The Stormshield barracks was where Death Knights from Acherus: The Ebon Hold could be hired.
Many commanders in Lunarfall came from distinguished families and lacked adventuring experience. To protect these scions of the nobility, Acherus: The Ebon Hold had introduced a Death Knight bodyguard service at just the right time. It was good value and affordable, making it especially popular. Of course, the Death Knights varied in strength, so it came down to a commander's luck and judgment.
Vanessa's eyes shone as she said smugly to Robbie in a low voice, "I have inside information. The best of this batch of Death Knight bodyguards is named Delvar Ironfist, and nobody's hired him yet. Heh heh, he won't escape this princess's clutches."
The bad-tempered dwarf follower! It seemed he was just like his game counterpart.
But Commander, was it really a good idea to call them your "clutches"?
Robbie hurried to open the door for the commander, diligently performing his duties as a follower.
Vanessa looked straight ahead and moved forward with graceful steps. Her penetrating voice rang throughout the barracks:
"Excuse me, which one of you is Delvar Ironfist?"
Clatter, clatter. After a commotion like chickens flying and dogs scattering, more than thirty Death Knights rushed out of the barracks, all clad in helmets and armor. They formed three rows in front of the pair.
Vanessa's smug expression froze instantly. Her eyes flickered as she asked in confusion, "I'm looking for Delvar Ironfist."
"That's me."
"No, I'm him."
"We all are."
"You're impersonating me!"
"No, you're impersonating me."
The Death Knights erupted into an uproar and nearly came to blows.
Robbie shook his head repeatedly as he watched, lamenting how times had changed and people were no longer what they once were. Delvar Ironfist was a dwarf! What was a gnome doing stepping forward? And that sleazy Night Elf, could he wipe the gunk from his eyes first? Was there really any need to impersonate a top student? It was all because jobs were so hard to find.
Vanessa slapped her forehead, then quickly regained her composure. Looking perfectly calm, she said to Robbie as though nothing had happened, "I'll go see if the luggage has arrived. I'll leave this to you. Hire whoever you see fit, and we'll meet at the Flight Point afterward." With that, she handed Robbie a signed and stamped certificate of employment.
"Commander, this..." Robbie looked troubled. Needless to say, this was a test for him.
"I'm counting on you. You said you'd become an excellent follower, didn't you? I wouldn't want my first follower cleaning toilets." Vanessa's expression was cool, but a faint, slightly smug smile still crept onto her lips, revealing two little canines. She looked particularly adorable in that instant.
"Don't worry, Commander. Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll get it done." Robbie was brimming with confidence. That smile alone made it worthwhile.
Five minutes later, Robbie arrived at the Stormshield Flight Point with a dwarf Death Knight.
Vanessa's luggage had already arrived: a huge pile of bulging thirty-two-slot bags. Several workers were sweating profusely as they secured the luggage to the Gryphons' backs, ready to transport it to Lunarfall.
"That fast?" Vanessa was somewhat surprised.
"Speed is essential in war." Robbie wore an expression that said she could count on him to get things done.
Vanessa's expression cooled. She felt Robbie had simply done a perfunctory job and snorted. "If you dare fob me off, you'll be in charge of the garrison's toilets."
Commander, could we stop bringing up toilets all the time?
Robbie hurriedly explained, "Don't worry, there's no mistake. You can tell Delvar Ironfist is a dwarf just from his name!"
"I know, but there were more than twenty dwarves..." Vanessa looked doubtful.
Robbie immediately said, "This dwarf has a terrible temper. Top students are usually like that."
Vanessa's expression froze, and her gaze grew sharp as knives. Clearly dissatisfied with Robbie's reasoning, she resumed her haughty manner. From the look of her, she was plainly about to breathe Shadowflame.
"Wait, Commander, please hear me out. I had a perfectly good reason for hiring this dwarf." Seeing Vanessa's displeased expression and realizing she might lose her temper at any moment, Robbie hurried on, "While I was in Stormshield, I devoted myself to training, seeking the path of the Holy Light, but I could never achieve what I hoped for. So I tried to gain enlightenment between life and death..."
