Post-Battle Affairs

Night Town villagers dead: 128!

Night Watchman team members fallen: 41!

Imperial Guard sacrificed three, both Defias Black Guards sacrificed, and one Defias Pirate also sacrificed!

These were reported to Sun Busong by Usop after he woke up. It had already been over ten hours since the battle ended.

"What's the situation in town now? Have our people been settled?"

After listening to Usop's report, Sun Busong sat up from the bed. Their losses this time were heavy. Although there were only three casualties, they had a total of eleven people, meaning a casualty rate of one-third!

"Everyone has been arranged for, at the town's inn. Their injuries have all healed, leaving no scars. Those who are magic-users only suffered from mana exhaustion and head trauma; they'll be fine after some sleep."

Usop's execution was incredibly efficient; handling such minor matters was easy for him.

"How's my bull doing?" Sun Busong suddenly remembered Heavy Fist, who seemed to have lost the hat used to hide his bull horns.

"He's doing well too, just a bit embarrassed to show himself right now. He's worried people will discriminate against him!"

"Discriminate?"

Sun Busong turned his head to stare at Usop, his gaze somewhat unfriendly.

"No, no, that's just him being dramatic. The townspeople consider the Officer a savior, and the Tauren has benefited from that. His reputation is quite good now; a few attractive ladies even complimented his horns, saying they have personality."

"That's good!"

"What's Stormwind's attitude?"

More than half a day had passed since the defense battle. By now, the nobles of Stormwind should have received all the intelligence.

"As of now, the town hasn't received any written dispatches or messages from Stormwind. We can't determine Stormwind's stance yet!"

Usop was also preparing for this possibility. Their Imperial Guard had paid a heavy price to protect Night Town. If Stormwind's Vampire Nobles decided to swoop in and claim the spoils now, they wouldn't be blamed for being ruthless.

"Heh! There are only two possibilities. First, those scumbags in Stormwind think Night Town is finished. An undead wizard who has plagued the Eastern Kingdoms for centuries attacked a town of a few hundred people; how could there be any survivors? They've probably already abandoned it."

"The second possibility is that they already know what happened here and are discussing how to deal with us. Damn nobles!"

The thought of the second possibility angered Sun Busong.

"Then, sir, how do you think we should respond to the second possibility?" Usop had encountered similar situations before.

Sun Busong stared at a corner of the room, his eyes darting around as he considered how to handle the Stormwind issue.

"Here's what you'll do: take a Gryphon and head to the Westerlands at top speed. Find Vanrikefu. Luffy and Vanessa, make them responsible for this incident, and have them send troops to occupy the guard posts and passages from Duskwood to Stranglethorn Vale and Dustwallow Marsh."

Usop was a bit confused as to why the Officer would give the Brotherhood the town they had desperately saved. "Sir, although I was a member of the Defias Brotherhood before, I am now an Imperial Guard member. I also know you have a good relationship with Leader Luffy, but giving Night Town to them, I don't think it's worth it."

Sun Busong let out a sly grin. "Who said I'm giving Night Town to them? This is the first territory our Imperial Guard has conquered."

"You need to think differently. First, our Imperial Guard now only has 8 people left. We don't have the strength to confront Stormwind directly. But if we let the Brotherhood step forward, not only can we prevent Night Town from being snatched away by Stormwind's nobles, but we can also have the Brotherhood help us look after Night Town. Isn't that good?"

"But, but then, wouldn't Night Town become the Brotherhood's territory!" Usop's expression showed reluctance, yet he felt the Officer's reasoning was sound.

"Hahaha, who do you think these people we saved will remember more, the Imperial Guard or the Brotherhood?" Sun Busong said happily, patting Usop's shoulder.

"Of course us! Do I even need to say it?" Usop replied without hesitation.

"The Brotherhood members are just helping us, protecting our Imperial Guard's town. In that sense, we should be thanking the Brotherhood."

"So that's how it is! Sir, your considerations are truly thorough." In a few words, Usop chuckled, his worries and concerns gone.

"However, you will stay in town." Just then, Sun Busong's sudden statement left Usop momentarily stunned.

"Sir, what do you mean? I don't understand."

