I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Lin Hai did not answer immediately.

He sat on a stone bench nearby, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the edge of the stone table.

"The worst thing in business is to spread your operations haphazardly." He looked up at Li Wu, his tone quick. "Killing monsters for loot and accumulating money through quests—that's how low-level players survive. What we need to do is set the rules."

Li Wu leaned back in his chair, not interrupting.

Lin Hai pointed to Lao Wang and Xiao Fang. "These two friends are crafters, a blacksmith and a pharmacist. From a business perspective, they are our initial production capacity."

Old Wang scratched his hair, looking a little embarrassed.

"But when we set up stalls in the square to sell the items we make, we often get ripped off by the big guilds. They have more people and more power, so if we don't sell to them, they cause trouble in front of our stalls. Sometimes we can't even recoup our costs."

"That's the problem." Lin Hai slammed his hand on the table. "Setting up a street stall? That's handing your lifeline over to someone else. You won't have credibility, a stable customer base, or the ability to build a brand barrier."

"Interestingly, many people think that Origin Realm is just a game of fighting monsters and leveling up. They are completely wrong! This is a real microcosm of society! Area 21 has only been open for a short time, and the players' levels are generally around level 20 or 30. It is in a period of rapid development and transition to towns."

Lin Hai's speech quickened, and business jargon came out of his mouth:

"Currently, players' demand for high-quality equipment and advanced potions is rising rapidly, but the items in the system shop are too expensive and their attributes are rigid. The Blood Wolf Guild's model of violently clearing out areas to seize resources is too inefficient. True monopoly is rule monopoly. We need to enter this market and build our first moat."

"How do you build it?" Li Wu asked.

"We need a legal place to operate, protected by town regulations." Lin Hai looked straight ahead and said, enunciating each word clearly, "A shop."

Old Wang and Xiao Fang gasped in shock.

Building a shop in Ironforge now? How much would that cost? It's beyond their comprehension.

Lin Hai continued his analysis: "With shops, the major guilds won't dare to cause trouble openly, and the town guards will teach them a lesson."

"We can set up consignment, auctions, and reservations. More importantly, physical stores are key to obtaining advanced business intelligence. With physical stores, we can issue membership cards and pool funds. Wanbaolou started with this approach."

Li Wu tapped the bow on the back. "Shops in Ironforge aren't something you can just buy with money, are they?"

"Of course." Lin Hai nodded, agreeing with Li Wu's keen insight. "As one of the core towns in District 21, Ironforge has an extremely scarce resource of shops. There are two hard requirements for buying a shop. The first is capital. Even the most remote basic shop has a starting bid of 10 gold coins."

"And those high-end shops in the core area, you can't get them for less than several hundred gold coins!"

Upon hearing that it cost several hundred gold coins, Old Wang swallowed hard; he didn't even have 50 silver coins on him.

"The second hurdle is even more critical." Lin Hai held up two fingers. "You must have a friendly reputation with the town, which is 10000 Ironforge reputation points, to be eligible to queue up for a lottery at the town lord's commercial administration office."

"And right now, it's estimated that no one can reach that level, which is the biggest barrier in front of everyone."

Friendliness level?

Li Wu listened to Lin Hai's words, his heart filled with turmoil. He thought of Hua Zitong. She had repeatedly emphasized the importance of reputation. At the time, he only thought that reputation could bring some conveniences, such as shopping discounts or unlocking specific tasks, but he never expected that it could directly affect the foundation of the guild—the shops.

"Respected level," Li Wu said softly, his tone casual. He didn't look at Lin Hai, but instead gazed thoughtfully at the towering walls of Ironforge.

Lin Hai looked up abruptly, thinking he had misheard or that Li Wu had just said it casually. "Master, what did you say?" he asked, his voice filled with doubt.

Li Wu turned her head and looked at Lin Hai. Her gaze was calm, but it made Lin Hai feel a little nervous.

"My Ironforge reputation is at the Revered level," Li Wu repeated, his tone still calm.

However, these words caused an uproar in Lin Hai's mind.

He froze, his mind going completely blank.

Respect level?

How is this possible?!

He used to be the deputy head of Wanbaolou in District 9, and he knew all the rules of the Origin Realm like the back of his hand.

He knew all too well how difficult it was to gain reputation in a town; the Friendly level was already extremely rare, and the Honored level was unheard of.

That's something only established guilds can achieve by putting all their effort into grinding reputation.

How could Li Wu be at the "Respected" level?