"Get to the point." Vanessa was very impatient.
"All right! Actually, there's no need to hire that Delvar Ironfist in particular. We just need to hire the strongest Death Knight in the barracks. To train in the Holy Light, I've dueled every Death Knight in the barracks these past few days, and this one was the strongest."
Delvar Ironfist looked disdainful. "You're someone I defeated. You're not worth mentioning," he said in a muffled voice.
Damn it, Robbie nearly exploded. Could he not do that? They were going to be coworkers! Would it kill him to show a little consideration?
Considering that the Death Knight had already died once, Robbie decided not to stoop to his level.
Vanessa glanced at Delvar Ironfist and did something strange. She pulled down her black blindfold, covering her pair of bright, sharp eyes.
Commander, you're not a Demon Hunter. Can you see anything like that? Wait, Robbie noticed the sharp gaze piercing through the blindfold. No, it was mainly the black blindfold. What were those faint magical fluctuations coming from it?
Robbie realized the blindfold was no ordinary item. It was very likely a piece of epic-grade equipment.
Vanessa spoke casually, boasting about herself as if in passing:
"Sargeras's Cursed Vision, a trophy from the Black Temple. It's the only genuine one; all the others are copies. The copies can only track demons, but the genuine one can see a person's true attributes. This dwarf's strength is decent, which proves you weren't lying. Well done. You don't have to clean the toilets for now."
Commander, could you stop saying the word "toilet"? Enough, really, enough. Robbie's face was full of bitterness.
Robbie rode a Gryphon with Vanessa to Shadowmoon Valley.
Lunarfall was the territory Prophet Velen had assigned to the Alliance Expedition, where commanders could build garrisons to serve as bases for attacking the Iron Horde. By now, several garrisons had already been completed, standing close together in magnificent splendor.
In principle, only adventurers who had passed the Dark Portal's trial were qualified to enter Draenor, become commanders, recruit followers, build garrisons, defeat the Iron Horde, seize the spoils of war, and reach the pinnacle of life.
Unfortunately, the battle at the Dark Portal had been so brutal that some had died and others had gone missing. Only a handful had survived. If they relied on those few people, who knew how long it would take to defeat the Iron Horde?
So Khadgar discussed it with Uncle Maraad, and they decided to relax the rules.
Three hundred plots of land in Lunarfall were set aside for the time being, with more to be added later as appropriate. Anyone holding a commander's certificate issued by Archmage Khadgar was qualified to recruit followers and build a garrison there. Guards from the Alliance's major races would also be stationed there free of charge to provide security.
Of course, the commander's certificates weren't free. Each cost five hundred thousand gold, with no haggling, and came with Archmage Khadgar's personal signature and a magical watermark. Counterfeiting would be prosecuted.
And money alone wasn't enough to buy one.
One had to be a veteran adventurer with a clean, unblemished record. Anyone with a history of stealing gold or scamming game-time cards was disqualified. The adventurer also had to have made outstanding contributions to Azeroth, with both character and contributions that inspired confidence.
Alternatively, one could be a scion of the nobility from a distinguished family, backed by a major house.
The result was predictable. Noble scions seeking to gild their reputations flocked in, and the three hundred commanders of Lunarfall became known as the Dark Portal's three hundred warriors. But how many of them genuinely wanted to fight the Iron Horde? Heh heh, that was anyone's guess. Judging by the styles of their garrisons alone, every one was an ocean-view home, a resort, or a luxury villa, built for maximum comfort.
It looked more like they intended to develop tourism and real estate.
From the commander's certificates alone, Khadgar and Uncle Maraad made a fortune and grinned from ear to ear. No wonder Khadgar had shouted so excitedly in front of the Dark Portal, "The opportunity has come."
Damn it, the mystery was finally solved. The opportunity to make a fortune had come.
Of course, compared with Thrall of the Horde and his bold, lavish approach, Khadgar and Maraad's methods seemed far too timid, rigid, and lacking in creativity.
