Chapter 652 - Asura Mode Dungeon
“Miss Snow, long time no see. You look tired,” Shi Feng said, slightly surprised as he saw Gentle Snow’s haggard expression through the video chat.
Gentle Snow was a well-known superwoman in the virtual gaming world. She also had plenty of capable subordinates under her.
After not seeing each other for only a few days, Gentle Snow looked so exhausted. It was surprising.
It had been quite a few years since Gentle Snow had made her debut. She should be quite competent at managing a Guild by now. In addition, the majority of Ouroboros’s Elders supported Gentle Snow right now, so managing the Guild should not be difficult.
“I’ve been busy with Guild affairs these past few days, so I haven’t gotten much rest,” Gentle Snow laughed softly, sweeping the matter under the rug with a single sentence. Inwardly, she envied Shi Feng, who could push the majority of Guild affairs onto Aqua Rose. Moreover, he only had to focus on White River City. Ouroboros, on the other hand, was competing over dozens of cities, both large and small.
However, these cities were still the least of her problems. Star-Moon City was the issue.
Ouroboros and the Star Alliance had been consolidating their positions in Star-Moon City. In addition to several other powerful second-rate Guilds, things had become extremely hectic for Gentle Snow.
It was especially true for the three upstart Guilds that had recently appeared in Star-Moon City:
Cloud Nine.
Yin Yang Court.
Heaven’s Burial.
All three possessed extraordinary backgrounds. They even had multiple Guild Residences in Star-Moon Kingdom’s major cities. They were developing as fast as a plague. Among the affected cities, Star-Moon City received the greatest impact, and White River City was not far behind.
Particularly, the manager of Star-Moon City’s Heaven’s Burial, Daybreak Fog, was far more difficult of an opponent than even Galaxy Past of the Star Alliance. So far, Ouroboros had clashed with Heaven’s Burial dozens of times, the battles ranging from small skirmishes to large-scale battles. Although Gentle Snow still held the advantage, Ouroboros did not have only one enemy. Both Cloud Nine and the Yin Yang Court eyed Ouroboros like fresh meat.
Ouroboros had already been unstable due to Cao Chenghua’s theft of several of the Guild’s core and elite members. Now, before she could settle the turmoil within the Guild, she faced so much trouble. In such a precarious situation, how could set aside time to rest? She had not even upgraded her equipment recently.
As Gentle Snow knew that Shi Feng disliked playing with words, after their casual greetings, she got straight to the point and said, “We have discovered a hidden treasured land near Star-Moon City. The area is rich in Magic Crystals, and I wish to invite Zero Wing to pioneer this treasured land by our side. Are you interested?”
Before the Divine Colosseum had been released, Magic Crystals had not been particularly valuable. Now, however, they were a strategic commodity that every large Guild fought over frantically.
Although every large Guild had a large number of players and was capable of dispatching many teams to raid Dungeons each day, Team Dungeons could only be raided once every three days. There were only so many Team Dungeons available. They could not acquire nearly as many Magic Crystals as they consumed.
Meanwhile, if there was another option—other than Team Dungeons—for one to obtain Magic Crystals, this was not an opportunity one could miss.
“A hidden treasured land?” When Shi Feng heard these words, the first place that popped up in his mind was the Stoneclaw Mountains.
In the past, when Stoneclaw Mountain had been discovered, it incited a great war between every Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom. The war had been the first kingdom-level war in Star-Moon Kingdom. Hundreds of Guilds involved themselves, all wanting to get their hands on a share of the profits.
That war had caused every Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom to suffer massive damages. Moreover, Ouroboros and the Star Alliance had even started an all-out war with each other. In the end, taking advantage of the situation, Heaven’s Burial, the Yin Yang Court, Cloud Nine, and several other second-rate Guilds had banded together to form a massive alliance and took over the Stoneclaw Mountains, splitting the profits.
Afterward, any players who wished to enter the Mountains were required to sign a contract, agreeing to hand over 30% of the Magic Crystals they harvested. In addition, players were required to pay a fixed fee before they could enter. The various large Guilds then split the profits.
The Stoneclaw Mountains was a Regional Dungeon that had formed a space of its own. However, it was not just any Dungeon, but an Asura Mode Dungeon.
Ordinary Team Dungeons were divided into three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Hell.
