Faction Choice?

Marshal Dughan looked at the report in his hand and the necklace Yinsen had handed over, unsure how to respond.

The report showed that there were quite a few kobolds entrenched in Fargodeep Mine, including a kobold leader far stronger than ordinary kobolds. Yet they had cleared out every kobold in such a short time?

He knew the kobolds’ Combat Power was nothing before truly powerful people, but he had not expected such a formidable adventurer to accept a task he had posted.

"I’ll need to verify this before I can give you an answer," Marshal Dughan said after some thought. For now, he could only set the matter aside and send people to Fargodeep Mine to confirm the situation. If the report was true, he had to give Yinsen the reward and respect he deserved. That was the most appropriate way to handle it.

"I’ll be staying at the Lion’s Pride Inn for the next few days."

"I’ll have it confirmed soon."

After putting away Yinsen’s report and the necklace, Marshal Dughan did not immediately send anyone out. Night had already fallen, and sending people into the forest at a time like this would be sending his men to their deaths.

After bidding the sheriff farewell, Yinsen and Logan returned to the Lion’s Pride Inn. Over the following days, they did not wander around or take on any special tasks. They simply roamed through Goldshire, figuring out the purpose of every building in town.

Overall, while Goldshire was far larger than it had been in the game world, it was still only a town. Aside from the Lion’s Pride Inn, there were the buildings housing the Mayor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office, as well as larger structures such as the blacksmith and other shops. The rest were ordinary residences.

The area around the Lion’s Pride Inn was also the liveliest part of town, with many shops gathered nearby.

Although Goldshire was Elwynn Forest’s most important transportation hub, few soldiers were stationed there. There was not even a complete military unit, only Sheriff Marshal Dughan and a dozen or so guards responsible for the town’s security.

Because of this, those dozen soldiers could barely keep watch over Goldshire itself and often had no spare manpower to deal with trouble outside town. However, for the task of confirming the situation at Fargodeep Mine, Marshal Dughan did not hire ordinary people to investigate. Instead, he sent two soldiers he trusted.

The two soldiers were quick. A simple trip there and back to verify the situation took just over half a day. They even examined the area around the mine, confirming not only that no kobolds remained there, but also that the necklace Yinsen had brought back belonged to the mistress of a nearby farm.

After learning the truth, Marshal Dughan personally brought the reward to Yinsen. Once he had paid Yinsen what he was owed, he also expressed his gratitude.

"Do you have any plans for what comes next?"

If Yinsen intended to continue adventuring nearby, he could introduce him to acquaintances in either the west or the east, allowing him to help his friends deal with some trouble.

The Stormwind Kingdom had appeared prosperous on the surface in recent years, but those working at the lower levels knew that many places had fallen into one kind of trouble or another. Even Elwynn Forest, the kingdom’s heartland, had seen its problems steadily increase over the past two years. Some of his old friends had complained more than once that they lacked enough people.

If he introduced Yinsen to them, those old friends would surely be delighted.

"I originally planned to visit Stormwind City, but I’ve changed my mind."

He had previously wanted to go to Stormwind City to look for down-on-their-luck mages or see whether there were any druids. Now, though, he felt it would be better to find Varian first.

If he could rescue the King of Stormwind Kingdom, he could use Varian to gain access to what he wanted.

Gathering things from the bottom up was far less convenient than building connections from the top down. He had gotten that inspiration from Katrana Prestor.

After all, in Azeroth, knowledge was still held by only a small number of people, while most resources were controlled by the nobility. The knowledge and resources possessed by a nation’s king far surpassed those of ordinary nobles.

Since he had the best option, Yinsen naturally could not be bothered to choose an inferior one.

To find Varian, he needed to travel to Kalimdor, which meant taking a ship from Menethil Harbor to Theramore.

It would not be an easy journey, but he could rescue Windsor along the way. The Marshal had long sensed the strange undercurrents within Stormwind City and decisively hidden himself outside it.

He should currently be imprisoned in a Dark Iron Dwarf prison. However, he had realized that Stormwind City was no longer safe, and that he could preserve his life there instead. That was why he had quietly waited for a better opportunity rather than rushing to escape.

"Maybe I should rescue him first?"