Moreover, he had only just left the starting village! This completely overturned his understanding of the reputation system.

"Respect...respect level?" Lin Hai's lips trembled as he repeated the words, his face filled with disbelief. He tried to find a trace of a joke in Li Wu's expression, but Li Wu's face was calm; he wasn't joking.

Old Wang and Xiao Fang couldn't understand a word they were saying. They only knew that reputation seemed important, but they had no idea exactly how important it was. They just stared blankly at Li Wu and Lin Hai, feeling the tense atmosphere between them.

Seeing Lin Hai's reaction, Li Wu understood. He knew Lin Hai's shock was genuine, which meant Hua Zitong's judgment was indeed correct; reputation was indeed the biggest barrier at this stage, and he just happened to possess the key to break through it.

"Is there a problem?" Li Wu asked, his tone casual, as if he were asking a very ordinary question.

Lin Hai finally snapped out of his shock. He stood up abruptly, leaned forward, and stared intently at Li Wu.

"A problem? Master, this is more than just a problem!" His voice was excited, even trembling slightly. "This is simply... an enormous advantage! An unbelievable advantage!"

He started pacing in place, speaking rapidly, his brain working at lightning speed.

"A 'Respected Reputation' means we don't even need to queue for a lottery; we can apply for shops directly at the Commercial Management Office! Moreover, a 'Respected Reputation' guarantees a high-end shop in the core area! And... there might even be price discounts!"

"This is so much better than we expected! It means we can establish our business presence in the best locations at the fastest speed! This is simply... an unbeatable start!"

Lin Hai became more and more excited as he spoke. He saw a great opportunity, an opportunity that would allow him to rise again and even surpass Wanbaolou.

Li Wu watched Lin Hai's somewhat out-of-control excitement, but remained remarkably calm. He knew Lin Hai's agitation stemmed from his keen business acumen and his intense desire for revenge.

This kind of excitement is exactly what Li Wu needs. He needs someone who is passionate about business and has the ability to help him manage these matters.

"How exactly does it work?" Li Wu asked, concerned about the steps and the results.

Lin Hai took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew this wasn't the time to get excited; he needed to calm down and present Li Wu with a clear business plan.

"Great sir, since you have such a high reputation, we can go directly to the Commercial Management Office now to inquire about renting or purchasing shops."

"My experience tells me that renting first and then buying is the safest strategy. Renting allows us to start quickly with a small cost, test market response, and accumulate capital and experience. Once the shop is operating well and we have enough funds, we will then consider buying it," Lin Hai explained.

Li Wu nodded; Lin Hai's analysis aligned perfectly with his pragmatic principles. He disliked waste and even more so, risk. Renting first, offering both offensive and defensive advantages, was indeed the best option.

"However, Master," Lin Hai suddenly remembered something, his tone turning serious again, "even with our respected reputation, the prices of shops won't be low. Especially in the core area, the rent will probably be astronomical, and our current funds..."

Li Wu interrupted him, "Funding is not a problem, I still have some gold coins."

Li Wu recently sold his Star Iron, along with useless equipment and materials, and now has nearly two hundred gold coins in total!

He knew he was now a wealthy man.

Upon hearing Li Wu's words, Lin Hai's eyes flashed with shock once again. He knew in his heart that a casual player who could casually produce hundreds of gold coins was extremely rare in the early stages of the game.

"Since funding isn't a problem, let's go to the Commercial Management Office now!" Lin Hai's voice was full of confidence again. He felt like he was back in the days when he was in charge of Wanbaolou, that feeling of being in control and giving orders made his blood boil.

Old Wang and Xiao Fang looked at Li Wu and Lin Hai. Although they didn't quite understand what they were saying, they could sense a powerful aura from the two men's excited expressions. They knew that they seemed to be following a very important person and were about to do something big.

"Master, shall we go now?" Xiaofang asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

Li Wu stood up, his gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally settling on Lin Hai. "Let's go," he said calmly, yet with an undeniable authority.

Lin Hai immediately understood. He led Lao Wang and Xiao Fang, following behind Li Wu, towards the City Lord's Mansion. They knew that the first step in building a business empire was about to be taken.

Li Wu was thinking to himself that Hua Zitong was doing a job change quest and her level was temporarily behind, so he couldn't stop. Establishing a guild, developing his power, and accumulating wealth were all preparations for the war ten years from now. He needed to maximize his influence as quickly as possible.

A shop is the first step.