128 residents of Night Town had died!
41 members of the Night Watch had fallen!
Three Imperial Guards had sacrificed their lives. Both Defias Black Guards had fallen, and a Defias Pirate had also died!
These were the figures Usop reported to Sun Busong after he woke up. More than ten hours had passed since the battle ended.
"How are things in town now? Have our people all been settled in?"
After hearing Usop's report, Sun Busong sat up in bed. They had suffered heavy losses this time. There were only three casualties, but they had only had eleven people to begin with—a casualty rate of a third!
"Everything's taken care of. They're all staying at the inn in town. Their wounds have completely healed, and they haven't even got scars. The few magic users just ran out of mana and strained their brains. They'll be fine after getting some more sleep."
Usop was highly efficient. Taking care of a small matter like this was easy for him.
"How's my cow?" Sun Busong suddenly thought of Heavy Fist. The fellow seemed to have lost the hat he used to hide his horns.
"He's fine too. He's just embarrassed to show his face right now. He's worried people will discriminate against him!"
"Discriminate?"
Sun Busong turned his head to stare at Usop, his expression growing unfriendly.
"No, no, that's just him overthinking things. The townsfolk see you as their savior, sir, and the Tauren has benefited from that too. He's pretty famous now. A few pretty girls even complimented him on his unique horns."
"Good!"
"What's Stormwind's attitude?"
More than half a day had passed since the battle to defend the town. Stormwind's nobles should have learned everything by now.
"So far, the town hasn't received any written documents or messages from Stormwind. We still can't be sure of their attitude!"
Usop had been making preparations for that, too. The Imperial Guard had paid a heavy price to save Night Town. If those Vampire Noble scum from Stormwind showed up now to claim the spoils, they'd better not blame the Imperial Guard for being ruthless.
"Heh! There are only two possibilities. First, the trash in Stormwind thinks Night Town is already finished. A town with just a few hundred people was attacked by an Undead necromancer who'd plagued the Eastern Kingdoms for centuries. How could anyone have survived? They've probably given up on this place outright."
"The second possibility is that they've already learned what happened here and are discussing how to deal with us. Damn nobles!"
Just thinking about the second possibility made Sun Busong angry.
"Then, sir, how do you think we should handle the second possibility?" Usop had encountered this sort of thing before.
Sun Busong stared at the corner of the room, his eyes shifting as he considered how to deal with Stormwind.
"Here's what you'll do. Take a Gryphon to Westfall as fast as you can and find Vanrikefu, Luffy, and Vanessa. Have them take responsibility for this incident, and tell them to send troops to occupy the watchtowers and routes connecting Duskwood to Stranglethorn Vale and Dustwallow Marsh."
Usop couldn't understand why his superior wanted to hand the town they had fought so hard to save over to the Brotherhood. "Sir, I used to be part of the Defias Brotherhood, but now I'm a member of the Imperial Guard. I know you and Chief Luffy are on good terms, but I don't think it's worth giving Night Town to them."
Sun Busong let out a sly chuckle. "Who said I was giving them Night Town? This is the first territory the Imperial Guard has won!"
"You need to look at it another way. First of all, the Imperial Guard only has eight people left. We don't have the strength to face Stormwind head-on. But if the Brotherhood steps in, they can keep the nobles of Stormwind from taking Night Town, and they can help us look after it. Isn't that a good deal?"
"But...but then Night Town will become the Brotherhood's territory!" Usop looked reluctant, though he could see the sense in his superior's words.
"Hahaha! Do you think the people we saved will remember the Imperial Guard, or the Brotherhood?" Sun Busong asked happily, patting Usop on the shoulder.
"Of course they'll remember us! That goes without saying." Usop answered without a moment's hesitation.
"The Brotherhood is only helping us protect the Imperial Guard's town. If you put it that way, we ought to thank them."
"I see! You really have thought this through, sir." After just a few words, Usop grinned, his worries gone.
"But you'll have to stay in town." Sun Busong suddenly dropped this on him, and Usop didn't understand at first.
"Sir, what do you mean? I don't follow."
