Even though Shi Feng had only asked casually, Ci Xin suddenly turned his head and looked at Shi Feng with an eager expression, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Brother Yefeng, could it be that you have a forging design blueprint?"
Right now, Bronze Equipment design blueprints were being fought over like crazy. Every major guild was competing, showcasing their resources, and no one could be sure how many more Gleaming Breastplate blueprints would be put up for sale. It was entirely possible that by the time second-tier guildes like theirs got a shot, the first-tier guildes would have snatched them all up.
If they could get their hands on a Bronze Equipment forging design blueprint right now, the Assassin Alliance would be able to pull ahead of the other second-tier guildes, build up significant reputation, and make a fortune. When the time came to contest White River City, their chances would improve considerably.
Shi Feng shook his head.
The excitement in Ci Xin's eyes died instantly, replaced by dejection. But thinking about it, he supposed it made sense. So far, aside from the Black Flame Blacksmith and Yichui Maimai, no third player had managed to produce a forging design blueprint. This kind of thing ultimately came down to luck.
"Didn't you want to bid on the Gleaming Breastplate? I can lend you the money," Shi Feng said slowly.
Ci Xin suddenly realized — Shi Feng was indeed quite wealthy. Being able to pull out twenty silver coins showed he had a decent nest egg. But compared to those first-tier guildes, he was still far behind. Thirty or forty silver coins would be his absolute limit. Ci Xin sighed and said, "Brother Yefeng, it's not that I don't trust you, but the price of the Gleaming blueprint is too high. Twenty or thirty silver coins won't make much of a difference."
"Oh? How much would it take to secure the bid?" Shi Feng asked confidently.
He didn't know exactly what price would win the blueprint, but he had over four gold coins from selling two blueprints earlier. That money had long been deposited into his inventory, so winning a third Gleaming Breastplate blueprint was practically a sure thing. On top of that, he could repay Ci Xin's favor. The money would ultimately end up back in his hands anyway — so why not?
He had never expected the Gleaming blueprint to be this popular. The guildes were going all out, fighting with an almost desperate determination to claim it. No wonder game currency was in such short supply and prices were running high. But for him, this was fantastic news. If he didn't add fuel to the fire right now, it would be a waste of all his hard work over the past while.
Ci Xin held up three fingers and said helplessly, "The competition is getting fiercer by the minute. My estimate is it'll take at least three gold coins, or there's really no hope."
"How much do you have on you?" Shi Feng had no intention of fronting three gold coins in one go and shouldering everything himself.
"I've got two gold and ten silver. Game currency is incredibly hard to acquire right now — the other guildes have bought up almost everything. I was already planning to give up the competition and go level up instead." Ci Xin shook his head with a sigh.
"Then I'll lend you ninety silver. That way you'll have a full three gold," Shi Feng said with a smile. He clicked directly into a trade with Ci Xin and placed ninety silver coins on the trading panel.
When Ci Xin saw the ninety silver on the trading panel, he was stunned. He hadn't expected Shi Feng to be this wealthy. Adding in the ten-plus silver he'd already spent, didn't that mean Shi Feng had at least over one gold coin on him?
If the Assassin Alliance hadn't had the entire guild pooling funds, their liquid assets would be about on par with Shi Feng's. But they were a second-tier guild with over twenty thousand members and a dedicated five-hundred-person gold-farming team. And here was a single individual whose earnings matched the entire guild's…
"Brother Yefeng, thank you so much. I will definitely repay this favor," Ci Xin said gratefully. "But I can't let you take a loss. I'll return one gold to you tomorrow, guaranteed."
Right now, game currency was worth its weight in gold — especially during this critical period when everyone was fighting over design blueprints. Ci Xin had initially wanted to offer to buy the coins outright, but considering how precious game currency was, even money couldn't easily buy it. And he knew Shi Feng wouldn't be short on Credit Points, so he felt embarrassed to make that offer. Instead, he offered ten silver coins in interest.
