"Shaw, what do you think I should do?"
Now it could be confirmed even more clearly—it was Varian.
And that other young man was Mathias Shaw?
So they had known each other since they were very young. No wonder Varian would entrust SI:7 to him with such confidence.
Although Allen didn't know why Varian and Shaw were holed up in such an unremarkable tavern drowning their sorrows, a bold idea had already formed in his mind.
He stood up and walked straight toward their table.
"Hello, sir. I'm Allen Prestor, from the Kingdom of Alterac."
The moment a stranger suddenly approached to strike up a conversation, Shaw's gaze instantly turned gloomy. In the shadows of the tavern, a group of figures slowly began to close in around Allen.
Yet Allen seemed completely unaware and continued speaking on his own:
"I understand you! My family doesn't value me—they look down on me. In a fit of anger, I left Alterac and came to Stormwind, hoping to make something of myself here. What you just said—it sounds just like me. You're not valued by your family either, are you?"
Varian raised his head, scrutinizing the bold stranger before him.
He tilted his head slightly, giving Shaw a look.
Shaw gave an almost imperceptible nod, his finger lifting just slightly.
The encroaching shadows vanished in an instant, as if they had never been there. Wren also loosened his grip on the dagger handle and leaned back against his chair again.
"What are you trying to say?" Varian asked. His tone carried caution, but also a hint of curiosity.
Allen let out a few laughs—open and sincere—his eyes fixed on Varian's gaze, which seemed to hold flames within.
"I understand how you feel. We're kindred spirits," Allen said, enunciating each word. "Coincidentally, I've recently been working on something big—something that could save Stormwind. So I want to invite you to join me. If you can achieve great merit alongside me, your elders will surely see you in a new light. When that time comes, you'll be able to shoulder your family's burdens and reclaim what should be yours."
[Persuasion Check: 20 — Critical Success]
[You are the first man who has dared to behave with such a lack of noble etiquette in front of Varian Wrynn. Though you are crude, direct, and lacking in manners, he instead feels a kind of unrestrained comfort, as if he's seeing another side of his true self. Your straightforward invitation and ambition ignite his wild side.]
"Heh… something big 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 rejection, the system's result had already exposed his true thoughts. Allen grew even more confident.
"I may not know who you are, but I can sense a flame burning in your heart."
He raised his hand and pointed lightly in the air at Varian's chest.
"It's the same kind of flame as mine. We're the same kind of people—we both want to accomplish something great, don't we?"
Varian froze for a moment.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! My name is Mathias—tell me about this big thing of yours!"
Seeing his own name being stolen by the young king, Shaw helplessly began thinking up a fake name for himself.
Moments later, the two of them naturally joined Allen's group at the table. Wren showed no reaction, responding coldly to Varian and Shaw, while Stella, sensing Shaw's hostility toward her "benefactor," puffed up angrily and glared at him.
Shaw glanced at her, then ignored her.
"We just came from Goldshire," Allen began, pulling the conversation back on track. "At the Lion's Pride Inn, an extremely severe curse incident occurred. More than half the inn was burned down. In a few days, you should be hearing about it yourselves."
As Allen spoke, the dishes they had just ordered arrived. The still-fuming Stella was instantly distracted by the roast squab, completely forgetting about her stare-down with Shaw.
"During our investigation, we discovered traces of necromancy. At the same time, even the De Montmorency family of Stormwind is implicated. We suspect they may be harboring remnants of the Horde."
Before the Scourge spread across the world, only a very small number of people studied necromancy—and Gul'dan was one of the most infamous among them.
It was he who created the first Death Knight in history: forcibly implanting the soul of the deceased orc warlock Teron'gor into the corpse of a fallen human knight, thus giving birth to this undead being—a fusion of an orc soul and a human body. Gul'dan renamed him Teron Gorefiend.
Teron Gorefiend later established the Death Knight forces under the orcs. These undead monsters slaughtered humans with necromantic magic, becoming a terror during the Second War.
Now, not long after the war had ended and the Dark Portal had been closed, countless scattered orcs were spread across Azeroth.
That strange letter from the Lion's Pride Inn carried traces of necromantic magic. Allen suspected the sender was very likely an orc warlock—or a Death Knight.
And a male member of the De Montmorency family had been corresponding with this person.
The implication spoke for itself.
At Allen's signal, Wren slowly took out the nearly burned remnants of the letter, along with the eerie emblem Allen had copied—a vertical eye shedding tears. Under the tavern's dim yellow light, it seemed to be staring at everyone present.
Meanwhile, Stella continued gnawing on her squab, occasionally lifting her greasy face to glare at Shaw again.
Varian and Shaw passed around the expensive parchment, still carrying traces of necromantic power, and studied the chilling symbol carefully. They exchanged a glance.
This… might actually go somewhere.
At that moment, what Stormwind hated most were those green-skinned orcs who had nearly taken their homeland. If there truly were Horde remnants colluding with Stormwind nobles, uncovering this matter would undoubtedly bring immense… immense prestige to him, the young king.
Varian's heartbeat skipped.
"I'm an outsider, so investigating the De Montmorency family is quite difficult. I was wondering—"
Before Allen could finish, Varian impatiently cut him off.
"Don't worry! Leave the investigation of the De Montmorency family to me—I'm your local expert!"
He patted his chest, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Then, as if remembering something, he changed tone: "Come to think of it, I've met your father before. Lord Prestor would be proud to have a son like you."
Allen felt a twinge of guilt, but his expression remained calm as he nodded with a smile.
"Come," Varian raised his glass, "let's drink to our great undertaking first!"
...
The next morning, Allen woke up in bed with a splitting headache, rubbing his temples.
Last night, after finding his target, "Mathias" had been in high spirits and insisted on drinking to their hearts' content with Allen and the others.
Varian's alcohol tolerance was unfathomable. Wren was equally unfazed. Even Stella, the little gnome, could outdrink Allen by a wide margin.
He had been the first to go down—a complete lightweight—earning a round of ridicule from 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 that he would thoroughly investigate the De Montmorency family in Stormwind, and that Allen and the others only needed to wait at the inn for news.
That said, Allen had no intention of idling around. He wasn't about to just sit in the inn and wait. In Azeroth, he intended to do everything possible to strengthen himself.
Wait.
Allen looked down at his clean and tidy sleepwear—and froze.
Who… changed my clothes?
Can't remember. Forget it.
He got out of bed, quickly straightened his clothes, and pushed open the door. Just in time, he saw Wren leaning against the corridor railing, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"You're up?" Wren's voice was flat.
"Yeah." Allen nodded. "I'm heading down for breakfast. Want to come?"
Wren didn't answer. He simply watched Allen walk down the stairs, his gaze complicated.
Last night, Allen had only had a few drinks before becoming completely unconscious.
After "Mathias" and Wren carried him back to the room, that reckless brat had actually insisted that Wren change Allen's clothes.
To avoid exposing his identity, Wren had no choice but to grit his teeth and do it.
Just thinking about what he saw last night…
A trace of awkwardness flashed across Wren's face as he looked away.
But—
Watching Allen's back as he descended the stairs, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Wren's lips.
He had originally only planned to borrow Allen's identity to avoid suspicion. Who would have thought that on his very first day in Stormwind, this kid would help him connect with local nobles to investigate this matter…
Considering that—
He'd let it slide.