Following the Glimmer Chestplate's rise in popularity, the players that failed to buy one were all beating their own chest in anguish. They hated themselves for not borrowing money to buy the piece of equipment since, right now, it was no longer being sold.
Meanwhile, the Forging Association in Golden Sand Town was packed with people.
The spacious hall was entirely occupied by players. The players present were the spokespeople for various Guilds. They were here for only one purpose, and that was to invite Hammer Trading to their Guild.
Amongst the Guilds present, there were quite a few that were very famous. There was no lack of spokespeople for third-rate Guilds. If it were during ordinary times, these spokespeople would act proud and arrogant. They would use a condescending attitude when dealing with Lifestyle players. Even so, these Lifestyle players would still treat them with great respect. They would even shed tears of emotion, pledging their loyalty to the Guild as they quickly signed the contract, becoming a part of a large Guild.
However, the current trend of the game had changed. The higher-ups of the Guilds strongly emphasized that they, the spokespeople, must definitely invite Hammer Trading. Otherwise, they could start packing up their bags. Hence why these Guild spokespeople were like obedient grandchildren, standing and waiting in the hall for Hammer Trading's summons.
Inside an Intermediate Forging Room on the second floor...
'Brother Hammer, you're so awesome! I admire you so much! Before, those third-rate Guilds would not recruit you no matter what. Now, they're just like grandchildren waiting upon you. They would not leave even if you chased them away,' A sexy female cleric in her mid-twenties hugged around Hammer Trading's robust arm, giggling and speaking with admiration. Her bulging chest was rubbing against his arm.
Hammer Trading had a very brutish appearance. He had a thick beard and beady eyes, and his skin color was similar to yellowish wax. Judging from his appearance, he looked to be over thirty years of age. Nobody was able to tell, however, that Hammer Trading was just a university student in reality. His age was just slightly over twenty.
'Hahaha, this is just a small matter. However, I truly have to thank the fool who opened the road for me and has even hidden his name. He made all the large Guilds know of my importance,' Hammer Trading heartily laughed. He silently praised his own intelligence and wisdom for being able to think up of a plan to utilize that anonymous forger's fame. It allowed him his current good fortune, becoming every player's idol, 'Wait till I've entered a first-rate Guild and rise into their upper-echelons. It will be truly awesome. Right now, I'm just showing a small part of my prowess. Let those third-rate Guilds continue waiting outside. I can use them to raise my own value and fame.'
'Boss, what are we going to do about all the orders we've received?' an Assassin asked.
Hammer Trading rolled his eyes at the Assassin, saying in disdain, 'Who cares about them? I'm taking a loss of 2 Silver Coins per piece of equipment. Do they think I'm running a charity? My goal has already been met. I'm only waiting for the first-rate Guilds to come. Don't bother with the other players; just tell them that we're too busy and don't have time.'
To use Shi Feng as a stepping stone, Hammer Trading used up all the Silver Coins belonging to his classmates. He also spent a lot of Credits to purchase a lot of materials and Silver Coins. Yet, he only forged over ten Savage Chestplates from all those materials. So, selling each piece at a maximum of 4 Silver Coins caused a major loss for him. However, all his sacrifices were worth it. As long as he was recruited by a first-rate Guild, he could get as many materials as he wanted, a huge salary, and even a line of female players desiring his attention. Hammer Trading felt invigorated just from thinking of all these benefits.
Suddenly, a Berserker entered the Forging Room with a panicked expression.
'What happened, Hadron? Seeing as you're in such a hurry, has the upper echelon of a first-rate Guild arrived?' Hammer Trading teasingly asked.
'Big trouble! A lot of top-tier equipment has suddenly appeared at the Auction House. All the players on the game's official forum are discussing it now, and the number of clicks on the post is madly increasing. The post has over five million clicks right now, and many Guilds have started to notice it. Moreover, the equipment is being sold by the same anonymous forger. The equipment's price is set at a minimum of 4 Silver Coins. Everyone is starting to wonder about the identity of the forger responsible, and they are no longer paying any attention to you, Boss.'
