where their value multiplied exponentially. The others simply didn't know that yet.
As Shi Feng arranged these matters, time flew by, and before he knew it, more than ten hours had passed.
"Time to head to Azure Sea City."
Shi Feng checked the time, then took out a return scroll for Azure Sea City and teleported directly to the city where he had arranged to meet Mo Qiubai.