Working Ten Thousand Hours a Day (Part Two)

Varian immediately understood that the people around him were all newcomers who couldn't afford the ten gold coins bribe, so they had to do hard labor to make up for it.

Although most people here come with dreams of saving Azeroth is a sacred place, not to be saved by mere passersby.

Without paying a price, one doesn't even have the right to Consecration one's life.

But Varian had paid a bribe; the button was meticulously crafted by the court's master jeweler, taking a year to complete and worth over a thousand gold coins.

Of course, this wasn't Varian's most valuable possession.

Varian touched himself and realized that he had changed his clothes and was now wearing a tattered old garment that smelled sour.

"Damn it, that Dwarf lied to me."

Varian angrily walked out of the crowd to protest.

Unfortunately, a group of Orcs approached, each with a fierce appearance and carrying spiked clubs, whips, and other weapons. They were the overseers of the Argent Crusade.

Before Varian could say anything, an Orcs overseer raised his spiked club and struck Varian hard in the mouth.

He was beaten until half of his teeth came out, his mouth was full of blood, and he couldn't speak.

The Worgen glanced indifferently at Varian and continued his speech loudly:

"Candidates for the Argent Crusade, the Evil Scourge is watching with predatory intent, threatening to destroy Azeroth at any moment. The Sapphiron's Fel Iron Mine is of utmost urgency. For the sake of Azeroth, you must work twenty-four hours a day."

"Twenty-four hours? How is that even possible?"

Many new recruits were stunned after hearing this and whispered among themselves, but without exception, they were whipped by the Orcs, and eventually everyone shut up.

The Worgen's eyes widened, he waved his arms, and shouted:

"The future is built through hard work and struggle. What are the hardships you're enduring? To rise above others, you must endure the most difficult times. Those great figures who stand high above, aren't they all working far harder than you? A casual officer in the Argent Crusade works over a hundred hours a day, the great Tirion Fordring works no less than a thousand hours a day. King Varian, beloved by his people, works at least five thousand hours a day, and our great Savior Thrall works over ten thousand hours a day."

Mentioning Savior, Thrall savior, the Worgen's face lit up with adoration. Everyone fell silent, seemingly stunned by Thrall's overwhelming workload. The Worgen then spoke sternly:

"Once you work forty-eight hours a day, you'll be eligible to join the Argent Crusade. It's very easy to do."

Driven by a horde of Orcs, Varian was forced to follow the crowd to the nearby Sapphiron's Fel Iron Mine, where he began an endless period of grueling labor.

Before long, Varian felt unbearable soreness all over his body, but if he slacked off even slightly, he would be whipped by the Orcs, or even eaten alive by Orcs.

Under such severe pressure, Varian could only work hard to mine ore. Unfortunately, after only a few hours, some people couldn't hold on any longer and lay on the ground unable to get up. No amount of whips and sticks could make them continue working.

At this point, the Orcs overseer would give them a gray pill, Varian guessed was probably some kind of alchemical potion.

Seeing these pills, Varian felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Sure enough, the pills were extremely effective. Before long, the exhausted miners were able to get up again and continue mining ore.

Finally, Varian remembered; it came from his predecessor's memories.

Remember when Varian had just expelled Duke Bolvar? The Jasperlode Mines in Elwynn Forest were competing with the Deadmines in Westfall, and were often at a disadvantage in terms of mining output.

In order to surpass the output of the Deadmines, an alchemist, inspired by the Plague of the Scourge, invented a Zombie Potion that would allow miners to work day and night.

Varian recalled that his predecessor had personally signed the King decree authorizing the use of the Zombie Potion, and before long, the Jasperlode Mine's output surpassed that of the Deadmines.

However, this medicine seemed to have side effects, and the Jasperlode Mine was soon closed.

After mining for more than ten hours straight, Varian finally couldn't take it anymore. An Orcs overseer fed him a gray pill, which quickly took effect. Varian was free of distractions and felt no fatigue or pain; his mind was only focused on mining.

Thus, Varian continued to take gray pills to maintain his strength, working day and night with the other miners. Large quantities of ore were extracted, initially screened, and then transported to various parts of Azeroth.

Varian gradually forgot about time, forgot who he was, and forgot that he had once been a human being, working numbly day and night in the dark and dreary mine.

During the days of Varian's disappearance, Thrall was the first to become restless.

The Emissary arrived in Dalaran, and the destruction of the Argent Tournament enraged him, prompting Emissary to order the Alliance and the Horde to launch an attack on the Scourge.

Thrall didn't have many soldiers at his disposal, but fortunately, the Alliance's 100,000-strong army had already arrived in Northrend. Dalaran generously offered their assistance, transporting these 100,000 troops to the vicinity of Icecrown Citadel.

Unfortunately, King Varian has disappeared.

Without King Varian, the 100,000-strong army was leaderless and had no legitimate cause.

Duke Bolvar seized the opportunity to send spies to stir up trouble among the 100,000-strong army, and soon a large number of deserters appeared.

Only King Varian could stabilize morale and lead an army of 100,000 to attack Icecrown Citadel. Thrall, though a great Savior, was not qualified to command the Alliance army.

Dalaran had to send people out to search everywhere, but in order to maintain the Alliance's image, they couldn't make a big fuss and had to do it in secret.

But King Varian seemed to have vanished into thin air. Thrall searched the entire Northrend but couldn't find him, which made Thrall so anxious that he couldn't sleep and lost a lot of hair.

We can't delay any longer. The daily consumption of 100,000 troops is astronomical. Without King Varian, the Kingdom of Stormwind can hardly survive, and its logistical supplies have been completely cut off.

In her most desperate moment, Jaina could only plead for help from the Guardian Aegwynn.

On this day, Aegwynn, dressed in a magnificent purple robe, personally arrived at Dalaran, which floated above Crystalsong Forest, Rhonin led a group of Dalaran Mages to greet him.

Aegwynn looked at Rhonin carefully and said seriously:

"Young man, I see your Destiny. An Orcs will put you on his table and cruelly devour you."

Rhonin quickly and humbly replied, "It is my honor."

Aegwynn snorted and walked straight towards Violet Citadel.

Facing the former Guardian, no one dared to breathe. Aegwynn took out a small vial containing a small amount of blood and Aegwynn:

"This is Varian's blood. I will use the Bloodline Tracking Spell. As long as Varian is alive, I will surely find him. Since I invented this magic, I have never failed."

Aegwynn took out a crystal ball and placed it on the table. She poured the blood from the small bottle onto the crystal ball, and as the blood seeped into the crystal ball, a magical scene appeared.

Inside the dark mine, a hairy green spider walks on four legs, while its other four legs are constantly mining ore.

Judging from the workload, they did indeed work 48 hours a day.