After the banquet, the big-shot tycoon Rivegaz received him in person.
"Hello, my friend, Imperial Guard Commander Sun Busong. That wasn't the right occasion to thank you earlier, so now I'd like to formally thank you and your teammates for dealing with the Blood Sail Pirates' fleet hideout. Please accept our gratitude!"
After the big-shot tycoon Rivegaz finished speaking, he nodded. Someone beside him took out a pouch of Gold Coins, walked over, and handed it to Heavy Fist.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Haha, it's been a real pleasure working with you. I hope our partnership and friendship will last a long time. Let's join hands and build a glorious future together."
The tycoon was a Rogue. He wore a well-fitted suit and tie, and had earrings and a nose ring.
"You sure know how to talk. I like it. That's right, we'll join hands and move forward together. Hahaha, we'll share in each other's success and stand united."
The two got along very well. During their meeting, Sun Busong made two requests.
First, he wanted to buy a residential building in Treasure Bay. The houses there were all small wooden buildings, some as tall as five stories. He wanted to buy a three-story one, but the tycoon immediately picked out a five-story wooden building and said he'd sell it to him.
The Gold Coins he'd just received were gone in an instant, but it didn't matter. They'd been free, anyway.
His second request was for his subordinate, Fizz Finn, to earn the tycoon's favor and join Treasure Bay's management, where he could learn the ropes. Of course, Sun Busong would invest in a few projects in Treasure Bay, and Fizz Finn would oversee them.
The tycoon said he'd think about it.
Sun Busong didn't mind. Once the auction began, the tycoon would see that the Imperial Guard's finances were no worse than his!
Next, it was the ruler of Treasure Bay's turn to make requests. He first asked Sun Busong to complete several tasks for him. Sun Busong agreed without even asking what they involved, which greatly improved the tycoon's opinion of him.
After that, they watched the dwarves and goblin beauties sing and dance.
The next morning, after waking up, Heavy Fist showed Sun Busong the tasks the tycoon wanted to commission.
The tycoon's subordinate, Ragazban, had discovered Water Elementals and the ghosts of Goblin Mages on an island.
If there really were Water Elementals and Goblin Mage ghosts on the island, that meant there might be Tidal Stones there!
The tycoon wanted Sun Busong to find the haunted island and investigate what was going on. Oh, and if he really found any Tidal Stones, he should bring some back for him.
The island was mysterious. The tycoon had already sent many people there, but none had returned safely.
"Boss, do you think the island's cursed? Why hasn't anyone who went there come back?" Heavy Fist was worried. This task had been circulating in Treasure Bay for a long time. People said the island was cursed, and anyone who set foot on it would die and turn into a puddle of water.
"What's there to be afraid of? We can send Humar up first to take a look!" Sun Busong said, unfazed.
Heavy Fist slowly turned his head to look at Humar, who was on the ground happily chewing on a chunk of raptor tail. Humar sensed someone watching him, raised his head with the tail still in his mouth, and met Heavy Fist's gaze.
What? You want some? Go catch your own!
Heavy Fist touched his horns with a hoof. Humar had to go! What, was he supposed to go himself?
That day, Sun Busong took Humar and set off for the island. Heavy Fist's current tasks were mining, gathering herbs, and skinning.
Sun Busong first took a zeppelin to the Brotherhood Camp, where he shared the food and wine he'd brought from Treasure Bay with his brothers. Then he rode toward the island. Even starting from there, it took him five hours on horseback to reach the waters near it.
Standing on the shore, he could see the island in the distance. Sun Busong took out his gear: the Water Vine!
He'd originally planned to use the Water Vine to complete Whiskey Slim's commission, but then he'd met the Blood Sail Pirate Duncan and spent the whole night drinking with a group of fiery Blood Sail Mages. Ah, he'd have to go check sometime and see if they were still around.
After equipping the Water Vine, Sun Busong went into the sea.
It was raining in Stranglethorn Vale again, damn it, making the seawater murky. But then he had an idea and grabbed Humar by the tail. As it turned out, he moved incredibly fast and didn't have to exert himself at all.
