Chapter 8: Tempting Yang Jian |
"Shaw, tell me, what should I do?"
Now it was even more certain that this was Varian.
Was the other young man Mathias Shaw?
So he and King Varian had known each other since childhood, no wonder Varian Wrynn would later trust him enough to hand over SI:7 to him.
Although Allen didn't know why King Varian and Shaw were holed up in such an unremarkable little tavern drinking away their sorrows, a bold idea had already formed in his mind.
He stood up and walked straight over to their table.
"Good evening, sir. I am Allen Prestor, from the Kingdom of Alterac."
Seeing a strange man suddenly approach and speak, Shaw's eyes instantly turned shadowy. In the tavern's gloom, a group of figures slowly began to encircle Allen. Allen, however, acted as if he was completely unaware, continuing on his own.
"I understand you! My family doesn't value me, they look down on me. So in a fit of anger, I left Alterac and came to Stormwind, wanting to make something of myself here. What you just said sounds just like me. You're not valued by your family either, are you?"
He tilted his head slightly, giving Shaw a look.
Shaw gave an almost imperceptible nod, lifting a finger slightly.
The encircling shadows dispersed instantly, as if they had never been there. Wen Lei also loosened her grip on her dagger hilt and leaned back in her chair.
"What do you want to say?" Varian spoke, his tone wary, yet carrying a hint of curiosity.
Allen chuckled a few times, his laughter open and sincere. He gazed into Varian's eyes, which seemed to hold a hidden fire.
"I can understand how you feel. We share the same misfortune." Allen said, word by word. "Coincidentally, I am currently involved in a major undertaking, something that might save Stormwind. So, I'd like to invite you to join me. If you can achieve great merit by following me, your elders will surely look at you in a new light. By then, you'll be able to shoulder your family's burdens and reclaim what is rightfully yours."
「Persuasion Check: 14 points」
「You are the first man who dared to be so disrespectful of noble etiquette in front of Varian Wrynn. Although you are crude, direct, and impolite, he instead feels a sense of unshackled comfort, as if seeing another, truer side of himself. Your straightforward invitation and ambition ignite his wild side.」
"Hah, a major undertaking enough to save Stormwind. Why would you think of cooperating with a complete stranger like me? Do you even know who I am?"
Although Varian's words sounded like a refusal, the system's check revealed his true thoughts. Allen grew even more confident.
"Although I don't know you, I can sense the fire in your heart."
He raised his hand, pointing vaguely at the area over Varian's chest. "It's the same fire as mine. We are the same kind of people. We both want to achieve something great, don't we?"
Varian was stunned for a moment.
Then, he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! I am Mathias. Tell me about this 'major undertaking' of yours!"
Seeing his own name snatched away by the young king, Shaw resignedly began to think up a fake name for himself.
A short while later, they naturally joined Allen's table of three. Wen Lei showed no reaction, paying little attention to Varian and the other man. Stella, sensing Shaw's hostility towards her "benefactor," glared at him angrily, puffing out her cheeks.
Shaw glanced at her and ignored her.
"We just came from Goldshire," Allen began, steering the conversation back on track. "At the Lion's Pride Inn in Goldshire, an extremely vile curse incident occurred, burning down more than half the inn. I imagine in a few days, you'll receive news from there."
As Allen spoke, the food they had just ordered arrived. Stella, who had been glaring fiercely, instantly had her attention stolen by the roasted squab, forgetting her staring contest with Shaw.
"During the investigation, we discovered traces of necromantic magic. Furthermore, even Stormwind's de Montmorency family is implicated. We suspect the de Montmorency family may be harboring remnants of the Horde."
Before the Scourge ran rampant, only a very few studied necromancy—Gul'dan was one of the most famous among them.
He created the first Death Knight in history: forcibly injecting the soul of a deceased orc warlock, Teron Gorefiend, into the corpse of a fallen human knight, thus giving birth to this undead creature that fused an orc soul with a human body. Gul'dan renamed him Teron Gorefiend.
