Chapter 2030 â Puppet Production
Star-Moon Kingdom, White River City:
As Shi Feng left the crowded Teleportation Hall, he sensed that the cityâs atmosphere had changed.
During his last visit, a depressing energy and dense killing intent had fallen over the city. Now, however, excitement almost crackled in the air. Far fewer Guild players wandered the city streets, replaced by far more adventurer team players than before.
As Shi Feng wandered through the city, he could hear players discussing the recent events in the Witchâs Hill.
âZero Wing is so amazing! It captured two of the Starlight Allianceâs Guild Towns, back to back! Not even the various superpowers have accomplished such a feat!â
âWho wouldâve thought that Zero Wing had such a powerful foundation? After its defeat, the Starlight Alliance disbanded. The corporations supporting it have already pulled out their investments. I donât think itâll be long before Zero Wing removed the Guilds that participated in the alliance from the kingdom.â
âWho told those Guilds to be so arrogant and make an enemy of Zero Wing? Didnât they see how Zero Wing became Star- Moon Kingdomâs overlord in the first place? Theyâre just reaping what they sow.â
âI know, right? Iâve heard that Zero Wingâs Giant players were responsible for capturing both Guild Towns. Theyâre four- meters-tall and have immeasurable Strength. Their Defense is off the charts, too. The townâs Defense Turrets barely left a scratch on them. With Zero Wingâs home-ground advantage, who would dare provoke the Guild in the Witchâs Hill now? It really makes you wonder how Zero Wing managed to convert so many players into Giants. I wish I could become a Giant player, too.â
âIsnât that simple? Just join Zero Wing. Since Zero Wing can convert so many players into Giants, itâs natural that it can do so with even more players. The conversion price is the only concern now.â
âThatâs right! After its victory in the Witchâs Hill, independent players in the kingdom are rushing to join Zero Wing in the hopes of securing a conversion slot Although living in human cities will be inconvenient after joining a neutral race, the combat power you get in return is definitely worth it Moreover, once we reach higher levels, weâll be able to explore more neutral maps. The inconveniences players face as a neutral race will become insignificantâ
âHonestly, it isnât really necessary to join Zero Wing if you want to become a Giant All of the powers in Godâs Domain, aside from those in Star-Moon Kingdom, have begun to look into the conversion process due to the performance of Zero Wingâs Giant players. They all hope to amass their own force of Giant experts. It is only a matter of time before someone reveals the conditions for becoming a Giant. Once they do, even independent players like us will have an opportunity to convert.â
The independent players on the streets talked about the battle in the Witchâs Hill passionately. Their eyes glowed as they discussed Zero Wingâs Giant players, and many of them wanted to convert.
At this point, both independent players and the various powers were eager to become Giant players. The era of the Giants had officially begun.
Seeing this, Shi Feng merely smiled as he continued toward the Candlelight Trading Firm.
While the Giant race was impressively powerful, it also had glaring flaws. These flaws included promotion difficulty. Without a Guildâs support, even expert players would struggle to reach Tier 3.
Shi Feng had only chosen to convert 1,000 Shield Warriors and Berserkers into Giants due to Zero Wingâs precarious position. Normally, he wouldâve only converted players after ensuring that they understood the implications of the process.
Of course, these Giant players could return to their human state at the cost of a few Levels. If they struggled with their Tier 3 Promotion Quests, they could simply convert back. A few lost Levels wouldnât be a problem compared to gaining the Giant raceâs advantages while they were still at Tier 2.
Moreover, he could determine the truly talented players among the group by converting them into Giants. Before converting, no one would know whether or not theyâd be suitable for the race. Once he discovered these talented players, he could grant them the Titan Bloodline, reducing their promotion difficulty and allowing them to shine as true Giant experts.
As for the various large Guildsâ search into the Giant conversion, both Aqua Rose and Youlan had expressed some concerns on the matter. However, Shi Feng paid it no mind. It was only a matter of time before the public discovered Thunder Axe City, and he had already activated the teleportation array that led to it.
Moreover, players would need some time to complete the Conversion Quest, if they used the normal method of becoming a Giant Meanwhile, Zero Wing would reap all of the possible benefits from the Giant race.
It wasnât long before Shi Feng reached his destination. When he arrived at the Candlelight Trading Firm, he found that Melancholic Smile had already prepared the necessary manpower and materials to begin the Guardian Puppetâs production.
Zero Wing urgently needed capable combatants, so it should work on increasing its membersâ levels and the number of Giant players in its employ, but in Shi Fengâs opinion, producing the Guardian Puppets was more meaningful.