But Shi Feng was actually somewhat speechless. All he wanted was Credit Points. He was carrying a considerable amount of debt, and with plans to establish a studio in the later stages, he was desperate for money. What would he do with more game currency? Credit Points were what truly mattered.
Opening the studio even one day earlier would allow him to recruit stable team members sooner, tackle large-scale raid Dungeons, earn money and level up more efficiently, build the studio's reputation, and lay a solid foundation for establishing a guild. If he waited too long, it would be difficult to even find a foothold in White River City. Every second counted.
"Brother Ci Xin, don't say that. If you hadn't stepped in today, I would've ended up in a bloody fight no matter what. I owe you a favor. For these ninety silver, just buy them from me at sixty Credit Points per silver — that's fine. In the early stages of a guild, you need game currency for everything, so please don't stand on ceremony," Shi Feng said earnestly.
Ci Xin was deeply moved upon hearing this. He felt Shi Feng was the kind of person worth building a long-term bond with. If he returned one gold to Shi Feng tomorrow, it would cause considerable strain on the guild's operations. Training Blacksmiths and purchasing materials all required large amounts of game currency. If he could buy it with Credit Points instead, that would be ideal.
"Thank you so much, Brother Yefeng. But sixty Credit Points per silver is too low — how could I bring myself to buy at that price? People would laugh at me. Eighty Credit Points per silver, seven thousand two hundred Credit Points total. I'll transfer it to you right away." Ci Xin was thrilled. No matter how much Shi Feng insisted, he stubbornly transferred seven thousand two hundred Credit Points to him.
"Brother Yefeng, I'm off to bid on the blueprint. In the future, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll do everything in my power to help."
With that, Ci Xin and his group rushed off to the Auction House.
Shi Feng looked at the extra seven thousand two hundred Credit Points in his account and chuckled helplessly. His opinion of Ci Xin rose considerably — he felt he could help Ci Xin out more in the future.
His bank account now held over twenty thousand Credit Points. The money for two Virtual Headsets was secured, guaranteeing that even if seven days passed and the Virtual Headsets expired, he could keep playing Divine Realm.
The remaining task was to earn more money before the school's Social Mixer, to accumulate capital properly. Perhaps he could secure a major opportunity at the mixer and lay an unshakable foundation for the studio.
In his previous life, the Shadow Guild had used that huge opportunity at the mixer to dramatically boost the Shadow Studio's strength, giving them the confidence to compete with third-tier guildes for control of White River City.
Since he was going to attend this mixer in this life, he naturally wouldn't let such a prime opportunity slip by. He'd grab every bit he could.
Afterward, Shi Feng found an inn and rented a room.
In Red Leaf Town, his red name was far too conspicuous. If he didn't find a way to deal with it, every move he made would be noticed by the surrounding players.
"Didn't expect to use this so soon," Shi Feng muttered, pulling the Devil's Mask from his inventory with a wry shake of his head.
Without this item, solving the red-name problem would have been quite difficult.
After putting on the Devil's Mask, Shi Feng casually adjusted his facial features, making his appearance quite different from his original look. At the same time, his red name turned green. Without a high-level Appraisal skill, no one would be able to detect his disguise.
Once he confirmed everything was in order, Shi Feng listed the remaining three gold coins on the Virtual Trading Center at eighty Credit Points per silver. Given the current level of competition, as soon as the Assassin Alliance won the blueprint bid, those first-tier guildes and other second-tier guildes would become even more restless. The frenzy would only intensify — he had no worries about selling off this game currency.
Shi Feng was about to leave the inn when a sudden idea flashed through his mind. He lightly slapped his own forehead.
"How could I forget about this? Now that I have the Devil's Mask, it'd be a crime not to make the most of it." A sly grin spread across Shi Feng's face.
ps: Thanks to Ren Wu Zai Shao Nian 88 for the 200-point tip!