Robbie and Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess, stood side by side in the air, with Black Cat sitting on Robbie's shoulder. Behind them Earl Agramande, who was uneasy and trembling. Standing at such a height made the old man feel a chill from the bottom of his heart.
"No, I have so many things to do. Could you let me down first? It's a bit high up here."
It was thanks to Robbie's Power of the Holy Light the Earl was able to float in the air.
After the initial novelty wore off, all that remained was the fear of being so high up. Robbie smiled and said to the Earl:
"Look at Stormwind City beneath your feet, so magnificent and spectacular. As long as you cooperate sincerely with the Black Dragon Princess, this will be yours."
The Earl glanced at the Black Dragon Princess and muttered to himself:
"This Black Dragon is a megalomaniac, with an inflated sense of self-importance, ambitious yet arrogant, and utterly clueless. Seizing power isn't so easy; I have to plan carefully. Poor old bones. Originally, I planned to find an Anjing place in Westfall to retire once Stormwind City was completed. Now I have to rack my brains and exert all my energy."
Not everyone has the opportunity to seize the highest power in the kingdom. The Earl said he was hesitant, but he was secretly excited. As he talked about his plans, he gradually forgot the terror of being high in the sky and spoke eloquently:
"In fact, the repair work on Stormwind City is nearing completion. I must find a way to delay it for another year or two to prepare for our Justice cause. Duke Bolvar is currently in charge of Stormwind City affairs and enjoys the trust of King Varian. He is aware of the progress of the Stormwind City project, so we must have Duke Bolvar's support."
The Black Dragon Princess, seemingly unconcerned by the Earl's complaints, perhaps aware of her own nature, nonchalantly declared, "Don't worry. Duke Bolvar has long harbored resentment towards the support of the Orcs; he'd love to wipe out the Orcs Cult immediately. Leave this matter to me. I'll use the methods of the Black Dragonflight to achieve my goal. Grand Duke of Stormwind City —what a prestigious title! I'm sure he cherishes his hard-won position and wants to live a few more years."
The Earl believed in the Black Dragon Princess's abilities. Generally, reason alone is insufficient to persuade someone; a combination of threats and persuasion would greatly increase the success rate. He nodded and said:
"As long as we can buy some time, the Stonemasons' Guild will establish a stronghold in Westfall and train a large number of men. We must do this secretly, without letting Stormwind City know. This is a necessary preparation. When Stormwind City announces its completion, King Varian will be surprised to find that the Stonemasons' Guild is no longer the bricklayers' organization it once was, but a formidable assassin organization. We have the power to threaten Stormwind City's security, making him hesitant to act rashly."
I like this kind of strategy.
Black Dragon Princess clapped her hands in praise, her bright, sinister dragon eyes gleaming with excitement.
"We need money, we need a lot of money," the Earl said, shrugging with a hint of anticipation.
"Easy!" Black Dragon Princess said with a smile.
"Who is the true leader of the Orcs Cult? It is me, Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess. All the money collected must pass through my hands. I know the Orcs are greedy and use all sorts of tricks to deal with the Warsong Clan, so I simply keep the money in my own hands and haven't sent them a single grain of food. I'll just pay for this myself."
The Earl bowed slightly to express his gratitude to the Black Dragon Princess, having already anticipated her willingness to pay this sum.
"We must not underestimate SI:7. We can fool King Varian, but we absolutely cannot fool the spies of SI:7; they have always been the King's eyes and ears. Fortunately, I have some old friends in SI:7. I'm willing to swallow my SI:7 and hope they'll turn a blind eye. To be honest, I don't have much confidence."
Black Dragon Princess clenched her fist, full of confidence, and said, "SI:7 will definitely support us. Many of SI:7's assassins come from the Ravenholdt Manor. Ravenholdt owes my father some favors, and no one dares to owe Black Dragon a favor and not repay it. I can handle this matter."
The Earl showed an unexpected look of surprise and delight:
"In that case, the plan will be perfect. Once all preparations are complete, we will make our deal with King Varian public, so that everyone knows that the Stonemasons' Guild's occupation of the Westfall is legitimate and legal."
Robbie frowned slightly upon hearing this. The Earl clearly wanted to resolve the issue in a relatively peaceful manner, which was certainly the most suitable and ideal solution. However, this did not align with historical records. Robbie voiced his concerns:
"What if King Varian refuses to honor his promise? Would a King willingly cede a piece of his territory? It would bring shame upon the House Wrynn and make the people of Kingdom of Stormwind lose face!"
The Earl suddenly felt a cold wind, shrank back, and whispered:
"That doesn't make sense. We don't want to break away from Kingdom of Stormwind's rule. Look at Westfall now: Murlocs, Pirates, smugglers, Kobolds, Gnolls —the kingdom can't collect a single penny in taxes. Once the Stonemasons' Guild takes control of Westfall, we're willing to submit to Stormwind City and pay taxes. It's beneficial for both of us, Varian has no reason to refuse."
Black Dragon Princess also stated that this was not a difficult problem, enthusiastically saying, "Queen Tiffin and I are very good friends, she will definitely be willing to come forward as a witness. The Queen of Stormwind City is quite persuasive."