In the past, war weapons like the Combat Puppets were a large part of the reason that the various second- and third-rate Guilds had survived the presence of first-rate Guilds and superpowers.
Sin Realmâs decision to use the Steel Puppet against him had been foolish. Combat Puppets werenât meant to kill individual players. They were only truly valuable when they defended or attacked towns and cities.
Had Sin Realm utilized its Steel Puppet to protect Golden Flow Town, capturing the town wouldâve been far more challenging. If Sin Realm had used enough Combat Puppets, Shi Feng wouldâve been forced to rely on more than just his Giant players.
Likewise, if he crafted a certain number of Guardian Puppets, the various superpowers wouldnât be able to threaten Zero Wing.
Inside his spacious Special Forging Room, a small mountain of materials sat atop his work desk. These materials would only be enough to produce one power source for the Guardian Puppet.
Letâs begin! Shi Feng took in a deep breath as he examined the design and materials before him. He then activated the Soul Fireâs and Philosopherâs Handâs abilities, quickly melting down the Fine Titan Ingots and Mana Stones on the table.
The most difficult part of constructing the Guardian Puppet was its power source. To attempt the production, one had to be an Intermediate Master Forger at the very least. Moreover, an Intermediate Master would have a painfully low success rate. Fortunately, the Philosopherâs Handâs ability could upgrade Shi Feng to Advanced Master Forger for a short time. This was why Shi Feng dared to attempt producing the Guardian Puppet.
Time passed quickly. Before he had realized it, half a day had passed since Shi Feng had begun to work on the Guardian Puppet.
Dark Night Empire, Silver Pine City:
Silver Pine City was the seventh-largest NPC city in the Dark Night Empire and fully under the Hundred Flowers Palaceâs jurisdiction. However, players from other large Guilds roamed the city as if they owned the place. It did not look like the Hundred Flowers Palaceâs territory.
Meanwhile, the normally lively Hundred Flowers Palace Residence was as quiet as the grave.
The Palaceâs members watched one Guild upper echelon after another enter the Guild Hallâs first-floor hall, shock gripping their hearts when they saw the upper echelonsâ faces. Some of these upper echelons had come from other kingdoms and empires, and even the rarely-seen Guild Elders made an appearance.
âWhatâs going on? Why are all of the Guildâs upper echelons gathering here?â
âIsnât that Crimson Heart, the First Vice Guild Leader? Wasnât she managing the Branch Guild in the Holy Hill Kingdom? Sheâs actually made a trip here?â
The Hundred Flowers Palaceâs members went into an uproar when they saw the silver-armored, soldierly woman with crimson eyes.
Although Crimson Heart was the Guildâs First Vice Guild Leader, she disagreed with the Guild Leaderâs management choices and had led a group of players to develop in the Holy Hill Kingdom. Her endeavors in the kingdom had been quite successful, and she paid no heed to the main branchâs matters. Even when the Palaceâs main branch had fallen into a precarious state, she had refused to make an appearance.
The Guildâs members had never expected Crimson Heart to visit the main branch at this time.
When the crowd saw the three players following Crimson Heart, they couldnât help but gape. The highest-leveled player among them had reached Level 61. At that level, one could rank among the top 30 experts on the Dark Night Empireâs Ranking List Moreover, all three players wore Level 60 Equipment, with the weakest piece at Secret-Silver rank. Level 60 Secret-Silver Equipment was currently considered top-tier equipment, and not even the various superpowers had many pieces. In addition, these three players had a few pieces of Level 60 Fine-Gold Equipment on them. Most importantly, they all wore two or three pieces of Epic Equipment It was a dazzling sight
Many of the Hundred Flowers Palaceâs upper echelons were stupefied to see these three players, as well. They had never considered that Crimson Heartâs development in the Holy Hill Kingdom had been so profitable.
âCrimson, youâre finally here. And here I thought that you planned to abandon the Hundred Flowers Palace,â a Level 60, Tier 2 male Berserker carrying a greatsword on his back commented, smiling when he saw Crimson Heart enter the meeting room.
âMy opinions simply differ from the Guild Leaderâs, but I am still a member of the Hundred Flowers Palace! Of course, I have to make an appearance for such an important matter! Moreover, Rue has fallen too far! The Hundred Flowers Pavilion can solve its own problems! We donât need outsidersâ help!â Crimson Heart sapped, frowning as a flash of rage lit her eyes.
As soon as Crimson Heart fell silent, a commotion broke out outside of the meeting room.
Shortly after, Cleansed Rue joined the Guildâs upper echelons with a dozen or so players trailing behind her, all of which wore a six-winged emblem on their chests.