After the members of the Stormheart Adventuring Team finished paying the exorbitant city entry fee, Kuror and the others carefully followed a group of players who wanted to take a look inside Starlight Bastion, slipping right through the fortress gates under the Holy Dragon's watchful eyes.
"No way! People actually want to waste their money on that?"
"Maybe they feel like they came all this way and want to check the place out. But what's there to see in a fortress? The only difference is slightly denser mana inside. They want suckers like us to cough up the cash? Not a chance!"
As Kuror and his group filed one by one into Starlight Bastion, the players around them who were about to leave couldn't help but cast looks of disdain in their direction.
A city entry fee of a full twenty silver coins was completely unprecedented across the entire Western Continent.
Twenty silver coins was enough to fully repair a complete set of weapons and armor, and for some second-tier class players, that was an entire day's earnings.
Now they were throwing away a full day's income just to see Starlight Bastion, or to experience the dense mana inside — and only for a single day at that. Utterly foolish.
Shortly after these players finished their commentary, they turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, the crowd of players that had once surged like a tide dispersed by more than ninety percent, leaving fewer than ten thousand still queuing at the entrance.
"They've already taken control of Starlight Bastion, and now they're driving people away? Looks like they don't even need to do anything — this place is going to collapse on its own."
"All expenses inside are paid with Magic Crystals. The nerve of them."
"It's beyond stupid. They think that because Starlight Bastion is the only fortress in the Valley of Stars, they can push players around. They don't realize players aren't suckers. Worst case, we just don't go. We'll still level up the same way, just a bit slower."
"Now this is what you call taking a great hand and playing it horribly."
The major factions that had come to Starlight Bastion couldn't help but laugh as they watched how few players were actually entering.
They had originally worried that Starlight Bastion would grow powerful and expand, widening the gap between them. Now all those concerns had evaporated.
The twenty-silver-coin entry fee was steep, yes, and quite a few skilled players could stomach it — as long as it meant faster leveling and resource gathering.
But requiring payment in Magic Crystals? That was essentially asking for their lives.
Magic Crystals were the lifeblood of Western Continent players. Without Magic Crystals to replenish their Battle Magic Runes, their combat strength would plummet. Yet Magic Crystals were exceedingly rare on the Western Continent, and obtaining even a single one was incredibly difficult. Otherwise, the major factions across the Western Continent wouldn't be frantically fighting over mineral veins that had a chance of producing Magic Crystals.
And while the Valley of Stars did offer some opportunity to obtain Magic Crystals, it was far harder than finding them in the outside world.
The Valley of Stars was a forbidden zone of life, far more dangerous than anything beyond its borders. The places where one could find Magic Crystals were correspondingly perilous.
If they truly tried to develop within Starlight Bastion, then from that point on they would effectively be working for the fortress full-time. Only a fool would agree to that.
Without hesitation, the leadership of every major faction ordered their teams to change course, not intending to set foot inside Starlight Bastion at all.
Before coming to Starlight Bastion, they had already learned the specific conditions inside through their spies in the Divine Intent Tribe. There was no need to enter the fortress to confirm anything.
Unless, of course, someone had money to burn and wanted to contribute gold coins to Starlight Bastion's coffers.
As the mass of players departed from Starlight Bastion, Makafrey stood atop the fortress walls watching the exodus with deep frustration.
This was all money and resources walking away!
If only Shi Feng had lowered his conditions even a little, Starlight Bastion could have thrived in the Valley of Stars. Instead, he insisted on Magic Crystal payments, effectively locking out the vast majority of players.