Spellcasting Gods

Suddenly, a cylindrical flame shot into the sky without warning!

A dozen or so unlucky souls gathered together were instantly swallowed up, screaming as they jumped into the sea, trying to extinguish the raging flames on their bodies with the seawater.

But they forgot that the shores of Stranglethorn Vale were no safe place. Not to mention the swarms of murlocs and naga that often roamed the area, the terrifying sharks alone would be enough to give any sailor a hard time.

In less than thirty seconds, these scoundrels were torn apart and swallowed by sharks waiting nearby.

Meanwhile, the fires caused by the flame storm also spread on the enemy ships. Although many Bloodsail Pirates tried desperately to stop the fire from spreading by carrying wooden barrels, the flames created by magic were not so easy to extinguish.

As a result, an accident caused an explosion in the ship's hold below, where shells and gunpowder were stored.

With a deafening roar, the Bloodsail Pirates' warship snapped in two and began to sink rapidly, disappearing into the sea in the blink of an eye.

As for the pirates who had donned the armor, some had already launched their small boats in an attempt to escape, while others clung to empty barrels, pieces of deck, and other floating objects, struggling desperately to avoid the sharks that constantly darted through the water...

Chapter 0284 Treasure Bay

“Look, that’s the most interesting thing about fate. One second you’re a swaggering bully, and the next you could be shark snacks. My dear captain, don’t forget that no matter what cargo this ship is carrying, a third of it belongs to me,” Zhang Cheng hinted meaningfully.

"Are you questioning my business credibility, mage?" the goblin asked, tilting his head back with a serious expression.

"No, I was just reminding you not to do those silly little things." After saying this, Zhang Cheng ignored the other party's furious reaction and went straight into the cabin to rest.

Although he could activate the teleportation rune and return to the magical kingdom of Dalaran right now, he decided to stay in the renowned neutral city of Booty Bay, and its market that sells all sorts of magical items and rare materials, until the ship docks.

Amidst the goblin's shrill curses, Zhang Cheng unceremoniously seized the captain's cabin, which had escaped the gunfire, completely ignoring the protests of the small, green-skinned man behind him.

Just as he was about to close the door and calm down to make a list of the power and items he needed for this trip, a beautiful figure suddenly flashed in.

"Hi!"

The newcomer was none other than Caitlin "Blade," the daughter of Archmage Anslem Ruinvivor.

Looking at this young woman who was going through a rebellious phase, Zhang Cheng suddenly felt a pang of stomach ache. He sighed softly and said, "Speak, what do you want?"

Caitlin winked playfully and asked in an almost ingratiating tone, "Can you teach me the spell you just cast?"

"Oh? You want to learn magic now? Didn't you always look down on magic and mages before?" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly.

In the Eastern Continent, there are at least 10,000 to 8,000 noble children who aspire to study in Dalaran every year. But this kid in front of me, despite having a father who is an archmage and a superior learning environment, has run away to become a so-called "free and unrestrained" pirate. He is a typical brat who makes a brainless move to escape his parents' control.

"Hmph! You don't understand at all! When I was learning magic, that annoying old man never allowed me to touch real spells, he only forced me to learn boring theories. If it were you, would you like to spend all day in the library with those white-haired old men?" Catherine roared resentfully.

"So that's why you ran away from home? Don't you understand that every mage has to go through at least five years of basic theoretical study before formally learning magic? Even so, all sorts of bizarre magical accidents still happen in Dalaran. Besides, the library is one of my favorite places; I never feel bored in there."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng raised his arm and gestured for the other party to leave.

He wouldn't take the huge risk of teaching the archmage's daughter to unleash the destructive "Flame Storm." If anything went wrong, he might incur the wrath of Ansrem Ruinvivor.

"Damn it! Your tone is just as awful as an old man's now." Caitlin cursed through gritted teeth, then stormed off into the dimly lit passageway.

Watching the rebellious girl leave, Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head indifferently. He took out his notebook and began to list out the things he needed to do on this trip to Azeroth.

According to his plan, he first needs to upgrade his current mage class template to level 60 and acquire a certain amount of magical equipment to fully arm himself.

Secondly, go to Dalaran and consult the archmages about the knowledge and mystical items obtained in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, especially the mysterious energy contained in the crimson meteorite; you must understand it thoroughly.

Finally, and most importantly, by utilizing the vast collection of books in the Dalaran Library, one can construct their own universal magical theory to prevent their power from being severely limited and weakened when entering the next world.

Because of his intense concentration, Zhang Cheng was completely unaware of the passage of time. By the time he closed his notebook, the severely damaged wooden sailboat had already silently sailed into the neutral port of Treasure Bay.

