Treasure Bay

"Tell me, what other plans do you have? I'll be returning to the Westerlands in a couple of days. I still need to deal with things in Night Town; those vampires won't miss any opportunity to profit."

Although Night Town was taken back from the Necromancer by the Imperial Guard, it was ultimately a town within Stormwind's jurisdiction, belonging to the territory of a Count named Yarsa.

As soon as the Brotherhood announced to the public that they had defended Night Town from the Necromancer, Count Yarsa immediately sent people to negotiate with them about selling Night Town to the Brotherhood. He wasn't selling people, he was selling land.

"My Count said that even though we didn't have time to send troops to support when the Necromancer attacked Night Town, resulting in the deaths of most of Night Town's villagers. However, whether all the villagers of Night Town were killed or if they wished to break away from Count Yarsa's rule, those are matters for your Brotherhood."

"What we want to protect is Night Town. The lives of those villagers have nothing to do with us, but your Brotherhood has now occupied Night Town! This is a provocation and invasion against the Count. Now you have two choices: 1. You take the surviving villagers and leave Count Yarsa's Night Town. These villagers are no longer related to the Count, and you can take them whenever you wish."

"2. The villagers can stay, and your Brotherhood can also remain in Night Town, but! You have to pay money to buy Night Town! Otherwise, the Count will report it to Stormwind and request Stormwind to send troops, and then join forces with the Count's troops to retake Night Town!"

The Brotherhood originally planned to purchase the ruling rights of Night Town for 200,000 gold coins. However, Count Yarsa sent people again to negotiate with Luffy about the right to use the road from Night Town to Elwynn Forest! The right to use flight paths! Trade rights, and so on!

So Luffy had to go back quickly. He was unwilling to give his gold coins to those vampires just like that. If they wanted to get their hands on the gold, they would have to pay a price. Coincidentally, with Sun Busong's help to the north of Stranglethorn Vale, it had also become their territory. This was not Stormwind's land.

Stormwind and Treasure Bay had trade relations!

Sun Busong had already discussed with Luffy that the gold coins for purchasing Night Town would be deducted from the income of the Stranglethorn Vale gold mine. Luffy couldn't help with anything else.

"I'm fine here, you do your thing. I might stay in Treasure Bay for half a year. There will be an auction here this year, and both the Alliance and the Horde can participate. If I'm lucky, I might be able to buy some good items. I heard the arena rewards here are also quite good, hehe!"

Sun Busong petted Xiu Ma's head and said with a smile to Luffy.

"Whatever you want. I'll establish a few strongholds here. If you need anything, just come to them. We also have people in Treasure Bay. Be careful not to get too close to the Blood Sail Pirates. Goblins and pirates are mortal enemies." Luffy knew Sun Busong's capabilities. With the Captain gone, he wouldn't be in mortal danger here anymore.

"Blood Sail Pirates? Interesting. I'll go check them out sometime."

"Don't mess around, those people are difficult to deal with," Luffy said with a frown, a little worried.

Sun Busong looked up and smiled with a hint of teasing: "The entire Stormwind says you're all thieves!"

Stranglethorn Vale was vast, and there was also a Horde outpost here. Beside him was a Tauren, but this guy only spoke Common. If a conflict arose, he might even be accused of kidnapping a mentally challenged Tauren!

Sun Busong had many things to do. His primary task was to establish a foothold in Treasure Bay. However, these Goblins were all profit-driven, greedy for money, and didn't care about their lives, which suited Sun Busong's intentions perfectly.

After three days of arduous travel, Sun Busong and the Tauren finally arrived at Treasure Bay on the evening of the third day.

Following the main road all the way to the end, they saw a giant mast erected in the distance. This mast was over fifty meters tall and nearly six meters wide.

Continuing forward, they saw a lookout post in the middle of the mast. A Goblin guard stood on duty. Below the lookout post was a beam, and dozens of meters wide, decorated with many ornaments. From a distance, they couldn't see clearly.

Further down was a giant mast lamp, at least the size of an adult. Then they saw the huge ship's sail, with a giant skull pattern on it.

Sun Busong and Heavy Fist continued forward. This time, the entire mast was clearly visible. Below the mast was the entrance to Treasure Bay. The entrance was also unique, made from the tooth specimen of a giant marine shark!

The entire structure looked like a mast stuck into the head of a giant shark.

"This design is great! The designer is a wild one, haha!" Sun Busong had arrived at the entrance of Treasure Bay. There were two Goblin guards on duty at the entrance. They were both level 45 Elite Warriors. Just as Sun Busong was about to greet the guards, the Tauren tugged at his sleeve.

