Red Leaf Town. Gray clouds hung in the sky, with a bright moon suspended high overhead. The magic lamps lining the streets bathed Red Leaf Town in brilliant light.
Shi Feng had just logged in.
It was still nighttime in the Divine Realm. Most players were gathered in the Trade District, making it feel incredibly crowded. Only a handful of expert players ventured out into the wild to level up and hunt monsters.
Along the wide stone-paved roads, player stalls were set up everywhere. White cloths displayed crafting materials needed by auxiliary professions alongside some ordinary gear, while sellers and buyers haggled back and forth, turning red in the face over a copper coin or two. The street that had been desolate during the day had now transformed into a bustling marketplace.
System: The Guardian Armor you listed at the Auction House has been sold. After deducting the transaction fee, 5 silver 31 copper has been deposited into your inventory.
System: The Guardian Armor you listed at the Auction House has been sold. After deducting the transaction fee, 5 silver 67 copper has been deposited into your inventory.
System: The Guardian Armor you listed at the Auction House has been sold. After deducting the transaction fee, 5 silver 98 copper has been deposited into your inventory.
…
Shi Feng hadn't taken more than two steps before a barrage of system notifications from the Auction House rang out. He casually pulled up the system messages, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.
The value of the Guardian Armor had far exceeded his expectations. He'd figured 5 silver would be about right, but the bidding had climbed higher and higher, with the top price reaching 6 silver 42 copper. Eleven pieces of Guardian Armor had sold for over 67 silver in total, instantly turning him into a serious moneybags.
At this stage of the game, even a single silver had staggering purchasing power. A second-rate guild's entire liquid capital was only around sixty to seventy silver coins. To keep from charging new members too many copper—lest it hamper their early development—the funds available for ordinary players were quite limited. Probably only a first-rate guild could boast liquid assets exceeding one gold coin, but even that had to be spread across dozens to over a hundred people, making each person's share rather thin.
Now Shi Feng was sitting on a small fortune.
At this hour, players who had been out fighting during the day had mostly trickled back to town, their inventories packed with materials. Shi Feng naturally wasn't about to let the opportunity slip. He found a spot where foot traffic was lighter, spread out a white cloth, and set up a stall to buy materials.
The highest-level players were probably around level 4 by now. Ordinary players were still at level 2, while top-tier players might have reached level 3. As a result, the materials being sold came in all sorts—rare ones and common ones alike.
The rare materials were priced through the roof at the moment, and Shi Feng had no intention of buying those. Forging equipment single-handedly meant his profits were inherently limited. Selling gear like this was just about accumulating startup capital—only with capital could he make the real money.
"Buying Magic Essence—6 copper per stack! Stone Material—10 copper per stack! Also buying Sturdy Stones—23 copper per stack!" Shi Feng bellowed.
Players within earshot immediately began crowding around.
"Boss, I've got ten stacks of Stone Material. How many do you want?"
"I've got six stacks of Magic Essence—you want all of them?"
"I've got one stack of Sturdy Stone here."
After a full day of grinding mobs, Magic Essence and Stone Material were practically a dime a dozen. Most players sold them to NPCs or saved them for leveling their auxiliary professions. Sturdy Stones, on the other hand, were quite rare—they generally only dropped from Kobolds or Little Stone Golems in level 3 zones.