Sun Busong faced Usop and said meaningfully, "Heavy Fist and I will be leaving in a few days. Although he is very popular in Night Town, he is, after all, a Tauren, and I have already promised him that I will take him to Thunder Bluff to help him obtain the Tauren's professional inheritance."

Then, he took out a storage card from his backpack. "Here is 100,000 gold coins as your operational funds. All the other Imperial Guard members will remain with you. You will use your abilities to make everyone understand the Imperial Guard, trust the Imperial Guard, and join the Imperial Guard! I know all of you Paladins are experts at brainwashing. My requirements are not high."

"First, I'll give you two years. I want you to recruit no less than 1,000 Professionals from the Brotherhood to join the Imperial Guard."

"Second, turn the entire Duskwood into our Imperial Guard's base, making everyone here our warriors, our eyes and ears, our family!"

"Third, when Heavy Fist and I return, I want to see a powerful team, with members who are at least Elite Professionals level 45 or above."

After saying this, Sun Busong looked at the Paladin, whose expression was a mix of excitement and difficulty.

"I know my requirements are high and difficult to meet. However, I believe in you. I believe you can definitely complete the mission I've assigned you."

"I also promise you three things. First, when Heavy Fist and I return, we will bring back a batch of high-level combatants."

"Second, I will send you military funds and supplies every six months. If you have any needs, you can tell me through the secure line, and I will help you solve them."

"Third, when I return, we will prepare to finalize the matter of the Defias Brotherhood joining our Imperial Guard!"

"Now, please say the words I want to hear!"

Sun Busong looked at Usop quietly with trust and affirmation!

Usop knelt on one knee, clenched his right fist tightly over his left chest, and replied in a trembling voice, "I swear with my Honor and my life that I will complete the mission assigned to me by the Officer. I will fight for you to the death!"

Usop used the most sacred oath ceremony of a Knight!

"Hahaha, well done! My brother. In the future, we will definitely be proud of the decisions we are making now!"

Sun Busong lifted Usop with both hands, responding to his loyalty with the most sincere smile!

The villagers in town worked for over ten hours to clean up the thick layer of ash on the ground. The corpses that the Necromancer had turned into Abominations, whether human or beast, had all turned to ash, as were the Skeletons that crawled out of their graves.

The villagers buried all this ash in the nearby graveyard, as it contained their loved ones and the Warriors who had sacrificed themselves for the town.

While Usop rode a Gryphon to the Westerlands to find Luffy, Sun Busong gathered the remaining 7 Imperial Guards and convened a meeting in a secluded room.

"The meeting's content is simple. First, thank you all for your hard work these past two days. I've already asked Usop to arrange matters for the fallen brothers. Tell him your needs when he returns, and I will fulfill them before I leave."

After Sun Busong finished speaking, the expressions of the seven Imperial Guards present immediately changed. The Tauren's voice cracked with emotion.

"Boss! Are you abandoning us? We may be useless, but we've all bled and suffered for you. Those three guys even lost their lives. You can't leave us!"

"That's right, Boss. We all followed you here."

"Boss, you're just kidding us, right?"

Sun Busong pursed his lips and waved his hand, signaling them to quiet down.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could I abandon you? You are all veterans of the Imperial Guard. I just have something to attend to and will be leaving for a while. And the Tauren will be going with me. After I leave, you will listen to Usop."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, though they still felt a bit down. Only the Tauren smiled happily!

"Then, for the second matter, I'll have to trouble all of you again. You need to come with me to do two things."

Heavy Fist was very happy at the moment. He immediately picked up the conversation, "Boss, just tell us what you need us to do!"

Sun Busong looked at his brothers with a troubled expression. "I heard Usop's report that yesterday, when he brought a few of you to search for Mobent's Bane, you had a dispute with members of the Defias Brotherhood in Duskwood? Is that correct?"

"Yes! Boss, that's right!" An Imperial Guard Arcane Mage explained the whole story to Sun Busong. (From now on, they will be referred to as Imperial Guard's xxx.)

It turned out that the Brotherhood also had strongholds in Duskwood, but these members had degenerated. Although they operated under the banner of the Defias Brotherhood, they were engaged in robbery and plunder.

Last night, Usop received Sun Busong's order to search for Mobent's Bane and discovered a secret stronghold of Defias Thieves in the Rotten Orchard.

