Three things I'd change/fix

[Basil Dreadflint]

Just an answer to the very last item in your post:

Collecting the "treasures" is just that. Collecting. As you collected them, you got extra gold from each item. The'value' of the item. It's just a side item to collect them all.

Oh yeah, if you don't want to be bothered with all those friend/crew/guild requests, try picking a quiet server prior to logging in.
If you don't pick a quiet server, you will log in on an "ideal" or even "busy" one.