Chapter 57 - Hammer Trading
“Hammer Trading?” Shi Feng wanted to confirm once more.
“Correct. He even posted a thread on the forums criticizing the blackhearted forger that made the Garrison Armor. Currently, the thread has already received more than seven million clicks. With it, that guy has quickly become a famous person in White River City. I heard many large Guilds have already sent out an olive branch to him, trying to recruit him with a high price.” The logistics player had a face filled with envy while he spoke. He couldn't help but wish he could turn into Hammer Trading. That way, he would be able to live a life filled with beauties and riches.
Shi Feng only smiled at the player as he turned to walk towards an empty seat. He sat down and called out the game's official forum.
He wanted to have a good look at this Hammer Trading who nearly robbed him of his business.
In Shi Feng's previous life, Hammer Trading did not reveal himself as quickly as this. Before Shadow scouted him, he had been playing God’s Domain with tens of fellow schoolmates. With the support of these schoolmates, in addition to some chance meetings that had allowed him to become an Intermediate Forging Apprentice, he managed to become acquainted with the upper echelons of Shadow. At that time, there were very few Intermediate Forging Apprentices. The Bronze Equipment that was forged at the time was also very popular. Seeing such a situation, Shadow also wanted a share of the profits. So, they paid a large price to hire Hammer Trading. Along with the continuous support of Shadow Workshop, Hammer Trading grew to become a shocking figure, becoming a relatively famous Forger and earning Shadow a lot of money.
Afterward, Hammer Trading also obtained the Forging Talent[1] in addition to the great support from Shadow, allowing him to become a Master Forger. During those times, he did not have the slightest hint of respect for Shi Feng, who was the Guild Leader of Shadow at that time.
In the end, with the strong support of Hammer Trading, along with several Master Forgers and Master Potionmakers, Lan Hua Financial Groups gladly agreed to World Dominator's acquisition of Shadow. Otherwise, Lan Hua Financial Groups would not have agreed to the decision without hesitation and dismissing Shi Feng at the same time.
Shi Feng opened the forums for Star-Moon Kingdom, his heart lamenting over how fate was toying with him.
In this life, just when the Garrison Armor was beginning to sell like hotcakes, Hammer Trading appeared to break off his road to wealth.
Shi Feng couldn't help but admit that he and Hammer Trading were rivals in life.
Shi Feng stole the Forging Talent from Hammer Trading, whereas Hammer Trading turned around to break off his road to wealth.
Browsing the forums of Star-Moon Kingdom, Shi Feng quickly discovered a thread marked in red, positioned at the top of the forum.
Upholding justice starts from us! We absolutely cannot let this blackhearted forger do as he pleases! I am a forger with a kind heart!
These large, bright red words caused Shi Feng's brows to furrow.
What kind of trouble is he trying to cause here?
The number of clicks exceeded ten million!
Out of curiosity, Shi Feng had opened the thread.
Shi Feng looked at the eloquently written condemnation that had over ten thousand words. The article had justifiably mentioned that the cost of making a piece of Bronze Equipment did not even exceed 1 Silver Coin. However, the blackhearted Shi Feng sold his equipment for up to 30 Silver Coins. He was ripping off other players. Hence, Hammer Trading wanted to oppose Shi Feng. He was even willing to sell Level 3 Bronze Equipment without limit. Only, due to the failure rates, he had no choice but to sell them at 4 Silvers a piece to reclaim his cost of making.
This article received the support of a lot of players. They had all declared that they would no longer purchase the Garrison Armor and that they would support Hammer Trading's actions of kindness.
Shi Feng was speechless after reading the entire article.
The entire article was just trying to put a smear on his reputation while heightening Hammer Trading's own self. At the same time, Hammer Trading wanted to state that he, too, could forge Bronze Equipment.
He was clearly trying to use Shi Feng as a stepping stone to raise his own worth and fame. He wanted to let the many large Guilds extend an olive branch to him, and in turn, raising his own worth.
However, Shi Feng had to admit that Hammer Trading had succeeded. Not only had his fame risen in a burst, but many second-rate Guilds had also sent him an invitation. There were even a few first-rate Guilds who were willing to discuss matters of cooperation with Hammer Trading.
“Crap, not only has he broken off my path to wealth, he still wants to use me as a stepping stone?!” Shi Feng could no longer hold back his two lifetime's worth of rage. He wanted to properly teach Hammer Trading a lesson.
