Aqua Rose was stunned when she heard Shi Fengâs orders.
âGuild Leader, are we really doing this?â Aqua Rose hurriedly asked after snapping out of her daze. âWeâre short on Coins and Credits right now because of the Guildâs development. Iâm afraid that we wonât last more than two days if we go through with this.â
Zero Wing had secured White River Cityâs Auction House, which significantly increased the Guildâs income, but the battle had also tremendously elevated the Guildâs fame, which had attracted more recruits and increased the Guildâs member count. Overall, the Guildâs funds were still stretched thin.
Meanwhile, a large-scale price war wouldnât yield results quickly. It could even backfire on Zero Wing. Starlink was its opponent this time, and the superpower had immense financial strength. Moreover, Zero Wing would be attacking Starlinkâs home turf. Even when Zero Wingâs coffers had been overflowing, it still hadnât been a match for Starlink.
Not even superpowers like Unyielding Soul or Crimson Emperor dared to engage in a financial war against Starlink.
âHow many Coins can we save each day after including the income from White River Cityâs Auction House?â Shi Feng asked.
âAfter deducting the Guildâs necessary expenditures and including the funds we have on hand, we should be able to save around 35,000 Gold per day,â Aqua Rose said with a bitter smile.
Thirty-five thousand Gold was unquestionably a huge sum to current first-rate Guilds. Many of them dreamed of saving so much in a single day. As Guilds continued to develop, they encountered more necessary expenditures.
Trying to wage a price war against a superpower on its home turf with just 35,000 Gold per day was a joke. That money would be gone in two days, at most. Even if Zero Wing was generating more income each day, the Guild could only afford to maintain its financial attack for around five days. Any longer and the war would affect the Guildâs development.
âThat should be just barely enough.â Shi Feng mimicked Aquaâs faint smile after giving the matter some thought.
âThatâs enough?â For a moment, Aqua Rose wondered if she had misheard Shi Feng. Either that, or she had accidentally told him the wrong numbers, stating the Guildâs net income as 350,000 rather than 35,000.
âMhm, thatâs enough. Just inform Melancholic and Youlan and tell them to see to the necessary preparations in the Dark Night Empire,â Shi Feng said, nodding. He then disconnected the call and continued toward the Candlelight Trading Firm to prepare for the Lord of Fire raid.
A few days ago, he wouldnât have been confident enough to start a price war with Starlink in the Dark Night Empire, but he had already purchased 500 Stamina Gemstones from the 4-star Wandering Merchant Zall.
The various major powers desperately needed Stamina Gemstones since theyâd all started to explore neutral maps. Unfortunately, these neutral maps didnât have Guild Towns or Cities yet where players could rest. Moreover, the various large Guilds couldnât transfer their Guild Towns to these neutral maps yet, which meant that exploration relied entirely on playersâ strength and Stamina.
Meanwhile, the wealthier a neutral map was, the hasher its environment would be. As a result, players expended more Stamina than normal when exploring these maps. Players would even consume Stamina while standing still in some neutral maps, and even if they sat down to rest, their Stamina recovery would only be enough to nullify the passive consumption rate. Players simply couldnât survive in these maps for long. Although there were some potions that aided in Stamina recovery on the market, they were extremely rare. The various major powers usually saved these potions for their members, rarely selling them.
Take Zero Wing, for example. Although Zero Wing could brew the Exotic Stamina Potion, it only had ten players that were capable of producing it, yet the Guild had more than 500,000 members. After deducting the Guildâs needs, very few Exotic Stamina Potions were left that could be sold on the market.
This predicament only increased the Stamina Gemstoneâs value. First, the Stamina Gemstone did not have a set duration; it would not disappear after a certain period of use. Second, it did not have a level limit. Hence, players could use the Stamina Gemstone throughout their careers in Godâs Domain.
If players equipped three Stamina Gemstones, they wouldnât have to worry about Stamina consumption when exploring neutral maps below Level 100. Because of this, the various major powers had gone crazy for Stamina Gemstones in the past, each easily selling for 300 Gold in an auction.
While Shi Feng prepared all sorts of Fire Resistance equipment and potions, players throughout Star-Moon Kingdom had discovered Starlinkâs assault on Zero Wing, and a commotion erupted across the kingdom.
