Ironforge Auction (Part 1)

After seeing all this, Sun Busong finally felt completely at ease.

"Now that I've finally become a Warrior, nothing should go wrong." After running around all day, Sun Busong sat down on a bench by the small pond and drifted off to sleep in a daze.

The next morning, Sun Busong was awakened by passing pedestrians. He put away his fishing rod and chair, washed his face in the small pond, then headed straight for Master Hammer's place.

"You brat really got me into trouble. This old man got cursed at all night, sigh! I'll never dare to drink so greedily again."

Cave Hammer, Ironforge's most respected old warrior, looked utterly dejected. He had been cautious his entire life, yet in the end, he had been chased down and scolded over a bottle of liquor.

"Hahaha, listen to yourself. Don't mind whatever they say. I came to you of my own accord, and I wouldn't have chosen any profession other than Warrior anyway. Come on, let's keep drinking. Once we finish this, I'll find a way to get you more."

Seeing how gloomy the old man looked, Sun Busong felt he should take responsibility for it. The old man was already so old—how miserable it must have been to endure everyone's gossip.

"Really!"

"Of course it's true. I was the one who asked you to help me take up the profession."

"Who asked you about that? I mean the liquor! Where's the liquor?"

"Hahaha! I like you, old man!" Sun Busong and Master Hammer exchanged smiles.

"Shh, this isn't a place to talk." After saying that, Master Hammer looked around. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, the two of them slipped away in secret. They were worried about being recognized here.

Before long, they returned to Master Hammer's home.

"Gulp, gulp. Kid, why did you choose to become a Warrior? We Dwarves don't lack Warrior Professionals. Choosing Warrior with your talent is really a bit of a waste."

Sun Busong obviously couldn't say that he had chosen the Warrior profession when he created this character!

But he really did come up with a reason that could convince plenty of people.

"Can't you tell? Half of my racial traits are human?"

Master Hammer put down his drink and looked at him. "Mm, I noticed long ago. You're much taller than an ordinary Dwarf, and that's one reason I was willing to help you take up the profession. So what's your reason?"

Drawing on the original owner's memories from before the age of five, Sun Busong began spinning a tale for Master Hammer.

"My biological father was human. His surname was Sun, and he lived on Theramore Island. He was a Warrior, and also a master blacksmith."

"When I was five, my parents took me across the Endless Sea by ship to Menethil Harbor. They were planning to visit their longtime senior brother, Leibraide Hanyi—my current father. But when their group of seventeen passed through Sunset Marsh, they were ambushed by Murloc Mages and Murlocs. I was the only one lucky enough to survive."

"My old man, Leibraide Hanyi, raised me and gave me the identity and racial traits of a Dwarf, but I still retained some human traits. More than half the reason I chose Warrior as my profession was because my biological father was also a Warrior."

"Mm! Your reason can convince many people, myself included. Since you've already advanced into a Warrior Professional, I'll do my utmost to teach you every Warrior skill I know!"

"Thank you so much, Master!" Sun Busong was thrilled. This old man was pretty easy to fool.

"However, I have one small condition. First, I'll teach you all my skills. Some of them are skills you can learn and use right now, but most of them can only be learned once you reach a certain level."

Master Hammer took a sip of liquor and continued, "As for the skills you can't master yet, I'll leave them in your mind to await your growth. My condition is that, until you learn all the skills before Level 20, you must buy me a bottle of liquor every day. Once you've learned every skill below Level 20, you may leave."

"Also, you can learn every Warrior skill from me, including the Weapon Talent, Fury Talent, and Protection Talent. I can also teach you some weapon-handling techniques along the way."

"Hahaha, what do you think? A great deal, right? Let me tell you, kid! The three Warrior trainers and the weapon trainer in the Military Ward were all taught by me!"

Sun Busong was stunned by the old man's words. He never expected this old man he had picked up at random to be so incredibly badass.

"Don't worry! I'll keep you supplied with all the liquor you can drink!"

And so, Sun Busong began training in Warrior skills.