'Moreover, there are already a few first-rate Guilds who made a declaration on the forum. They are willing to hire that forger with a high salary and make him the Chief Forger of their Guild. A few representatives of large Guilds downstairs have also started leaving for the Auction House.'
Hammer Trading's expression froze when hearing Hadron's words.
He only managed to attract the attention of first-rate Guilds after much difficulty. However, now, that anonymous forger stole his wind. If he did not steal it back, those first-rate Guilds would most likely forget about him.
'He has such nerve to steal my wind and position. Don't blame me for not being polite. Making that kind of top-tier equipment has a high cost and low success rate. If you sell it at 4 Silver Coins, then I'll sell at 3 Silver Coins. I wonder just how much you can afford to lose?' Hammer Trading abruptly stood up. He wanted to let Shi Feng know he would definitely not let the position of Chief Forger, and his future 'happiness', go.
He was already taking a loss of 2 Silver Coins for making the Savage Chestplate that had inferior Attributes. Then, Shi Feng would at least lose 4 to 5 Silver Coins for selling each piece of top-tier equipment at 4 Silver Coins. Maybe even more. Hammer Trading believed he could outlast Shi Feng.
'But, Boss, we don't have many Silver Coins remaining. At most, we can afford to forge ten more Savage Chestplates,' Hedron worryingly said.
'What is there to be afraid of? I still have some funds. Worst comes to worst, I'll spend some more Credits to buy materials and Silver Coins. I believe I can get rid of that little bastard. For every piece of equipment that little bastard sells, he's taking a loss of at least double or triple of ours. Why should we be afraid?' Hammer Trading confidently asked. He assured himself that Shi Feng, too, was trying to attract the attention of first-rate Guilds by doing such lossful business. However, he would definitely be the final champion.
An hour later, a few additional Savage Chestplates appeared on White River City's Auction House. Their minimum selling price was 3 Silver Coins each.
At the same time, a new post appeared on the game's official forum.
For the benefit of the masses, I, Hammer Trading, have decided to sell the Savage Chestplate at 3 Silver Coins each. I will make a stand against this blackhearted forger to the end! Requesting support! Requesting encouragement!
Suddenly, a wave of players followed the post, sending it to the top of the forum. Every one of them supported Hammer Trading's kind actions.
As a result of this incident, all of White River City became lively. Everyone understood this was a competition between two forgers that were capable of forging Bronze Equipment. Every player in White River City watched on with anticipation. The ones who would profit from this exchange, in the end, would definitely be them, the players. It would not be long before they would be able to purchase Bronze Equipment at a low price.
The various Guilds also started watching by the sidelines, no longer expressing any of their intentions. They were all waiting for the final victor, while at the same time buying all of the equipment and developing their Guild's strength.
However, Shi Feng himself did not know of this matter. He just finished purchasing Stones and Hard Stones. Just after entering the Auction House, he discovered that the number of players there had once more increased. Only then did he find out about this incident.
'You wish for a fight?' Shi Feng faintly smiled, 'Then, come.'
He called out the Auction House's control interface, placing all of his Glimmer Chestplates on auction. He assigned twenty pieces to be sold every hour, selling a total of 120 pieces of Glimmer Chestplates. Such a number was definitely enough to torment Hammer Trading.
Afterward, Shi Feng used the money earned from selling Glimmer Chestplates to buy Hard Stones and Card Sets. After purchasing all these items, Shi Feng suddenly discovered that he still possessed a little more than 1 Gold Coin.
From time to time, Shi Feng would receive a notification from the System. It would state that another Glimmer Chestplate had been sold, and some amount of Silver Coins have been deposited into his bag.
Shi Feng felt, the more Silver Coins he spent, the more Silver Coins he had. The amount he did not seem to be decreasing in the slightest...
Shi Feng considered selling some of his Silver Coins at the Trade Center[1], exchanging it for some spending money in real life. It was much better than just holding on to these Silver Coins.
