Chapter 232 - Returning from the Trial

Chapter 232 - Returning from the Trial
At this moment, several figures suddenly appeared in the Teleportation Hall of White River City.
“Hahaha! We’re finally out of that suffocating place!”
“There are so many players in White River City!”
“Of course! We’ve been stuck in that broken place for so many days now!”
The conversation of these new figures resounded throughout the Teleportation Hall, and these players were none other than Fire Dance and the others who had just returned from the Trial of Gods.
The moment they set foot out of the Teleportation Hall, the group immediately attracted the attention of many players.
The equipment Fire Dance and the others wore was simply too dazzling, nearly blinding all observers. Even the elite team members of first-rate Guilds were not immune.
After all, among the eight members of the team, the poorest quality equipment they wore was Mysterious-Iron rank. Meanwhile, out of everyone in the party, the Cleric, Violet Cloud, had the best quality equipment. Although she did not have any Set Equipment, she still had 6 pieces of Secret-Silver Equipment and a Fine-Gold ranked staff. No matter how one looked at it, Violet Cloud’s equipment far surpassed that of any member of a Guild’s main force. Moreover, such magnificent equipment decorated Violet Cloud’s slender and elegant body, making her look even more stunning than usual. She looked like an angel descending to the mortal realm, simply breathtaking.
Aside from a beauty like Violet Cloud, there was another female member of the party who was equally beautiful. Garbed in a flame-red, tight-fitting leather shirt, the sexiness of Fire Dance’s polished body was further accentuated.
With two exquisite beauties present, the team of eight would naturally attract a lot of attention.
As a result, many of the teams present, who were originally about to set out to a Dungeon, crowded around Fire Dance and the others. They sent Fire Dance invitations, one after another, requesting Fire Dance and her team to join them in raiding a 20-man Team Dungeon.
Having a powerful Cleric like Violet Cloud would significantly increase their chances of success. Moreover, aside from Violet Cloud, the Guardian Knight, Cola, also had superb equipment. If these experts were willing to do them a favor, they could easily gain a few pieces of top-tier equipment.
Unfortunately, their beautiful dreams were doomed from the start as Fire Dance rejected them all without hesitation.
“We’ve fallen pretty far behind in levels. After we replenish our necessities, let’s go level up,” Fire Dance said, speaking in the team chat, completely ignoring the hungry gazes of the surrounding players.
Nobody in the team opposed her suggestion. After getting along with each other for several days, Fire Dance had already become the core of the team. Everyone had especially acknowledged Fire Dance’s ability to command. Simply put, if it were not for Fire Dance’s leadership, they would not have survived the Trial of God.
Just when Fire Dance and the others were about to head to the Starstreak Trading Firm to purchase some recovery items, over a dozen players walked towards them. Although these players did not possess a Guild emblem on their characters, they were clearly not a team to be underestimated. Even though the Shield Warrior leading this team was a man with an emaciated face and thin body, his appearance could not overshadow the keenness of his gaze. Moreover, this man currently wore a complete Level 10 Mysterious-Iron Set Equipment, in addition to a Secret-Silver ranked shield and one-handed sword. Possessing such items was a clear proof of his strength.
While Fire Dance and the others were shocked by the equipment and strength of the team moving towards them, the team in question was similarly shocked by Fire Dance and the others.
“Crap! Who is that little sister? She actually has six pieces of Secret-Silver Equipment on her! I’m not seeing things, right?”
“Smuggled Goods, I look down upon you! You’re actually only paying attention to the girl’s body! Can’t you see the weapon the Cleric girl has? Also, look at that vulgar-looking Cursemancer’s staff! It should be Secret-Silver rank or stronger!”
“Scram! I have no interests in flat chests! I am obviously talking about the hot little sister standing next to the Cleric!”
“...”
Although the Guardian Knight of Fire Dance’s team was lacking compared to their own MT, their Cleric and Cursemancer were obviously much worse than the two before them. Moreover, the two teams were similar in that they both were independent teams and neither belonged to the main force of a Guild.
In White River City, where Guilds occupied most of the important resource points, it was a rare sight for an independent team to possess such top-tier equipment. So, how could they not attract attention?
“Hello, I am War Wolf, team leader of the Holy Grail Knights.” The emaciated man, War Wolf, took the initiative to introduce himself to Fire Dance.
