Su Xingyu still placed great importance on the transaction involving the Light Armor. After all, he was counting on it to exchange for a silver-tier equipment blueprint.
Upon arriving at the temple, he immediately made his way to the City of the Gods.
There was no difference between day and night in this city. Time seemed frozen, unmoving, as if this divine realm had been suspended in eternity.
Wasting no time at the stalls, Su Xingyu headed straight to Wang Dong's courtyard. Just as he arrived, Wang Dong happened to step outside.
"Brother Yu, aren't you a little too fast? You showed up barely a moment after I finished speaking." Wang Dong grinned as he invited Su Xingyu inside, though his tone held a hint of mock complaint.
"I was free, so I came early," Su Xingyu replied casually, then asked, "Has the buyer arrived yet?"
"Give it a few more minutes. He's always punctual, so he'll be here any second," Wang Dong said, shaking his head.
Su Xingyu nodded, and the two men sat in silence for a while. Before long, a figure approached in haste.
"Here I come!"
Wang Dong glanced at the newcomer and greeted him easily. "No need to be polite with me, we're old acquaintances. Just sit down."
The player who entered was human, seemingly the same age as Su Xingyu. He was quite tall, just a shade shorter than Su Xingyu himself.
The man grinned broadly as he stepped in. "You've got an old friend coming and didn't even bother to come out and greet me?"
Clearly, Wang Dong had a good relationship with him. He rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Welcome. Come meet my big-shot client. This is Xingyu, my super VIP. Brother Yu, this is my brother, Lin Ye."
"Lin Ye, the leading deity," Lin Ye said with a light smirk.
"Xingyu, the leading deity," Su Xingyu echoed.
They shook hands. Su Xingyu was slightly surprised. He could sense a powerful aura from Lin Ye, strong enough to rival his own.
He's probably not much weaker than me, he thought.
Lin Ye, meanwhile, was even more shocked. It was rare for him to meet a player who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him in terms of power.
Su Xingyu pulled out the Light Armor blueprint and handed it to Lin Ye. "You can take a look. Wang Dong should've already told you my requirements."
"Yeah, he did. Same-level equipment blueprint in exchange." Lin Ye took the drawing and gave it a quick glance. Though he tried to appear calm, a flicker of excitement crossed his face.
Even though Wang Dong had already described the blueprint to him, seeing it with his own eyes still stirred his emotions.
After such a long search, I finally found it.
"I happen to have a silver-tier equipment blueprint on hand. Take a look," Lin Ye said as he pulled out a scroll and handed it over.
Su Xingyu opened it and was momentarily stunned.
[Dark Demon Armor]
Category: Equipment
Level: Silver
Description: Increases affinity with dark elements, boosts defense through infused fighting spirit.
"This..." Su Xingyu glanced at Lin Ye. Their eyes met in mutual silence.
"To be honest, I was kind of baffled when I got it. I'm a light-type deity, yet I ended up with a blueprint for dark-type gear. What are the odds?" Lin Ye chuckled. "So, what do you think? If it works for you, let's complete the trade."
Su Xingyu nodded. "Alright."
Aside from the elemental attributes, the value and tier of the two blueprints were virtually identical.
And for now, that was enough.
With no further hesitation, they completed the transaction with mutual satisfaction and quickly grew close.
Though one was aligned with light and the other with darkness—natural opposites—it didn't hinder their camaraderie. Both Su Xingyu and Lin Ye were undeniably strong.
From Wang Dong's perspective as a trader who had dealt with thousands of players and met countless more, few were on the same level as these two. Even players a tier below them were extremely rare.
That rarity made their bond stronger. Despite their contrasting personalities, they found common ground.
In these early days of uncharted exploration, even top-tier players felt uncertain about what lay ahead. In such a situation, having a peer to share ideas with was invaluable.
"I've got some business to take care of in the lower plane, so I'll head out," Su Xingyu said after a bit of conversation.
"Let's stay in touch," Lin Ye responded with a nod.
The two men saw him out.
Back in the living room, Lin Ye dropped onto the sofa, stretched his legs, and let out a long sigh. "Damn, where'd you find that guy? He's absurdly strong! I've got nearly a million clansmen and hundreds of thousands of believers. I've been through countless battles, but when I stood in front of him, I actually felt pressure. That doesn't happen."
"He entered the game around the same time as you. When I first met him, he was already strong, but since then, his growth has been even crazier." Wang Dong shook his head. "Honestly, you don't have the right to talk about him. In my eyes, both of you are freaks. It hasn't even been that long, and look how far you've come. How are we ordinary religious players supposed to survive?"
Lin Ye raised a hand to pat Wang Dong on the shoulder but realized he was too short. With a grin, he patted his chest instead. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. Anyone gives you trouble, I'll smash them."
Wang Dong waved him off. "No need. As long as I'm not up against freaks like you, I can handle myself."
As a trader, he had acquired some excellent gear. His believers weren't particularly fierce, but their equipment made them decently competent in battle.
Recently, by leveraging this gear advantage, he had already taken over several small tribes near the starting zone.
Lin Ye chuckled, then turned serious. "Ah Dong, I really appreciate your help this time." As he spoke, he sent over a black iron-tier blueprint.
Wang Dong understood what he meant. He waved it off with mock disdain. "Come on, we're brothers. No need for this polite crap."
"Haha, alright then. But if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Your big brother's got your back. I may not have much else, but I can fight."
Wang Dong rolled his eyes. "Big brother, huh? Since when?"
"I'm stronger, so I'm obviously the big brother."
"Get lost."
After some more banter, they got down to business.
"This is the report from my last plane exploration. Handle it however you see fit." Lin Ye pulled out a file and tossed it to Wang Dong.
"Don't worry. No one will trace anything back to you," Wang Dong promised with a grin.
"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have handed it over," Lin Ye replied plainly.
Wang Dong chuckled and shifted the topic. "You must've picked up a bunch of treasures during this last plane run. If there's anything you don't need, let me help you offload it."
"It was just a small fragment. Nothing too exciting. I gave you a purple treasure chest already. There are a few mineral veins in there, but I'm short on manpower right now. I can't even send anyone to mine them," Lin Ye sighed, frustration creeping into his voice. "I'm short-handed everywhere. We just don't have enough people."
"No way around it," Wang Dong said, spreading his hands in resignation.
He could still solve the problem of material resources, but the City of the Gods strictly prohibited the trade of living beings.