Chapter 1439 - Revisiting the Countess's Mansion

Chapter 1439: Revisiting the Countess’s Mansion
Translator: 
Exodus Tales 
 Editor: 
Exodus Tales
Chapter 1439 – Revisiting the Countess’s Mansion
Black Dragon Empire, Black Dragon City:
People crowded the streets in the city’s prosperous Trade Area. Level 42 and 43 experts were everywhere. Players atop Mounts were also a common sight.
In the luxurious Shops lining the streets, one could easily find Level 40 Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment. A few Shops even had Level 40 Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment on display in their windows.
Although more players in God’s Domain reached Level 40 by the day, Level 40 Weapons and Equipment were still extremely rare. Many players that had reached Level 40 had to continue using Level 35 Equipment. Players who obtained even a piece of Level 40 Secret-Silver Equipment were overjoyed. As for Level 40 Dark-Gold Equipment, such items were even hard to find in kingdoms’ Auction Houses.
Hence, seeing Level 40 Dark-Gold Equipment on display in the Shops here was incredible.
Only, the Level 40 Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment were ridiculously expensive. Their prices were at least three times higher than the market price. It was obvious that these Shops had no intentions of selling the items, only using them for promotion.
Meanwhile, an eight-story-tall Guild Hall dominated the center of the Trade Area. From the building’s top floor, a player could gaze upon the city as if they were its emperor.
In the Guild Hall’s top-floor hall, Nine Dragons Emperor read a report he had just received from a subordinate. The players next to this intense player felt an intense pressure weigh on their shoulders. They felt as if they had been submerged in water as they even struggled to breathe.

Zero Wing!
Nine Dragons Emperor’s eyes were icy as he read the report.
Does Black Flame think he can afford my enmity just because he has Phoenix Rain backing him up?

Not long ago, Zero Wing had utterly destroyed both of the towns under Crimson Castle’s control.
Although most players didn’t know that he, in fact, controlled both of the towns from the shadows, the Black Dragon Empire’s various large Guilds were fully aware of the fact. Destroying these resource towns was the equivalent of a slap to the face.
Yet, Nine Dragons Emperor couldn’t do anything about it.
Both towns had belonged to him personally, not his Guild. If he tried to mobilize the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion’s power against Zero Wing, Phoenix Rain would certainly get in his way, but sending his personal forces against the offending Guild was dangerous. Zero Wing was no longer a monster to be taken lightly.
Without the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion’s foundations, neither the Intermediate Mana Pulse Cannons nor the movement-type defensive magic array would be easy to deal with. The Guild had items that could cope with Zero Wing’s war weapons, but they were under the Great Pavilion Master’s control. Unless he became the next Great Pavilion Master, he wouldn’t have access to these items.

Martial, tell Beast Emperor that I accept his offer, but I have one condition. He must help us destroy Zero Wing!
Nine Dragons Emperor instructed his general in a frosty tone.

Pavilion Master, if you agree to Beast Emperor’s conditions, it will likely affect the situation at Black Dragon City. On the off chance that the Great Pavilion Master investigates the matter…
Martial Dragon could not help his surprise to hear the order.

It doesn’t matter. Beast Emperor needs some more time to deal with issues on his side. By the time he’s ready, the contest on Thunder Island will be over. By then, I could be the Great Pavilion Master. Who could possibly stand in my way?
Nine Dragons Emperor said, smiling confidently.
Alright, enough. Just pass my answer on to that old man.


Understood!
Martial Dragon immediately left the hall.
…
Meanwhile, a mysterious man in black robes and bandages was in the middle of a ceremony in a canyon surrounded by Evil energy. As he led the ritual, the Mana density around the man was several times higher than when Stone Forest Town’s Obelisk had activated.
Flame Blood, whose skin had turned dark-gray, suddenly approached the black-clad man.

Temple Master, we just received a message from Nine Dragon Emperor’s men. The Dragon Pavilion Master has agreed to our conditions. However, in return, he wants us to eliminate Zero Wing,
Flame Blood said with a smile.

Hahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting!
Beast Emperor stopped chanting when he heard the news. He continued,
I will gladly accept this condition! Tell Nine Dragons Emperor that, as long as I complete my quest, neither Zero Wing nor his rival, Phoenix Rain, will be a problem.

He already bore a deep-seated hatred for Zero Wing. Due to Black Flame, not only had his Evil Demon army suffered a massive loss, but he had also lost an Evil God’s Apostle slot.
If given the opportunity, he’d make the Guild pay.
Only, he hadn’t expected Zero Wing to infuriate Nine Dragons Emperor to such a degree. Despite his numerous attempts to ally with Nine Dragons Emperor, the man had refused his offers. The refusals put in him a bit of a predicament.
Although he was an Evil God’s Envoy, he hadn’t accumulated enough power to be a threat to the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion.
He had never dreamed that Zero Wing would inevitably lend him a hand.
With Heaven’s Burial helping him in Star-Moon Kingdom and Nine Dragons Emperor supporting him in the Black Dragon Empire, he now had over a 70% chance of completing the quest he had received from the Evil God’s Temple’s Great Temple Master.
…
Meanwhile, Lake Heart City’s main street was quite lively. It was no less active than Black Dragon City’s Trade Area.
This was all because Zero Wing had destroyed Crimson Castle’s two Guild towns. This thorough and spectacular victory proved Zero Wing’s prowess to every player in the city. It was obvious that given enough time, Zero Wing’s Branch Guild in the Black Dragon Empire would grow to stand on equal footing with, or even surpass, the empire’s first-rate Guilds, becoming the second most powerful Guild in the Black Dragon Empire.
Many independent players and experts in the empire had rushed to Lake Heart City in hopes of joining Zero Wing and it’s prosperous future. Even some of the empire’s well-known adventurer teams wanted to join the Guild.
Not only was the Guild frighteningly powerful, but it also had the Battle Arena in Stone Forest Town. At this point, due to the ranking competition’s results, Stone Forest Town’s Battle Arena had become famous throughout the Black Dragon Empire.
According to the statistics some players had compiled, the public had discovered that many of the empire’s top-ranking experts had trained in the Battle Arena. To be precise, they had trained in the Advanced Combat Rooms.
The Advanced Combat Room was a sacred training grounds that all expert players dreamed of accessing. Among the players that had trained in the Advanced Combat Rooms, Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon had displayed the greatest improvements to their combat standards.
During the previous ranking competition, Remnant Cloud had only risen to the top 100 of his class, yet he had ranked among the top 50 in the latest competition. Furthermore, this last ranking competition had included far more powerful experts than those in the past. Many of the previous top 100 experts didn’t even make it into the top 200.
Graceful Moon’s performance had also been surprising, ranking among the top 100 of her class.
Due to these two players’ performances, Stone Forest Town’s popularity in the Black Dragon Empire had skyrocketed despite Zero Wing’s lack of effort to promote the town.
As Shi Feng strolled down Lake Heart City’s main street, he wore a new appearance thanks to the Demon Mask. With his Nightwalker’s Cape’s concealment, not even high-tiered NPCs he had encountered before should be able to recognize him.
During his previous visit to Countess Katie Green’s mansion, the Countess had thrown him into a Trial of God. Now that he had the Nightwalker Cape, he should be able to visit the Countess again.
As Shi Feng approached the Countess’s mansion, the Golden Stigmata’s pulsing grew more intense. It reached a peak when he finally stood before the building.
She shouldn’t be able to notice it, right? 
Taking a deep breath, Shi Feng stepped through the mansion’s main entrance.