Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 1)

Chapter 111 - Upgrade

Calore’s downtown area was presently located in the southern district of the city, neighbouring the Mercenary Guild. Most of the NPC shops in the city were concentrated in this area, and it was also where the auction house was located, making the area the central hub for business and player activity. As of right now, the NPC shops in the area only sold goods that would satisfy low level players. In the future, these shops would gradually be replaced by crafting professions that could meet the demands of higher level players who required more advanced goods and equipment. Of course, this shift in the economy would bring about changes in the structure of commerce in the city as well. Also to note was the fact that the game developers would eventually place the real world currency exchange center in the east, causing Calore’s downtown area to slowly shift to that region of the city. Business in the south would gradually thin out until the only entity that could draw players in was the Mercenary Guild.

Currently, the plots in Calore’s southern district were priced at a minimum of ten gold. A few were even valued at up to thirty to forty gold, whereas the ones in the eastern region would only fetch one or two, some for even less. However, in two to three months, the average value of these relatively cheap plots in the east would rise by at least tenfold and several hundred for the ones in prime locations. In the next ten years, they would skyrocket to even more frightening levels.

Yet, at present, the entire region was a slum, to the extent where there wasn’t a single modern building in sight.

Leaving the auction house, Nie Yan headed for the administrator’s office located in the heart of the business hub. After walking for several minutes, he soon approached his destination as a towering white spire came into view. Typical of Viridian architecture, the stone walls were full of exquisite carvings and then further reinforced with mana, resulting in a faint azure glow emitting from their surface. If one inspected more closely, they would see a row of orchids hanging from the building’s balcony, allowing their fragrant scent to drift down to the streets below.

Upon arriving at the doorstep, Nie Yan entered the building and saw floors so immaculate and smooth they revealed his own reflection. The more than ten-meter-high ceiling would leave anyone awed at the expansiveness of this place. Additionally, various colorful pieces of artwork were painted across it, free for guests to enjoy during their stay. 

As soon as he stepped through the doors, an elderly man walked over to greet him. He wore a deep black, well-ironed military uniform that carried golden epaulettes at the shoulders. Despite his age, he still appeared full of vigor and possessed an aura that was both dignified and domineering. 

“Chief Administrator Telus, I’ve come to purchase some land.”

“I’m happy that you’ve decided to take up residence in Calore. We welcome any customer who wishes to open up a shop. We especially offer the best services to those who abide by the law. Please, come with me,” Chief Administrator Telus said before heading into his office.

Nie Yan had come here before in his past life, though it was already far too late by then. Even the most remote plots of land were valued at over several thousand to upwards of tens of thousands of gold. It was also during this period that Calore came to be known as the City of Gold. Any piece of it was worth quite a bit of money. Even the most ordinary storefronts could earn a player a significant sum. Within Conviction, merchants became so rich and powerful that they possessed no less if not more influence than the top-tier players. In contrast, he had been powerless and could only leave the chief administrator’s office empty handed while filled with regret.

However, in this lifetime, he would be able to obtain a vast number of extremely valuable storefronts for dirt cheap prices before most players were even paying attention to the virtual real-estate market!