Considering subsequent historical developments, Robbie's expression changed, easily conjuring up a terrifying ending:
"What if King Varian murders his own queen and then frames the Stonemasons' Guild? I know they don't get along; Queen Tiffin hates Orcs very much."
" In Kingdom of Stormwind, no one doesn't hate Orcs, except for King Varian," the Earl muttered to himself, his expression immediately turning serious as he recalled Robbie's suggestion.
The Black Dragon Princess was also pondering, her dragon eyes flashing with a vicious light. "I must say, it's entirely possible. King Varian is capable of such a thing; he has said more than once that he wants to kill the Queen."
Robbie looked at the two of them and summarized seriously:
"Don't pin your hopes for peace on the King's mercy and fairness. You simply don't understand King Varian's stubbornness and the strong bond he has with the Orcs. In this world, only strength matters. My suggestion is to instigate a rebellion to make Varian realize the power of the Stonemasons' Guild. Queen Tiffin is a very good pawn. If possible, bring her to Westfall. Every royal family has secrets they don't want others to know, and this way, King Varian won't dare to actually wage war against Westfall."
"I like this plan." The Black Dragon Princess nodded.
"And then what? Are we just going to live as thugs in the Westfall?" Earl Agramande was thinking further ahead; he didn't want his descendants to live in the shadows.
"Then you'll have to clear your name step by step," Robbie continued, following the historical narrative. "Varian will certainly not let you off the hook, slandering the Stonemasons' Guild as an illegal mob. Why not play along? You can form a resistance organization, defeat yourselves in the name of the people, and thus legally govern the Westfall."
"Our Stonemasons' Guild comprises Elites from all walks of life in Lordaeron. With a little training, we could become a powerful army. How could we possibly be defeated by a bunch of militia and farmers? Who would believe such a lie?" Earl Agramande expressed his concern.
"Some people will believe it. People's demands are very low; they just want to know the outcome. Few people are willing to pursue the truth," Robbie said with certainty.
Black Dragon Princess nodded. "That's a good idea. How about calling it the People's Militia?"
Robbie suddenly realized that he had inadvertently become one of the founders of the Defias Brotherhood and was planning Brotherhood future development. This feeling of creating history with his own hands was indescribably wonderful.
Earl Agramande was carefully making notes in his notebook, while the Black Dragon Princess looked down at Stormwind City, which resembled a crouching behemoth, and spread her arms wide, expressing her ambition and ideals:
"I've always dreamed of having my own country. I need to keep this a secret from Medivh, or at least make him forget about this place. I need to control King Varian. I will ensure my people live comfortable lives, peaceful and prosperous, far from the ravages of war. I will make those nobles fear me, let them know who the true master of Stormwind City is. Of course, I don't need the people to worship me; I am a Black Dragon, and I know they are not meant to be."
"Don't you have any higher ideals besides these?" Robbie asked.
"What ideal?" Black Dragon Princess asked, puzzled.
"Like your father, protecting Azeroth or something like that." Robbie thought of Guardian, the Deathwing.
The Black Dragon Princess shook her head dismissively.
Robbie suddenly realized something, but didn't say anything.
The Black Dragon Princess herself was unaware that this sense of responsibility and obligation had already been written into her very bones and into her blood, just as she protected the Black Dragon Kingdom of Stormwind without asking for anything in return.
"By the way, you must remember, never make enemies of Arthas. If one day King Varian requests that Westfall send troops to attack Arthas, just send a small force as a show of force."
Earl Agramande was stunned, and after a long while, he said, "Why does King Varian want to attack Prince Arthas?"
Oh!
Robbie grew anxious; he realized that Arthas had not yet become the Lich King.
Black Dragon Princess Onyxia, the black dragon, looked closely at Robbie and said meaningfully:
"Why not have you become the leader of the Stonemasons' Guild? Earl Agramande is a muddle-headed old man; he'll surely be dead one day. Human life is so fragile."
The Earl looked utterly helpless.
"Hey, am I stepping down so soon? Don't you need to ask for my opinion?"
Although the Earl said this, he had no objection to Robbie being the leader.
The violent organizations that will be openly and covertly fighting against Stormwind City in the future need a strong leader to oversee them, and from every perspective, Robbie is more suitable Earl Agramande.
"I have many important things to accomplish," Robbie politely declined. "You can rest assured, I will be there when you need me."
The Black Cat whispered in Robbie's ear, "The time has come."
The Black Cat's presence was very strange; even the Black Dragon Princess couldn't sense it. Robbie nodded, bid farewell to the Black Dragon Princess and Earl Agramande, and, guided by the Black Cat, landed in Stormwind City's most chaotic Old Town.
Black Dragon Princess stared thoughtfully at Robbie's retreating figure.
Earl Agramande looked puzzled. "What is this person's background? Such powerful Power of the Holy Light; I remember that even Uther the Lightbringer's disciples were no match for him."
The Black Dragon Princess shook her head and whispered to the Earl, "I believe he comes from the future, but he doesn't have the scent of the Caverns of Time on him, which is very incredible."