Unlike the small area in the game that can be traversed in just a few minutes, the real-life Booty Bay is a massive port fortress built on a hillside.

The area near the mountaintop was a military zone, where not only were a large number of cannons, catapults, and crossbows placed, but also a large number of guards were stationed there 24 hours a day.

Because of the towering mountains that act as a barrier, neither the beasts of Stranglethorn Vale, nor the trolls and ogres can truly threaten the city.

In the event of a large-scale land invasion, the goblins only need to seal off the single entrance and exit, and even if the trolls of Zul'Gurub come out in full force, they shouldn't expect to be able to break in.

The coastal section is a trading area, mainly constructed from a large number of wooden planks and abandoned ships, which looks like shantytowns and slums on Earth.

However, the inhabitants were not destitute people, but rather adventurers, pirates, and merchants from all corners of the world.

Some of them loudly hawked goods and rare magical items they had acquired from who-knows-where, while others browsed and picked through items in the bustling market, creating a lively scene.

"Welcome to Booty Bay, my friend, a paradise for traders!" the goblin captain shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, this is a paradise for trade." Zhang Cheng, who had somehow appeared on the deck, took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze and squinted as he muttered to himself.

Weapons, spices, food, herbs, various magical metals, gems, cloth, enchanting materials...

You can find all the goods that exist in Azeroth here, including even slaves.

The goblins fully demonstrated how greedy and cruel the power of capital can be when there are no legal or moral constraints.

But this has little to do with Zhang Cheng. He has neither the lofty moral superiority of some people nor the noble sentiments of the leftists who want to save the world. Instead, he wants to use this unrestricted market to collect things that are useful to him.

And so, with a sense of adventure, the wrecked ship beneath Zhang Cheng's feet slowly came to rest beside the harbor pier.

After paying a hefty tax to his fellow goblin captain, he headed straight for the residence of the port city's ruler, the wealthy Rivigaz.

Clearly, the warehouse was not loaded with ordinary goods, so he needed to consult with his superiors before deciding how to pay the reward.

Zhang Cheng wasn't worried about his payment being embezzled. The goblins might be greedy, but their business integrity was beyond question. Once an agreement was reached, they would complete it even if it meant losing money.

Chapter 0285 The Tycoon

As expected, about ten minutes later, a goblin wearing a white shirt, a black vest, and black leather shoes appeared in Zhang Cheng's line of sight.

Following behind him were two fully armed goblin guards and a male tauren wearing a captain's hat.

Without a doubt, he was the founder and owner of this neutral city, as well as the mastermind behind the Blackwater Pirates, the infamous Rivigaz.

The Minotaur is Kara Cape, the nominal leader and fleet commander of the Blackwater Pirates.

It has to be said that when the minotaurs and goblins appear together, the stark difference in height and size makes the scene instantly bizarre.

Zhang Cheng found it quite amusing, and with a smile, he bowed slightly: "It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Rivigaz, the wealthy tycoon."

“Hello, human mage from the Kirin Tor Council. I have already heard about what happened at sea from Tim, and I am very grateful for your timely assistance. Although I am not satisfied with the exorbitant price you are demanding to take advantage of the situation, business is business. Given the importance of this shipment, I am prepared to convert your share into gold coins. What do you think?” Rivigaz stated his purpose directly.

Compared to the petty and calculating nature of ordinary goblins, he was undoubtedly much more magnanimous and showed no intention of haggling over the price afterward.

After all, he cared more about resource monopoly, market share, and smooth trade routes than about losing a little gold coins.

As long as these things go smoothly, no matter how much money is lost, it will eventually be earned back many times over.

"May I ask what cargo this ship is carrying that would make the Bloodsail Pirates risk war to attack?" Zhang Cheng glanced at the black wooden crates that the dockworkers were constantly carrying out of the ship's hold and asked tentatively in a low voice.

“Sorry, that’s a trade secret, I can’t tell you. You just need to know that you’ll receive 30,000 gold coins as a reward. Here, this is a draft. You can use it to withdraw 30,000 gold coins from the bank in any goblin city in Treasure Bay, Ratchet, Gadgetzan, or Winterspring. Now we’re even.” With that, Rivigaz handed over a special piece of paper with a magical anti-counterfeiting pattern.

"Without knowing the type of goods, how can I be sure whether 30,000 gold coins is too much or too little?" Zhang Cheng did not immediately take the draft, but asked with a half-smile.

As a rather suspicious person, he instinctively felt that there was something fishy about those boxes, and that they were definitely not ordinary goods.

