Chapter 967 – Craftsman Alchemist

“Zero Wing alone is enough?”

Blackie was at a loss for words when he heard Shi Feng’s confident statement.

“Is Silent Wonder online?” Shi Feng asked, not bothering to explain himself.

“Silent Wonder?” Although Blackie didn’t understand why Shi Feng would suddenly ask such a question, he still answered to the best of his knowledge. “Outside of her daily four-hour offline break, she is always online.”

“Okay. Have her come to my office. I have something to discuss with her,” Shi Feng said, nodding.

Now that Shi Feng had obtained Firmament, he could easily solve Shadowring Town’s predicament. Blackie’s report simply reminded him of Zero Wing’s flaws.

The current Zero Wing lacked powerhouses to defend its interests. This was a problem that had plagued the Guild since the birth of the Eternal Realm. It was just that outside experts couldn’t enter the Eternal Realm before this, so everyone had more or less the same levels and equipment standards. However, as more outside experts entered the Eternal Realm, Zero Wing’s lack of capable experts became more apparent.

The gap in levels and equipment standards between an upstart Guild like Zero Wing and the Greater God’s Domain’s long-established powers could not be overcome in a short period. It was especially so when it came to high-ranking weapons and equipment. Players had to invest significant time and effort to raid high-level dungeons and complete high-difficulty quests to obtain these items.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible for players to obtain high-ranking weapons and equipment quickly. So long as they had the proper connections and enough money, they’d have no trouble obtaining Fragmented Divine Artifacts. This was why powerful lone wolves occasionally appeared among the Greater God’s Domain’s younger generation.

These lone wolves might not have the backing of a major power, but they came from wealthy families that enabled them to obtain powerful weapons and equipment. If they could find opportunities to hone their combat standards on top of that, they’d quickly become powerhouses in the Greater God’s Domain.

The current Zero Wing similarly could quickly let a fifth-floor expert rival Level 230 Ancient Gods in strength. Take the Flame God Set, for example. Any fifth-floor expert who equipped it would instantly become strong enough to beat up even the royal powers’ Level 230 Ancient God-ranked experts.

The problem was that Zero Wing could only produce one such expert; it couldn’t produce a second one. It also couldn’t produce a group of experts that could rival Level 230 Ancient Gods and single-handedly defend its territories in the Eternal Realm.

Fortunately, Zero Wing’s situation wasn’t completely hopeless. It might not have the years of accumulation needed to produce a group of Level 230 Ancient God-ranked experts, but there was an alternative method it could use.

Craftsman-ranked Lifestyle Players!

When Lifestyle Players achieved the Great Grandmaster rank, any apex power or below would treat them as VIPs. When Lifestyle Players achieved the Craftsman rank, even royal powers would treat them with great care.

The reason for this was simple: Craftsman-ranked Lifestyle Players could make products with heaven-defying effects. These items could even be used to produce powerhouses in batches.

Take Craftsman Forgers, for example. With the requisite designs and materials, they could mass-produce Fragmented Divine Artifacts. They could even produce Divine Artifacts, albeit at a low success rate. This was also the case for Craftsman Alchemists. The Craftsman Strength Potion they produced could increase the user’s Strength by 500% for ten minutes. Such a potion could let a Level 235 elite expert beat up even Level 230 Ancient Gods.

Currently, Silent Wonder had already reached the limits of the Great Grandmaster Alchemist rank. With her astonishing talent in alchemy, if she used the Alchemy Door, she would likely achieve a breakthrough and become a Craftsman Alchemist on the spot. At that time, Zero Wing would gain the capability to trade blows with royal powers in the truest sense.

…

Ten minutes later…

Silent Wonder entered Shi Feng’s office under Blackie’s escort. When she saw Shi Feng behind the desk, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in her eyes.

