Robbie didn't know much about Prince Marty, the Trade Prince.
Marty was born a commoner, but because of his nimble fingers and superb skills, he was selected by the Burning Legion's technicians. He once repaired seven Fel Reaver without sleep for three days and three nights, making great contributions to the Legion.
With the Legion's covert support, Marty became the Trade Prince of Rustwater Port. It is said that the Legion bestowed upon him mysterious powers, and his personal strength was quite good. However, like all Goblin merchants, Marty was extremely afraid of death.
Competition among Goblin nobles is ruthless, and assassination is commonplace. Following the example of the previous Trade Princes, Marty chose several doubles to stand in the limelight, and no one knows where the real Marty is.
Robbie wanted to invade directly, but he couldn't find Marty's real body. The Trade Prince's hiding place was always very well hidden. It was said that the previous Trade Prince had died many years ago and no one knew about it. His double was still active in Rustwater Port.
Rick, true to his reputation as a local strongman in Rustwater Port, knew all the ins and outs here. He reluctantly took out ten Almond Biscuit Coins to buy information and learned the whereabouts of a fallen nobleman.
After some haggling, Rick bought an invitation from the impoverished nobleman for the "high price" of fifteen Almond Biscuit Coins.
However, Rick did one more thing: he wrote a secret letter, hid it in his shoe cabinet, and then came to see Robbie with a fawning expression, vividly recounting the origin of the invitation:
"My lord, I purchased this invitation from a fallen nobleman whose father was once a prominent Mogul in Rustwater Port."
In the Goblin business hierarchy, the Mogul are second only to the Trade Princes.
Rick said with a mixture of envy and disdain:
"Marty was penniless back then. The woman he loved looked down on him and went to a rich man, the one who is now a fallen nobleman. Later, Marty became wealthy and drove the Mogul family into bankruptcy. Now, on his daughter's birthday, Marty specially invited this former Mogul's son to a banquet to show off his own riches. It's a very private banquet, and invitations are very limited. The poor young man doesn't even have a decent set of clothes, so he had to sell them to me."
It was a very cliché story. Robbie examined the invitation; it was just an ordinary postcard. Despite being a prominent Trade Prince, Marty was quite stingy.
Robbie asked, still uneasy, "With this invitation, are we guaranteed to meet the real Marty?"
Rick, with a shrewd look on his face, patted his chest, which was covered in ribs, and assured him:
"Marty is very careful. His banquet is secured by robots that only recognize invitations, not people. He dotes on his daughter and will definitely show up at the banquet."
Robbie nodded, paid the remaining balance, but didn't let Rick leave, falling into thought.
"My lord, is there anything else I can do for you?" Rick asked cautiously.
"This is a difficult choice." Robbie glanced at the Ogres and Kezan Trolls beside him and said calmly, "Before you betray me to Marty, do you want the Kezan Trolls to cook you and eat you, or do you want the Ogres to devour you alive?"
The Ogre captain grinned, revealing an ugly smile. The Kezan Troll remained unmoved, simply removing his shield—a round, pot-shaped shield perfect for cooking meat, including Goblins.
Rick trembled with fear and quickly knelt on the ground, sweat streaming down his face. He mustered his courage and tried to struggle again, but Robbie laughed and said:
"Don't tell anyone you told a friend the secret; that letter is in your shoe cabinet."
Rick was utterly desperate, collapsing to the ground and trembling.
Robbie looked him over carefully. "How did you figure out I was an imposter Goblin?"
Rick replied, trembling, "You look at us completely differently than those Goblin lords; your gaze carries a sense of equality, rather than heartfelt disgust and contempt."
Robbie frowned slightly. He thought his magical disguise was flawless, but he didn't expect there to be such a flaw. Of course, Rick, who was able to see through this flaw, had a level of knowledge and insight that ordinary Goblins could not match.
"Interesting." Robbie's words exuded unwavering confidence. "Actually, I'm not worried at all about you betraying me to Marty. The power I wield is far beyond what a mere Goblin tribe can match. If I wanted to, I could raze Rustwater Port to the ground with a single command."
Rick stared in surprise, his eyes widening. After a long pause, he finally said, "You are a lord from the Burning Legion?"
Robbie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he decided to play along, a Fel energy appearing in his hand. "Little Goblin, you have a good eye; you guessed correctly."
Rick wept bitterly, sobbing, "My lord, if I had known you were from the Burning Legion, I would never have dared to betray you to Marty. Please spare my life, my lord. I am willing to serve you."
This Goblin quite clever; we can make use of him. Robbie nodded and asked, "The Legion never takes in trash. You need to demonstrate your abilities. What do you know about Marty? The more details, the better."
Rick was indeed clever enough. He guessed that the Burning Legion had sent people to secretly investigate whether Marty had betrayed the Legion, and hurriedly said, "I've heard some rumors. Marty used to sell weapons to the Kingdom of Stormwind and the Dwarves of Ironforge. He's a profit-driven guy who has forgotten the Legion's kindness."
This is not surprising, Goblins typically only care about gold coins and have no principles.
"Anything else?" Robbie's tone suggested he didn't care about any of that.
Desperate to survive, Rick thought for a long time before saying, "Marty is in league with Jaina. I've heard that Jaina's emissaries once entered Rustwater Port."
Rick was, after all, just a local bully in Rustwater Port and was unaware of the true relationship between Jaina, the Orcs, and the Burning Legion. He simply believed that humans and Orcs were natural enemies.
Robbie stood up and said authoritatively:
"Rick, to tell you the truth, the Legion doesn't trust Marty. They need to know everything about him to ensure everything goes smoothly. I'm taking you to Marty's banquet. I hope you can act accordingly. This isn't just a chance for your life; if Marty really betrays the Legion, Rustwater Port needs a new Trade Prince to replace him."
Rick was so excited that he trembled and quickly swore an oath to serve the Burning Legion.
At Trade Prince Marty's mansion, Rick, dressed in new clothes, looked every bit the part of a true Goblin nobleman, exuding an air of importance. The banquet was small, attended by only a few people, mostly relatives or friends. Rick greeted each Goblin with neither servility nor arrogance.
With the Burning Legion's leader as his backer, this guy's demeanor has completely changed.
Then, Trade Prince's daughter Nissa, appeared.
She wore a full blue bodysuit and a diamond dragonfly hair clip, but unfortunately Robbie couldn't appreciate the Goblin's beauty.
Rick was immediately captivated by Nissa, exclaiming in astonishment, "My God, her skin is as beautiful as a deep green ocean, her eyes are like the night in an emerald mine, and the brilliance of her hair makes even a diamond hairpin pale in comparison!"
"Act like a true aristocrat and invite her to dance," Robbie commanded. "Your new task is to find out what she has to say from women."