After the cold-faced man carrying the greatsword finished speaking, the Tier 3 members of Heart of the Storm couldn't help but let their eyes light up.
If the interior of Starfall Fortress truly functioned like it had in ancient times — capable of gathering all seven magical elements — that would be absolutely incredible.
Under such conditions, not only would their control over Mana become more complete and effortless, but it would also give them considerable help in unlocking the Mana Body later on.
"Ice Rose, head back now and gather the team's Mana Crystals. Also, have someone look into how we can rent a long-term inn here as a temporary residence for Heart of the Storm. From now on, our Tier 3 members will be developing here on a permanent basis!" Kurlo thought for a moment, then turned to the Tier 3 female Elementalist beside him.
Although the expenses at Starfall Fortress were enormous, compared to improving their control over Mana and unlocking the Mana Body, the cost was negligible.
Even if Heart of the Storm funneled every last Mana Crystal they earned going forward into this, it would be worth it.
For Tier 3 players like them, the most important thing right now wasn't their level — it was unlocking the Mana Body. Only by unlocking the Mana Body could they truly harness the power of a Tier 3 Class.
And within Starfall Fortress, they could accelerate the process of unlocking the Mana Body in a subtle, gradual way. This was an opportunity that couldn't be found anywhere else in the outside world.
While this hadn't yet been discovered by the public, Heart of the Storm needed to establish their foothold in Starfall Fortress as quickly as possible.
If they waited until everyone else caught on, it would be far too difficult for Heart of the Storm to develop here. When it came to financial resources and capital, the gap between them and even the top-tier guilds was enormous — let alone those superpowers.
"Got it! I'll have someone start investigating right away." The Tier 3 female Elementalist, dressed in blue robes, nodded and immediately set to work.
While Heart of the Storm was making their moves in secret, a number of Tier 3 independent players who had entered Starfall Fortress and possessed exceptional sensitivity to magical elements were also springing into action.
In an instant, an odd phenomenon appeared in the otherwise deserted Starfall Fortress.
Inns that should have seen zero demand were suddenly being rented out on long-term leases. This spectacle left the visiting players and even Macaffrey dumbfounded.
True, long-term leases came with a ten percent discount — renting for ten days only cost nine. But at one Mana Crystal per day per inn, plus the ongoing Mana Crystal expenses required to stay in Starfall Fortress, even Tier 3 powerhouses would feel the sting. Yet nearly a hundred people in Starfall Fortress had done exactly that.
Some had even rented out entire inns.
In less than an hour since Starfall Fortress had opened its doors, it had already raked in close to five thousand Mana Crystals — and that number was still climbing.
Meanwhile, in the Tomb of the Stars.
After Shi Feng and the others entered the Tomb of the Stars, the members of the Hell Legion found themselves locked in a desperate struggle.
Inside the Tomb of the Stars, even Tier 3 experts found movement difficult, their capabilities reduced to something barely distinguishable from Tier 1 players. The only silver lining was that their stats hadn't been lowered.
Still, the drastic reduction in mobility and body speed caused their individual combat power to plummet.
In the outside world, any member of the Hell Legion could easily defeat a Level 105 Grand Lord. But in the Tomb of the Stars, forget about facing a Level 105 Grand Lord — they could barely hold their own one-on-one against a Level 105 High Lord.
And within the Tomb of the Stars, the Earth Giants moved in groups of several hundred, with over a hundred of them at the Grand Lord level. Every battle was an agonizing ordeal for the Hell Legion.
Each wave of combat took the Hell Legion over an hour to conclude, and after every fight, they had to set up camp to recover their stamina, otherwise they'd have no hope of facing the next wave. As for leveling speed — it was incomparably slower than in the outside world.
That said, one had to admit that a God-tier Regional Dungeon was a God-tier Regional Dungeon.
The drop rate from killing monsters in the Tomb of the Stars was remarkably high, and the items that dropped were exceptional.
Weapons and equipment of Mythril Rank that would typically only drop from High Grand Lords in the outside world could be obtained from slaying Grand Lords within the Tomb of the Stars, and there was even a slim chance of getting a full Level 105 Mythril Set.