Master Hammer really was amazing. He knew everything others knew, and he even knew things others didn't. Sun Busong learned every Warrior skill from Master Hammer, along with the use of Two-handed Hammers, Two-handed Axes, and Two-handed Swords, as well as weapon techniques for Firearms and Bow and Arrow.

Time passed quickly. Over that year, Sun Busong's level did not rise at all, but his combat techniques and fighting strength had already become several times greater than they had been a year ago.

He also learned two more secondary professions: Fishing and First Aid. Though they were not as impressive as his six Grandmaster Level professional skills, they were still far superior to those of most people.

"Master, what are we practicing today?" Sun Busong carried out a plate of freshly made Barbecued Vulture Wings and Captain Ramsey's Special Brewed Beer from the kitchen.

It had to be said that his craftsmanship was getting better and better. Ironforge was the Alliance's second-largest city, and its markets had everything imaginable. Many merchants from other Alliance races did business here, and rare materials often appeared in the city.

Sun Busong's Blacksmithing, Engineering, Tailoring, Leatherworking, and Alchemy had also improved rapidly. Before, he had only been a theoretical Grandmaster, but now it was different. There wasn't a single top-tier piece of equipment, weapon, potion, or device in Azeroth that he couldn't make!

"Busong, you've been with me for a full year now, haven't you?" Master Hammer lay in a recliner with his eyes closed, resting.

"Mm, there are only a few days left until it's been a year. What is it, Master?"

Sun Busong placed the food and drink on the table beside Master Hammer, looking at him in confusion.

"You should go. There's nothing left here for me to teach you." Master Hammer spoke slowly, his eyes still closed.

"Where should I go?"

"Go back to where you came from~"

Sun Busong felt that phrase sounded strangely familiar.

"Your future is limitless. This world is vast. You should go out, travel more, and see more."

After saying that, Master Hammer began snoring.

Sun Busong stood beside his master for a long time, then bowed deeply. This time, he would likely be gone for a long while. By the next time he returned to Ironforge, he should already be an Elite Level Warrior!

Just as he turned around, Master Hammer's snoring suddenly stopped.

"Before you leave, go to the Auction House and get me some good liquor! I know exactly how much money you have, kid, so don't try to fool this old man!"

"Hahaha, got it!"

Sun Busong happily left Master Hammer's residence. He first made a trip to Cold Ridge Valley and chatted with Old Man Hanyi all night. The next day, he went to see Suya and gave her three pieces of Level 40 Blue Gear.

That night, he returned directly to Ironforge, preparing to attend Ironforge's once-every-five-years Auction Convention.

The items in his hands were all top-quality goods, so he needed to sell them off before leaving. Besides, he had promised his teammates at Sersama Fortress in the Loch Modan Region that he would craft Blue Gear for them. Sun Busong would never forget something like that. He had even finished making Sultan's equipment.

For the past few days, Ironforge had been decorated with lights and banners everywhere. The once-every-five-years auction was a grand affair, and merchants from nearby small cities had arrived long ago.

They brought their own brewed fine wine, inherited family delicacies, juggling clowns, and dancing girls. These people had packed Ironforge inside and out.

"Thirty-seven pieces of Physical Blue Gear, fourteen weapons, forty-one pieces of Magic Blue Gear, eighteen weapons, seventy stacks of Normal Potions, eight kinds of Special Potions, plus some Engineering Bombs and equipment. Once I auction all this off, my future days will be more than just carefree and happy!"

Sun Busong had absolute confidence in the equipment he crafted. Last time at the black market, he had earned a thousand gold coins with just six pieces of equipment. This time, he wanted to start with a small goal—make one million! Hehehe!

To avoid causing any trouble, Sun Busong had made himself a set of black robes in advance, completely concealing his aura.

The auction soon began.

The host of this auction was an East-West Mixed Race Beauty hired by the Auction Hall at great expense: McDonald Fatu!

She stood 1.78 meters tall, and her legs alone were 1.3 meters long. She had the perfect face of an Eastern beauty, golden hair, and fair skin smooth enough to seem breakable at the slightest touch. Her high nose bridge gave her gorgeous Eastern features even more dimension. Her slender waist, delicate shoulders, surging bust, and full hips that bounced three times with every step made those who had paid one gold coin for admission cry out that it had been worth every cent!