These Imperial Guards were people Sun Busong had poached from the Brotherhood. Although they had switched allegiance, they were still his former comrades. Thus, they politely tried to negotiate with them, but unexpectedly, these guys were in league with the Necromancer.

Especially some of the minor leaders, who were already half-human, half-Zombie!

The group fought their way through and killed over a dozen rebellious Defias traitors, retrieving Mobent's Bane before returning to Night Town.

"Boss, these people cannot be left alive. They are no longer human. Since Night Town is our Imperial Guard's territory, this infestation must be cleaned out." This was Alang.Bense, an Elite Level Imperial Guard Arcane Mage, requesting to fight from Sun Busong.

He was the highest-ranking Professional in the Imperial Guard, a Level 32 Arcane Mage. His younger brother, Alang.Buse, was also an Arcane Mage, Level 31 Elite Level.

"What do you all think?" Sun Busong turned to look at the three female members. These women would be important figures in the future, veterans of the Imperial Guard!

"Officer, we'll all listen to you!" The women showed absolute respect to Sun Busong, not even joking around. Unlike these brutes, who kept calling him "Boss." They couldn't get used to the change.

Sigh! Sun Busong wished the women would be a little more relaxed with him, saying something like, "Boss is awesome!" or "Oh. Oh. Yeah."

"Alright! Lead the way. We'll help the Defias Brotherhood clean house, as a gift for their leader, Luffy!"

Soon, the Imperial Guard group arrived at the Rotten Orchard, the Defias Thieves' stronghold.

"Boss, look! They're inside." Following Alang.Bense's finger, Sun Busong saw a few somewhat old wooden buildings, and there was a stench of decay nearby.

The leader couldn't be seen for now, but there were many types of troops among them: Defias Nightstalkers, Defias Enchanters, Defias Night Thieves, and Defias Grave Robbers!

"Boss, do we need to interrogate them? Or kill them all directly? Look at their eyes and skin, they're long past being human!"

"Kill them directly. Heavy Fist, take these few and go. I'll search nearby for other clues."

"Yes, Boss."

The Tauren excitedly led several Imperial Guard members into the Rotten Orchard. These Defias Thieves were only Level 25, no match for them at all. In a short while, there wasn't a single Undead left in the orchard.

Sun Busong arrived at a graveyard, which should be near Raven Hill.

He opened his Skill Book and found the whistle to summon Xiu Ma. He picked it up and put it to his lips to blow, but Xiu Ma didn't appear.

Your pet has died. Please resurrect it before summoning!

Sigh! 1000 Slaughter Value gone just like that, but there was no other way.

After paying one thousand Slaughter Value, he blew the whistle again. A giant black lion with not a single speck of other colored fur appeared beside Sun Busong.

"Roar!"

"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to recover even the burnt parts of your body after resurrection. That's great! I thought you'd become a scruffy lion from now on!"

Seeing Xiu Ma's smooth fur, Sun Busong immediately reached out to pet him. It felt so comfortable. No wonder so many people liked to go to cat cafes to pet cats.

"Go, search everywhere. If you find any Undead, come back and notify me. Here are a few bear ribs to fill your stomach first. If you find anything, I'll reward you with a feast!"

"Roar!"

Xiu Ma shot off like a black lightning bolt. It could actually understand Sun Busong's commands!

"This is so much easier. I can let it out to roam whenever I'm free. It can help me search for nearby enemies and clues. Haha, pet raising isn't bad either."

Sun Busong found a spot and lay down comfortably, humming a song from his previous life!

Being invincible is so, so lonely. Being invincible is so, so empty!

Alone at the summit, the cold wind blows incessantly. Who can understand my loneliness?

Being invincible is so, so lonely. Being invincible is so, so empty!

Hiding in the distance, can she hear me pour out my heart? My loneliness, endless loneliness!

Just then, Xiu Ma returned!

It was carrying a bone in its mouth!

Then it wagged its tail and shook its head at Sun Busong, showing off.

"This is the Undead you found for me? This is a bone, alright? Do you understand?"

"Roar!" Xiu Ma hopped a few times, feeling very excited!

Holy crap!

It still doesn't quite understand what I mean!

Thanks to the two big shots [Ying Wu] [Protagonist's Background Board] for the recommendation votes. Thank you, big shots, your little brother here bows to you!