Catch a Mount?

Logan and Selene had not yet developed in any particular direction beyond their innate talents. They had already brought those talents close to their full potential, leaving them with plenty of energy to learn new things.

Loki was in no hurry. Although Azeroth’s magical standards were not low, it was unclear whether that was because Azeroth possessed abundant magical resources or for some other reason. The Asgardian magic Loki had learned was not necessarily inferior to the magic wielded by ordinary Azerothian mages.

As for this world’s Arcane Energy, Loki could fully study and use it through Asgard’s magical system. There might even be some unexpected surprises.

"What do we need to learn?"

"I’m not entirely sure either. Ideally, we should find teachers from various fields, make some tentative contact, and see where your talents lie."

This was a real world, not a game where one could choose a class with a single click, much less a place where having enough talent meant one could easily succeed at a "class change."

Many professions and related skills had fixed inheritances. Learning them was troublesome, and sometimes one even had to join certain sects or organizations to gain the relevant knowledge.

Of course, some people were quite open-minded about the power they possessed due to their personalities or beliefs. As long as one built a good relationship with them, obtaining some related knowledge would not be difficult.

"If this is a relatively peaceful era, learning knowledge shouldn’t be too difficult."

If this were during one of those great wars, learning anything would be a huge hassle. Everyone would be on guard. Who knew whether the person chatting pleasantly with you would stab you the next second?

Peacetime was different. Many people with special abilities actually lived difficult lives, and population growth brought employment crises. Even those with extraordinary power were no exception. They still needed to eat, and at times like this, a little money could buy the knowledge one wanted.

Yinsen rubbed his chin. Perhaps he could not obtain anything profound, but basic knowledge should be easy enough to acquire.

That was assuming this world was currently at peace and had not only just entered a period of peace.

"Get some rest first. Tomorrow, I’ll look around, confirm the situation, and then decide what to do next."

Nothing happened that night. At daybreak the next morning, Yinsen was already up. After cleaning himself up, he stepped out of his room.

Because he had risen so early, the inn’s staff had only just begun their work. He could even hear all sorts of busy sounds coming from the kitchen. It seemed the inn was preparing the day’s first batch of food. That would become the travelers’ breakfast and mark the beginning of another busy day for the inn.

"Sir, you’re up so early. Is something not to your liking?"

The inn’s staff were very welcoming. They said that if anything was unsuitable, he could mention it, and the Lion’s Pride Inn would do its best to satisfy every guest.

"I just wanted to take a look around, so I got up a little early."

"Then I suggest you take a walk nearby. If you return afterward, you’ll arrive just in time for a freshly made breakfast."

"Thank you for the reminder."

Yinsen stepped out of the Lion’s Pride Inn in a very good mood, then stood on the clean, orderly road with a somewhat blank expression.

He had said he would look around and make his decision after confirming the current Timeline, but he did not really know where to begin.

It was not until several patrolling guards passed in front of him that he finally thought of a few details that could help him make a judgment.

"Hello."

"Hello. Is there anything we can help you with?"

The guards in full armor were very polite. Yinsen wondered whether these guards had received some sort of etiquette training.

"May I ask who Goldshire’s sheriff is?"

Of course, he could not possibly remember the names of every sheriff Goldshire had ever had. He merely wanted to confirm whether this was the period he was somewhat familiar with.

"I’m Marshal Dughan, sheriff of Goldshire. Do you need something from me?"

Yinsen had only wanted to ask for the sheriff’s name and whereabouts, yet the sheriff himself was among this patrol—and happened to have the name Yinsen knew best.

"Hello, I’m Yinsen, an adventurer. Could I speak with you?"

"Certainly. Let’s talk by the roadside." Marshal Dughan had the other guards continue patrolling the town while he walked to the side of the road with Yinsen. "Is there something you need help with?"

Marshal Dughan was clearly a very warm and friendly person. He did not act arrogantly because of his position as sheriff. Even people meeting him for the first time would immediately have a favorable impression of him.

"I’m an adventurer who travels from place to place. You know, most people like us don’t have a stable income, so I wanted to ask whether there are any jobs nearby that offer bounties."

