Sure enough, this world is mostly full of fools, Varian thought to himself with amusement.
The most important thing now is to get back to the Argent Tournament as soon as possible; temporarily joining the Argent Crusade is a good option.
But Varian, being a King of great status, did not have the habit of carrying gold coins. After a moment's thought, he removed a button from his undergarments and handed it to the Dwarf.
"This is a family heirloom, worth at least ten gold coins."
The button is made of pure gold, with intricate patterns carved around it and a emerald set in the center. The emerald is so vibrant and beautiful that it seems to draw one's soul in.
The Humans were very knowledgeable about gems, and upon seeing this gem, they gasped in surprise. The gem emitted a warm aura, clearly indicating that it was a precious Magic Gem.
The Dwarf quickly put on a smile:
"Respected adventurer, please come this way. Please wait a moment, I'll be right back."
The Dwarf led Varian into a tent and soon disappeared.
The tent was very simple, with a few hammocks and a brazier in the center. It was as cold as an ice cellar, but being able to escape the biting wind was enough to satisfy Varian for the time being.
Varian warmed himself by the brazier, not worried about anything. Once he joined the Argent Crusade and met Tirion Fordring, everything would be resolved.
Thrall and Tirion Fordring must be searching for him everywhere.
The Dwarf, carrying the button, entered the tent in the center of the camp. It was a tent made of thick Mammoth, and inside were more than a dozen braziers, making it warm and cozy.
On a large Mammoth ivory bed, a richly dressed Gnome man, extremely obese and almost resembling a Tauren, dozed off.
Despite being a Gnome, he was a distant relative of the High Tinker Mekkatorque. The lives of tens of thousands of Argent Crusade candidates in the surrounding dozen or so camps were in his hands.
"Sir, look what this is!" The Dwarf hurriedly handed over the button.
With just one glance, the Gnome officer's gaze narrowed, revealing a greedy look. He whispered, "This item is no ordinary thing. You said that adventurer was a human man?"
The Dwarf nodded quickly. "Sir, she is indeed a delicate-skinned human noble."
The Gnome commander smirked and said sarcastically, "So he's just a big fool."
In order to recruit more people, the Argent Crusade constantly promoted the greatness of Tirion Fordring, the fact that the Crusade was fighting for Justice cause, and how Evil the Scourge, how Azeroth was in imminent danger, and how everyone had a duty to save the world, etc.
Many noble sons believed in this, and for their ideals, to save Azeroth, and for their future and to make a name for themselves, they joined the Argent Crusade with great enthusiasm.
Of course, their ultimate fate was to become food for Horde heroes like Thrall, Vol'jin, and Garrosh, so they died a worthy and worthwhile death.
These noble scions typically became officers in the Argent Crusade directly through connections.
There are also a few rebellious individuals who, adhering to the principles of fairness and justice, believe they are highly capable and that talent will shine wherever it is, insisting on starting from the bottom.
The Gnome officer guessed that Varian was an arrogant nobleman who wanted to start from the bottom.
The Gnome commander always looked down on those who believed the Argent Crusade's false propaganda, especially the sons of noble families, whom he considered the most foolish people in the world.
The Gnome commander, beaming with pride, chuckled:
"May the Holy Light bless us and send us a fat sheep. Go and eat with that human nobleman, try to gain his trust, and find out his identity. There are a few families among the Stormwind City nobles that we cannot touch; we cannot withstand their wrath. As long as it's not those families, it doesn't matter. Let's see how much profit we can squeeze out of them."
The Dwarf beamed. He was just an ordinary Sentinels, not much better off than those exploited candidates. His future and Destiny depended on how many gold coins he could extract from Varian.
Varian waited for the Dwarves to return, but unfortunately the Dwarves kept silent about joining the Argent Crusade. They simply brought wine and meat and drank with Varian.
Exhausted and hungry, Varian forgot everything else the moment he saw wine and meat.
Under the Humans' skillful persuasion of drinking, Varian quickly became drunk. The Dwarves seized the opportunity to extract information, and under the influence of alcohol, Varian revealed his identity.
Upon hearing that he was the King of Stormwind City, the Dwarf was terrified and rushed to his commander's tent to report the crucial intelligence he had obtained.
The Gnome officer was initially surprised, but quickly understood and chuckled, saying:
"You've been fooled. Back in my day, when I Quartermaster at Stormwind Keep, I saw King Varian more than once. King Varian is ninety-eight meters tall and could kill a dragon with one punch."
King Varian has been the subject of countless exaggerated descriptions in Azeroth's mainstream media.
Legendary King Varian once tore Archimonde apart on Mount Hyjal, kicked C'Thun in Silithus, and shattered N'Zoth in the depths of the ocean.
The Lich King Arthas dared not attack Stormwind City because Varian was protecting it; otherwise, how could he dare to call himself the greatest King in human history?
Although the Dwarf had some doubts, since the Gnome commander had said so, it couldn't be too far off. He immediately felt a deep sense of shame, clenched his fists, and said:
"Damn it, I almost fell for it! I actually fooled the Argent Crusade!"
The Gnome commander stroked his fleshy chin and slowly said:
"Human nobles value lineage above all else and rarely lie about the glory of their ancestors. It seems this Varian is a fake nobleman trying to infiltrate the Argent Crusade and cause trouble. Hmph, don't blame us for being ruthless and sending him to the candidate recruit barracks."
When Varian woke up, the first thing he felt was the extreme cold, as if he had slept against a block of ice. Then he felt particularly cramped, which reminded him of the days when he slept huddled together with the horses in the stable.
With great effort, Varian opened his eyes to complete darkness. It took him a long time to realize his situation. He was sleeping in a tent, one side pressed against the cold fabric, while the other three sides, including the top, were filled with people, crammed together like sardines in a can, unable to move at all.
"What on earth happened?" Varian tried to speak, but the murky air around him made it impossible for him to breathe.
Finally, dawn broke, the tent door opened, and the huddled crowd gradually emerged. Varian, as if reborn, breathed in the fresh air with gusto.
Following the flow of people gathered in the center of the camp, Varian saw a wide chair with a Gnome who was as fat as a Tauren sitting on it.
Varian marveled at the sight of Gnome who was so fat.
Beside the Gnome, a Worgen shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Welcome to Northrend, candidates of the Argent Crusade. You have traveled from Kingdom of Stormwind, from the Alterac Mountains, from Arathi Basin to this icy land for your ideals and beliefs, for the salvation of Azeroth. I am proud of you."
"To gloriously join the Argent Crusade and defeat the Evil Scourge, you need to do some simple work first. Our valiant Argent Crusade soldiers need ore to forge weapons. Not far from here, there is a Sapphiron's Fel Iron Mine. Warriors, become glorious miners; this is your small goal."