Night Town

"Are you sure the thing you want us to retrieve is Ghost's Hair?"

While Sun Busong was considering it, he asked again.

"That's right!" The old man's expression held a trace of disdain.

"Let's go!"

"Chief, when are you going to learn how to ride? Walking everywhere like this is such a waste of time. And Mrs. Iva lives so far away! The old man sent us from the eastern edge of Duskwood all the way to the west to fetch something. He did that on purpose, didn't he? That old geezer—once we've finished the quest, I'm smashing his windows."

They'd killed several groups of monsters along the way. Since the creatures were lower level than Sun Busong, they didn't yield any Slaughter Value or Health Points, so Mr. Punch did all the fighting.

Tauren Punch had lived among humans his whole life. He might not know how to speak Tauren, but he picked up some of humanity's bad habits pretty quickly.

"He's an old man. If the place weren't so far away, would he have asked us to fetch it for him? So don't go assuming the worst of people for no reason."

"And where am I supposed to learn to ride? No one's told me that, either."

Sun Busong walked ahead, chatting as he went, with Heavy Fist and Usop following on either side behind him.

"I know where you can learn to ride—at the East Valley Lumber Mill, not far from here. But they teach humans there, so I don't know if they'll teach you," Usop said. He knew the area fairly well.

Sun Busong glanced back at the dwarf knight Usop and asked in confusion, "Then where did you learn?"

"I'm a Paladin. Riding is one of my class skills. It's called Summon Warhorse! Wherever I am, as soon as I cast the spell, my warhorse appears right in front of me."

"Hahaha! Chief, I'll summon my warhorse right now and show you!"

As he spoke, Usop prepared to cast the spell.

Sun Busong, who'd been walking ahead, suddenly turned around and kicked him in the face. "Trying to show off, huh? You think you're hot stuff? It's just riding! I'll learn tomorrow. If they won't teach me, we'll smash up the place. What are we now? We're Defias rogues!"

Looks like Tauren Punch had learned his bad habits from certain people!

They hadn't been outside the old man's room for long when it started raining. In the darkness, the rain pattered softly, with the occasional wolf howl in the distance.

"Chief, this place is kind of creepy. How about we rest in the town up ahead and fetch the old man's hair tomorrow, during the day?" Usop held his hammer protectively in front of his chest.

"Hahaha! You're a Paladin. Aren't ghost-hunting and the like your specialty? And that old man was obviously trying to scare us. Ghost hair? Yeah, right. I don't believe it."

Though Heavy Fist said that, the way he was deliberately raising his voice gave him away.

"I'm here. What are you worried about? Let's go!"

Sun Busong had never seen a ghost, either, but his backpack was full of good stuff. If it came down to it, he could pull something out and wipe out any supernatural nonsense.

Raven Hill at night wasn't a place for ordinary people. Shadows occasionally flitted across the sky, and pairs of glowing green eyes watched them from the grass beside the road.

Just then, Tauren Punch suddenly moved closer to Sun Busong, his mouth trembling as he stammered, "C-Ch-Chief, something's... something's wrong! I feel like... someone's pulling... pulling my leg!"

His expression was enough to make Sun Busong uneasy, too. Usop, who'd been leading the way, quickly doubled back to protect him.

Flash Bomb: Required Level 23. Use: Illuminates the area within a 50-yard radius and frightens beasts below level 40, causing them to flee. Lasts 30 seconds.

Sun Busong activated a Flash Bomb. With a bang, the area turned as bright as day. The trees, roadside fences, and even the ditch nearby were all clearly visible.

Sun Busong looked down at Heavy Fist's leg and was startled by what he saw: several strands of grayish-white spider silk were wrapped around it.

The Tauren followed Sun Busong's gaze and looked down, too.

"Mooooo!"

Heavy Fist let out a terrified bellow. Sun Busong nearly pissed himself at the sound. A yell would've been fine, or even a scream—but a bellow? Who could stand against that?

"Quit yelling, you stupid cow! It's just a spider. What's there to be afraid of?"

After scolding Heavy Fist, Sun Busong instantly had a pair of axes in his hands. They were powerful weapons he'd forged recently.

