The completely transformed Stone Forest City left everyone present buzzing with private discussion. But compared to the other players gathered around, it was the members of Zero Wing who felt the greater shock and awe.
The moment Stone Forest City's seal was lifted, guild members could walk right in. Not so for the outside players — until the city officially opened or they received the administrator's approval, they couldn't set foot inside.
Of course, a city's upgrade lockdown didn't last long. Just one day, after which it would automatically open to the public. That single day was merely a buffer for the guild's managers to take control.
And the Zero Wing members inside Stone Forest City were utterly captivated by the new version of their city.
The dense mana saturating the city was one thing — even players outside could feel it. What truly amazed them were the buildings throughout the city. Not only had everything been completely revitalized, but among them were shops opened by NPCs of other races, selling all manner of special magical scrolls, rare potions, and unique delicacies that were nearly impossible to find on the open market.
There were even NPC trading associations — the kind found only in the capital cities of kingdoms and empires.
On the surface, these trading association shops looked no different from any other NPC store. But the associations frequently posted quests. Accumulate enough reputation, and you could take on special high-level missions with generous rewards — even a decent chance of scoring solid weapons and equipment.
That was precisely why, even now, both independent players and members of major factions made a point of visiting NPC cities.
With Stone Forest City now boasting NPC trading association shops of its own, they no longer had to trek to NPC cities. They could build up trading association reputation and take on association quests right here, saving themselves a tremendous amount of trouble.
"Guild Master, what did you do? Is this really Stone Forest City?" Bai Qingxue stared at the high-end shops and towering buildings lining the main street — structures that rivaled anything in White River City — and felt a wave of disbelief crash over her. Nothing about the old Stone Forest City remained.
Honestly, if she hadn't noticed that the Freedom Inn, completed earlier, still looked the same, she would have assumed this was some other major NPC city.
The biggest difference between guild cities and NPC cities had always been the NPC trading associations. Nearly half the quests available in NPC cities came from these associations. Beyond generous experience points, they offered substantial monetary rewards — making them a primary income source for top-tier players outside of running Dungeons for equipment and materials.
That was why players still couldn't afford to abandon NPC cities. Without that income, their earnings would be cut in half. Ordinary players would struggle to survive — the drop rate for rare materials and equipment in level-100 zones was far too low, and those areas were mainly for grinding levels anyway.
Now that Stone Forest City had so many NPC trading association shops, it meant that both Zero Wing and other players could use a city on a level-100 neutral map as their base. No more need to make special trips back to NPC cities just to pick up trading association quests.
For ordinary players, this might seem like nothing more than a convenience. But for the major factions, it meant breaking free from the shackles of NPC cities. Even if NPC cities ceased to exist in the future, they could survive and grow independently, no longer confined to the borders of kingdoms and empires — expanding wherever they pleased.
"Of course it's Stone Forest City. It's just that after a guild city advances to mid-tier, it gains the ability to survive on its own in the outside world," Shi Feng said with a smile, watching the visibly emotional Bai Qingxue.
In the Divine Realm, the gap between a low-tier city and a mid-tier city looked like just one rank on paper. But that single rank made all the difference — it was exactly why he had wanted to upgrade as early as possible.
Once a city reached mid-tier, not only would its defenses increase dramatically, but even if Zero Wing lost the Star Moon Kingdom, they could still thrive. Competition for territory in kingdoms and empires was brutal, NPC cities weren't under player control, managing them was a headache, and rival factions could easily encroach on your holdings.
A guild city was different. It was entirely under player control. Unless an opposing force could conquer the city outright, there was nothing they could do.
But compared to Stone Forest City's upgrade to mid-tier, the Freedom Inn was even more important.
The Freedom Inn was the foundation that made a guild city flourish!
Beyond the dense mana inside — which dramatically accelerated the accumulation of double experience points for resting players — the critical feature was the teleportation magic array built into the Freedom Inn.
In the Divine Realm, replicating the teleportation halls found in NPC cities, where players could teleport at any time simply by holding a return scroll, was an extraordinarily rare achievement.
Yet the Freedom Inn could do exactly that.
Any guest staying at the Freedom Inn could purchase a return scroll, allowing them to teleport back no matter where or when. This was an enormous convenience for players who had no base or residence in the guild city.
Beyond convenience for adventurous players, the Freedom Inn was a boon for life-skill players as well. Resting inside not only accumulated double experience points but also double life-skill proficiency — albeit at a much slower pace than experience. Even so, this was incredibly valuable. The potions and items on the market that boosted life-skill proficiency all sold at astronomical prices, far beyond what ordinary players could afford.
"Guild Master, our personnel are mostly in position. Shall we open Stone Forest City now?" Bai Qingxue reported after finally regaining her composure.
In preparation for the Dark World's players, Zero Wing had deployed a considerable number of people to Stone Forest City. Even though the city was much larger than before, they could quickly handle all the management logistics.
She was also eager to open the city as soon as possible.
Once Stone Forest City opened, many independent powerhouses would surely find it hard to sit still. Joining Zero Wing wouldn't be out of the question — after all, Zero Wing had effectively broken free from the constraints of kingdoms and empires, greatly accelerating the leveling speed for its members.
"Wait a bit. There's something I need to take care of with the Freedom Inn first. It won't hurt to open the city after that," Shi Feng said.
"The Freedom Inn?" Bai Qingxue didn't understand what else needed to be done with the already-completed Freedom Inn — especially something that required Shi Feng to handle it personally.
Shi Feng didn't elaborate. He had Bai Qingxue prepare the follow-up management plans for Stone Forest City's opening and work out the entry fee structure, while he headed directly toward the Freedom Inn not far away.
Even after Stone Forest City's buildings had received further upgrades, the thirty-two-story Freedom Inn remained strikingly prominent. Standing on its top floor, one could easily see the entirety of Stone Forest City laid out below.
"The mana concentration here should be the maximum Stone Forest City can currently produce. If this still isn't enough, then I really don't know what else I can do," Shi Feng murmured as he arrived at the Freedom Inn's purpose-built interior courtyard, carefully retrieving the seedling of the Tree of Life from his backpack.