Teron Gorefiend subsequently founded the Death Knight forces under the orcs' command. These undead monsters wantonly slaughtered humans with necromantic magic, becoming a terrifying presence during the Second War.
Now, not long after the war's end, with the Dark Portal closed, countless scattered orcs are dispersed across Azeroth.
That strange letter from the Lion's Pride bore traces of necromantic magic. Allen suspected the writer was very likely an orc warlock or a Death Knight.
And a male member of the de Montmorency family was corresponding with this person. The implication was clear.
After saying this, Allen gave a meaningful look.
Wen Lei unhurriedly took out from her robe the nearly burned letter fragment and the strange emblem Allen had replicated. That weeping vertical eye, under the tavern's dim lamplight, seemed to truly be gazing at each person present.
Stella, meanwhile, continued munching on her squab, not forgetting to occasionally lift her greasy face to glare at Shaw.
Varian and Shaw passed around the expensive vellum letter fragment bearing traces of necromantic energy, then examined the creepy pattern, exchanging a look.
It seemed... there might really be something to this.
At that time, what Stormwind hated most above all else were those green-skinned orcs who had almost taken their homeland. If there really were Horde remnants colluding with Stormwind nobles, investigating this matter would surely greatly boost...
Varian's heart skipped a beat.
It would surely greatly boost the prestige of him, this young king.
"I'm an outsider. Investigating the de Montmorency family would be quite difficult for me. I wonder if..."
Before he could finish, Varian impatiently cut Allen off.
"Don't worry! Leave investigating the de Montmorency family to me, a local!"
He patted his chest, his eyes shining with excitement. Then, remembering something, he changed tack. "Speaking of which, I have met your father. Duke Prestor would be proud to have a son like you."
Allen felt a twinge of guilt but kept a straight face, smiling and nodding.
"Come on," Varian raised his mug. "Let's toast first to our major undertaking!"
-----------------
Early the next morning, Allen woke up in bed with a splitting headache, rubbing his temples.
Last night, "Mathias," having found a purpose, was in high spirits and insisted on drinking to their heart's content with Allen and the others.
Varian's capacity for alcohol seemed bottomless, Uncle Wen Lei remained completely unfazed, and even little Stella the Gnome could drink far more than Allen. He became the first one to fall flat, thoroughly mocked by Varian.
After that, he had no memory at all of how he got back to his room.
He only remembered Varian patting his chest and promising he would definitely get to the bottom of the de Montmorency family in Stormwind. Allen and the others just needed to wait at the inn for his news.
Even so, Allen wasn't that idle, nor did he plan to just sit around waiting at the inn. In Azeroth, he needed to do everything possible to increase his own strength.
Wait a minute.
Allen looked down at the clean, neat pajamas he was wearing and froze.
Who... changed me into these?
Couldn't remember. Forget it.
He rolled out of bed, straightened his attire simply, and pushed the door open, just in time to see Wen Lei leaning against the corridor railing, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Awake?" Wen Lei's voice was flat.
"Yeah." Allen nodded. "Heading down for breakfast. Want to join?"
Wen Lei didn't answer, just watched him walk down the stairs, her gaze complex.
Last night, Allen had only had a few mugs of beer before getting drunk to the point of unconsciousness.
After "Mathias" and she helped Allen back to his room, that reckless kid had insisted she change Allen's clothes.
To avoid exposing her identity, Wen Lei had no choice but to grit her teeth and do it.
Remembering what she saw yesterday... a flicker of awkwardness crossed Wen Lei's face, and she averted her gaze.
But—
Watching Allen's retreating back as he went downstairs, the corner of her mouth unconsciously curled up into a slight smile.
Originally, she just wanted to borrow Allen's name to avoid suspicion. She never expected this kid, on his very first day in Stormwind, would help her connect with a local noble to investigate this matter...
For that, she could forgive him.