Mr. Punch's Battle Axe (Blue Gear) 2 stars:

Item Level 82!

One-Handed Axe

69–130 damage Speed 2.00

(49.8 Damage Per Second)

Durability 105 / 105

Required Level 25

Chance on Hit: Drains 48 to 54 Health Points from the enemy and transfers them to the wielder.

Equip: Increases Hit Rating by 31.

This was a weapon Tauren Punch had insisted on naming after himself.

It was also the first weapon Sun Busong had ever made using Kill Points.

He'd made four in total. His two were 2-star, while Heavy Fist had two 1-star axes.

These two axes outclassed purple weapons of the same level. They had no additional attributes, but their attack power was almost unbelievable, and they also had a life-stealing effect. The 31 Hit Rating let Sun Busong kill enemies ten levels higher than him.

"Follow the spider silk and kill whatever's there. I want to see what got it into its head that it could mess with my cow!"

Killing intent filled Sun Busong's face. Heavy Fist stopped bellowing, squeezed the tears from his eyes, grabbed his two axes, and plunged into the grass.

With Sun Busong backing him up, Mr. Punch wasn't afraid of anything. The three of them soon found the audacious creature that had dared to provoke them: a Carrion Lone Spider.

This monster was somewhere between an Undead and a beast. Its body was hundreds, even thousands, of times larger than that of an ordinary spider. This Carrion Lone Spider was already as big as a calf. No wonder it had dared to shoot silk at Tauren Punch.

Each of its eight legs was about two meters long. Its head was deformed, like a skull with the flesh gnawed away. Black slime streamed over its huge body, and the silk from its abdomen was still wrapped around Heavy Fist's leg.

"Chop it up!"

The thing looked disgusting at a glance. Sun Busong grimaced and shouted at Heavy Fist.

"Argh!"

Heavy Fist roared and charged with his axes raised. The spider fought back with its four front legs, but its enormous body was a burden, severely limiting its speed and agility. Before long, Heavy Fist had chopped the Carrion Lone Spider into several pieces.

Looking at the corpse lying in a pile of slime, Sun Busong pinched his nose. "Let's get out of here. This thing's mutated. We need to find the source of the mutation and wipe it out completely."

"Yes, sir!"

The three returned to the path and continued onward. Along the way, they encountered many black wolves called Black Ravager Cubs, as well as some level 25 spiders: Small Black Widow Spiders.

Level 25 monsters were just high enough to earn Sun Busong Kill Points and Health Points. After walking for a little over an hour, he'd collected more than 100 Health Points and 50 Kill Points.

Since the second seal on the Slaughter Artifact had been lifted, Sun Busong had been running short on Kill Points. Making a 1-star item cost 300 Kill Points, and a 2-star item cost 1,200!

"Remember to pick up all the materials. Wolf meat and spider legs are good stuff, and so are the silk and wolf pelts."

"No problem, Chief. You don't need to worry about this kind of thing. Leave it to us."

Sun Busong didn't have the skills to mine, gather herbs, or skin animals, so he had Heavy Fist and Usop learn them. That way, they could collect materials for him.

The three walked on through the night. Soon, lights appeared in the distance.

"Chief, we're almost at Night Town."

It was already the middle of the night, but Night Town was still brightly lit. When they reached the crossroads leading into town, Sun Busong began assigning tasks.

"Heavy Fist, go meet up with the other Imperial Guard members. I need information about this place. Usop, go find the Night Watch and see if there's anything we can help with. I'll go find Mrs. Iva and see what a ghost looks like! We'll meet back here tomorrow morning."

"Understood!"

After the two left, Sun Busong took some potions out of his backpack, just in case.

Following the old man's directions and asking around, Sun Busong soon found Mrs. Iva's home in town.

When he got there, he saw that the three-story wooden building stood in the northwest part of town, right on the main street.

"A ghost lives in a place like this? Are the Night Watch doing nothing?"

Still puzzled, Sun Busong went inside Mrs. Iva's home alone.

"Hello! Can I help you find anything? We have all sorts of goods here." A beautiful human woman greeted him as he entered. Sun Busong took a closer look and realized it was a tailor shop, with all kinds of fabrics and dyes hanging inside.