“Zero Wing’s team leader, Fire Dance,” Fire Dance replied, her interest to befriend this new team growing.
Shi Feng had passed the management of the team to Fire Dance, and Fire Dance knew Shi Feng had done so due to his trust in her. She did not wish to betray that trust. Hence, taking their future Guild into consideration, as the manager of the team, she naturally had to think of a way to expand and strengthen the team.
Meanwhile, the foreign team before her was clearly a formidable independent team. She felt their leader, War Wolf, was more than he appeared. Although she had never fought with him before, she knew that he was one of the rarely seen apex experts. If she had to PK against War Wolf, she would not have any advantage against him. If she could recruit such an expert and team into their Guild, they would have no worries when raiding large-scale Team Dungeons in the future.
“Fire Dance?” War Wolf was slightly surprised when he heard this name. He then said, “So you’re Fire Dance, the earliest player to get first place on White River City’s Ranking List? How fortunate to meet you.”
War Wolf’s evaluation of Fire Dance rose even higher after learning the news. Aside from Gentle Snow and Zhao Yueru, Fire Dance’s imposing aura was likely the most powerful of all the female players he had met. Moreover, Fire Dance was also an independent player.
“I was just lucky.” Fire Dance smiled as she said, “I see that Team Leader Wolf is about to go Dungeon diving?”
“That’s right. We’re currently about to raid the Level 12 Frost Nest,” War Wolf revealed. “Is Miss Fire Dance interested in joining us?”
The Frost Nest was a Level 12, 20-man Team Dungeon. Currently, aside from the main force of the major Guilds, no other team possessed the strength to challenge such a Dungeon.
“Thank you for your kind offer, but we still have our own matters to attend. We will definitely join you if we have the chance in the future,” Fire Dance immediately rejected War Wolf’s offer. Shi Feng had previously instructed them to raise their levels as he still had some important matters to deal with. If they entered a Dungeon right now, their leveling speed would suffer, and they might even lose some EXP. Hence, Fire Dance chose to reject the offer without a second thought.
“That’s truly unfortunate. Let’s add each other as friends, Miss Fire Dance. If we have a chance to raid a large-scale Team Dungeon together in the future, we can contact each other more conveniently.” War Wolf sent Fire Dance a friend request.
Since Fire Dance was also an expert of God’s Domain, Common Equipment would not satisfy her, yet, to obtain high-quality equipment, aside from killing Lord ranked Field Bosses and completing Special Quests, the only other option was raiding a Team Dungeon or a large-scale Team Dungeons.
However, an independent team was different from Guild members. The teams were loosely formed, and the strength of the members usually varied. If an independent team relied solely on themselves, they would have no way of clearing a large-scale Team Dungeon. Hence, independent teams needed to cooperate with one another. Only by combining the strength of multiple independent teams would they have a chance of raiding a 50-man or above large-scale Team Dungeon.
Yet, not just any independent teams would be fit for the task; a sufficiently strong independent team was necessary. Otherwise, entering a large-scale Team Dungeon would be suicide. Hence, War Wolf planned to befriend powerful independent teams. If they had powerful allies, they would have a much easier time raiding large-scale Team Dungeons.
---
Just as Fire Dance and War Wolf added each other as friends, Shi Feng had arrived at Blackwing City. He had come to conduct his third business transaction with Aqua Rose.
This time, however, Shi Feng had not brought a lot of the Level 10 equipment and weapons he had forged. Now that the majority of the players in God’s Domain were over Level 10, these items were no longer as valuable as they were before. Hence, Shi Feng did not produce many of them. Instead, he prepared something better, something that could even attract the attention of first-rate Guilds.
In addition, the Blackwing Auction House was holding an auction today. To any wealthy player, this was a chance that must not be missed, including Shi Feng who currently possessed enormous wealth.
However, after Shi Feng had arrived at the appointed restaurant, Aqua Rose did not show up, even after a long time had passed. Instead, a pot-bellied man resembling Maitreya[1] walked over and quietly sat opposite of Shi Feng. With a gentle and elegant smile, he said, “Hello there, Master Black Flame. As Miss Aqua has some urgent matters to attend to today, she has sent me to represent her in this transaction. Miss Aqua expresses her sincerest apologies.”
TL Notes:
[1] Maitreya:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/exterior/landmark/3d-models-maitreya-buddha-statue-ba4f62b45edade1c8e90a8f97c5fe95e