However, Regional Dungeons were divided into five difficulties: Normal, Hard, Hell, Asura, and God.
The Stoneclaw Mountains existed within the fourth difficulty level of Regional Dungeons. The Dungeon was Level 30 to Level 49. In other words, only players that were within the range of Level 30 to Level 49 could enter the Dungeon. Unlike Team Dungeons, however, there was no limit to the number of players who could enter. It was like White Fog Canyon. Inside the Dungeon, players could obtain items that were normally unattainable elsewhere.
In White Fog Canyon, players could obtain Starfire Ore that increased the success rate of forging. There was also the Warfire Set Equipment. Unfortunately, Shi Feng had already ruined White Fog Canyon. As of this moment, the Level 35 Great Lord, Anubis’s Gatekeeper, still roamed the map. As a result, no players dared to approach.
Meanwhile, White Fog Canyon was merely a Hard Mode Regional Dungeon, whereas the Stoneclaw Mountains was an Asura Mode Regional Dungeon. Survival was far more difficult in the Stoneclaw Mountains.
However, Magic Crystals were vastly important. They must be obtained, regardless of the sacrifices. Even Zero Wing was no exception to this.
“Currently, several Guilds from Star-Moon Kingdom are contesting over the rights of this hidden treasured land. If Zero Wing is willing to help, I can offer 50% of the income,” Gentle Snow offered a relatively attractive price.
To Gentle Snow, offering 50% of the profits was a big concession on her part. The Stoneclaw Mountains were within the Star-Moon City region. It was impossible for Zero Wing to send a large number of players to supervise the map. Hence, the responsibility of supervising the map would fall to Ouroboros. However, Zero Wing possessed extraordinary strength. As of this moment, even Shi Feng’s strength was a mystery. If Ouroboros and Zero Wing banded together, their chances of coming out on top would be a lot higher. Furthermore, working with other Guilds was simply not an option for Ouroboros.
“Alright, but I have a condition,” Shi Feng responded after giving it some thought. Zero Wing was based in White River City. There was a limit to how much combat power it could display in the faraway Star-Moon City. Even though the Guild was powerful, it could not move on the Stoneclaw Mountains by itself. Moreover, it was not realistic for a single Guild to monopolize the Stoneclaw Mountains.
“Tell me.” Gentle Snow rolled her eyes at Shi Feng. Her offer had already been bountiful, yet Shi Feng still had conditions of his own.
“It’s not really a condition. I just need Ouroboros to help me obtain some materials. I’ll even purchase them for 20% above market value,” Shi Feng laughed.
He currently had very few of the materials required to construct the Stable and Teleportation Magic Array. It would take a long time to gather the necessary materials if he relied on Zero Wing. However, it would be much easier if he used Gentle Snow’s connections to purchase the materials because most of these materials could only be obtained by large Guilds. It was practically an impossible task for independent players. Yet, even if he tried purchasing these materials, other Guilds would only sell them to their allies.
“Give me the list, then.” Gentle Snow released a sigh of relief upon hearing Shi Feng’s condition. She had thought Shi Feng intended to take advantage of her current predicament, but it turned out that he still had some humanity left in him.
“I’ll send it to you now,” Shi Feng then sent a list of the materials required to construct the Stable and Teleportation Magic Array to Gentle Snow.
“You really are daring. Most of these materials are rare drops from large-scale Team Dungeons. Although my Guild can obtain some, 20% above market value is too cheap. I’ll need 50% at least.” Surprise flashed across Gentle Snow’s eyes when she read the list Shi Feng had provided. Even if she worked with the Star Alliance, the two Guilds could not gather all the materials listed. The cost alone was more than 2,000 Gold.
“Okay, just get them as soon as possible.” Shi Feng did not care about spending a little more money. If he could get his hands on the materials, he could earn back the money in the blink of an eye.
Hearing Shi Feng’s lack of hesitation, Gentle Snow was slightly shocked.
A 50% increase in price would mean more than 3,000 Gold. Even to a first-rate Guild like Ouroboros, that was a massive amount of money. Yet, Shi Feng thought nothing of it.
After both sides established a contract, Shi Feng contacted Aqua Rose and the others, instructing them to gather.
The Stoneclaw Mountains could only be dealt with sooner, and not later. The earlier they occupied a favorable location, the greater their advantage would be when the war began.