"I'm not here to buy anything. Does Mrs. Iva live here? Someone sent me to find her."

The beautiful woman with wavy hair, Sherry, called into a room in the back of the shop. "Madam, someone's here to see you!"

It wasn't long before Sun Busong met Mrs. Iva.

She wasn't a ghost at all. She was a well-dressed, poised lady with a very refined air. She smiled at Sun Busong and said, "I thought so. Who'd come shopping in the middle of the night? I haven't seen you before, young man. You aren't from around here, are you? What can I do for you?"

Sun Busong smiled and bowed to her before answering. "Sorry to bother you. I'm a mercenary who just arrived in the area today. Someone hired me to come and get something from you."

"What is it?"

"Some Ghost Hair!" Sun Busong felt awkward even saying it. Who went to a tailor shop to ask for ghost hair?

But her answer left him dumbfounded.

"Oh, you mean Ghost Hair? I'm out of stock, but if you can bring me some ghost hair, I can make some for you."

When Sun Busong left the building, he was still questioning his eyes and ears.

And once he'd recovered from the shock, he realized he'd somehow received another quest from Mrs. Iva.

"There is a poor soul named Blind Mary who often appears at a farmhouse on a hill south of Night Town.

"Take this Ghost Comb and have Blind Mary use it to comb her hair. Then bring the comb back to me. I can gather the Ghost Hair I need from it.

"Be careful. Something terrifying is lurking in that house..."

Mrs. Iva had no idea how frightening her words already were.

There was nothing for it. Sun Busong had to grit his teeth and see it through.

Just as he'd expected, ghosts couldn't possibly live in town. Mrs. Iva's directions led to a cemetery dozens of miles from Night Town!

"I should've brought those two along instead of splitting up. At least I've got Humar with me."

A whistle rang out. Less than five minutes later, a strong black lion came to Sun Busong's side and, for good measure, licked his face with its big pink tongue.

Humar, Level 25, Common, Growable (8/10), Loyalty 100%. (Mood: Happy)

Health Points: 855. Strength 60. Agility 60. Intelligence 60. Spirit 60. Stamina 60. (Master Attribute Boost, +5752 Health Points, +35 Strength, +8 Agility, +8 Intelligence, +5 Spirit, +5 Stamina.)

Sun Busong, Dwarf Warrior, Level 25.

Health Points: 57528!

Base Attributes: Strength +92 (+266 Free Attribute Points), Agility +61, Stamina +61, Intelligence +25, Spirit +25, Armor +5963.

Secondary Attributes: Damage 385–469. Speed 2.15. Power 1162. Hit Rating 61. Critical Strike Rate 31.99. Precision 50.

"Come on. Let's go see what ghosts look like. Your dad isn't scared. I just brought you along so you could see the world."

"Meow!'w'"

With Humar by his side, he was no longer alone. He was a man with a lion.

They'd arrived at Tranquil Garden Cemetery in Night Town. If you're here for sightseeing, folks, you can start crying now!

"I knew this place would be terrifying!"

They reached a three-way fork, and right in the middle stood a huge old locust tree. Its trunk was over forty meters thick, and signs were posted on three sides of it. One pointed to Night Town, another to Yorgen Farm, and the last to Tranquil Garden Cemetery.

The other two paths were gravel, but the road to the cemetery was just a narrow trail trampled into the ground.

He continued along with Humar. The trees grew even larger, the path grew more rugged, and the ground was no longer dirt. They were on a mountain trail now, surrounded by jagged rocks. An old windmill turned with a creak in the distance, accompanied by cawing ravens.

Humar sensed something was wrong, too. This wasn't a hunting trail. Why did it look like a zombie apocalypse?

They'd judged correctly!

After rounding a small rocky hill, moonlight fell over a rarely visited basin. Skeletons carrying weapons wandered about, and Humar's teeth were chattering.

Rotting Terror Demon: Level 25 Undead. Low attack, low defense, extremely scary.

Whether Humar had given them away or they simply hadn't hidden well, several skeletons carrying swords rushed toward them.

Fight! Being scared was one thing, but they couldn't be cowards. Kill!

But once Sun Busong started fighting, the monsters that had looked so frightening became a joke. Sun Busong killed them with one swing each, and even Humar could tear one apart in three seconds.

