Only after Ossetod spoke up did Shi Feng snap out of his daze.
"I'll choose the Bastion Prison and the Tower of Summoning!" Shi Feng said without the slightest hesitation.
Among the Bronze Rank privileges, the Bastion Prison was practically a must-pick. Without that tool, there was simply no way to truly keep troublemakers in line.
That was exactly why every major superpower had desperately thrown themselves at the Gate of Legacy the moment they secured an ancient bastion.
As for the Silver Rank privileges, both the Tower of Corruption and the Tower of Creation were aimed at increasing a bastion's value — making it more attractive to players.
Those kinds of features were generally meant to compete against other ancient bastions on the same map, since they gave you an edge in drawing crowds.
But right now, the Starshine Bastion was the only bastion in all of Star Valley. There were no competitors to speak of. Any player who wanted to level up and develop in Star Valley had no choice but to come here. There was no urgency in that regard.
The Tower of Summoning, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
Of the three Silver Rank privileges, it was the only one that strengthened a bastion's control — which was precisely what the Starshine Bastion needed most. After all, Zero Wing had only ten people on the Western Continent. Without the Divine Will Tribe as a partner, even after conquering the Starshine Bastion, they would never have been able to manage it.
But with the Tower of Summoning, things changed entirely.
As long as the summoned creatures were powerful enough, the entire bastion could run without a single Zero Wing member present.
The summoned creatures would follow basic parameters set by the player — such as guarding the Lord's Hall and barring entry, or attacking players who engaged in combat within the bastion. Combined with the Bastion Prison, this setup would be virtually inescapable for anyone looking to cause trouble.
Of course, all of this hinged on the summoned creatures being strong enough.
If they couldn't quickly kill or suppress players, the Tower of Summoning would be nothing more than a decorative piece. Unlike the Tower of Corruption and the Tower of Creation, its effectiveness depended entirely on what level of creature the player could summon.
And then there was the enormous cost of raising those creatures afterward.
Summoned creatures started at the same level as the summoner — whatever the player's level was, that was the creature's level as well. To raise that level required massive resource investment, and the amount and type depended entirely on the creature summoned. Generally speaking, the stronger the creature, the steeper the investment.
Rumor had it that a Tier 5 magical beast's daily upkeep alone could match the entire net income of a first-rate guild for a full day. Without deep pockets, nobody could even think of playing that game.
But Shi Feng didn't need to worry about that right now. The Starshine Bastion was currently the only bastion in Star Valley. As long as it was managed well, the daily revenue would be an astronomical figure even for those first-rate guilds. The entrance fees alone would be enough to make one's hands go soft from counting.
Ancient bastions didn't have NPC assistants for management, but on the flip side, there was no revenue split on entrance fees. Players kept one hundred percent of what they collected. And for a small bastion, the maximum entrance fee a single person could charge was twenty silver coins — double what Stone Forest City charged. That was why every major superpower was so obsessed with ancient bastions.
Bastions like the Starshine Bastion, situated close to a God-tier regional dungeon, were absolute must-covet prizes.
Once Shi Feng had finished making his selections, Ossetod began chanting incantations, tracing a mysterious rune in midair that imprinted itself directly onto the Lord's Token.
Instantly, a translucent screen appeared on the Lord's Token. Two of the six bastion privilege icons lit up — the Bastion Prison and the Tower of Summoning.
Starshine Bastion Prison: Status unlocked. Activating the Bastion Prison requires 30,000 Magic Crystals. Daily maintenance costs 3,000 Magic Crystals. Activate?
Starshine Bastion Tower of Summoning: Status unlocked. Activating the Tower of Summoning requires 50,000 Magic Crystals. Daily maintenance costs 5,000 Magic Crystals. Activate?
Shi Feng tapped the prompt to activate the Tower of Summoning without hesitation. As for the Bastion Prison, that could wait.
The entire bastion was still in lockdown — outside players couldn't enter. There was no need to rush activating the prison. Magic Crystals didn't grow on trees, and activating it two days early would mean burning through an extra 6,000 for nothing.
The Tower of Summoning, however, was better activated as soon as possible.
Summoning creatures took time, and the more powerful the monster, the longer it required. After summoning, the creature still needed to be raised, which also took time. For Shi Feng, who was already pressed for time, he wished he could summon the creature immediately. With a bit of luck, he might even get it up by a full level within those two days.
After all, creatures weren't NPCs, and they weren't players. Once their level increased, all of their stats and combat power rose right along with it, instantly reaching their peak value. It wasn't like players or NPCs, where a level increase barely moved the needle without the right weapons and equipment to match.
After confirming his selection, Shi Feng pulled 100,000 Magic Crystals from his inventory and poured them into the Lord's Token in one go. The remaining 50,000 Magic Crystals would keep the Tower of Summoning running for ten days.