After eating and drinking her fill, the Black Dragon Princess contentedly took a bag of Magic Gems presented by the nobles and went to rest alone in a cave in the back mountain. Soon, she was met with deafening snoring, like Thunder.
The gathering ended, and the nobles left dejectedly, having survived another ordeal and able to enjoy a few days of peace.
In this chaotic era, some rejoice while others grieve, and how many can remain unscathed?
A drunken Margaret climbed into the bed of some nobleman, leaving Robbie alone in the manor. The Black Cat, attracted by a large rat, followed it and went off to play by itself.
Robbie wanted to take this opportunity to "visit" the Black Dragon Princess, but remembering Earl Agramande had added water to his wine glass, Robbie felt it was necessary to first get some information from the Earl.
The Guards in the manor were practically useless to Robbie. He easily bypassed the patrolling Guards and numerous servants and entered Earl Agramande's study. Although it was already late at night, the Earl was still busy working under the oil lamp, not resting.
Robbie knocked on the door. Earl Agramande frowned, puzzled as to why no servants had announced a visitor. Just as he was wondering who was knocking, Robbie lowered his voice and said:
"Earl Agramande, Prince Arthas sends his greetings."
"Your Highness Prince Arthas!"
Earl Agramande stood up excitedly. For a nobleman far from his homeland, hearing that someone had been sent by the King gave him a feeling of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. He hurriedly went to open the door.
Fifteen years after the Dark Portal opened, two major events occurred: Prince Arthas joined the Order of the Silver Hand, and Prince Anduin Varian, was born.
In Stormwind City today, the birth of King Varian's beloved son has not attracted much attention. He is merely one of King Majesty's many descendants, and whether he can become Prince depends on Medivh's favor.
A glint of Holy Light appeared at Robbie's fingertips as he whispered, "Earl Agramande, I am Robbie Capor, a member of the Order of the Silver Hand, a comrade of His Highness the Prince. Arthas me to Stormwind City to find an old friend."
Earl Agramande was getting on in years, with quite a few gray hairs at his temples. He respectfully invited Robbie into his study. The old Earl wasn't one to easily trust Robbie, and subtly inquired, "I wonder how Prince Highness's fiancée, Miss Daphne, is? They were betrothed when they were very young."
Prince Arthas has no girlfriends, and even his only rumored girlfriend Jaina, is a far-fetched fabrication. Robbie knew Earl Agramande was testing him, so he shrugged and said, "I've never heard of Miss Daphne. Our esteemed Prince always seems to have female corpses appearing under his bed for no reason. I wonder if that counts as a girlfriend?"
Very few people knew about Arthas's secrets, and Earl Agramande was one of the few who knew. He trusted Robbie to some extent and, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, mentioned the Order of the Silver Hand several times, such as Uther the Lightbringer Tirion Fordring.
Robbie knew these men very well, having fought them several times before. His words were always impeccable, and Earl Agramande finally believed Robbie and lowered his guard.
"We wanderers, constantly yearning for our homeland. Lordaeron has fallen into such ruin, and I am powerless to stop it. I can only choose to flee. I am a powerless coward, a defeated deserter. Every time I recall the customs and traditions of my hometown, my heart aches."
Earl Agramande's eyes welled up with tears as he thought of his homeland and hometown.
"Young friend, please follow me."
The Earl put on his coat and led the way, passing through the lavish Orcs buildings, turning left and right within the manor, and finally stopping in an inconspicuous corner, standing in front of a dilapidated windmill.
"This is the family's windmill in Brill, my favorite place when I was a child. It holds countless wonderful memories for me. I remember my first date with my wife here. After I established myself in Stormwind City, I had it dismantled, packed up, and transported here, and then reassembled exactly as it was."
The Earl, his face etched with wrinkles, trembled, tears welling in his eyes. "Every time I see this windmill, I'm reminded of my hometown. Sadly, all that beauty has vanished with the wind. The Orcs internment camp utterly destroyed Lordaeron."
Robbie gazed silently at the windmill, his mind also filled with thoughts. Remembering the tragedy of Lordaeron, he couldn't help but sigh and say:
"No monarchy is eternal, and no empire lasts forever."
Recalling his experience in Lordaeron, Robbie's mood became slightly downcast.
The Earl entered the wooden hut beneath the windmill, which turned out to be a lavishly decorated and exquisite little bar.
The small bar had only one bartender, a slim and pretty woman.
"Renny, we have a distinguished guest. Go to the wine cellar and fetch that bottle of wine."
The bartender nodded and turned to go into the back room.
"Renny was originally the owner of the Brill Hotel, a highly skilled bartender. Lordaeron is so poor they can't even afford food, let alone grain for brewing alcohol, so I brought her here."
The Earl himself took action, tying on an apron, washing his hands, and standing by the bar, Proficiency slicing the ham.
"How about Devilsaur Ham? Or maybe some Darkshire Ham?"
"Either is fine," Robbie said indifferently.
"I also have a delicious sauce here, a secret recipe, never to be shared. It's ranked number one in the Azeroth Continent... no, not number one, but number two, number two." The Earl's voice trailed off, tinged with bitterness.
"Why second, and not first?" Robbie asked casually.
The Earl stopped working and, after a long while, resumed his work, muttering to himself:
"In the Cutthroat Alley of Stormwind City, there's a workshop run by a Forest Troll that specializes in making an incredibly delicious sauce for Grom Hellscream. Because of the popularity of the Orcs Cult, many confused noble girls want to marry Orcs, and only the most beautiful girls with the best skin are qualified to enter this workshop..."
"My God!" Robbie was horrified.
"I've tried to persuade many girls who are completely infatuated, but unfortunately they all point their fingers at me and accuse me of lying."
The Earl shrugged and said with a wry smile, "Actually, this is quite normal. Even King Varian admires the Orcs. What can I do? I thought that since the Orcs destroyed the Kingdom of Stormwind, King Varian, burdened with national and personal hatred, would be filled with hatred for the Orcs, but I didn't expect it to be like this."
After slicing the ham, Renny brought over a small jug of liquor, about the size of a fist, and began mixing drinks.
Renny first took out two large glasses, poured in the newly brewed spirits, and then added a large amount of honey, fruit juice, cream, lemon juice, rose petals, etc., gently stirring them together. A Flame appeared in Renny's hand, and the two glasses of liquor quickly boiled. Renny then used a freezing spell, freezing the outer layer of the spirits while the center remained boiling.
It's truly a beautiful work of art, perfectly executed; it's simply breathtaking.
Renny opened the small flask and poured out the purple liquid, filling each of the two glasses halfway.
The Earl raised his glass and said to Robbie, "Cheers to Lordaeron!"
Robbie also raised his glass, took a small sip, and found the taste not particularly good; there was too much honey and fruit juice, which diluted the sharpness of the spirit.
However, after swallowing it, a bitter sadness rushed from my stomach to my head, an inexplicable sorrow echoed in my mind, loss and grief intertwined deep in my heart, and tears almost flowed out.
Robbie, unsure of the source of the sadness in the drink, took another small sip. His mouth was filled with sweetness, devoid of any bitterness. Where did this sadness come from? He asked, "What is that purple liquid?"
Earl Agramande could no longer hold back his tears and replied:
"In Lordaeron, there is a small purple flower; only one hundred of its blossoms can yield just one small jar."
Robbie was secretly surprised; those were Arthas' Tears.
The Earl wiped away his tears and shook his head. "Let's not talk about this. You probably don't know my identity, do you?"
Does the Earl have some hidden identity?
"In Kingdom of Stormwind, I have another identity: the leader of the Stonemasons' Guild. I am Edwin VanCleef."