Rivigaz's eyes flashed with a dangerous light. It took him a full minute before he forced himself to order his men to swarm and kill this annoying human. He then issued a warning with a cold laugh: "Mage, you should know better than anyone that this is Booty Bay, not Stormwind or Dalaran. My word is law. If you don't want to get yourself into trouble, you'd better take this draft and disappear from my sight immediately."

Seeing that the other party was about to turn hostile, Zhang Cheng immediately suppressed his curiosity, took the draft, and feigned innocence by shrugging: "Don't be angry, I didn't mean to pry into your secrets, I just don't quite understand. Since you don't want to talk about it, then forget it. Oh, by the way, you don't mind if I stay in Booty Bay for a couple more days to buy some things, do you?"

"Boat Bay welcomes everyone who comes to trade, whether you are a merchant, adventurer, bandit or anything else. But please remember, there are rules here, and you will be punished if you break them."

As the last word fell, Rivigaz ignored everyone else and personally escorted the wooden crates unloaded from the ship straight to his residence.

He looked so nervous, even on his own turf, that he was afraid someone might suddenly jump out and try to steal it.

The goblins' unusual behavior naturally piqued Zhang Cheng's interest.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to immediately follow them. Instead, he pretended to be nonchalant and started strolling through the market.

"Hey! Mage! I have a nice staff here, I wonder if you'd be interested?" Before they had gone far, a dwarf with a red beard shouted loudly.

"Let me see it." Zhang Cheng subconsciously stopped and looked at the inconspicuous stall filled with small pendants such as rings and amulets, as well as weapons and armor.

The straightforward dwarf didn't waste any words and pointed directly to a staff emitting a purple light on his right: "Here, this is it. See for yourself. I found it on the corpse of a troll witch doctor. Maybe he stole it from someone else, or maybe he made it himself. I think it should be quite valuable."

"what……"

As soon as Zhang Cheng held the staff in his hand, he immediately felt a stronger connection with arcane energy, which meant that the power of the spells he cast would be enhanced.

According to the game, the staff's main function is to increase spell damage, greatly enhancing the power of all damaging spells.

Even in the magical kingdom of Dalaran, equipment and items that can enhance the power of spells are quite rare, so it's hard not to find one at a roadside stall in Booty Bay.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this staff?" The dwarf stroked the large brown bear sitting next to him and asked with a puzzled look.

Judging from his fine leather armor and black musket, he was most likely a hunter from Dun Morogh, and the bear was his tamed fighting partner.

"No, it's nothing. How much do you plan to sell it for?" Zhang Cheng quickly shook his head and began to ask about the price.

From the staff's shape, the purple crystal inlaid at the top, and the way it was held in his hand, he could almost recognize the staff's famous name in the game.

That's right!

This is the Jordan Staff that has been hyped up to exorbitant prices by countless players.

A top-tier epic weapon that magic-based players can use all the way up to level 60 without ever needing to replace.

"Hmm—how about two hundred gold coins?" The dwarf hesitated for a moment, then quickly offered what he considered a rather high price.

After all, reality isn't a game where you can immediately see the detailed attributes of equipment once you get it.

As a hunter, he can at most sense the faint arcane energy permeating the air, and then inject it into the bullet when he pulls the trigger, causing additional magical damage to the target, which is known as arcane shot.

As for the quality of the staff, he could only judge it by the materials used in its appearance.

Unfortunately, the Jordan Staff was made without expensive gems, rare and precious magical woods or metals. In terms of appearance, it was not even as good as the Flint Staff in Zhang Cheng's hand. A mere piece of amethyst was not worth much money. What was truly valuable was the dense arcane runes inlaid on the surface of the staff.

"make a deal!"

Without any hesitation, Zhang Cheng immediately agreed to the other party's offer.

Compared to a weapon or piece of equipment that could greatly enhance one's combat power, the cost of two hundred gold coins is nothing.

Especially since these gold coins are low-quality coins minted by goblins, their value will immediately decrease by one-third when exchanged for Alliance gold coins...

Chapter 0286 Oufger the Copper Hammer

"Damn it! You mages are really rich! You didn't even blink an eye at two hundred gold coins! I should have asked for a higher price!" the dwarf complained with annoyance.

Despite his complaints, he showed no sign of backing down. Instead, he grabbed another necklace from the stall, made of bones and teeth from an unknown animal, and said, "Since you're interested in magical items, why not buy this one too? I found it on the corpse of that troll witch doctor. It allows the wearer to transform into a leopard for a short time. It doesn't have any special abilities, but at least it can help you run faster in dangerous situations. For just sixty gold coins, it's yours."

"Transfiguration spell?"