âStarlink has finally made its move.â
âI knew Starlink couldnât take the embarrassment of losing to Zero Wing lying down. Even though Zero Wing has many experts, the competition between the various powers is one of finances. How can Zero Wing possibly compete with Starlink without any backers?â
âStarlink is pretty impressive, though. Itâs actually poaching Zero Wingâs members by offering to triple their salaries. Iâve heard that several hundred Zero Wing members have already left to join Starlink. Moreover, a large number of them are Advanced Lifestyle players. This will likely wound the Candlelight Trading Firm.â
âI would be tempted, as well. After all, they get to join a superpower and earn three times their normal salary.â
âThatâs not all Starlink is doing. Iâve heard that itâs started to buy Star-Moon Kingdomâs materials at a high price, too. It is also selling similar products to the Candlelight Trading Firm at a much lower price. As a result, Candlelightâs player traffic has decreased.â
âZero Wingâs in trouble now. It has just secured White River Cityâs Auction House after fighting so hard, and just as it has gained the funds to start on the path toward becoming a superpower, Starlink had jumped in and made such a move. Zero Wingâs development will likely stagnate.â
âSure enough, superpowers shouldnât be casually provoked.â
By this point, Star-Moon Kingdomâs players had gained a better understanding of superpowersâ wealth. Although they had recently held an optimistic view of Zero Wingâs future, hoping that Zero Wing could emerge victorious from a price war with Starlink was unrealistic.
Meanwhile, a gorgeous woman in dark-purple robes entered one of White River Cityâs Advanced Bars. As soon as she spotted the middle-aged man wearing pitch-black leather armor at the bar, she hurried up to him.
âCommander, Iâve just received a message from the Seven Sins. Not only has Starlink successfully secured three Auction Houses, but it has also become an advanced member in the Secret Chamber of Commerce. As an advanced member, the first thing Starlink did was use its authority to hold an Advanced Union. It looks like Starlink is trying to kick Zero Wing out of Secret,â Yi Luofei immediately reported.
âAn Advanced Union?â Yan Tianxing could not help but shake his head and sigh as he said, âSure enough, hoping that a Guild with no background can become a superpower is a foolâs dream. Since that is the case, letâs return to the Black Dragon Empire.â
Within the Secret Chamber of Commerce, there were two levels of membership: basic and advanced. Not only did advanced members enjoy greater authority and have more access to the Chamberâs resources, but they could also hold an Advanced Union to propose changes to the Chamberâs other advanced members. As long as more than half of the advanced members agreed to the proposal, it would be enacted immediately. One of the potential proposals included expelling basic members from the Chamber.
However, becoming an advanced member in the Secret Chamber of Commerce was extremely difficult. Not even all Super Guilds qualified for that level of membership, and Starlinkâs success in doing so was certainly shocking.
Since Starlink was responsible for the proposal, Secretâs advanced members would likely approve Zero Wingâs removal to avoid provoking the superpower and prevent another from rising in Godâs Domain. Now, not even the Secret Pavilionâs objection could save Zero Wing from its fate.
It was easy to imagine what end awaited Zero Wing if it lost access to the Secret Chamber of Commerceâs sales channels.
Shi Feng, who busied himself in the Candlelight Trading Firm, received a frustrated notification from Yuan Tiexin, as well. After today, Zero Wing was no longer a member of the Secret Chamber of Commerce, and all dealings it had with the Chamber would be canceled immediately.
âGuild Leader Black Flame, this decision is a result of the Advanced Unionâs agreement. Although the Secret Pavilion voted against it, the five other advanced members voted for the proposal. There was nothing the Pavilion could do,â Yuan Tiexin said apologetically.
âItâs fine. Itâs the rules, after all. Although, I have to thank the Pavilion for voting in Zero Wingâs favor,â Shi Feng said, chuckling.
âAlthough Zero Wing is no longer part of the Secret Chamber of Commerce, if your Guild needs anything, the Secret Pavilion can help with small matters. Just contact me if you need anything in the future,â Yuan Tiexin sincerely offered.
âThanks.â Shi Feng nodded appreciatively.
As Shi Feng learned of Zero Wingâs banishment from the Secret Chamber of Commerce, news of the matter spread throughout Star-Moon Kingdom, causing an uproar.
Nobody wouldâve imagined that Secret would annex Zero Wing without a second thought. With this, Zero Wing would find it even more difficult to survive Starlinkâs economic suppression.
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âZero Wing! Didnât you want to play? Iâll give you my full attention this time!â Lu Xingluo, in the distant Dark Night Empire, laughed when he received the latest report on Zero Wing.
Previously, he hadnât had the time to deal with Zero Wing, but now that Starlink has secured its position as the Dark Night Empireâs overlord, neither Unyielding Soul nor Crimson Empire was a match for its prowess in the empire. Now that he didnât have to worry about Starlinkâs position in the empire, he had the time to punish Zero Wing for angering Starlink.
Meanwhile, Melancholic Smile and Youlan had just arrived in one of the Hundred Flower Palaceâs Shops in Dark Night City that Zero Wing had taken over.
âGuild Leader, all of Candlelightâs Shops in the empire have been stocked with Stamina Gemstones and Exotic Stamina Potions. We can start selling them at any time,â Melancholic Smile reported after calling Shi Feng.
âGood! Begin the operation!â Shi Feng commanded. âItâs about time we teach Starlink a lesson!â