All reactionaries are paper tigers! The great man was absolutely right.

In less than ten minutes, the man and his pet had killed all the dozen or so Rotting Terror Demons in the area. Once the monsters were cleared out, a low wooden hut came into view.

The door was ajar. Through the window and the gap in the door, Sun Busong could see candlelight burning inside. He mustered his courage and gently pushed the door open.

"Get out! Ah... ah... ah!"

The voice sounded exactly like the ghost he'd imagined. When he looked up toward it, Humar had already collapsed and wet itself!

What did the scene before him look like?

A ghost nearly three meters tall appeared on the ceiling, its body almost transparent beneath a thin white veil.

Its two claws were enormous, with fingers a full foot long. Its nails were black as ink, and its skin was blue-green. No maggots crawled through the rotting flesh on its face; instead, an eerie green light shone through. There were no pupils in its eye sockets, only that same ghostly glow.

Its white hair floated in the air without a breeze. Each strand was over a meter long and as tough as steel wire.

It must have been wearing an evening gown. The dress was worn, but its design had once been quite elegant: off-the-shoulder with a deep V neckline. The rest was impossible to make out; it was all holes and ribs.

When someone faces one frightening challenge after another, they eventually grow used to fear.

That was what had happened to Sun Busong. His heart had nearly burst out of his chest just moments ago, but now he wasn't afraid anymore. He simply looked at her face.

"Wuwuwuwu! Don't, don't look at me! I gouged my own eyes out, but I can still feel you staring at me!"

"I'm so ugly, so ugly! Please, turn your face away!"

The ghost was actually begging him!

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I came here because I need some of your hair." Sun Busong boldly approached her, still holding the comb Mrs. Iva had given him.

Who was more afraid of whom now?

"My hair has been stiff for a long time. Unless I die, it won't come loose."

Sun Busong raised the comb in his hand over his head. "Take a look at this."

"What is it? A comb? How cute!"

The huge hand, nearly a meter long, gently picked up the comb from Sun Busong's hand and slowly ran it through her hair, which was like steel wire.

"It glides through my hair. It feels as if it's not so stiff and frightening anymore. If only I had a mirror!"

Sun Busong stood at her feet, watching her slowly comb her hair. He wasn't afraid at all now. It was like watching a beauty who cared deeply about her appearance, dressing up in front of a mirror.

After a little while, the ghost lowered her hand and looked at Sun Busong. Sun Busong looked back at her.

"Take the comb back. I'm a monster. No one will ever say I'm beautiful again!"

"No! You're beautiful. You're an elegant and lovely lady."

Sun Busong had never had a girlfriend, but now he was saying exactly the sort of thing that could touch a woman's heart.

The ghost slowly floated down. In the blink of an eye, her appearance changed, and a beautiful young woman stood before Sun Busong.

She had delicate makeup, long hair like silver threads, soft, fair skin, and a face so beautiful it took the breath away.

"Thank you for the compliment, stranger. As a reward, I'll give you something. My most precious possession is a pair of glasses, but after something happened, I threw them behind the barn. A crazed Ghoul used to roam around there. It may have picked them up. Someone said that wicked creature appeared at Tranquil Garden Cemetery. Go on—the glasses are yours."

"Thank you for the reward, beautiful lady!" Sun Busong gave her a gentlemanly bow, then smiled as he backed toward the door. He grabbed Humar by one leg and dragged her outside, too.

After he'd gone dozens of meters from the hut, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He let out a long breath.

This was a ghost whose level couldn't be inspected—not even a health bar appeared! What did it mean to have no health bar? It meant she was immortal, impossible to kill!

Once he'd caught his breath, he nudged Humar with the tip of his foot. "That's enough. Get up, or I'm leaving you here alone."

Whoosh! Humar sprang back to life!

There were still several hours until dawn. Sun Busong wanted to return to Mrs. Iva first and give her back the comb.

Before that, though, he decided to find the treasure the ghost had rewarded him with. Maybe it would turn out to be something good.

After killing dozens of Skeleton Soldiers, Sun Busong found a Ghoul. It had a decent amount of flesh on its bones, but the Level 27 Ghoul died without even needing a second swing of his axe. Sun Busong gained three Slaughter Value and two Health Points.