If so, he would need to head east to Redridge Mountains, then continue on to Burning Steppes. The route might not be peaceful, but it would pose no trouble at all for them.

"I may go to Lakeshire first, then take a look at Burning Steppes."

"Redridge Mountains?" Marshal Dughan frowned. To be honest, he was worried. Neither of the places Yinsen had mentioned was a tourist destination. Redridge Mountains was in poor condition now, and he had heard that Lakeshire was under threat from Orcs and Gnolls.

As for Burning Steppes… it could not possibly be worse. Even Reginald Windsor, Marshal of Stormwind Kingdom, had fallen in Burning Steppes. The kingdom had long since lost control of the region, and no one knew just how bad things had become there.

"Are you really going there?"

"Unless something unexpected happens, I definitely will."

Yinsen would not tell Marshal Dughan that he was going to find Reginald Windsor, whom many believed dead, then take the Marshal to find their missing King, Varian Wrynn.

"Good luck."

Marshal Dughan did not try to dissuade him. Everyone had the right to decide their own future, and he was not close to Yinsen. They had only exchanged a few words. As an adventurer, where Yinsen chose to go was not something he should interfere with.

"I can only hope that, along the way, you’ll lend a hand when you encounter kingdom civilians in trouble."

Marshal Dughan was not sure whether Yinsen was from the Stormwind Kingdom. The Seven Kingdoms no longer existed, but not all humans were subjects of Stormwind Kingdom either.

"I will."

That concluded their conversation. Marshal Dughan returned to his duties, dealing with Goldshire’s many miscellaneous affairs, while Yinsen remained seated at a table in the corner of the Lion’s Pride Inn, considering the details of his next plan.

Not long after Marshal Dughan left, Selene and Logan sat down beside him. Even Loki took a seat.

"Are we going to Stormwind City next?"

"No, we’re going to Redridge Mountains."

This was not the game world. He did not need to follow the steps of the game from his previous life, completing tasks one by one to unlock the next part of the story while constantly doing more side quests to raise his level.

Yinsen might not be among the very strongest, but he was powerful enough to handle most enemies. He could completely bypass the fixed "game plot" and choose the "quests" that were most useful to him.

"What kind of place is that?"

Logan had not been idling away his time these past days. He had looked into this world’s situation to some extent, but he had only focused on Elwynn Forest and ignored information about the surrounding regions.

Loki had investigated more thoroughly and explained it to Logan.

"To the east of Elwynn Forest is a region called Redridge Mountains. It is mostly mountains and hills. Its largest town is called Lakeshire, built on the northern shore of a huge lake called Lake Everstill. That area is also the flattest part of Redridge Mountains."

"You really did your homework."

"I had to find out exactly what kind of place I’d come to."

Loki did not think it was anything remarkable. He had gathered a great deal of information, including all sorts of random rumors and gossip, and combined it with Yinsen’s decision to deduce Yinsen’s goal.

"You want to find the missing Reginald Windsor?"

Loki did not lower his voice, but no one present was worried about being overheard. Both Loki and Yinsen had cast interference spells to ensure that outsiders could not hear their conversation.

Yinsen knew that Stormwind Kingdom’s intelligence agency was full of people who were everywhere. Who knew whether any SI:7 agents were hidden among these seemingly ordinary travelers?

Although SI:7 also had some suspicions about Katrana, they would never treat a group of "outsiders" discussing the kingdom’s missing Marshal as friends. If they were not careful, those people might make a move while they slept, knock them all unconscious, drag them back to Stormwind City, and lock them in Prison Cells for a slow interrogation.

"Yes. I want to see if I can find him."

"Can you be sure he’s still alive?"

Most rumors among the common people claimed that he had died fighting the Orcs. Only a small number believed he was still alive. Who knew why there were rumors that Windsor lived, but the key was that those rumors had actually been right.

"If he’s alive, finding him will help with the plans that follow."

"Varian Wrynn?"

Yinsen glanced at Loki, who wore a smug expression that said, I saw through you long ago.

"Yes, Varian Wrynn. No matter what we want to obtain, befriending a king can make things much easier."

Although Loki agreed with Yinsen, he offered another option. "We could choose someone else to befriend too, couldn’t we?" He did not keep anyone guessing and directly named the person he meant. "Katrana Prestor."