BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1894 - City of Foreign Races
Currently, Shi Feng rode his mount down the spacious roads made of vines. When he looked down, he gazed at a sea of clouds below him.
Since the Sea of Trees hadn’t been fully unlocked, most of the people wandering on the streets were NPCs. Aside from the three superpowers’ members, who had begun to explore the city, Shi Feng didn’t spot a single player.
Sheltered by the Six Great Primordial Elf Kings, the Sea of Trees had a long history. Most of the NPCs living here were Elves, although some were NPC merchants from other races. Human NPCs only made up a small majority of the city’s residents.
Meanwhile, the weakest soldiers patrolling the city were Level 180, Tier 1 NPCs. There were well-equipped Tier 2 soldiers, as well. Each patrol squad was led by a Level 200, Tier 3 Knight. However, these soldiers levels and tiers weren’t their most eye-catching aspects.
All of these soldiers wore ancient equipment engraved with Advanced Battle Arrays. When the Advanced Battle Array activated, the Tier 2 soldiers could even take down Tier 4 players. The patrol captains’ equipment sported Master Battle Arrays. With these patrol captains protecting the city, not even Tier 5 players would last long if they tried to cause trouble.
According to the legends, the Primordial Elf Kings had also left behind Immortal Guardians to protect their Sea of Trees. Although these Immortal Guardians were not Tier 6 existences, they had the combat power to face Gods.
If a Tier 6 player entered the city, the secret land would forcibly suppress them to Tier 5. Hence, on the continent of God’s Domain, the Sea of Trees’ security was even superior to Blackwing City’s. During Shi Feng’s previous life, Tier 5 and Tier 6 players had frequently caused trouble in NPC cities, but none had dared to do so in the Sea of Trees.
This was also the reason that the Sea of Trees had become the most well-known NPC city in God’s Domain, attracting tons of normal and neutral players. These players didn’t have to worry about their safety while inside the city.
After roughly 20 minutes, Shi Feng arrived before the largest, oldest tree in the city. This primordial tree was both the Sea of Trees’ City Hall and the city’s heart.
There are so many foreign race merchants here already? As Shi Feng approached the city’s central district, he noticed many NPC merchants hawking their wares alongside the road.
These merchants all sold rare goods such as Magic Scrolls, potions, materials, tomes, engineering tools, weapons,equipment, etc. The sight was dazzling. The three superpowers’ members, who had arrived before him, browsed the goods with sparkling eyes.
They could easily make a fortune by reselling these items, especially the Magic Scrolls, weapons, equipment, and rare materials. Some merchants even offered Tier 2 Magic Scrolls and Level 50 Dark-Gold Equipment. Only, the items’ prices were far higher than market value.
However, the superpowers’ members weren’t fools. Rather than purchasing any of these items, they first investigated every NPC merchant’s goods. They then proceeded to survey the central district, empty Lands, and establishments, compiling the information to allow their companions in the City Hall to make the best decision when purchasing the city’s lands for their Guilds.
When Shi Feng stepped into the City Hall, the merchant players that represented the superpowers had already busied themselves with researching the Lands and Shops, carefully selecting which to purchase. Naturally, the three superpowers had sent these merchant players since they were more adept with business negotiations than the Guilds’ upper echelons. Moreover, the merchant subclass allowed them to bargain for discounts and learn more from NPCs.
But despite their expertise, these merchant players had headaches as they selected Lands for their Guilds.
The Sea of Trees’ Lands were just so expensive...
Even the ordinary Lands in the city’s outer area cost between 7,000 Gold and 15,000 Gold, whereas Lands in the city’s inner area cost between 12,000 Gold and 30,000 Gold. The cheapest plot of Land in the central district cost 50,000 Gold, while the more expensive options cost over 100,000.
Even superpowers at this stage of the game couldn’t afford to purchase the Sea of Trees’ Lands casually, but that wasn’t the most important issue. To purchase the central district’s Lands, one needed sufficient status and Reputation.
For the moment, they could only purchase the Lands in the city’s outer and inner areas, but since there were so many to choose from, they couldn’t make a proper decision without further understanding of the city’s layout.
“Lord Demon Hunter, how may I be of service today?” a male Elf in a suit and tie asked gracefully as he approached Shi Feng.
“I wish to see some of the city’s hotels and restaurants for rent,” Shi Feng said.
“Alright, please follow me,” the male Elf bowed before leading Shi Feng to a VIP reception room.
As the Elf led Shi Feng to a reception room, the three superpowers’ representatives watched him leave the main lobby with astonished expressions.
“What’s going on? How did he get an invite to a VIP room? We’ve already bought two plots of Land and earned quite a few Contribution Points, yet we haven’t earned such treatment?”
“Clearly, he’s an idiot. He’s actually trying to rent hotels and restaurants instead of purchasing Lands. What benefit could he earn by doing so? They won’t be profitable in the least”
Many of the merchant players watched enviously as Shi Feng was led to a VIP reception room, but the man’s statement had also confused them.
When players gained access to a VIP reception room, they also gained access to better benefits. Aside from refreshments and privacy, players would also be offered Lands, which weren’t usually available to the public, for purchase. Moreover, every one of those Lands would be worth their price or more. In contrast, the Lands offered in the lobby varied. Not every plot would be worth its selling price, and whether players made a profit or not would rely on them.
Meanwhile, in the VIP reception room, the Elf administrator quickly prepared a list for Shi Feng.
“Lord Demon Hunter, here are the hotels and restaurants that are available for rent. However, these hotels and restaurants are located in the city’s outer and inner areas. You will need 10,000 Contribution Points to rent those in the central district,” the Elf administrator explained.
“I understand.” Shi Feng nodded. He then lifted the stack of paper to inspect
Naturally, setting up a trading firm in a trade city like the Sea of Trees would generate a lot of profit. Aside from selling products, the Shops could also serve as a warehouse for all kinds of precious materials and items that flowed into the city.
However, unlike ordinary NPC cities, the Sea of Trees was slightly unique since it occupied a secret land. The Sea of Trees was similar to the Holy City of Titan in that players could not remain in the city long-term. Once the sun set, players that hadn’t rented a hotel room or purchased a private house would be automatically teleported out of the Sea of Trees. Furthermore, getting into the city wasn’t an easy task. Even once the Sea of Trees had been fully unlocked, players would still need to expend a lot of effort to visit the city, especially ordinary and elite players.
Unfortunately, purchasing a private house in the city was out of the question for most players. Not even large Guilds’ upper echelons could necessarily afford a private house here. Purchasing a private house in this city was even more expensive than setting up a Shop. Most importantly, players needed a very high status and a ton of Reputation Points to buy one. Even expert players would need to quest in the Sea of Trees for a very long time to fulfill these requirements.
Aside from private houses, players could stay in hotels or Advanced Restaurants. Of course, since Shops had living spaces for players, they could own a Shop as well. Only, Shops accommodated far fewer players than private houses, but how could many players afford Shops just for the living space?
As a result, the only options remaining were hotels and Advanced Restaurants. Needless to say, staying in these establishments was also quite expensive.
Depending on the environment, accommodation fees could range from 50 Silver to 5 Gold per day. Even elite players would feel a sting from these prices. Meanwhile, if players rented the whole hotel or Advanced Restaurant, they would earn 20% of the profits. While the Sea of Trees was in its early stages, this was the best way to earn money. Moreover, renting these establishments cost far less than purchasing them directly.
After reading through the list, Shi Feng quickly set his sights on a few hotels and restaurants that had been particularly popular during his previous life. However, when Shi Feng reached the final page and saw the small restaurant listed, he was stunned.
What?! Even this restaurant is available for rent?!