Chapter 45: The Great Transformation of Luoyun (Part Two)

“A player has applied to purchase a shop, do you approve?” Shadow was still busy nearby; the changes had just been made, yet already someone was applying to buy a shop?!

Li Ren called over Shadow, “Have you set the rental price for your shops? Why is it that someone can already apply? Don’t make a mistake and end up giving away a shop for free.”

Shadow didn’t even look up, his hands never stopping, “Master, you don’t need to doubt me about such trivial matters. I set all the prices at the highest rates, there’s no way I made a mistake.”

“Huh? So what exactly did you set them at? How are these people able to apply so quickly?” Li Ren was puzzled; perhaps Shadow really had set the prices a bit too low.

Shadow lifted his head helplessly, knowing that once his former master had doubts, he wouldn’t let it go. “I set five tiers, depending on the size. The most expensive is 1 million gold coins per month, and the cheapest is 100,000 per month. At this stage of the game, that’s already extraordinary. If I made it any higher, nobody would buy, and even if they did, they wouldn’t make a profit.”

Li Ren looked at the composed man before him—1 million gold coins! That’s a million! Shadow spoke without even a frown. Where could any player possibly gather so much money nowadays?

Ordinary players would be lucky to have fifty gold coins, and that’s only if they had a side business. Without one, they’d be penniless, barely able to afford potions and equipment.

Since Shadow had said so, Li Ren confirmed the transaction. Immediately upon confirmation, the previously empty city warehouse suddenly had 300,000 gold coins deposited!

“Which rich wastrel just bought a property worth 300,000 coins all at once—and that’s just for a month! Damn!” Li Ren shouted inwardly, but as he gazed at the long row of zeroes, he seemed to see more souls beckoning to him, and a grander, more imposing Cloudfall City rising before his eyes.

No sooner had he pressed confirm than several more notifications appeared. Without exception, any message appearing directly before the city lord, Li Ren, was related to shop transactions.

With such high shop prices already confirmed, Li Ren simply approved all applicants. It cost him nothing, and earned him money for free—what a wonderful thing!

Outside Cloudfall City, after Li Ren pressed several confirmations, the profits aside, he saw several mid-sized shops flash with a burst of light. As their doors opened, groups of players obviously belonging to different factions entered.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

Anyone able to buy a shop at this stage was certainly no ordinary person.

In this city belonging to the player-NPC faction, all the buildings were occupied by NPCs. Players could only use the small market for trading, which was not only tiny but also exorbitantly expensive.

The few guilds that could establish headquarters had nothing more than small villages, lacking even basic teleportation arrays. Who would travel countless miles just to buy a simple item?

Moreover, most of the buildings in those locations were occupied by system-assigned NPCs, leaving little space for players to plan.

The emergence of Cloudfall City fundamentally changed the status quo. This was what player guild headquarters would look like after reaching a certain scale, except it had appeared ahead of time before the masses.

With the hidden soul exchange quests appearing here, player popularity had already concentrated considerably. With an audience, other industries would naturally spring up. Anyone with a bit of wit could see this was a veritable gold mine!

Even if teleport fees were a bit high for now, thirty gold coins per trip was nothing compared to the goods sold in the shops. Besides, players could exchange their soul numbers for gold coins—why would they begrudge thirty coins?

Witnessing the bustling scene before him, the surrounding players were inwardly astonished, unable to discern who the lord of Cloudfall City truly was. No one had ever seen this city lord, and it seemed unlikely to be a player.

Even if he was an NPC, players were busy speculating, but whatever the outcome, it was beyond Li Ren’s concern.

“Wake up, Miss Lantis!” Li Ren, seeing Lantis still asleep at the table, was exasperated. He’d never met anyone who could sleep so much. Who knew when she started; she was still sleeping even after they returned. If he didn’t wake her, she’d likely keep sleeping!

“Is this really the powerful hero summoned with ten million souls?! Damn!” Li Ren cursed inwardly.

But since she was a beauty, she naturally had the privileges of one. “Well, it’s just sleeping. It’s no big deal,” he thought, not entirely consciously, but in her favor.

“You’re not comfortable sleeping here. Isn’t there a bedroom behind the castle? Go sleep there,” Li Ren suggested to Lantis.

He didn’t expect her to respond; most people hate being told to change sleeping spots, especially when already asleep.

But as soon as Li Ren spoke, Lantis mumbled, “As you command,” and her body vanished instantly, leaving Li Ren stunned and bewildered.

“By the way, Master, I forgot to mention, Lantis’s greatest hobby is sleeping. Always has been. She was probably hoping you’d say that, otherwise she wouldn’t have dared to sleep out in the open. Honestly, sleeping at a table is uncomfortable,” Shadow explained naturally, observing the situation.

Shadow felt a deep, genuine affection for the beautiful, sleep-loving Lantis. Thinking back to the past, he’d once resented her penchant for sleeping, and the two had quarreled over it. Yet, in the end, all those annoyances became precious memories. People always realize what they’ve lost only after it’s gone.

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