Chapter 53: The General’s Mansion
“Brother, give me some face, we from Mingxiao want all 12 of these scale armors,” a hearty male voice said.
Zane looked up and found it was a level 15 swordsman player named ‘Mingxiao Youhun’.
“Brother Shiu, have you heard of Mingxiao?”
“Mingxiao… Oh! I’ve heard of them, they’re a newly rising guild that became prominent in the late stages of the last game, led by the core four players: Mingxiao Youhun, Mingxiao Caihong, Mingxiao Qingning, and Mingxiao Bingguo. Although their ranking isn’t updated in time, their strength can definitely place them within the top 100 in the national server!”
“What’s up? Did you offend them?”
“No, I just happened to sell some scale armor and ran into them.”
“Scale armor!? You have something so good?” Brother Shiu said, speechless.
“I happened to get it from a swift beast yesterday…”
“…”
“Never mind that, they’re asking me something.”
…
Meanwhile, Mingxiao Youhun also sent a private chat request.
“Brother Fengchen, what’s the price you can accept for one? As long as it’s not too outrageous, we from Mingxiao will take them all. I think you also know the importance of this batch of scale armors.”
Indeed, the current equipment drop rate is very low; a piece of trash black iron equipment can sell for over 200 in the auction house. Scale armor can be forged into steel scale armor by a blacksmith, and its excellent attributes can elevate a heavy-armored profession to a new height, significantly enhancing combat power.
If a guild can simultaneously field several heavy-armored professions equipped with black iron armor, then they will have considerable confidence against any guild in the early stages.
Strong attributes mean you can do whatever you want.
In just that short time, the price of the scale armor had already risen to 5 gold coins each.
Zane hesitated, “You see, it has already gone up to 5 gold coins…”
Mingxiao Youhun winced, “How about 7 gold coins each? The current gold ratio isn’t cheap, and selling one of these materials for 1500 is already more expensive than some raw black iron equipment.”
“That may be true, but I believe there will be guilds offering higher prices.” Zane probed.
And indeed, the crowd of onlookers was growing, and it wouldn’t be long before larger guilds would arrive. At the very least, members from Unity of Heaven and Earth, Drunken Fairy Tale, and even Yuhua were already on their way.
Mingxiao Youhun started getting anxious, “This batch of equipment is really very important to us. Brother Fengchen, 10 gold coins each! This is the maximum amount I can offer!”
10 gold coins is indeed a high price, especially since this is just material and not finished goods. It’s unexpected that the value of the scale armor from the swift beast is higher than the gold that drops.
Continuing to negotiate would only diminish Mingxiao’s impression of him. Currently, Mingxiao is the only guild in talks, so selling to them makes sense; he just couldn’t sell to a guild like Yuhua.
“Alright, deal!” Zane declared decisively, taking all the scale armors off the market, then started a transaction on the spot.
“Great! Brother, you’re very righteous. Let’s add each other as friends! If you have any rare materials, contact me immediately; our guild really needs these things,” Mingxiao Youhun said happily.
No middleman to make a profit… This is good, it facilitates instant cashing out.
So Zane readily agreed.
He had sold most of his other items as well and ended up with a total of 152 gold coins!
The main haul came from the scale armors, and it’s worth mentioning that the fangs of the Blood Bat King sold for 20 gold coins. Who knows what they are going to use that for, perhaps as a cursed item?
“Brother Shiu, what’s the current gold ratio?”
“Let me check…257.”
“…That’s a rapid decline.”
“Of course, after leaving the beginner village, over a hundred large maps were unlocked! Moreover, most of them require players to explore themselves. The drop rate of treasures and gold in the first exploration of new maps can’t compare to a few leveling spots around Yunshui City.”
Zane deeply resonated with this; the underground passage and the Barren Land had earned him a fair amount, although the difficulty was certainly not low.
“How much more do you plan to sell? The scale armor is so valuable… You should have at least 50 gold coins now, right?”
“Brother Shiu, your aspirations are too low. I’ve saved over 200 gold coins!” Zane said smugly.
“WTF, 200!?? After deducting the fees, you’re close to 50,000! Wow, Mu Meng really gave you 5000 to play with; that’s cheap for you.”
“Alright, you hurry back to town and sell the gold; let’s go level up together after!”
“Okay!”
…
By the way, since I’m back in town, I should find Alna.
There are still some things I want to ask her.
There aren’t many familiar faces in the city, or rather, those few familiar NPCs don’t have much useful information to provide.
Now it has been three days since the game opened, and though the equipment drop rate is low, with such a large player base, an exaggerated equipment market has still emerged.
This means that when Starry faces ordinary players, she cannot just recklessly cut through formations like yesterday.
Furthermore, Starry hasn’t even class-changed yet. If this drags on, when facing those experts, she will be confronted with an overwhelming attribute gap.
Especially that Fenghuayue, who possesses a hidden profession as a Twilight Ranger; perhaps only the Wishcaster, also a hidden profession, could compete with her.
Thus, Starry’s class change is urgently needed.
…
“No unauthorized personnel allowed to trespass the General’s Mansion!”
“…”
It was quite hopeless; no matter what Zane said, these two guards didn’t believe him.
If it weren’t for their level being ???, he would have rolled up his sleeves and fought.
There was no other choice but to resort to this measure!
He found a secluded dead end, with Starry watching for him ahead.
“Transform!”
Taking small steps, Zane naturally walked toward the General’s Mansion.
“Miss Alna!? When did you come out!” one soldier exclaimed in shock.
“Oh no, oh no! If General Aijue finds out, we…” the other soldier said with a pale face.
What does this mean? Is Alna still under house arrest?
“Um, um! Don’t worry, I’m back now! Take me back,” Zane said, pretending to be innocent while recalling Alna’s tone.
…
Starry couldn’t follow him in.
The guards escorted Zane to the back courtyard and then left; their job was to guard the gate.
“Strange… Why does Miss Alna’s attire seem odd?”
“Are you looking for death? How dare you discuss the young lady’s attire? She is the great Wishcaster, and there must be a reason for her to dress like this.”
“I see, you know a lot!”
What Zane controlled as Starry naturally heard their conversation and was scared to sweat. Thankfully, they didn’t suspect anything. He still needed to buy a set of children’s clothing.
In the quiet courtyard, there were a few pots of flowers in the corner, a stone table out in the open, and four stone chairs nearby, looking quite valuable.
The small paths on both sides were filled with green grass, and the air had a charming floral fragrance. Is this what a rich person’s backyard looks like? Zane thought.
“Who is it?” Alna impatiently pushed the door open; too many people had come looking for her these days.
Then, she saw someone who looked just like her, except for that strange withered bone.
