Chapter 250
It had been over a game month since the last upgrade, and aside from the full-time education rate, all the conditions for upgrading to an eighth-level territory had been met, including the newly added willingness of nobles to visit.
This willingness to visit was a fluctuating value, which could be summarized as the "market share of tourism."
It was positively correlated with the various infrastructures of the current territory, the high-end luxury goods on sale, and the extraordinary knowledge levels. Ye Bai had tirelessly cleared dungeons, extracting a large amount of high-level resources. After processing these resources, they transformed into various high-end items, attracting a multitude of noble tourists.
One could say that the player city’s tourism market was essentially monopolized by Bai Ye City. The numerous nobles currently active in the territory, who were also high-level NPCs, in turn attracted many players to take on quests, making it the most prosperous player territory in the myriad realms.
During Ye Bai's absence, Bai Ye City had also seen an influx of refugees. However, after establishing a primary academy in the territory, Ye Bai, as the lord, no longer needed to personally "spot the gems" as she had in the past.
Talented individuals would be discovered during their education phase, then directed and trained for suitable positions.
Having left the Tree of Creation, Ye Bai had not walked far when she spotted Felix and Blaze on their daily patrol. Upon seeing her, they immediately flashed their bright white smiles and approached to greet her.
"Lord!"
Ye Bai smiled back at them, and just then, the paper figure hanging from her waist suddenly spoke up, its voice brimming with eagerness:
"Lord Bai Ye, the library has added intermediate knowledge. Should we hold another class?"
"You..." Ye Bai took a deep breath, her expression gradually shifting to excitement. "I knew you were talented!"
As Felix and Blaze excitedly ran over, they received a piece of news that made their smiles shift to Ye Bai's face—a new class from the unnamed teacher was about to start!
The two were assigned to deliver the new batch of "enrollment notices" to the previous graduates, while Ye Bai continued on her way.
As she passed through the residential area, the aroma from the bakery wafted by. Ottofis gave Ye Bai a knowing glance before disappearing around the corner.
Ye Bai shook her head and headed to the warehouse area for an inspection.
Currently, Bai Ye City's high-level warehouse was still stocked with a large amount of high-level materials harvested from resource points. The player equipment collected last time had been cleared out, exchanged for the players' labor. However, the number of players active in Bai Ye City had not diminished.
Players were always striving to level up. After redeeming their original equipment, they would begin searching for gear for future upgrades. In the entire Blue Star server, the most reasonably priced and plentiful new equipment for second-transformation players was all found in Bai Ye City.
With over a thousand gold coins in fiscal revenue, Bai Ye City’s income came not only from the spending of noble tourists but also from a significant share contributed by the players.
"Hey, Lord?"
As Ye Bai was enjoying the joy brought by the full warehouse, she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her. Turning around, she saw Dilina had also arrived, accompanied by two apprentices.
Seeing the situation, Ye Bai quickly realized, "You’re here to collect materials?"
Ye Bai was currently in the high-level warehouse of the territory, which stored various high-level resources. Only those with sufficient ability and status in Bai Ye City could access materials here, and Master Tailor Dilina was certainly one of them.
Dilina nodded, directing her apprentices to gather the appropriate materials before stepping closer to Ye Bai. "I happened to run into you. I have something I’d like to ask if you could help with..."
The scent of a quest... Upon hearing that familiar opening line, Ye Bai's alertness kicked in.
NPCs issued quests based on their relationships with players. Basic players would not meet the quest conditions, and they wouldn’t even propose quests. Moreover, standing before her was Dilina, with a loyalty rating of 100. If it were a simple task that an ordinary player could handle, she wouldn’t have come to ask Ye Bai, the lord.
Sure enough, Dilina continued, "This is about a friend of mine. He’s a high-level jeweler visiting Bai Ye City. If we can help him resolve a lingering issue, he would definitely be willing to open a high-end jewelry store here."
Hearing this, Ye Bai's eyes lit up. The prospect of a high-end jewelry store was enough to keep her awake.
The jewelry industry in the territory was still in its infancy. After all, this luxury industry was not something a city could easily engage in. The warehouse still held a number of high-level gems, which had been left idle due to the insufficient crafting levels of the artisans.
If a high-level jeweler could come to open a store, bringing in skilled talent, it would be beneficial for Ye Bai, even if only through taxation on processing. Not to mention, from what Dilina implied, this quest was a personal one.
Ye Bai had previously completed a personal quest for Dilina, which had resulted in the master tailor staying in the territory.
"What’s the specific situation? Let’s discuss it in detail..."
Chapter 170
High-level NPCs in the myriad realms were not isolated from one another, especially Dilina, an expert Ye Bai had "recruited" from a magical metropolis. Her social circle and network included many high-level professionals.
Unfortunately, the territory had previously lacked the necessary level. Even though Dilina was willing to work here due to her personal aspirations, her peers in high-level professions still looked down on a player town.
Now that the territory had upgraded to a city and gained access to high-level resources from dungeon resource points, it had attracted a large number of noble visitors.
The friend Dilina mentioned, Webster, was one of them—a jeweler, high-level gem master, and earth mage, also a noble from Melo City. His first two identities had significant connections with Dilina’s high-end clothing store in Melo City.
"Webster's lingering issue is his daughter, Claire," Dilina explained to Ye Bai in detail. "Claire is also an exceptionally talented jeweler, arguably surpassing her father, Webster. However, during one of her crafting sessions, she mishandled a magic source stone. What she thought was a rare-grade stone turned out to be a legendary-grade one, resulting in her being injured by its power and left with a disability."
"After that incident, Claire not only could no longer pursue her beloved profession due to her disability, but the curse from that magic source stone has also been eroding her body ever since."
Ye Bai understood at once; this was why professionals needed to level up. In a fantastical world, if one lacked personal strength, they could not handle various high-level materials. Some materials could even harm the creator during processing, especially in the crafting of high-level items.
The magic source stone mentioned by Dilina was a high-energy gem that could be crafted into accessories that enhance attack effects. Even rare-grade stones possessed immense energy, let alone legendary-grade ones. The subsequent curse from the materials was akin to radiation, continuously bringing negative effects, and one needed to find the right method to cleanse it.
"During this time, Webster has tried various methods, but they only alleviate Claire's pain temporarily. To completely remove the curse, a top-tier healer is required... and top-tier professionals are elusive, especially those specializing in healing."
Ye Bai nodded in response. The NPCs and monsters in the myriad realms were generally weaker than those in the divine realm. The strongest top-tier professionals were level 80. Upon reaching the top tier, they would gain additional combat power based on their specialties, making them weaker than demigods but stronger than untransformed players of the same level.
Such high-level NPCs were rare in the myriad realms; each one was a person of significant status. Even if Webster was a chain jeweler, he might not be able to hire the necessary strong individuals.
Hearing this, Ye Bai began to understand the solution route for this personal quest. It would certainly involve the traditional networking approach to find a top-tier healer, first meeting their conditions before inviting them to treat Claire.
However, taking the traditional quest route was not Ye Bai's style. After completing personal quests for Dilina and Felix, it was clear that personal quests could be "flexible," especially since what Claire needed now was healing.
Ye Bai's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Has Lucy looked into Claire's situation?"
Dilina nodded, having anticipated the question. "Lucy has seen her. She said that materials containing strong life force might work, but currently, she doesn’t know of any such materials."
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