Star Moon Kingdom City, War God Temple.
As Shi Feng walked into the first-floor hall of the War God Temple, a Level 180, Fourth Order chief steward walked straight over to greet him with obvious deference. The sight immediately drew the attention of a crowd of players who had come to the War God Temple to pick up quests. One by one, they couldn't help but stare with curiosity at the figure draped in a black cloak, his features faintly obscured by a thin veil of dark mist.
"A Fourth Order chief steward personally greeting him? Who is that guy?"
"I remember that before, when plenty of Fourth Order experts came to pick up quests, that steward could barely be bothered with them. Now he's actually going out of his way to welcome someone? Could that be Black Flame?"
"It has to be the Sword Saint, Black Flame! I heard he always travels alone and loves to keep his identity hidden. In the entire Star Moon Kingdom, the only person who could make a Level 180, Fourth Order chief steward bow like that is him. Even the guild masters of first-rate guilds wouldn't get that kind of treatment."
The crowd in the hall watched Shi Feng, and suddenly their eyes lit up with fervor. They couldn't help but converge on him—some wanting to snap photos as mementos, others scrambling to record video, and still others trying to call out to him.
A living legend—many free-roaming Swordsmen had taken up the Swordsman class precisely because of Black Flame.
Several posts had already popped up on the official Star Moon Kingdom forums, all about the Sword Saint Black Flame making a surprise appearance at the War God Temple, or the Sword Saint Black Flame showing up in Star Moon Kingdom City…
For a moment, Shi Feng didn't know what to say. He had originally wanted to hide his identity by wearing the Shadow Walker Cloak, but these players were far too sharp—they had recognized him almost instantly.
"Honored Sword Saint, the Temple Master has already given instructions. If you were to arrive, this item is to be handed over to you." The chief steward respectfully produced a parchment scroll and presented it to Shi Feng. "All you need to do is sign it, and it will take effect immediately!"
Shi Feng took the parchment scroll and nodded. "Thank the Temple Master on my behalf."
The parchment scroll the chief steward had produced was a contract signed by the ruler of the Star Moon Kingdom. Once Shi Feng put his signature on it, Zero Wing would formally establish itself in the Star Moon Kingdom, becoming its patron guild—a guild with a stake in guiding the kingdom's development, and even the authority to mobilize the kingdom's army.
Without hesitation, Shi Feng wrote his name on it.
The next instant, a system notification chimed in his ears.
System: Congratulations! Your guild, Zero Wing, has officially established itself in the Star Moon Kingdom, becoming the Star Moon Kingdom's patron guild and gaining partial administrative authority over the entire kingdom.
At the same time, a system-wide announcement resounded across the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
System Regional Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for officially establishing itself in the Star Moon Kingdom and becoming the kingdom's patron guild, gaining partial administrative authority over the Star Moon Kingdom.
…
The announcement repeated three times, ringing through the minds of every player in the Star Moon Kingdom, and threw the entire player base into an uproar.
"What's going on?"
"Established in the Star Moon Kingdom?"
"Isn't it true that only one of the Divine Realm continent's twelve candidate guilds is qualified to establish itself in a kingdom?"
…
Many players were baffled by the sudden announcement, but within Zero Wing, it was absolute pandemonium—especially among the newest recruits.
Because even the densest player in the Divine Realm understood one thing: from now on, the entire Star Moon Kingdom would be under Zero Wing's command. Even the great superpowers wouldn't dare meddle in the Star Moon Kingdom anymore. Not only could new Zero Wing members level up there in peace, but they would also have access to a flood of kingdom quests that ordinary players could never obtain. This more than made up for Zero Wing's long-standing deficiency in nurturing newcomers.
Countless factions across the Star Moon Kingdom could already imagine how explosively Zero Wing would grow from here on out.
With the backing of an entire kingdom, Zero Wing could massively expand its recruitment. There would be no more worries about insufficient leveling resources, no more need to accept only elites who had already reached Third Order. Before, those were the only players who could be sent to Zero Wing's major cities for advancement.
Elite players were undeniably powerful, but there simply weren't enough of them to truly support Zero Wing's development and expansion. That was precisely why Zero Wing had always been self-sufficient for defense alone but lacking in growth.
But from this moment on, that weakness was gone for good.
"Yes! It's finally done!" Shi Feng looked at the system notification, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He then left the War God Temple, his figure vanishing from the sight of the gathered onlookers as he headed straight for the Star Moon Kingdom's Royal Treasury.
In the Divine Realm, when a guild established itself in a kingdom or empire, there was actually a hidden benefit. Beyond the guild receiving patronage from the entire kingdom or empire—including a massive supply of resources each month—there was one enormous advantage.
The Royal Treasury!
The Royal Treasury—or the Imperial Treasury, for empires—stored each kingdom's accumulated foundation. Of course, claiming that foundation required spending resources, and more importantly, holding a sufficient status and rank.
If one wished to enter a kingdom's or empire's treasury, one needed to hold the title of Grand Duke or equivalent rank within that nation—only then was one qualified to exchange for the kingdom's reserves.
Shi Feng currently held no Grand Duke title in the Star Moon Kingdom. However, he possessed the status of Elder in the War God Temple—a position that ranked even higher than a Grand Duke of an empire. Entering the kingdom's treasury to exchange for its foundation would naturally pose no problem at all.