Starmoon Kingdom, inside a high-class bar on White River City's Commercial Street …
Aside from NPCs, the first and second floors were empty. Several Level 65-plus players geared in Level 60 top-tier equipment sat in a VIP room on the top floor. Leading the group was an elderly man in blue, who quietly observed the bustling scene outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Elder Yi, we've just received news that Candlelight is suddenly selling a large number of Exotic Stamina Potions and Stamina Gemstones. Every Stamina Gemstone increases a player's Stamina recovery rate by 7%, and the Dark Night Empire's specialty materials are required to purchase these items," a black-robed Level 64 Assassin reported. At this moment, a Level 64 Assassin in black clothes entered the room. He then looked at the blue-clad elder and reported, "Not only have the prices of materials in the Dark Night Empire doubled, but the various powers have also stopped selling these unique materials."
"Stamina Gemstones?" Surprised, the blue-clad elder asked, "Are there a lot of them?"
"Based on our investigation, roughly 60 Stamina Gemstones will be auctioned off in Dark Night City's Candlelight," the Assassin said.
"Sixty! What a big deal!" Snow Scar, who sat beside the blue-clad elder, could not help his surprise. "Has Ling Yi lost his mind?"
Players who frequently raided neutral maps knew how valuable the Stamina Gemstone was.
Moreover, the more Stamina Gemstones there were, the more valuable they would be.
Sixty Stamina Gemstones were more than enough to fully equip a 20-man team. A 20-man team that could freely explore neutral maps would reap a frightening amount of benefits. It was especially true for newly explored neutral maps, which could give a Guild a massive advantage.
Yet, Ling Yi was actually willing to sell the Stamina Gemstones to someone else. Only a madman would do such a thing.
After giving the matter some thought, the blue-clad elder rose from his seat and said, "It seems we've underestimated Ling Yi. With this, Starlink's economy will be affected. Prepare the materials immediately. We'll head to Dark Night City immediately."
He had thought that Ling Yi's challenge to Starlink in the Dark Night Empire was nothing more than a joke. Now, however, it would seem that everyone had underestimated Ling Yi's determination and strength. None of them had expected him to play such a hand.
The various powers might have given Starlink some face before this, but with the future before them, nobody would back down.
With the Stamina Gemstones as bait and the Dark Night Empire's specialty materials as currency, these specialty materials were bound to fetch astronomical prices.
Unlike ordinary rare materials, these specialty materials were the only materials required to produce the Dark Night Empire's specialty items. They were also the foundation of the Starlink Trading Firm's competition in other kingdoms and empires. If Ling Yi monopolized these specialty materials, Starlink's income would suffer a steep decline. After all, the various superpowers' main sources of income, and the Guild's Chambers of commerce, and their businesses.
Starlink's Starlink was Starlink's Chamber's Guild's Candlelight Auction Guild had Starlink
Meanwhile, in the Dark Night Empire's Dark Night City, Lu Xingluo's Guild Leader's office was deathly silent. None of the upper echelons present dared to utter a word.
After one hour, Starlink had only purchased a few hundred sets of specialty materials, even though it could've purchased over 10,000 sets. Moreover, this number continued to decrease. Not only had the Guild's production capacity been affected, but its production costs had also increased.
After all, Starlink's Coins came from three main sources.
The first was the Guild's Chambers of Commerce.
The second was the Guild's money-farming teams and Guild Quests.
The third was the income from Guild Towns and Cities.
Although Starlink now had a fourth NPC Auction House, the NPC Auction House had only just begun operating. It would take some time before Starlink could make a significant profit.
Starlink's Chambers of Commerce's income had fallen by 20%, and it was still falling. This would severely affect the Guild's development. This was especially true now that many Guild Towns and Cities needed to be relocated. Doing so would require a lot of funds. With less funds, the Guild's plans would have to be delayed.
"Good! Ling Yi! Ruthless! " Lu Xingluo's expression darkened as he read the report in his hands. He then turned to Dawn Web and commanded, "Notify everyone to increase the purchasing price of the Starmoon Kingdom's specialty materials!"
"Guild Leader, how much should we increase the price?" Dawn Web asked.
"Increase it by 50%! I want to see which of us can last longer! "Lu Xingluo declared.
"What about the Stamina Gemstones?" Dawn Web hurriedly asked. "If the other powers get their hands on the Stamina Gemstones, they'll have a much easier time exploring the Dark Night Empire's several neutral maps."
"We don't have a lot of materials to begin with. Let's just give them to those powers. In any case, we only have 50 to 60 Stamina Gemstones. Even if we gather all 60 Stamina Gemstones, we'll only be able to arm a 20-man team. We won't be able to cause any trouble," Lu Xingluo said disdainfully. "Moreover, how long can Ling Yi play in Dark Night City? You should focus your efforts on the Starmoon Kingdom. Now that Ling Yi no longer has the Secret Chamber of Commerce's connections, he can only do as he pleases in the Starmoon Kingdom. "
There were at least a dozen neutral maps around the Dark Night Empire that were suitable for players to level up in. No matter how powerful a 20-man team was, they could only grind in one neutral map. They wouldn't have the time to explore other neutral maps, much less affect Starlink's development.