Facing Usop, Sun Busong spoke meaningfully. "Heavy Fist and I will be leaving in a few days. He may be popular in Night Town, but he's still a Tauren. Besides, I've already promised to take him to Thunder Bluff and help him find the Tauren's class inheritance."
Then he took a memory card from his backpack. "There are 100,000 Gold Coins here. It's your operating budget. The rest of the Imperial Guard will stay here with you. Use your abilities to make everyone understand and trust the Imperial Guard, and join it! I know every Paladin is an expert at brainwashing. I'm not asking for much."
"First, I'm giving you two years to recruit at least 1,000 professionals from the Brotherhood into the Imperial Guard."
"Second, turn all of Duskwood into our base. Make everyone here our warrior, our informant, and our family!"
"Third, by the time Heavy Fist and I return, I want to see a powerful force, with every member at least a level 45 Elite Professional."
After finishing, Sun Busong looked at the Paladin, whose face showed both excitement and uncertainty.
"I know I'm asking a lot, and that it won't be easy. But I believe in you. I know you can complete the tasks I've given you."
"I'll make three promises to you as well. First, when Heavy Fist and I return, we'll bring back a number of high-level fighters."
"Second, I'll send you a batch of funds and supplies every six months. You can also send me any requests through the secret line, and I'll help you take care of them."
"Third, after I return, we'll get the Defias Brotherhood integrated into the Imperial Guard!"
"Now, say the words I want to hear!"
Sun Busong gazed quietly at Usop, his eyes full of trust and confidence.
Usop dropped to one knee, clenched his right hand, and pressed it firmly against the left side of his chest. Then he replied in a trembling voice, "I swear on my honor and my life that I'll complete the mission you've given me, sir. I'll fight for you to the death!"
Usop had used the Paladin's most solemn oath.
"Hahaha, well done, my brother! One day, we'll be proud of the choices we've made today!"
Sun Busong helped Usop to his feet and answered his pledge of loyalty with the most sincere smile.
The townsfolk had worked for more than ten hours before they managed to clear away the thick layer of ash covering the ground. The bodies of those devoured by the necromancer after he had become an Abomination—all human and beast alike—had turned to ash. The skeletons that had crawled out of their graves were the same.
The townsfolk buried all the ashes in the nearby cemetery. After all, their relatives and the warriors who had died defending the town were among them.
While Usop rode a Gryphon to Westfall to find Luffy, Sun Busong gathered the remaining seven members of the Imperial Guard for a meeting in a secluded house.
"This meeting is simple. First, thank you all for your hard work these past two days. I've asked Usop to make arrangements for our fallen brothers. Once he gets back, tell him what you need. I'll make sure you get it before I leave."
As soon as Sun Busong finished speaking, the seven Imperial Guard members' expressions changed. The Tauren's voice even turned tearful.
"Boss! Are you abandoning us? We may be useless, but we've bled and suffered for you. Those three even gave their lives. You can't leave us behind!"
"Yeah, boss, we all followed you here—"
"Boss, you're just messing with us, right?"
Sun Busong pursed his lips and waved for them to quiet down.
"What the hell are you talking about? How could I abandon you? You're all founding members of the Imperial Guard. I just have to leave for a while, and the Tauren's coming with me. After I go, you'll follow Usop's lead."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though they still felt rather unhappy. Only the Tauren smiled with delight!
"Now for the second matter. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you all again. You're coming with me to take care of two things."
Heavy Fist was in a great mood and immediately picked up the thread. "Boss, just tell us. What do you need us to do?"
Sun Busong gave his brothers an uneasy look. "I heard from Usop that yesterday, when he took you to look for Mobent's Bane, you got into an argument with members of the Defias Brotherhood in Duskwood. Is that right?"
"That's right, boss!" One of the Imperial Guard Arcane Mages explained what had happened to Sun Busong. (From now on, we'll just call them Imperial Guard members.)
As it turned out, the Brotherhood had a base in Duskwood too, but these people had become corrupt. They used the Defias Brotherhood's name, but all they did was rob and pillage.
