Chapter 83

Fissure Canyon, lush and verdant, was filled with dense vegetation, and several streams meandered through the valley. In the sky above the canyon, a large flock of birds and beasts circled and danced, while the forest was alive with the sounds of a hundred birds singing, making it seem like a paradise on earth.

Although it was beautiful here, no player would come to level up at the moment. After all, the highest level was only 6, and most players would level up safely in areas of level 6 or 7. This was an area with level 8 monsters, and deeper in, there were even level 9 monsters. It would be a while before any players would come to disturb this place.

More importantly, Stone had come here to complete the unique quest "Steel Shell Fortress," which was crucial for establishing a guild. In the previous life, the player who completed this quest had transformed a second-rate guild into a first-rate one. Now that he had taken the quest, it would naturally benefit the guild he was building.

Before entering the canyon entrance, Stone deliberately used the Demon Mask to change his appearance, turning his silver-white Silver Moon set into a pitch-black, shiny set, almost like a Black Moon set. He changed his face to that of a mature uncle, looking about 26 or 27 years old, and then put on a black cloak, hiding his resolute face beneath it. Anyone who saw him would feel a strong sense of mystery, as if he were a man with a story.

This outfit somewhat resembled that of a Night Ranger, except he carried two silver longswords on his back, not an ancient black bow, nor was he a Night Elf.

Dressed like this, no one would recognize him as Stone, not even Bai Qingxue with her keen eyes.

When he arrived at the meeting place, he found that Bai Qingxue and the others had not yet arrived.

Stone casually opened the system notifications to check the sales of the design plans over this period.

"Did they sell out so quickly?" Stone's eyes almost sparkled as he looked at a string of income notifications.

There were more than ten auction house notifications, each bringing in about 3 gold.

In total, 20 design plans, with an average price of 3 gold each, showed how desperate these guilds were. However, compared to the 3 gold cost, these guilds could quickly earn it back. The Divine Realm had only been open for three days, and as time went on, more and more people would enter, with new players even outnumbering the old ones. These new players were the main consumers, and a level 3 Glowing Chestguard would be in high demand, with little chance of depreciation in the short term, and might even appreciate in value.

However, Stone's goal had been achieved, and he did not plan to continue making Glowing Chestguards for profit. He now had over 50 gold in his backpack, which was the entire liquid capital of more than a dozen major guilds. If all this money were used to run a guild, it would be a terrifying amount. Unfortunately, running a guild required more than just money.

He couldn't just keep the gold in his hands, as it would be like holding a hot potato. So, Stone took out 20 gold and placed it in the virtual trading center, where it was worth 180,000 credit points at the current price.

Stone himself had not expected everything to go so smoothly, earning so much in just three days. However, to open a decent studio, this amount of money was far from enough.

Blue Dragon had initially invested 5 million credit points to open the Shadow Studio, and then invested over 10 million credit points in the first month. It was clear how expensive it was to set up a studio, let alone a guild with thousands or even tens of thousands of members. But once a studio or guild was established, things would be very different.

A hundred thousand credit points meant nothing to a guild.

He still needed to earn more money.

That was why Stone chose to secretly cooperate with Bai Qingxue, who was a big spender.

"Are you Black Flame?" A clear, crisp voice, like jade beads falling to the ground, came from behind Stone.

Stone turned around and saw Bai Qingxue approaching with a smile, sizing him up. Although this was their second formal meeting, he still felt uncomfortable under her gaze and said in a somewhat deep voice, "Yes, I am."

Hearing Stone's confirmation and receiving the message notification that verified Black Flame's identity, Bai Qingxue's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she secretly used an observation skill.

Suddenly, Bai Qingxue was stunned. She couldn't see Stone's name, only his level 5 and an unknown target.

Bai Qingxue had thought Black Flame was just a skilled blacksmith with many lucky encounters and high-level techniques, and good game skills. She hadn't expected his game skills to be not just good but top-notch, or he wouldn't have been able to obtain these high-level items.

Special items to hide one's identity didn't exist in the entire Devouring Serpent, nor had she heard of any other top-tier guild obtaining them. The mysterious man before her not only possessed such items but also had a set of equipment that, even without special effects, exuded a powerful aura. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and magical patterns flowed over it, indicating it was a set. His equipment was probably no worse than hers, which she had obtained with the help of an elite team and a lot of time. How had this man managed to get such a good set of equipment?

Staring at Stone, Bai Qingxue began to suspect that Black Flame wasn't just a player but the leader of a mysterious organization. Otherwise, how could he have the resources and means to accomplish such feats and earn the title of Chief Blacksmith, recognized by players of the Star Moon Kingdom? Just managing the blacksmithing organization would be a full-time job; how did he have the time to obtain such a good set of equipment?

"Hello, I'm Bai Qingxue, the first vice president of Devouring Serpent." Bai Qingxue formally extended her fair, white hand, unlike their first formal meeting, where she had been more casual and treated Stone from a position of superiority.

The other members behind Bai Qingxue were shocked. They hadn't expected their captain to initiate a handshake so formally.

Could this uncle really be that powerful, requiring such formality?

Zhao Yueru, standing behind Bai Qingxue, had been observing Stone with her beautiful eyes. His previous series of actions had already piqued her interest, and now, seeing him in person, she found that he exuded a mature and steady aura, making her want to pay attention to him. With Bai Qingxue's recognition, she felt a growing sense of goodwill.

"Hello, you can call me Black Flame." Stone couldn't act too aloof and shook hands with Bai Qingxue, finding her hand indeed soft and smooth. If Blackie knew, she would probably shake his hand immediately and not wash her hands for three days...

The reason Stone hadn't completely changed the appearance of the Silver Moon set was to intimidate. Seeing that it was effective, he got straight to the point: "I contacted you this time to discuss a partnership with your Devouring Serpent. What are your thoughts?"

"Of course, we welcome you very much. If you join our Devouring Serpent as the Chief Blacksmith, the price is up to you." Bai Qingxue guessed that Stone would make a high demand, but as long as she could recruit him, it would be worth it. With her capabilities, satisfying Stone's demands would be no problem, and she said this with great confidence.

"Miss Bai, I think you've misunderstood. I won't join your guild but will cooperate with you on an equal footing. If you can't understand this, there's no need for us to continue talking."

With that, Stone turned to leave.