Did he think he was awesome for selling Level 3 Bronze Equipment without limit?
Shi Feng did not wish to have any relation with Hammer Trading if he did not try to use Shi Feng as a stepping stone. However, now that he had provoked Shi Feng, he must be ready to pay the appropriate price.
Shi Feng felt it was just hilarious when he looked at the statements and numbers provided by Hammer Trading.
Basic Forging Apprentices only had a 5% success rate when forging a piece of Level 3 Bronze Equipment. However, looking at the numbers provided by Hammer Trading, it could be seen that he did not possess just a Forging Design for a piece of Bronze Equipment. He must have also obtained an item that increased the success rate for forging. In addition to using the Intermediate Forging Room, his success rate should be around 20%. That was why he dared to spout nonsense and brought out several pieces of equipment for auction to prove his words.
However, according to Shi Feng’s estimates, to raise his reputation, Hammer Trading was taking a loss of 1 Silver Coin for every piece of Bronze Equipment he sold. Although Shi Feng did not know how much funding Hammer Trading had, he was still ten years too early from competing with Shi Feng.
Selling at 4 Silver Coins, is it?
Shi Feng would sell his equipment at 4 Silver Coins as well. He had the Philosopher’s Stone and the Book of Forging, so his initial cost was just slightly more than 10 Coppers. Including his terrifying success rate, Shi Feng was looking forward to seeing who had the last laugh.
Without holding anything back, Shi Feng immediately posted a thread on the forum anonymously. The article was titled “Shockingly high-quality Plate Armor on Auction House.” Afterward, he called up the interface for the Auction House, placing twenty pieces of the worst Glimmer Chestplate on auction.
The Healing Power on the Glimmer Chestplate had a remarkable effect on MTs when inside a Dungeon. It was even better when compared to the Garrison Armor. When compared to Hammer Trading’s Savage Chestplate, it was more than two times better. Players would naturally know which equipment to choose when they saw the Glimmer Chestplate.
“Hammer Trading, didn’t you want to be famous? I’ll let you become super famous. I’ll turn you into a celebrity.” Shi Feng revealed a cold grin as he closed the interface. He turned around and left the Auction House, setting up a stall outside to purchase Stones and Hard Stones.
Two minutes after Shi Feng had posted his thread…
A few players noticed Shi Feng’s post. Average players were still very attentive towards high-quality equipment. Currently, the average player did not even possess a piece of Bronze Equipment, not to mention high-quality equipment. So, naturally, they wanted to get a glimpse.
The moment these players arrived at the Auction House, they were stupefied by what they saw.
The Attributes on the Glimmer Chestplate was just too good, especially the Healing Power. It was definitely the most beloved Ability for an MT when inside a Dungeon.
After they finished looking at the Attributes, the players chose to try wearing it.
They looked at their own appearance when wearing the Glimmer Chestplate. Streamline mold, dashing figure, and even a faint radiance coming off their bodies. There was also a flickering black flame on their left breast. They looked absolutely awesome! It was as if they had become the heroes from legends while wearing the Glimmer Chestplate, valiant and powerful.
Then, they looked at the selling price. It actually only required 4 Silver Coins.
These players did not dare believe their eyes. Such high-end equipment was only selling for 4 Silver Coins. If they did not buy it, they would be doing a disservice to their own lives. Even if they did not have much money on their persons, they were willing to sacrifice everything they had to buy the Glimmer Chestplate.
Within a short fifteen minutes, Shi Feng’s post had become the topic of the forum. There were even players who posted the information and appearance of the Glimmer Chestplate, the equipment instantly arousing everyone’s exclamation. Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights could not help but wish they could obtain this high-end equipment right that instant.
However, when they wanted to go to the Auction House and buy it, there were only four pieces of the equipment remaining. Moreover, every one of those pieces had their prices bade up to more than 6 Silver Coins…
One MT from an Elite party had reluctantly chosen to borrow money from all over the place. In the end, he successfully won a piece for 7 Silver Coins. When the Glimmer Chestplate arrived in his hands, he no longer minded the money he owed for it. With such Attributes and dashing appearance, he would not have any troubles earning money in the future.
Thinking up to this point, the smile on this Shield Warrior spread widely.
TL Notes:
[1] Forging Talent: this is referring to the Forging Genius mentioned in Chapter 19