On the other hand, if Starlink continued to increase the price of Starmoon Kingdom's specialty materials, Ling Yi's operating costs would continue to rise. At the same time, his income would decrease. Even with White River City's Auction House, Starlink's development would stagnate. At that time, he could only watch as the other kingdoms' powers surpassed him.
However, in this era, the various major powers were rapidly developing in neutral maps. If Zero Wing remained stagnant, it would only be a matter of time before it was eliminated, even with its heaven-defying combat power. After all, Zero Wing's current strength was only temporary. Players were constantly leveling up and upgrading their weapons and equipment.
"Understood!" Dawn Web nodded.
Elsewhere, Candlelight City's Candlelight Auction House was bustling with activity. Practically every major power in the Dark Night Empire had gathered in the Auction House. There were even representatives from other kingdoms and empires. Every one of them had purchased 1 Gold worth of specialty materials. As for Starlink's ban, no one cared about it anymore.
Unless Starlink wanted to destroy Dark Night City's Auction House, it would be a fool to impose such a ban.
Now, everyone only cared about one thing: the Stamina Gemstones!
"Everyone, each set of three Stamina Gemstones will start at 300 Gold for specialty materials. Each increment must be no less than 10 Gold. Let's begin!"
When Youlan announced the start of the Stamina Gemstones' auction, the entire auction house went into an uproar.
"Four hundred Gold!"
"Four hundred and fifty Gold!"
…
"Six hundred Gold!"
The various major powers shouted astronomical bids one after another. However, in the end, none of them could compete with the various superpowers hiding in the dark. The first set of three Stamina Gemstones sold for 1,250 Gold. The large Guilds and adventurer teams in the auction house were astonished.
That was over 1,000 Gold!
That was enough to fully equip a player with top-tier equipment at this stage of the game.
However, the players in the auction house understood the situation. Three Stamina Gemstones were enough to create an expert that could freely roam neutral maps. As for what kind of harvest they could obtain from the gemstones, that would depend on their own abilities. Meanwhile, the various superpowers' peak experts could use the gemstones to earn that much. It was definitely a good deal.
If not for the limited materials, the Stamina Gemstones would've sold for even higher prices.
Very quickly, the various superpowers sold out one set of Stamina Gemstones after another. In the blink of an eye, Ling Yi had earned nearly 27000 Gold in materials. The price was far beyond what the Shifeng had expected.
"Ling Yi has earned a lot of materials. It's a pity that this is the end of the auction." Mu Cheng, who wore a Black Cloak, felt a little disappointed when he saw that the Stamina Gemstones had sold out.
Although selling the Stamina Gemstones would affect Starlink's development, it wasn't a long-term solution. Once this auction ended, Dark Night City would return to normal. Meanwhile, Ling Yi had only obtained a few specialty materials.
Mu Cheng wasn't the only one with such thoughts. The various major powers present shared the same thoughts.
However, just as everyone was about to disperse, Melancholic Smile walked to the center of the hall. The Master Forger's Insignia and the dignified aura she radiated attracted the attention of many players in the hall. After all, there were only a handful of Master Lifestyle players in the various superpowers, not to mention a Master Forger.
"The Stamina Gemstone auction has come to a successful conclusion. The next Stamina Gemstone auction will be held at this time tomorrow. Those who failed to purchase a Stamina Gemstone may return tomorrow," A Melancholy Smile said. Melancholic Smile continued, "In addition, as long as you become a member of the Candlelight Trading Firm, if you spend 3 Gold or more in the Candlelight Trading Firm on the same day, our Stamina Gem counter will open once every four hours. One person will be selected at random, and we will sell one Stamina Gem for 200 Gold each!"
As soon as A Melancholy Smile finished speaking, the auction house fell silent. After a brief moment of silence, a commotion broke out.
"Is this a joke?"
"Ling Yi still has Stamina Gemstones?"
Independent players weren't the only ones surprised. Even the various superpowers' members stared at A Melancholy Smile in astonishment.
"How is this possible?" Elder Yi's expression changed when he saw A Melancholy Smile.
Selling 60 Stamina Gemstones at once was already impressive, but judging by Ling Yi's reaction, it was obvious that the auction would continue for quite some time. Although Elder Yi didn't know how long the auction would last, every day the Stamina Gemstones lasted would affect Dark Night City for another day.
Moreover, the Stamina Gemstones' influence would grow with each passing day. After all, the Stamina Gemstones could easily establish a 20-man team in a neutral map every day. In just five or six days, the Stamina Gemstones would most likely change the power structure in the Dark Night Empire's neighboring neutral maps.
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