Just a moment ago, she had been attempting to produce a Craftsman Potion. The potion was from a recipe she had developed, thanks to a flash of inspiration. However, before she could ascertain the feasibility of her recipe, Blackie suddenly intruded on her workspace and dragged her here.

“Guild Leader, do you need me for something?” Silent Wonder asked after calming her emotions.

However, Shi Feng did not answer Silent Wonder. Instead, he asked, “How confident are you of developing a Craftsman-ranked Alchemy Recipe right now?”

“About 10%,” Silent Wonder answered, staring at Shi Feng in astonishment. She hadn’t expected Shi Feng to ask such a question, and she couldn’t help but worry.

The most crucial step for a Great Grandmaster Alchemist to become a Craftsman Alchemist was the development of a Craftsman-ranked Alchemy Recipe. However, recipes did not appear out of thin air. The development of every alchemy recipe required many experiments and the expenditure of large amounts of materials. This was especially so for the development of a Craftsman-ranked Alchemy Recipe. The materials required were extraordinarily precious.

In reality, most, if not all, of the Greater God’s Domain’s successful alchemists couldn’t have achieved what they had accomplished without the financial backing of a major power. It was simply impossible for individuals to support the growth of the Alchemist Subclass financially.

For the sake of developing a Craftsman-ranked Alchemy Recipe, Silent Wonder had already spent over 100,000 of Zero Wing’s Eternal Gold on research and development. Yet, even the latest recipe she was experimenting on only had a 10% chance of being a new Craftsman Potion. Most major powers would probably find this result unacceptable.

“About 10%?” Shi Feng nodded. “Not bad.”

Shi Feng knew that Silent Wonder was not one to exaggerate. If she said she had a 10% success rate, she must only have a 10% success rate.

Of course, a 10% success rate was by no means low. On the contrary, Silent Wonder could be considered extremely talented for achieving such a standard after spending just 100,000 Eternal Gold.

Apex powers typically had to spend the equivalent of several million Eternal Gold just to let a Great Grandmaster Alchemist have a general idea of how to develop a Craftsman-ranked Alchemy Recipe. Nonetheless, they would find their investment worthwhile. If their Great Grandmaster Alchemists could come up with a recipe that had even a sliver of a chance of success after spending just 100,000 Eternal Gold, they’d be smiling in their sleep.

Silent Wonder sighed in relief at Shi Feng’s response.

“Are you interested in becoming a Craftsman Alchemist?” Shi Feng asked leisurely, as if he were asking about the weather. His question coming so calmly and abruptly stunned Silent Wonder momentarily.

“Guild Leader, do you have a way?” Silent Wonder asked after snapping out of her daze.

“I do.” Not withholding any information, Shi Feng said, “I obtained an item called the Alchemy Door. It can help alchemists learn an alchemy recipe up to one rank higher than them. However, the exact rank of the recipe will depend on the alchemist’s talent. If you wish to use the Alchemy Door, you must sign a God’s Domain Contract agreeing to work only for Zero Wing. I will find someone else if you don’t want this opportunity.”

The development of any Craftsman Alchemist did not come easily. Moreover, the Alchemy Door cost 1,000 God Crystals per use. Zero Wing only had enough God Crystals to use the Alchemy Door once. If Zero Wing wanted to use it again, the Guild would have to either use the more precious Eternal God Crystals or buy God Crystals. Furthermore, the Alchemy Door could only be used once every 60 natural days. Under such circumstances, there was no way Zero Wing would let an alchemist who wasn’t working exclusively for the Guild use the Alchemy Door.

“I accept!” Silent Wonder answered without hesitation. There was even a hint of excitement in her eyes as she looked at Shi Feng. “Let’s sign the contract now, Guild Leader!”

Silent Wonder’s prompt response surprised Shi Feng. It took him about three seconds to recover and take out the God’s Domain Contract he had prepared beforehand.

After Silent Wonder signed the contract, Shi Feng immediately handed her the Alchemy Door and 1,000 God Crystals.

…