When he picked up the dusty eyeglass case beside the Ghoul's corpse, it suddenly broke apart, revealing a pair of glasses glowing blue.

Mary's Glasses (Blue Equipment): Use to see through a target's clothing and armor!

What wicked glasses! Heh heh heh! Good people always got what they deserved.

The return journey was always faster than the trip out. Half an hour later, Sun Busong arrived at the tailor shop.

"You met Blind Mary? You're quick, young man!" Mrs. Iva was delighted to see Sun Busong holding the comb wrapped in Ghost Hair.

After taking the comb, she said, "I can use this to make you a spool of Ghost Hair thread, and there'll still be some left over. You can consider it payment for buying the thread from you."

Mrs. Iva went to make the spool. Bored in the room, Sun Busong headed outside to wander around town.

After more than ten minutes, Mrs. Iva returned with the finished spool and handed it to him.

"Here's the thread you wanted. It has many uses, such as binding evil spirits or giving life to things that have none. Take good care of it!"

As Mrs. Iva solemnly handed him the thread, Sun Busong wondered if she was exaggerating a little.

It was already this late. Golden light had spread across the horizon, and he hadn't slept all night.

"I'd better get some sleep first. We can talk after the two of them get back."

He slept until ten in the morning.

"Sir, they've all arrived. They're waiting for you downstairs." Usop gently shook Sun Busong awake.

After washing up, Sun Busong ate as he listened to his Imperial Guard subordinates report on recent events in Duskwood.

"Something strange is going on everywhere here. Something must be pulling the strings behind the scenes. The eight of you keep gathering information, but don't alert anyone. Your safety comes first."

"Yes, sir!" x8.

After the eight men left, Sun Busong asked Usop about the Night Watch. He decided he'd find time to have a heart-to-heart with their commander.

"Sir, did you see the ghost yesterday?" Once everything had been arranged, Heavy Fist asked Sun Busong about the mission, curious.

"I did. That ghost was stunning—almost the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Sun Busong wasn't making it up. The ghost really had been beautiful in her human form.

"If only I'd gone with you on the mission. What a shame I missed out on meeting a beauty." Heavy Fist had different tastes from most Tauren; he liked pretty human women too.

"Don't worry. I'll take you to see her tonight. The ghost lives there, so she won't be going anywhere." Sun Busong grinned and gave Heavy Fist a strange look.

"So what are we doing now?" Usop asked Sun Busong.

"First, we'll sort out mounts. Walking everywhere wastes too much time."

"Sure, I know where to go. I'll lead the way." Usop volunteered, but the Tauren beside him hurriedly called out, "I want one too! I want a mount!"

Sun Busong and Usop both turned to look at him. It was lucky the mounts here were horses. If they'd been in Dwarf territory, they would've had to ride goats. A cow riding a goat? What a tragedy!

It rained all year in Night Town, and the three of them ran into rain as soon as they stepped outside. But for them, this was barely a drizzle.

They followed the road for over an hour, and the journey was mostly uneventful.

As they killed several Green Lone Spiders in their twenties, the Tauren spotted a perfect place for Sun Busong to level up.

It was called Mistermanto Manor. Who knew where the people who'd once lived there had gone? Now the place was crawling with foul-smelling Level 30 Ghouls. Each had over a thousand Health Points, but two axe swings were enough to take one down.

Each one was worth six Slaughter Value! Could there be a better treasure to farm?

"Heavy Fist, remember this place. Once we get back, find someone to ask around about it. These monsters have high health and low defense, so they'll help us level up much faster."

"Yes, sir!"

After that, they made much better time. They couldn't be bothered to kill the monsters that leapt out from the roadside. Just as they were about to leave Duskwood, they spotted a neutral Goblin merchant by the road.

"Time is money, my friend! I sell the finest goods in the world!"

This was Sun Busong's first time seeing someone from a neutral faction.

"Then let's see what good stuff you've got." Sun Busong had plenty of money, and since they'd run into a Goblin merchant, he had to take a look.

At the Goblin's stall, he found some genuinely good items. Ordinary shops, whether they sold leather armor or cloth clothes, were almost entirely stocked with White Equipment. Green items were rare, and Blue Gear was out of the question.