Sun Busong looked at him in confusion, then saw the Tauren looking up at the mast. He followed the direction of the gaze.

The ornaments on the beam in the middle of the mast were still dripping blood. Sun Busong looked closely and gasped! They were all human heads! And of many species: human, Tauren, Orc, Troll, and Undead!

"Boss, let's be careful when we go in. I don't want my head hanging up there!" Mr. Heavy Fist was already getting scared before they even entered.

"My Tauren! This is just to scare and intimidate others. Who am I? I am Sun Busong! I've seen this kind of setup hundreds of times. Besides, I'm their most honored guest! Hahaha. Don't be afraid, my Tauren, this is where we belong!"

Sun Busong finished speaking and was about to stride forward. The two guards stopped him politely as he approached and said to him in Dwarvish, "How interesting, a Dwarf and a Tauren, what are you doing in Treasure Bay?" As soon as he heard himself being called a Dwarf, Sun Busong's smile fell. He looked down from above with an arrogant demeanor and said to the Goblin guard, "I am Commander Sun Busong of the Imperial Guard, here to do business with your great financier, Rivegaz."

As soon as they heard the mention of the great financier Rivegaz, and that they were here for business, the two guards immediately put on servile smiles.

"Oh my! So it's a distinguished guest. We have eyes but failed to recognize a great patron. Please bear with us. Do you have an appointment, or is this your first time in Treasure Bay?" Goblins are ugly to begin with, and they look even uglier when they smile.

"This is our first time, but we have an acquaintance in Treasure Bay named Yang Si. If you know him, can you take us to him?" Sun Busong said, taking a gold coin from his pocket and flicking it into the air with his thumbnail. The glittering light almost blinded the eyes of the two guards.

This made the guards smile even more uglily.

"I know, haha, sir, I know. Sir, you mean that chef named Yang Si, right? He's in the Port Authority. I'll take you to him right away."

The guard on the left gave the other guard a reassuring look and then led the way, bowing and scraping. Sun Busong and the Tauren exchanged glances and followed.

However, at this moment, the Goblin guard on the right suddenly drew his weapon and shouted, "Come out, or I'll blow the alarm!"

This sudden development made Sun Busong, who had already entered the entrance, stop abruptly. He felt that this matter was related to him, and it turned out to be true.

Xiu Ma had been discovered!

The Goblin raised his weapon but did not attack. Sun Busong quickly turned around and shouted at the guard, "Don't attack! This is my pet!"

Xiu Ma's big blue eyes were full of tears. It was scared. This child was still too timid. But it wasn't Xiu Ma's fault. Even Sun Busong didn't know that the guards of Treasure Bay could detect invisible units.

"So it's the master's pet. No wonder it's been following you. However, all creatures here need to be registered. If someone accidentally kills it, it won't be good for anyone!"

"Yes, yes, yes! You're right. But where do we register?" Sun Busong had Xiu Ma deactivate its stealth.

"Sir, I didn't explain it clearly just now. It was my oversight. I am the registrar. I originally thought we could chat and register as we walked, but I didn't expect you to have a lion pet."

The guard who was leading the way took out his registration book.

The matter was quickly resolved. Sun Busong found Yang Si at the Port Authority. When he parted ways with the guards, Sun Busong generously tossed another gold coin to them.

Yang Si was a chef in Treasure Bay and also an informant arranged by the Brotherhood. After the three met, they went to his bedroom.

"So it's the Commander of the Imperial Guard. Your deeds in Night Town have already spread to Treasure Bay. I am honored that you have come to find me. Please tell me what you need."

This chef's surname was Yang, but his hair was not black.

"You've done very well. The leaders of the Brotherhood are very satisfied with your performance. I'm here to do some business with the leaders of Treasure Bay, but this is my first time here, and I need you to facilitate many things. I'll have to trouble you with this."

Sun Busong quite liked his name.

"Everything for the master!"

That evening, Sun Busong and Yang Si went to the largest bar in Treasure Bay. The Blackwater Bandits! Rivegaz had his human subordinates gather for a small get-together.

These subordinates included the high-tier bow maker Haren, high-tier sword smith Sarina, high-tier tailor Mullong, and high-tier axe smith Magellan.

Among them, Sarina was the only female. She wasn't tall, about the same height as Sun Busong! This wasn't to insult him for being short, nor was it to mock his stature; he still had a year until he reached adulthood, so it was purely a comparison of height.