The night before, Usop had received Sun Busong's order to look for Mobent's Bane. At the Rotten Orchard, he had discovered a secret hideout belonging to Defias thieves.
These Imperial Guard members had been recruited by Sun Busong from the Brotherhood. Though they had switched sides, those people had once been part of their own ranks, so they approached them politely to negotiate. They hadn't expected the lot of them to be in league with the necromancer.
Several of their leaders were already half-man, half-zombie!
They fought hard, killed more than a dozen Defias rebels, and seized Mobent's Bane before returning to Night Town.
"Boss, we can't let these people live. They're not human anymore. Since Night Town is our territory, we have to root out this cancer." Arlang Bense, an Elite-Level Imperial Guard Arcane Mage, was asking Sun Busong to let him lead the attack.
He was the highest-level professional in the Imperial Guard: a level 32 Arcane Mage. His younger brother, Arlang Buse, was also an Arcane Mage, and a level 31 elite.
"What do the rest of you think?" Sun Busong turned to look at the three girls. They would all become important figures and founding members of the Imperial Guard one day!
"Sir, we'll do whatever you say!" The girls had absolute respect for Sun Busong. They never joked around like the bunch of louts who kept calling him "boss" and couldn't seem to stop.
Sigh! Sun Busong wished the girls would loosen up around him and say things like, "Boss, you're amazing! Oh, oh, yeah!"
"All right! Lead the way. Let's help the Defias Brotherhood clean house. We'll make it a gift for their leader, Luffy!"
Soon, the Imperial Guard arrived at the Defias thieves' hideout in the Rotten Orchard.
"Boss, look! They're in there." Following Arlang Bense's finger, Sun Busong saw several old wooden buildings. A rotten stench hung in the air nearby.
They couldn't see where the leaders were yet, but the lot of them had a wide variety of troops: Defias Nightstalkers, Defias Enchanters, Defias Night Thieves, and Defias Grave Robbers!
"Boss, should we interrogate them, or kill them all? Look at their eyes and skin. They stopped being human a long time ago!"
"Kill them all. Heavy Fist, take the others in. I'll look around for any other clues."
"Yes, boss."
The Tauren eagerly led several Imperial Guard members into the Rotten Orchard. These Defias thieves were only level 25 and stood no chance against them. In no time at all, not a single undead remained in the orchard.
Sun Busong came to a cemetery. It was probably near Raven Hill.
He opened his Skill Book and found the whistle used to summon Humar. He put it to his lips and blew, but Humar didn't appear.
Your pet has died. Revive it before summoning it!
Sigh! There went 1,000 Slaughter Value. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
He paid 1,000 Slaughter Value and blew the whistle again. A huge black lion, its coat entirely black and without a single stray hair, appeared beside Sun Busong.
"Roar!"
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to come back to life with even the scorched patches on your body healed. That's great! I thought you'd end up as a mangy lion!"
Seeing Humar's sleek coat, Sun Busong immediately reached out to pet him. It felt so soft. No wonder so many people liked going to cat cafés to pet cats.
"Go on, look around. If you find any undead, come back and let me know. Here are a few slices of bear meat to tide you over. Find something, and I'll reward you with a feast!"
"Roar!"
Humar shot away like a black lightning bolt. He could really understand Sun Busong's orders now!
"This makes things easier. I'll let him roam around whenever I get the chance. He can search for nearby enemies and clues. Hahaha, raising a pet is pretty great!"
Sun Busong found a place to lie down and relax, humming a song from his previous life!
Invincible, how, how lonely; invincible, how, how empty!
Alone at the summit, the cold wind blows. Who can understand my loneliness?
Invincible, how, how lonely; invincible, how, how empty!
She, hidden at the edge of the sky, could she hear me tell her of my loneliness, my endless loneliness?
Just then, Humar came back!
He had a bone in his mouth!
Then he wagged his tail at Sun Busong, showing off his achievement.
"This is what you found for me? This is a bone, all right? You understand?"
"Roar!" Humar hopped around a few times, looking excited!
Damn!
He still didn't really understand what I meant!
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