It was not strange for traveling adventurers to take money in exchange for work. Of course, Yinsen was not short on money. He was asking this to determine the exact Timeline.

In truth, the moment he learned that the sheriff was named Marshal Dughan, he had already figured out the general Timeline. Now he merely wanted to make a more precise judgment.

Marshal Dughan stroked his chin as he examined Yinsen. Yinsen looked to be in his early twenties. He was not particularly large or imposing, but it was obvious that he had undergone long-term training.

"Although I don’t know how capable you are, I do have some work that can earn you a reward."

Such situations were not uncommon. After all, a sheriff had many matters to deal with every day, while the guards under him had to protect and handle affairs within the town. When things happened outside the town, there would be times when they lacked the manpower to take care of everything. At such times, they would ask non-"official" personnel for help and pay them accordingly.

"What kind of work?"

"There’s a Fargodeep Mine in the forest south of Goldshire. There’s been some trouble there recently. I’d like you to take a look and report the situation to me in detail."

"Reconnaissance?"

"Yes. I’ll pay you based on the specifics. If you do well, I can arrange a few more jobs for you… naturally, they all come with payment."

Yinsen nodded, indicating that he accepted the job.

"When you return, you can find me at the Sheriff’s Office. See it? That building over there."

Goldshire was not like the game, with only two or three buildings. As the transportation hub of Elwynn Forest, Goldshire was a sizable town. Marshal Dughan, as its sheriff, had his own office, not far from the Lion’s Pride Inn. From here, Yinsen could see the office entrance.

After giving a few instructions, Marshal Dughan left. He still needed to continue patrolling the town before dealing with some accumulated trivial matters.

As for Fargodeep Mine, he had not given Yinsen overly detailed information. Aside from not knowing much about the situation there himself, it was also a test—to see just how capable this young man really was.

If the information Yinsen brought back matched what he had on hand, it would prove that the young man was quite capable. He could then assign him more work, and perhaps the two could even cooperate more closely.

If the intelligence did not match, he would not be polite. A sheriff’s bounty was not so easy to swindle. Of course, he would not go overboard either. He would merely teach the young man a simple lesson and have him do some easy work—such as sweeping the streets of Goldshire.

Sheriff Marshal Dughan was a decent man. He would not withhold Yinsen’s payment for this job, which would also resolve the young man’s financial difficulties.

Yinsen vaguely suspected as much, but he did not care. He had already obtained the intelligence he wanted and knew the Timeline he was in.

"World of Warcraft… From the looks of it, this should be around the time that game’s storyline had just begun."

Yinsen was helpless when it came to World of Warcraft’s enormous web of side quests, but he was fairly familiar with the human starting storyline because he had played a human character back then.

He was quite fortunate to have arrived in Elwynn Forest. If he had ended up somewhere else, especially on the Horde’s side, he would have been completely lost.

"This is a pretty good time. The overall environment is peaceful, and plenty of capable people from all sorts of professions are wandering around the world. Running into a few of them shouldn’t be difficult."

There was even a dedicated Mage Quarter in nearby Stormwind City, where quite a few mages gathered. Not every mage lived comfortably. Finding a few unlucky people struggling to get by would not be difficult, and through them, he could easily obtain this world’s basic Magic Knowledge.

"At this point, Death Knights are still firmly on the opposing side. Abilities like Blood Presence probably won’t be easy to obtain."

Compared with Wolverine and Laura, who had plenty of choices—or rather, whose future paths were somewhat uncertain—Yinsen felt that some Death Knight skills suited Selene very well.

Of course, fully transforming into a Death Knight was not an option. He simply felt that Blood Magic targeting Life Force was highly suitable for Selene as a vampire. Perhaps she could learn and master it well, or even fuse it into an entirely new set of abilities.

When he returned to the inn, the hall had already become lively. Many guests were seated at the tables, enjoying breakfast. He even spotted Wolverine and Laura.

Yinsen sat down across from Wolverine and ordered breakfast for himself as well.

"How did the scouting go?"

"The situation is pretty good. You could say it’s the best possible outcome."

"What’s the plan next?"

Yinsen thought for a moment before giving an uncertain answer.

"I’m considering whether I should catch myself a mount."