By the time he swam into the open sea, the rain had stopped. The seabed was clear, and he could see the fish, coral, and seaweed in crisp detail.
It was the first time Sun Busong had seen the ocean floor. He'd never had the chance in his previous life.
Humar was a freak, too. That modder had somehow changed him so he wasn't afraid of seawater! He could swim incredibly fast, too. If Sun Busong ever made it back to his old world, he'd find that guy on the forums and beat him up.
But now he couldn't spare a thought for any of that. Enjoying the scenery was what mattered most.
In the water, Humar didn't look like a lion at all. He was a sea lion!
Sun Busong clung to his tail as Humar dragged him back and forth. Right now, he was chasing a huge fish, over a meter long and covered in colorful scales. The fish was fast, but Humar was just as quick. Sun Busong loved the feeling. It was like riding a roller coaster—no, it was even more thrilling!
Once Humar lost interest in the colorful fish, he took Sun Busong down into a trench. There were all sorts of creatures here, including huge crabs and giant sea snails!
Everything Sun Busong saw was much bigger than the seafood he was used to.
They spent three hours playing in the sea before he finally directed Humar toward the island, still reluctant to leave.
They finally reached the island. Sun Busong didn't go ashore right away; instead, he ordered Humar to go first.
The island wasn't big. It had a few enormous banana trees and some Water Elementals about a foot tall. Lesser Water Elementals covered the ground. Anyone with trypophobia who saw them would probably drop dead.
Sun Busong stayed in the water for more than ten minutes. Once he'd confirmed that Humar was fine, he slowly climbed ashore.
If it really was a curse, he didn't need to worry. His bag was full of powerful potions, and removing a curse would be a piece of cake. What worried him was running into some strange, bizarre curse.
Take the Petrified Lizards in the Crystal Mine Cave, for example. He'd heard they were incredibly sinister. If someone let their guard down, a beam of light would turn them to stone!
If he went alone and got hit, he'd be done for. Even if he had a potion, he wouldn't be able to drink it after being petrified! So he needed to think carefully before killing that rare lizard.
He had Humar kill a few Lesser Water Elementals, then waited to see if killing them would trigger a curse. Humar was perfectly fine. Then Sun Busong killed a few himself, and nothing happened to him either.
Once he realized he was perfectly fine, Sun Busong started attacking the Lesser Water Elementals. They were all level 37, and each one was worth 8 Slaughter Value points. There were so many Water Elementals on the island that he practically stepped on one with every step.
Sun Busong took out his Engineering bombs and started farming Slaughter Value. The Water Elementals seemed to have been summoned. Every time he killed a group, they quickly revived and respawned!
He'd killed nearly a thousand of them when a figure suddenly attacked from behind.
"Damn you! I've been putting up with you for half a day! You've killed so many of my Water Elementals, so why won't you leave? You've nearly drained all my magic!"
Sun Busong dodged the attack, then looked his assailant over carefully.
It was a Goblin Mage named Gazban.
Sun Busong had wanted to ask him a few questions, but the Goblin Mage didn't give him the chance. He quickly chanted a spell.
Then the entire island was covered in ice.
"Frostwave!"
It was a wide-area Ice Magic spell. Sun Busong's feet were frozen in place, and the spell didn't just deal damage once; it kept hurting him. Every five seconds, he lost 130 Health Points.
Humar was frozen, too, but strangely enough, he didn't lose any Health Points!
"I think we can talk this over. I mean you no harm. I just came to explore and then leave." Sun Busong couldn't break free from the frozen state yet. He checked his status, but it didn't say he was cursed.
"There's nothing to discuss! Gah, hahahaha! This spell freezes you for 230 Health Points every five seconds, and it lasts ten minutes. After that, you'll die here, no matter how much health you have!"
The Goblin Mage was incredibly arrogant, but he had reason to be. Unless you had a class with a spell-removal skill, there was no escaping the freeze. Even a level 60 Elite wouldn't last ten minutes.
But Sun Busong wasn't worried. He hadn't even taken out a potion. Since the other guy didn't want to negotiate, Sun Busong's best response was to take no prisoners and kill him!
