Chapter 1 The Bustling City

A massive crimson dragon airship appeared in the sky above Ghost City, as dazzling as the sun. It instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the city, or rather, it was impossible not to notice.

The roar of the airship’s engine sounded like a dragon’s bellow, audible even from thousands of yards away.

"What's going on? Did we trigger some kind of event?"

"No, that’s the airship that’s been rumored about at sea! They actually came to Ghost City!"

"They even have airships! Which power is this? They're way too strong!"

The appearance of the crimson dragon airship caused a stir among the players in Ghost City. Many players who had seen it had posted about it on the official forums, causing a sensation in the Chaotic Sea. No one expected that some players already possessed such aerial weaponry.

Now that it had appeared in Ghost City, how could the players not pay attention?

Upon arriving, Shi Feng didn't linger in the air for long. He steered the airship directly into the Ghost City's air harbor.

In the Chaotic Sea, there were only twenty-four cities, each separated by a great distance. Travel between them usually relied on ships and airships, making the harbors and air harbors of these cities exceptionally prosperous.

As Shi Feng stowed away the crimson dragon airship and emerged from the temporary docking station, he saw a vast air harbor hall. Besides dark players, there were also a few ordinary players. The dark players paid little attention to their presence, as it was common for people to risk entering the Chaotic Sea for profit.

The air harbor hall was filled with stalls displaying various valuable items for sale, the lively atmosphere rivaling that of auction houses in royal cities.

"So bustling!" Dark Sin, gazing at the hall filled with players and valuable goods, couldn't believe his eyes. "Is this really a city controlled by dark forces?"

In his mind, the domains of dark forces were filled with chaos and slaughter, completely unlike the prosperity and liveliness he was witnessing.

Especially the valuable items on sale, even as the president of Undying Light, he was tempted.

Mythril-grade mounts and Tier 3 summoning scrolls, which were hard to find in the Apocalypse Empire, were being sold here, not just a few, but in abundance. Moreover, there were more than a dozen bronze speedboats for sale, which were completely unavailable in the Apocalypse Empire…

Not only was Dark Sin dazzled, but the members of Undying Light were also wide-eyed, wishing they could snatch everything away.

Only Shi Feng remained calm, observing the items in the hall.

The domains controlled by dark forces were indeed chaotic, but this chaos was limited to outside the cities. The NPC cities served as safe havens, making them ideal places for secure transactions. Moreover, there were only a handful of cities in the Chaotic Sea, which contributed to their current prosperity.

Furthermore, players living in the domains of dark forces were very different from those in kingdoms and empires. Some items considered important to kingdom and empire players held little value for players in dark forces. Especially in the Chaotic Sea, players traveled using sea monsters, so there was no need for land mounts or ships.

The players in the dark forces valued their own strength more than external possessions, as relying on external items made it difficult to obtain powerful inheritances. Therefore, external items were sold cheaply in the domains of dark forces.

This was why the major sea powers wanted to trade in the Chaotic Sea.

When Dark Sin saw the Void Ore for sale on the counter and the displayed price, he almost cursed out loud despite his good manners.

Void Ore was already expensive in God's Domain, costing about 5 to 10 gold coins per piece. This was mainly due to its scarcity and the high cost of transportation, with shipping accounting for most of the price. The actual cost was only one or two gold coins.

But here, Void Ore was selling for over 40 gold coins apiece!

Even so, dark players were snatching them up. Soon, the Void Ore selling for 40 or 50 gold coins was sold out, leaving only a few selling for over 60 gold coins.

It was incredibly lucrative!

They had brought 300 pieces of Void Ore, which the Freedom Alliance had gifted them during this trial. As long as they delivered it to the Freedom Alliance in Ghost City, they would receive half of the ore. Even if they made 50 gold coins per piece, they would earn 7,500 gold coins on this trip. If they could transport large quantities of ore every day, the income would be terrifying.

Dark Sin finally understood why Shi Feng had fought for the Void Ore cooperation, even at the risk of exposing the crimson dragon airship and becoming a target of major powers. If they could deliver Void Ore on a long-term basis, the profits would be greater than those of a guild city.

A primitive Void Ore mine could produce thousands or even tens of thousands of pieces of ore per day. Even if they only received a thousand pieces, with half of the profits going to the Freedom Alliance, they would still earn over 25,000 gold coins per day. If the selling price was higher or they received more ore, they could easily earn 30,000 gold coins in pure income per day.

Having 30,000 gold coins in daily disposable funds would make even first-rate guilds green with envy.

Not only was Dark Sin surprised by the price of Void Ore, but even Shi Feng was taken aback, not expecting it to sell for so high.

In his past life, the market price for Void Ore in the dark forces was only around 20 gold coins. Now, it had more than doubled, so it was no wonder the Freedom Alliance was looking for partners.

Soon, Shi Feng handed over half of the Void Ore to the Freedom Alliance members and sold the other half, earning 7,650 gold coins instantly. The speed at which he was making money was faster than in Zero Wing City. If he could obtain the cooperation rights from the Freedom Alliance, both Zero Wing and Undying Light could have a stable and long-term source of income, not to mention the inherent value of the Void Ore itself.

After completing the Freedom Alliance trial, Shi Feng and Dark Sin didn't stay in Ghost City for long. They wanted to sign the cooperation contract with the Freedom Alliance as soon as possible, so they used the city return scroll they had bought in the Terminator Sea and returned to Blue Sea City, the Freedom Alliance's headquarters.

Upon reaching Starfall Island and stepping into Starfall Town, Shi Feng and his party felt an unusually heavy atmosphere. The representatives of the major powers who had been resting in the Freedom Alliance's residence were now standing outside the residence's gate.

When they saw Shi Feng and his group arrive, their gazes were filled with mockery and pity, completely lacking the surprise and envy they had shown before Shi Feng's departure.

As Shi Feng approached the entrance of the Freedom Alliance's residence, he saw five players standing there—one woman and four men—all wearing the Giant's Heart guild emblem. The woman was the blue-haired woman Shi Feng had met before. The four men were not only level 97, but also radiated a power no less than that of a Great Lord of the same level. Each of them was a true expert, not like Dark Sin, who only possessed the combat power of a top expert without having the skill to match.

"You're back. Come with me. Our boss wants to see you!" the blue-haired woman said coldly, glancing at Shi Feng.