TL Notes:
[1] Trade Center: this is not the Trade Area in the game. It's something like an online market for game currency and items, where you can sell/buy Coins/items for real life money (Credits).
Chapter 59 - Violet Cloud
Although Shi Feng was having a relaxing time selling equipment, Hammer Trading was not.
To compete with Shi Feng, Hammer Trading was constantly forging new Savage Chestplates. The Silver Coins in his hands were no different than Copper as they disappeared in a flash. Hammer Trading also had to spend Credits to purchase more Silver Coins, giving him an immense heartache. However, when he thought of Shi Feng spending much more than him, his heart soothed by a lot. He wanted Shi Feng to go bankrupt.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng left the lively Auction House.
He arrived at the Bank, storing all the Card Sets and Hard Stones he had collected into his warehouse. Shi Feng was extremely excited as he looked at over a thousand slots of his warehouse filled.
This was the benefit of being reincarnated. In his previous life, he in a miserable state thanks to these items. Now, however, they became one of his biggest sources of income.
In the eyes of others, these items were still worthless. However, they would be priceless in the future. Their values could increase by over ten-folds, even tens of folds. It was especially true for Card Sets. A complete set would be worth tens of times more than a single piece. Even so, the large Guilds would still have a hard time obtaining them.
After he was finished storing the items, Shi Feng made a trip to the Grocery Store. He bought five stacks of White Paper and one stack of pen and ink. These two items could be bought at extremely low prices at the Grocery Store. A stack of 200 White Papers only sold for 10 Copper Coins, whereas as a stack of 20 bottles of Black Ink sold for 15 Copper Coins. The best Feathered Pen also only sold for 20 Copper.
Even so, Shi Feng's casual purchase far exceeded the daily income of an average player.
An average player would definitely be unable to spend in such a way. However, to Shi Feng, these Copper Coins could no longer be considered money. Moreover, these items were all necessary for making Forging Designs. Shi Feng would still buy them, even if they cost 10 Silver Coins.
After buying the items, Shi Feng headed for the Forging Association.
'Sir, do you need any cooling beverages? I have here the best Fruit Juice in Red Leaf Town. It tastes extremely good, and it is only 1 Copper Coin per cup.' A fragile-looking young lady nervously asked a male Guardian Knight. The girl was holding onto a small basket, her doll-like eyes carrying with them earnest expectations as she looked at the man.
'Scram! Don't annoy me! It's just a virtual item, moreover a beverage, yet you are actually charging 1 Copper Coin for it? I wouldn't want it even if you were giving it for free!' The Guardian Knight cursed in rage, pushing the 16 or 17 years old girl away. He then added, 'My luck is just bad. Just you wait and see; I'll take care of you if I don't get to buy a Glimmer Chestplate because you delayed me.'
The girl that was pushed down but did not cry. Instead, she stood up without wavering. She clapped the dust off her clothes, proceeding to another player with a smile on her face.
Shi Feng was faintly shocked. He never imagined the girl to be so tough. The average female player usually would not carry out such laborious tasks, not to mention receiving the insults from other players.
When Shi Feng looked at this girl, he was reminded of his own past self.
Shi Feng used Observing Eyes on the girl.
Violet Cloud, Level 1 Cleric.
Shi Feng's heart slightly tightened when he saw this name. This girl was actually Violet Cloud, one of the top ten Clerics in God's Domain. If he could recruit her to his side, his team would have a considerable future.
'Hahaha! This is a virtual game, yet you're actually trying to earn money by selling cold beverages? Do you think you're Milk Tea Sister[1]? Only idiots would buy them. Seeing that you're good-looking, why don't you come over to my place tonight? I can even give you 1 Silver Coin.' A lecherous man in his thirties walked up to Violet Cloud, drooling as he harassed her.
'Sir, I am only selling cold beverages. Please have some self-respect.' Violet Cloud retreated a step, resolutely saying.