On the streets of the Trade Center district, a man cloaked in black quickly strode into the towering Star Trace Trading House standing alongside the road.
Due to the popularity of Star Trace Trading House, players came and went in great numbers. Moreover, players wearing all manner of cloaks were a common sight, so he drew no attention.
Had anyone observed more closely, they would have noticed the two longswords strapped to the middle-aged man's back. Both were exquisitely crafted—one radiated a faint halo of black flames, while the other shimmered with a green luminescence. One glance and it was clear these were no ordinary weapons. Furthermore, the man's equipment had a distinctive style of its own, obviously a matching set, and of no low quality.
This man was none other than Shi Feng's alternate account, Hei Yan.
Previously, Shi Feng had spent the better part of a day crafting a total of 600 Magic Energy Armor Plates—400 physical-type plates and 200 magical-type plates.
As for the Copper Ore, Bronze Ore, and Basic Healing Potions and Basic Mana Potions needed to craft the Magic Energy Armor Plates, he had a mountain of them.
The Philosopher's Stone could directly refine ore from raw stone, so Shi Feng didn't need to purchase any at all. Only the Basic Healing Potions and Basic Mana Potions cost some money, but compared to the effects of the Magic Energy Armor Plates, it was hardly worth mentioning.
Even the most troublesome aspect—the crafting success rate—was easily overcome by Shi Feng.
First, Shi Feng was already an advanced Blacksmith's Apprentice, giving him a 20% base success rate for crafting Magic Energy Armor Plates. On top of that, with the Book of Forging and various other auxiliary tools, his success rate for crafting Magic Energy Armor Plates rose to nearly 66%. Even if he failed, the cost was only 70 copper coins.
For Shi Feng, who was now flush with funds, this was nothing to fret over.
When Shi Feng reached the third floor of Star Trace Trading House, he found a long queue stretching through the corridor. Most of these people were NPCs, with only a small portion being players.
"Hey, don't you know about first come, first served?"
"You rude barbarian! How dare you defy the rules set by Lady Anna!"
"Brother, you've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid Goddess Anna will have you thrown out?"
Everyone in the queue—NPCs and players alike—shot Shi Feng glares of fury. It wasn't that they particularly hated this stranger they'd never met before. Rather, they had gone to great lengths and waited a long time for the chance to see Lady Anna. If Shi Feng's rudeness caused Lady Anna to fly into a rage and throw them all out, that would be a disaster.
"What are you all queuing up for here?" Shi Feng asked curiously.
Shi Feng scanned the corridor and roughly estimated there were over two hundred people—no small number. Moreover, seeing how everyone referred to Anna as "Lady" and "Goddess," their faces filled with admiration and reverence, Shi Feng broke into a cold sweat.
"You don't even know about this and you still dare to come here?" Everyone rolled their eyes at Shi Feng as though they were looking at a clueless newbie, their faces full of disdain.
"Right now, Star Trace Trading House is recruiting Blacksmiths and Alchemists in large numbers. If you're selected by Star Trace Trading House to become one of their Blacksmiths or Alchemists, you get your own private workshop with unlimited material supply. If you perform well, you can even get a private research lab with plenty of materials for your experiments. In other words, as long as you become a Blacksmith or Alchemist for Star Trace Trading House, both wealth and fame are within easy reach."
At this point, everyone sighed with envy for those who had become Star Trace Trading House's Blacksmiths and Alchemists. But when they saw a female player walk out of the office looking dejected, their expressions dimmed a few shades.
As Star Trace Trading House grew ever more famous and popular, the number of NPCs and players wanting to join had increased dramatically, and so the difficulty of the selection process had risen as well. It was no longer as easy as when they had first started recruiting.
"How many in a row has that been now?"
"Seventh, I think. The difficulty really does increase the further along you go. Before, one out of every four or five would make it. Now it's only one out of every seven or eight. I wonder what my odds will be when my turn comes?"