Sun Busong blended into the crowd and squeezed into the auction venue.

Ironforge's auction venue could hold ten thousand people and was divided into three floors. The first floor was for regular customers—people like Sun Busong, who had bought an entry ticket for one gold coin.

The second floor was for somewhat wealthy merchants and professionals above Elite Level.

The third floor consisted of many small private rooms. The guests in these rooms were either high-ranking figures of the various races or the heads of major Chambers of Commerce. There were even people from the Horde Side among them!

"Welcome, everyone, to Ironforge's once-every-five-years Auction Convention. I am the host for this event, McDonald Fatu. It is my honor to serve all the distinguished guests present. There is no need for me to go over the auction rules in detail; I am sure everyone already knows them well. Now, please welcome the first auction item!"

Ironforge's auction had been held for several sessions already. Most of the auction items were weapons and equipment, along with rare materials, ornamental pets, and the like.

Soon, the first auction item was carried up by four Dwarf Soldiers. Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be a large cage wrapped in black cloth, concealing whatever was inside.

"Everyone must be curious about what the first auction item is. Would anyone like to take a guess? Hehe, if someone guesses correctly, I can accompany him for dinner!"

McDonald Fatu elegantly paced back and forth across the stage on her long legs. The length of each stride was exquisitely measured, allowing the men below to feast their eyes on her long legs while cleverly concealing that mysterious area that was visible yet not quite visible. She was working the atmosphere—one of the most basic abilities of an auctioneer.

However, not all men liked women of her type. At the very least, dwarf men did not.

"Hey! Stop wandering around the stage and hurry up, pull off the cloth so we can see what's inside! We still have a drinking contest to get to after the auction!" An Ironforge Clan dwarf spoke up.

"No need to rush, warrior of the Ironforge Clan. Let me reveal a little secret: there is top-quality fine wine among this auction's items! If you want to drink fine wine, you must be patient. Otherwise, by the time you leave, someone else will have bought it all."

Her words instantly drew the attention of most of the dwarf guests, and of course, Sun Busong as well. He had promised Master Hammer that he would buy him some good wine.

"Alright, the first auction item will now be displayed. Please enjoy!"

"A Ghost Tiger Mount from Darkshore!"

The moment McDonald Fatu finished speaking, the black cloth over the cage onstage was pulled away, revealing a Ghost Tiger over two meters tall inside the display cage.

"Wow!"

"So beautiful! This kind of mount really exists?"

"You bastard, you have to win it for me!"

"Is it male or female?"

The audience instantly erupted in commotion. Many of them were seeing a Ghost Tiger for the first time.

"Everyone! Please quiet down. This is today's first auction item—the Ghost Tiger Mount!"

Inside the cage stood a nearly transparent beast. Its form was that of a mighty tiger, with a saddle frame on its back for riding. This Ghost Tiger was over three meters long, and its flickering, half-visible figure left some of the guests below utterly amazed.

Seeing the crowd below in an uproar, McDonald Fatu felt that she had achieved the desired effect.

"This is a land mount with exceptionally high Movement Speed. How it came into being can no longer be investigated, and we have no way of knowing how many Ghost Tigers remain on this continent. What I want to say is that this is the only Ghost Tiger Mount to appear in the past twenty years—the only one! The auction begins now, with a starting bid of 40 gold coins!"

"I bid 80."

"85!"

"100 gold coins! I bid one hundred gold coins!"

"Don't compete with me! I bid 250!"

"Hehe, 251!"

Sun Busong had no interest in this mount at all. He had Ashes of the Void in his Backpack! What mount could possibly be cooler than a Phoenix?

"375 gold coins, first call!"

"375 gold coins, second call!"

"375 gold coins, third call! Sold!"

"Congratulations to this human mage for winning the Ghost Tiger Mount!"

There should be a result this week. Whether I get signed or not, I will finish writing this novel.

Actually, I type very slowly. Every day after work, aside from resting and eating, I spend almost all my time writing. It has already been more than ten days since I last went out for barbecue and beer!

.