Star Moon City, as the capital of the Star Moon Kingdom, had bones strewn everywhere beneath its prosperous surface.
The moment Shi Feng stepped through its gates, he was hit by an overwhelmingly thick stench of blood.
Walking along the bustling main streets of Star Moon City, Shi Feng didn't see a single member of any small guild. The weakest guilds present were at least third-rate or above. As for the rest, he could more or less guess what had happened to them.
They had certainly been cleared out by the major guilds.
On top of that, the players here were generally high-level and their equipment was noticeably better than what you'd see in White River City.
Bronze Equipment, which was rare among ordinary players elsewhere, was everywhere here. Many guildless free players were even walking around with Iron Rank weapons and gear. The overall standard was clearly far above White River City.
Players wearing guild emblems were an even more impressive sight — the majority of their equipment was Iron Rank, and some elite members were already decked out in full Iron Rank sets.
But even so, compared to Shi Feng, they were still far behind.
This time around, Shi Feng had come to Star Moon City disguised not as Black Flame but in his original Ye Feng appearance. As a result, he hadn't hidden his equipment.
Though he had suppressed the glow effect of his Mythril-grade gear, the exquisite and striking appearance of the pieces, along with the Abyssal and the Demon-Slaying Sword at his waist, were unmistakably extraordinary no matter how you looked at them. Passersby couldn't help but turn their heads.
Along the way, Shi Feng was like a celebrity strolling down the street — low profile was simply not an option.
But Shi Feng didn't seem to care about the attention at all. He just went about his business.
Whenever he arrived in a new city, Shi Feng's habit was to visit the Auction House first, using it to get a read on the local price levels.
Star Moon City, as the royal capital, sat at the very heart of the Star Moon Kingdom. Trade from all four cardinal directions flowed through it. In its heyday in his previous life, the daily transaction volume in Star Moon City alone accounted for a quarter of the entire kingdom's trade. Just imagine the sheer scale of it.
If you controlled Star Moon City, the daily tax revenue alone would be astronomical. Compared to that, the sixteen or seventeen hundred gold pieces Shi Feng netted daily through the Star Trace Trading Company was a drop in the bucket.
With such enormous trading volume, it would be a lie to say Shi Feng wasn't tempted.
But the Zero Wing Guild had only just gotten on track. Trying to carve out a share of Star Moon City's market was still too early.
For now, he was just doing some preliminary reconnaissance to prepare for eventually entering the Star Moon City market.
The Auction House in Star Moon City was the largest in the entire Star Moon Kingdom. Items listed here could be browsed and purchased by players from dozens of surrounding cities, making it far superior to White River City's.
Moreover, as the royal capital, players from other nations heading to the Star Moon Kingdom — or domestic players looking to travel abroad — inevitably had to pass through here as a transit point. This meant foreign players frequently consigned their items to the Star Moon Auction House as well. The variety of goods on offer was staggering, something no other auction house in the kingdom could match.
This was exactly why so many people chose to buy and sell here.
Inside the Auction House, the crowd was a sea of people. Shi Feng found a quiet corner, sat down, and pulled up the auction listings, browsing through them quietly.
"Dao-ge, look at that guy's gear — it's insane! My Eagle Eye skill can read any weapon or equipment below Gold-grade, but there are several pieces on him that I can't read at all!" A lean Ranger was staring at Shi Feng's equipment, practically drooling with excitement.
"Seriously? Can't read them? Don't tell me they're all Mythril-grade? Yulei, your skill must be glitching, right? Even the guild leaders of Snake of the Body and the Star River Alliance couldn't have that many Mythril-grade pieces, let alone some random no-name guild player." The brawny Berserker named Daoyu Wusheng jested with a grin.