The Great Thief

”It’s a pirate captain that’s level 40+ at Tanaris.” Lu Li didn’t speak in much detail when describing the location. After all, Square Root 3 couldn’t see it anyway.

”Heavens, you’ve really gone mad. You’re actually at Tanaris!” Square Root 3’s whistle could be heard through the communicator.

”Don’t be so dramatic. I’m still alive, aren’t I?” Lu Li disagreed.

”The map is massive, so there must be some other players exploring the area, but you won’t even tell me where you are?” Square Root 3 really felt like something was wrong with Lu Li.

It made sense that he could go a little crazy with all the stress he had been experiencing.

The Tanaris Desert covered a large area south of Kalimdor and was said to contain several relics. There were treasures everywhere, and it was land full of opportunity. There was no way that the players would just leave this place be. There were already players who were trying to explore this location as soon as they hit level 30.

However, all who tried died without exception.

Despite this, death didn’t bother them too much as they were mostly guild-hired death squads.

Their main problem was the disgusting Sandworm which actually ate players.

Those players who had experienced being swallowed refused to step back onto the sand, no matter how much money they were offered.

Right now, Lu Li was actually going to try and kill a Tanaris Boss that was level 40+.

”Gather the 100 elite members and give them notice that they will be doing some fighting soon,” Lu Li instructed.

He was very much aware of potential undercover players among his elite players.

The Wild Bosses in Dawn were particularly difficult to fight. This wasn’t necessarily because the Bosses were stronger, but that it was very difficult for guilds to keep the fight a complete secret. The news was bound to spread.

Once two or more guilds got involved, the Boss fight would turn into a contest.

”Alright, but how do you propose we get the 100 players to the Boss? Not everyone can go into Stealth like you, you know,” Square Root 3 said, struggling to hold back from directly insulting him.

Lu Li seemed to have lost his usual strategizing brilliance.

”Three Bro, Xin Xin’s surgery was a success and I need to make a lot of money right now to ensure that she has the best follow up and recovery. I wouldn’t joke about the guild like this.” Lu Li was clearly a little angry.

”Alright, I’ll get it done in 30 minutes.”

Square Root 3 immediately started arranging it obediently. He wiped the cold sweat that was on his forehead and cursed silently. Lu Li was actually quite scary when he was angry.

”Sheesh, you needed to make me raise my voice before you would listen,” Lu Li said as he shook his head and started heading back.

However, Square Root 3’s concerns were not unreasonable. It wasn’t difficult to pull 100 players to Tanaris as they could just instantly transport to the city, but once they were out of the safe area, they were bound to have a hard time. Moreover, mobilizing so many guild members at once was bound to tip off the undercover players.

However, Lu Li wasn’t worried about any of this at all.

After he returned, he went to Gadgetzan and saw several players waiting there for him.

There was Scarlet New Moon, a Thief from his Elite Group. In addition to levelling in Instance Dungeons, his main hobby was hunting treasure chests. He had several pieces of equipment on him that increased Stealth, so his Stealth ability was nearly comparable to Lu Li’s

He was also particularly good at avoiding reveal skills. Not only could he detect traps, but he could also find camouflaged monsters.

There was also Cain’s Left Hand, someone who Lu Li had once fought in the Warsong Canyon. His technique was very good and when Lu Li wasn’t around, he was Fat Monkey’s flag bearer.

Hachi Chan and Sesame Rice Ball were also there, but these two didn’t need any introduction.

”Lu Li, look! This is my dragon,” Hachi Chan proudly said as she showed off her elven dragon who was lazily lying on her chest. It looked quite flashy, but it didn’t seem like a particularly strong defender.

Even so, it was clearly very beautiful. The Elf Dragon was considered to be one of the most beautiful dragons.

As of now, it was far too small to be a mount. Unless some miracle happened, Hachi Chan would have no chance of riding it in this life. On the contrary, she actually needed to hold it, so the dragon was really using her as a mount.

”I hope you get to mount it one day,” Lu Li said bluntly.

”If I can find an adult Elven Dragon, the baby will grow up quickly. The NPC said that I needed to go into Emerald Dreams territory to find adult Elven Dragons,” Hachi Chan said quietly.

Adult Elven Dragons…

Lu Li felt a bit of compassion, and thought that perhaps he could give it a try.

However, right now it was more important for them to fight the Boss. There were a hundred players waiting to be called to their location.

Lu Li’s plan was quite simple – he just needed to bring Sesame Rice Ball to the Lost Rigger Cove and then protect him as he used the Ritual of Summoning to bring all the other players there.

‘Ritual of Summoning’ was a book that Lu Li had received from Thaelrid after clearing BackFathom.

It was a Warlock-exclusive skill that allowed the caster and two allies to open a portal that could be used to summon a squad or party members.

It was simple to explain, but quite difficult to actually achieve.

The most important part was to bring Sesame Rice Ball to the location, otherwise, everything would be in vain.

Sesame Rice ball was currently level 33, which was 7 levels lower than the desert monsters. He couldn’t go into Stealth, so he was going to be like a firefly in the dark.

When the level gap was this large, the aggro chance was also significantly higher.

Some monsters would appear very far away, but would still be attracted by Sesame Rice Ball.

When Lu Li was alone, he could simply run away, but Sesame Rice Ball didn’t have that option. Fortunately, he had brought two other Thieves with him.

Scarlet New Moon was going to be responsible for scouting ahead, and would generally not participate in any battles.

If Sesame Rice Ball pulled any monsters, Lu Li would be able to kill them with the help of Cain’s Left Hand.

If it was a Sandworm and they really couldn’t escape it, Lu Li will would it away and escape with his boots’ effect.

As for Hachi Chan, she was solely brought for the Revive Skills which would come in handy if any of them died.

A single monster would not pose a threat to such a team, as Lu Li could already kill one when he was alone.

What he was most afraid of was the Sunroc. This monster was large and fast; they couldn’t escape it.

Scarlet New Moon even died one time because he accidentally entered a Sunroc’s territory during his scouting. When they found him dying, Lu Li heartlessly refused to save him.

They waited until he died and the Sunroc flew away before telling Hachi Chan to use her Revive skill from afar.

Scarlet New Moon’s deaths were the only way they lost team mates. He slowly felt like he was actually just cannon fodder that served to lead everyone safely, but Lu Li also occasionally led the way. Thieves had escape skills like Gale Steps, so they were much safer than Warlocks.

After spending about an hour or so, they quickly crossed the quicksand plains, the beach and slowly approached the Lost Rigger Cove from along the coastline.