But this stall had several Green Grade items, as well as Healing Potions and mana-restoration potions. There was even a Level 30 Blue leather armor piece.

What surprised Sun Busong most was that there were two blueprints!

One was an Alchemy Blueprint for a Holy Protection Potion, and the other was an Engineering blueprint for a Goblin Resuscitator!

The Resuscitator had nothing to do with blue pills. It was a device for saving people who had stopped breathing. As long as it was used within three minutes of their death, it had a chance of bringing them back to life.

But it was all down to chance. Probably one in ten thousand!

Sun Busong already had both blueprints. In fact, he knew how to make both of them—and even blueprints that didn't exist in this world. Still, he wanted to buy these two, along with everything else on the stall.

For one thing, they were cheap. For another, the blueprints were single-use, and only one person could learn each of them. The blueprints Sun Busong had given his father were different. Sun Busong was Grandmaster Level; he could make and improve blueprints himself. He could buy these two, then give them to Luffy for the guild members to learn, or sell them at the next auction.

Everything cost Sun Busong a little over 100 Gold Coin. The Goblin was overjoyed, and Sun Busong didn't think it was very expensive.

After saying goodbye to the Goblin merchant, the three of them waded across a river. Elwynn Forest lay on the other side.

The monsters in this area were too low-level to be worth killing, so the three of them hurried onward as fast as they could.

"Sir, East Valley Lumber Mill is just ahead. Should we go straight in?"

Usop led the way, and they reached their destination in less than an hour.

"Of course we're going straight in. What's the matter?" Sun Busong was puzzled. Why was learning to ride turning into something more complicated than stealing horses?

"There's a Stormwind guard tower up ahead. You should be fine, but Heavy Fist and I have caused trouble here before. We're worried someone might recognize us."

Sun Busong stroked his chin and looked at Heavy Fist's pair of horns, then blinked.

After thinking for a moment, he rummaged through his backpack and asked, "Heavy Fist, some time ago I told you two to learn Mining and Herbalism. How's your progress?"

"Reporting, sir. We've reached intermediate level!" x2.

"Good. Here, put this on your head. Usop, you don't need one—you're not a Tauren, so what are you worried about? Just rub some dirt on your face later and you'll be fine."

Sun Busong handed Heavy Fist an Engineering-made helmet. It looked imposing, and two sharp horns protruded from the top, just large enough to conceal Heavy Fist's own horns. Perfect disguise!

Goblin Mining Helmet (Green Equipment):

Item Level 41

Head Mail

290 Armor

+25 Stamina

Durability 60 / 60

Required Level 24

Equip: Mining skill increased by 5.

Heavy Fist took it and put it on at once. It looked great—perfect.

"Hahahaha! This thing was made just for me. Thank you, sir!" The Tauren was thrilled. Now he didn't need to worry about anyone recognizing him.

"Nothing to worry about now, right? Let's go!"

They could just make out the workers bustling around the lumber mill. Sun Busong walked ahead.

"I'm here to learn riding. What do you charge?"

The riding trainer here was named Randall Hunter. He was only a Level 10 commoner, but he was very good at teaching riding. Nobody who came to learn here ever failed.

"Sorry, I only teach humans. And we only have ordinary riding horses, not the goats you Dwarves ride."

He was pretty polite, but after all that, he still wouldn't teach them or sell them a mount!

"Hey, don't talk to our commander like that. He may only be a Level 25 professional, but he has a lot of authority—and plenty of men under him. Go get your highest-ranking commander and have him come deal with us."

Heavy Fist spoke fluent Common. He stepped forward and gave the trainer a piece of his mind.

"Don't be angry. We run a riding school too, and of course we're happy to make money. But we have rules: we can only take human students." Seeing a big man arguing with her brother, the sister who had been grooming the horses hurried over. Her name was Katie Hunter.

When Sun Busong saw the sister, his eyes lit up. Katie was dressed in work clothes, but that didn't diminish her beauty. She was a very pretty young woman.

"Hello there, pretty human lady. We've spent days traveling to learn riding here. We're all allies; there's no need to be so rigid. Rules are dead, but people are alive. We have to be flexible."

