Perhaps because of Xiao Min’s words, Deacon Water seemed eager to finish her business and leave.
Ye Zhongming shot Xiao Min a glare but said nothing.
Glancing at the remnants of the undead creatures scattered on the nearby open ground, Deacon Water’s eyes flickered. She couldn’t help but think that being a craftsman was a great job. Why couldn’t Five Ring Money’s own craftsmen reach Ye Zhongming’s level?
“Equipment rankings?”
Although this list was provided free of charge to major factions, its influence was immense. Evolved and major factions had increasingly accepted the rankings, and Five Ring Money’s reputation had grown alongside it.
The advertising effect brought by this list was something Five Ring Money valued highly as a commercial alliance. It was the foundation of their business.
This effect had already manifested. In their competition with Cannibal Chain, Five Ring Money had gained the upper hand in many areas due to their greater fame and recognition. Evolved were more willing to trade with Five Ring Money.
The profits gained made Five Ring Money take the rankings even more seriously. They were doing their utmost to make the data on the list more detailed and accurate.
Cannibal Chain had also started releasing their own rankings, but they hadn’t gained much traction yet. Five Ring Money was already on guard. They were no longer satisfied with using the rankings to boost their reputation; they wanted to make the country rankings the most authoritative!
“Yes, equipment rankings,” Deacon Water said. “We discovered a very peculiar machine in a certain place. It has no offensive or defensive capabilities. Its only function is to display the most excellent equipment above gold grade after paying a certain price.”
This brief statement shocked Ye Zhongming.
How could such equipment exist?
“Actually, it’s not that strange,” Deacon Water explained. “Whether it’s a gray-grade dagger or a seven-colored grade battle blade, none of these are things we originally possessed. They’re all… byproducts of the wheel. So, it’s not surprising that there’s a machine capable of detecting all wheel equipment across the country, or even the planet.”
To be honest, when Deacon Water first learned of this, she was also shocked. But the facts had made her bow to the wonders of wheel equipment.
“All equipment… can be detected?” Ye Zhongming narrowed his eyes. Although his expression didn’t change much, he felt a sense of unease.
Didn’t this mean that everything about him would be exposed?
If his opponents knew all about his equipment in future battles, the fights would become much more difficult.
“Yes, all of it,” Deacon Water said, straightening her posture.
“What about the attributes?”
Ye Zhongming’s voice turned cold as he analyzed the potential impact this could have on him and Cloud Peak.
“Yes, those too.”
After saying this, Deacon Water noticed Ye Zhongming’s raised eyebrow and felt a pang of anxiety. She quickly explained, “Here’s the thing. This equipment is currently only gold grade. Equipment at the same level can display very detailed information, such as skill data. But it can’t for equipment above its level, like seven-colored or purple grade. For purple-grade equipment, it can only show the number of skills, and for seven-colored-grade equipment, it only displays a few characters from the name.”
“You’re saying that seven-colored grade equipment has already appeared?” Ye Zhongming keenly caught the information revealed in Deacon Water’s words.
Deacon Water hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“There are two pieces. One has the character gate in its name, with no other details displayed. The other has the character box and is labeled as sealed. Which faction or person owns them isn’t shown.”
“There really are?!”
Ye Zhongming’s face showed genuine surprise.
Currently, his equipment could be described as luxurious. He might not have the most purple-grade equipment in the world, but he was certainly among the top few.
But he had never imagined that someone else could possess seven-colored grade equipment like him. The Gate of Sacrifice was something he had obtained only after killing the level-nine Holy Father, and the dangers involved were known only to him.
Fortunately, although that person’s seven-colored grade equipment maintained its level, it was sealed. It might not be as useful as partially unlocked equipment like the Ocean King’s Crown, which, while not seven-colored grade, could still use some abilities. This thought somewhat balanced Ye Zhongming’s feelings.
“Some people just have incredible luck,” Deacon Water sighed with a hint of envy.
She herself yearned for seven-colored grade equipment, especially after the battle in the Spatitu Space, which had made her realize the importance of powerful gear.
Ye Zhongming nodded. In truth, he was the luckiest person in this world, having died and been reborn to start over.
“Did you come just to tell me this news?”
The beautiful woman shook her head. “Of course not. First, I wanted to seek your understanding. After all, having your equipment listed for the world to see will inevitably affect you somewhat.”
Ye Zhongming responded with a cold laugh. “If I disagree, will you leave my equipment off the list?”
Deacon Water smiled awkwardly but politely. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
Ye Zhongming answered with a snort. While the news this woman brought was unpleasant, mentioning seven-colored grade equipment with the character gate suggested she wasn’t lying to him. Whether she was hiding anything else, however, remained unknown.
Deacon Water didn’t mind and continued, “Second, we’re actively working to upgrade this equipment. Perhaps soon, we’ll be able to obtain detailed information about purple-grade equipment.”
After saying this, Deacon Water looked at Ye Zhongming with a smile.
“I see,” Ye Zhongming nodded. “So you’re here to blackmail me? If I disagree with your conditions, will you publish the equipment data?”
“Do you believe that if I capture you now and trade you to Five Ring Money for this equipment, they would agree?”
Deacon Water patted her chest and laughed. “Mr. Ye, don’t scare me like that. Five Ring Money and Cloud Peak have always been good partners. How could we use this to threaten you? The conditions for not publishing the detailed equipment information would naturally be mutually beneficial cooperation, not just you making unilateral concessions.”
“Even if you don’t publish it, who’s to say you won’t secretly sell this information to others, especially my enemies?”
Ye Zhongming was feeling increasingly irritable. He even briefly considered wiping out Five Ring Money, but reason prevailed. Cloud Peak couldn’t yet eliminate the major player of Five Ring Money and their forces in one fell swoop. This wasn’t about strength but the organization’s sheer size and widespread nature, leaving no opportunity for a decisive strike.
“That won’t happen. Once you hear our cooperation terms, you’ll know I’m not lying to you,” Deacon Water said confidently.
“Oh? Then tell me, how do we cooperate?” Ye Zhongming asked coldly.