The ten minutes were almost up. Gazban's eyes and mouth were wide open. He simply couldn't understand why a level 29 Warrior who'd lost nearly thirty thousand Health Points was still alive.
Time was up!
The spell freezing Sun Busong wore off. He shook the ice from his body, stamped his feet, and flashed Gazban a bright smile.
Charge!
With a whoosh, Sun Busong rushed straight up to Gazban and swung his axe.
The expected instant kill never came. Right before Sun Busong's stunned eyes, Gazban turned into a puddle of water and melted into the ground. A moment later, he merged with a nearby Lesser Water Elemental!
"Hahahahaha! You're really impressive. You're the greatest Warrior I've ever seen. I can't kill you, but can you kill me? Look around! There are thousands upon thousands of Water Elementals on this island. They're all part of me. Can you kill every Water Elemental here?"
His arrogant laughter rang across the island. Sun Busong could no longer tell which Water Elemental Gazban had merged with.
Gazban couldn't do anything to him, but Sun Busong couldn't kill him, either!
Humar ran over from a distance and licked Sun Busong's hand, snapping him out of his daze.
Letting Gazban go wasn't Sun Busong's style. If he hadn't had such a huge health bar, he'd already be dead.
Looking at the Lesser Water Elementals packed across the ground, Sun Busong fell into thought. He wondered if any of his professions had a way to kill all the Water Elementals here in a single strike.
But how could that be possible?
Just as he was out of ideas and about to work himself up into a stomachache before letting Gazban go, a piece of equipment suddenly came to mind.
Mary's Glasses!
"Hahahahaha!"
His laughter made every Lesser Water Elemental on the island stop moving. They all turned to look at him.
Mary's Glasses could see through things. Water Elementals had no bodies or skeletons, but the Goblin Mage did.
Sun Busong quickly found Mary's Glasses in his bag. When he put them on, everything before his eyes changed. The masses of Lesser Water Elementals disappeared.
He could see the huge trees, the shells on the beach, and the reefs in the distance. Hehehe! And he could see the Goblin Mage hiding behind a tree!
Charge!
This time, the Goblin Mage was stunned.
"Spare me, please, spare me! I'm a great Goblin Mage. If you let me go, I'll give you all my treasure. Without me, you'll never find it!"
Sun Busong laughed!
He'd never find it? Did Gazban think the glasses Sun Busong was wearing were just for show? He'd caught the guy himself. How could the treasure possibly elude him?
He'd put up with Gazban for half a day. Even if he couldn't get the treasure, he still had to let off some steam.
As Gazban begged for his life, Sun Busong chopped off his head. The moment it hit the ground, Sun Busong's ears were finally at peace!
The Goblin Mage didn't have anything valuable. Sun Busong packed up his body and head, then began slaughtering Water Elementals across the island. He farmed Slaughter Value while using Mary's Glasses to search everywhere for the treasure Gazban had mentioned.
Two hours later, Sun Busong had killed more than a thousand Water Elementals and found the Goblin Mage's treasure in a cave at the bottom of the island.
There were seven large chests, all locked. But that was no problem for him; he always kept a Large Seaforium Charge in his bag.
The first chest was full of rare ores, including Thorium and Mithril.
The second chest was full of Gold Coins. At a rough estimate, it held twenty thousand.
The third chest was full of herbs. Among them, he found six Black Lotus flowers. Black Lotus was the most important and rarest ingredient in Alchemy.
The fourth chest was full of Gold Coins, too.
The fifth chest held a weapon.
Soulbreaker (Purple Epic): Item Level 60 Two-handed Axe 95–143 damage Speed 2.10 (56.7 Damage Per Second) Durability 120 / 120 Requires Level 55 Chance on Hit: Deals 200 to 300 damage to the target and reduces its Intellect by 25 for 30 seconds.
It was actually a Purple Epic Grade two-handed battle axe!
But Sun Busong raised the axe in his hand and compared the two weapons, then shook his head.
He'd better auction it off. It didn't seem all that powerful.
He tossed it into his bag, then opened the sixth chest. This one was full of Gold Coins, too.
When he got to the seventh chest and opened it, he was stunned by what was inside.
The enormous chest contained only a single ring!
Before you continue