Sun Busong treated these high-tier technicians to a meal, discussing the inheritance of various trades at the dinner table and subtly extracting information.

Regardless of the profession, there was always a tradition of inheritance. Their skills were not casually passed on to others. This resulted in masters of each profession possessing skills passed down through generations, but with a lack of versatility. Sword smiths couldn't forge axes, and hammer smiths couldn't craft armor. Tailors who made clothes might be mediocre at making pants, and leatherworkers who made gloves might not necessarily be able to craft leather shoes!

Turns out I'm the GOAT in blacksmithing, leatherworking, cooking, alchemy, tailoring, and engineering!

Sun Busong felt even more awesome and got himself thoroughly drunk that night.

The next morning, Heavy Fist came to wake him up, and the two officially began their operation to conquer Treasure Bay. The first priority was to gain reputation, as the great financier Rivegaz was not someone an unknown like him could simply meet.

The fastest way to increase reputation was, of course, by doing quests. The two went to the quest hall and picked out some quests with good cost-effectiveness.

Only two types of people could post quests in Treasure Bay: Goblin merchants and members of the Blackwater Bandits. Treasure Bay was established by the Goblin financier Rivegaz and the fleet commander Kara.

The quests Sun Busong accepted were:

Supply and Demand: Collect 2 Freshwater Crocodile hides and deliver them to Trisrick in Treasure Bay. Trisrick is a Goblin merchant who requested Sun Busong bring him twenty excellent crocodile hides.

"Unprecedented, unparalleled, the best leatherworker in the Southern Seas and the world. That's what they call me. Me! Trisrick! The best leather... uh, fine.

My leather goods are renowned far and wide for their superior quality, making them the top choice for connoisseurs!

I recently received an order from Foreman Redvoks of the Craftsmen's Guild; he needs twelve pairs of shaved leather boots. Ah, those highly sought-after boots made by yours truly.

However, to make those boots, I need some crocodile hides. There are many crocodiles by the river north of Stranglethorn Vale, could you see if you can..."

Killing crocodiles was not difficult, but skinning them was troublesome. The skinning skills of Tauren were truly not worth mentioning. Practice makes perfect, Sun Busong reasoned. Killing hundreds of them and having Heavy Fist skin each one would not only hone skinning skills but also earn money and reputation!

The second quest was Whiskey Slim's Wine.

Whiskey Slim of Treasure Bay wanted Sun Busong to help him retrieve some lost purple wine.

"We got drunk that day and fell off the ship from way out in the Hinterlands, drifting all the way to Seaview Cliff, almost becoming fish food.

And I, Slim, have never feared water since I was a child! Our captain snatched a crate of purple wine from a privateer ship heading to Stormwind.

When we were hit by a storm in the Hinterlands, I stumbled and smashed that crate, and all the wine inside fell into the sea amidst the strong winds and waves. If I don't find it, the captain will feed me to the cats! Help me!"

This quest wasn't difficult either; it just involved diving into the sea to find the wine from the crate. This might be challenging for others; even the most skilled sailor wouldn't dare stay in the sea for extended periods, but Sun Busong could!

He had Water Vine! And he also had Swift Swim Potion.

Swift Swim Potion

Requires Level 10

Use: Increases swimming speed by 100% for 30 minutes. (60-minute cooldown)

Water Vine (Blue Uncommon):

Item Level 36.

Two-Handed Staff

59 - 90 Damage Speed 2.80

(26.6 damage per second)

+15 Frost Resistance

Durability 100 / 100

Equip: Allows you to breathe underwater.

Requires Level 23.

Finally, he accepted one last quest.

Bring 15 Bloodfang Troll ears back to Kobok in Treasure Bay.

"Damn Trolls! They killed the people we sent into the jungle! I've already lost too many excellent guards in clashes with them. Blood must be repaid with blood! How am I supposed to explain this to the great financier Rivegaz?

It's time to make a decision... Think, Kobok... you weren't sent here to do nothing all day... Ah.

Got it! You... you are Sun Busong, aren't you? You're here to help me, aren't you? The reward for this job is quite generous!

Mhm, bring me 15 Bloodfang Troll ears, and I will reward you handsomely, how about it?"

This was a Goblin merchant driven to the brink by the Bloodfang Trolls. Sun Busong felt he could help him.

The rewards for the three quests weren't substantial, but each quest completion granted 500 reputation points with Treasure Bay, which alone made it worthwhile!

The combination of one person, one Tauren, and one cat set off once more. The creatures of Stranglethorn Vale were in for more trouble!

First update, revisions later!