Translator: Hellscythe_ Editor: Hellscythe_
Inside Overwhelming Smile's Guild Residence in White River City...
"What did you say?" Feng Xuanyang abruptly slammed his fist down on the table. Furious, he said, "Those bastards suddenly raised their price? Do they take us for fools?"
"Young Master, please calm down," the slightly chubby, middle-aged man advised. "They have not raised their prices without reason, but because they have the capital to do so."
"Capital? Advanced Forging Apprentices like them? Overwhelming Smile has no shortage of individuals of their caliber!" Feng Xuanyang's brows furrowed, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Although his family was successful, he wasn't the only one competing to become the successor. He had joined Underworld precisely because he needed the organization's help to achieve his goal. Meanwhile, upon discovering God's Domain's unique standing through Underworld's inside information, he had immediately snatched the chance and invested in the virtual reality game. As long as he could create a legacy for himself, the matter of becoming his family's successor would be set in stone.
He had spent such a large sum of money to poach these people only because he wished to wound the Candlelight Trading Firm. Due to the ongoing war with Zero Wing, Overwhelming Smile's daily gold expenditure was massive. Hence, all of the money spent on dealing with the Candlelight Trading Firm right now was his. His liquid funds only amounted to several hundred millions of Credits, so he could not squander it.
Although Advanced Forging Apprentices were indeed rare, with the money he possessed, he could easily hire dozens of Advanced Forging Apprentice NPCs from the Forging Association. It was much easier and cheaper than poaching Advanced Forging Apprentices from the Candlelight Trading Firm. Not only did he have to offer these people high benefits, but he also had to pay an astronomical compensation fee. Moreover, even when these forgers joined him, they were useless with their Lifestyle Skills reset to zero.
"Young Master Feng, the two I mention are somewhat special."
"Special?! Just because they are special, they dared to raise the price we have agreed upon by three times?! Do they really consider themselves true Forgers?!"
"Young Master Feng, although they are not forgers, they have recently learned a rare forging design; they can now produce Light Stones. A Light Stone is an item that enables players to grind and level even throughout the night. With it, players will not be limited by time. Moreover, it's quite cheap to produce Light Stones, so it is a very lucrative product. Meanwhile, among the Advanced Forging Apprentices of the Candlelight Trading Firm, only three have learned it. So, naturally, they raised their prices."
"Light Stone? There is actually such a thing? Have you confirmed how they managed to obtain its forging design?"
When he heard about the Light Stone's function, Feng Xuanyang immediately realized how massive its value was. If he could obtain the forging designs for them, he would not need to spend money to poach the Candlelight Trading Firm's members. He could simply rely on the Light Stones to defeat the Candlelight Trading Firm and dominate Star-Moon Kingdom's market.
"The Candlelight Trading Firm is keeping that a secret, so low-ranking members like them have no access to that information. However, I have sent someone to investigate the Light Stones. Though, it would seem that the Candlelight Trading Firm only has a limited number of Light Stone Forging Designs. Otherwise, they would not only allow three Advanced Forging Apprentices to learn them.
"Moreover, I have also heard that the three Forgers of Candlelight are not producing the Light Stones, focusing on producing the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits. It is quite possible that the Trading Firm is too busy and has decided to allow its Advanced Forging Apprentices to produce the Light Stones instead. In other words, it is possible that Candlelight only has three Light Stone Forging Designs. If we can poach two of them, it would be a massive blow to the Trading Firm."