As he spoke, Sun Busong walked over to Katie.

"Hello, Dwarf friend. We know you're in a difficult position. How about we go find the local sheriff and let him handle this?"

"Fine. We'll wait here." Sun Busong had been hoping to chat the young woman up, but she was blind too, apparently. Sun Busong was already 1.7 meters tall—how was that short?

Before long, the local sheriff came jogging over to Sun Busong.

"Hello, sir. I'm the sheriff here. I heard you'd run into some trouble. Is there anything I can do to help?"

This man, Haggard, spoke with the usual human politeness: he was all smiles but never did anything, and sweet to your face while stabbing you in the back!

Sun Busong had seen plenty of people like him. He cut straight to the point.

"Just tell us whether you want money or want us to do something for you. Two of us want to learn. Go figure out the price and make it whatever you like."

The smile on the sheriff's face twitched, but he was an old hand. He quickly recovered.

"This fellow's certainly straightforward! All right, since you're so sincere, let's discuss the terms." He turned to Sun Busong with an ingratiating smile.

"Go ahead. We've come all this way, so we're not worried about you making demands."

Sheriff Haggard clapped his hands together, rubbed them, and beamed. "Splendid! I love how straightforward you Dwarves are!"

Damn it!

The Hunter siblings were no longer involved. The sheriff invited the three of them inside, poured them tea, and started complaining about everything under the sun.

Eventually, Sun Busong and the others were given three tasks.

First, the lumber mill's facilities had been getting old and inefficient. The workers were getting half as much done, but maintaining and upgrading the equipment would cost money.

Sun Busong didn't want to hear any more. He tossed the sheriff a money pouch containing 100 Gold Coin.

The sheriff praised him for being generous.

Next, the sheriff told them that many workers had been harassed by Murlocs living beside the lake while bathing.

Sun Busong found it hard to understand. Those Murlocs had fish heads for upper bodies. What would make them go watch humans bathe—and harass them?

"Heavy Fist, go wipe out the Murloc tribe by the lake!"

"Yes, sir."

The Murlocs were only around Level 10, while Heavy Fist had mastered the Tauren's War Stomp. All he had to do was lure them within ten yards, and one stomp would wipe them out.

The final task was about the workers too. The sheriff said that a lot of wolves and bears had recently appeared around the lumber mill. They didn't attack the workers, but were going after the dairy cows kept at the mill!

"Usop, go get rid of those beasts. Remember to skin them. I need the hides."

"Yes, sir."

After the two of them left, the sheriff tried to chat Sun Busong up and build a connection. But Sun Busong found his insincere smile disgusting. He propped his legs up on the table and closed his eyes, refusing to entertain him. The sheriff could only chuckle awkwardly and leave the room.

An hour later, Heavy Fist and Usop had finished their assigned tasks. Now it was time to learn how to ride.

Heavy Fist would learn from the brother, while Sun Busong, of course, would have the pretty Katie teach him. So what if she called him a Dwarf? Wasn't it worth it to have her guide him hand over hand? They even rode the same horse, with Katie behind Sun Busong in front!

"Your waist is so broad. I can't even get my arms around you."

"I told you, if you ride in front of me, I'll learn faster. Come lean back against me and hold on to my arms. Let's take a few more laps! Hyah!"

After they learned to ride, the sheriff generously gave them two ordinary horses. Sun Busong had wanted to buy a few fast mounts, but when he reached the stable, he saw that they were all the same kind. He had to give up.

"Sir, you can only buy really fast mounts once you reach Level 40. You promised to take me to Thunder Bluff. I want a Thunder Lizard when we get there! Hahaha!"

The sight of Heavy Fist riding a brown horse was too much to bear. A cow on a horse!

"Don't worry. As long as you stick with me, you'll have whatever you want!"

"Hahaha, long live the boss!"

"Call me sir! How many times have I told you? Why won't you change?"

"Long live the sir!"

"Heh heh heh. You'll get a reward!"

Even ordinary horses were a lot faster than walking. The return trip took only a third as long as the journey there.

"Come on. Let's go find that damn old man again."

"Yes!"

I'm exhausted. I don't want to talk.