Even all the way over in Stormshield, Thrall's hard-driving style was still making waves, and almost everyone in the Alliance knew about it.
At Frostwall in Frostfire Ridge, Thrall had marked out eight hundred plots of land in one go.
On the Alliance side, the sale of commander's certificates still had to be kept quiet and conducted in private, lest people find fault with them. Thrall, on the other hand, bundled the commander's certificates directly with land deeds and put them up at the auction house, with a starting price of 2.5 million gold for the highest bidder to claim.
On the advice of his think tank, he used scarcity marketing, releasing only a limited number of certificates at a time to build hype and create a trend. He boasted about Draenor's environment, deliberately drove up prices, and partnered with the Bilgewater Cartel to offer high-interest mortgage loans.
With Thrall directing the operation and Gallywix, trade prince of the Bilgewater Cartel, lending his full support, the Horde's real estate business flourished. Every commander's certificate sold for several times its starting price.
They had turned the perfectly good World of Warcraft into a domestic online game for big spenders.
Thrall's old father, Durotan, chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, had never dreamed that land in Frostfire Ridge, a godforsaken dump, could sell for such astronomical prices. Even then, the buyers didn't receive full ownership, only usage rights for seventy years. This provoked strong dissatisfaction among the long-lived Blood Elves, who joined the Undead in putting pressure on Thrall, but to little effect.
When the Iron Horde learned of this, Grom Hellscream and several other big shots couldn't sleep well for nights, constantly muttering, "Times have changed." War didn't bring in money as fast as real estate, so how could the big shots not be envious? Morale in the army had already begun to waver.
Learning what these important figures were doing, Robbie sighed with emotion.
"What are we cannon fodder risking our lives for, anyway?"
After dismounting from the Gryphon, Robbie looked around and saw desolation everywhere, with weeds growing wild. Cawing came in bursts from the ravens in the dense woods.
"Commander, where is our grand and magnificent garrison?"
Delvar Ironfist asked bluntly. Something had to be wrong with this guy's head. Robbie hurriedly pulled him aside. Where were his manners? How could he speak to the commander like that?
Vanessa tilted her cute little head and pointed. "Can't you see it? It's right here. This is the land I marked out!"
There was only an Alliance flag, for goodness' sake, and five shivering workers.
The quest chain wasn't right. She'd gone to Stormshield to recruit followers before the garrison was even built. She was getting something for nothing.
...All right, the details weren't important.
"Actually, I'm a powerful Discipline Priest!" Vanessa said solemnly. "I know Power Word: Shield, Prayer of Mending, Flash Heal, Power Infusion, Pain Suppression, and so on. Anyway, I know all the healing skills. As for talents, there's Desperate Prayer, Spectral Guise, Angelic Bulwark, Body and Soul, Angelic Feather..."
She was clearly a very promising rogue, so why did she insist on being a Priest on the side?
"I understand, Commander. You're very powerful." Robbie offered a few words of praise he didn't mean.
"Good, as long as you understand!" Vanessa gave a few smug hums.
You just don't want to dirty your Enchanter's Robe, so you plan to stay in the back and heal, don't you?
Robbie rubbed his chin and asked tentatively, "Commander, you haven't neglected to learn any Priest damage skills, have you?"
"Who says? Mind Flay is what I'm best at. Want to try it?" Vanessa retorted.
"No need. My mind has already suffered serious damage."
Robbie hurriedly waved his hands and begged for mercy. Forcing himself to look unconcerned, he said, "It's enough for a Priest to be able to heal. What quests do we have?"
Vanessa pulled out her quest log, glanced at it, and read aloud carefully, "Quest one: mark eight trees for felling. Quest two: kill six Lunarfall Ravens, six..."
"Commander, are you sure it's six?" Dark lines seemed to appear on Robbie's forehead. "Judging by those sounds, there must be at least sixty!"
Vanessa drew in her neck and said quietly, "I picked out a good plot of land on purpose. I didn't expect there to be a few too many ravens... It doesn't matter. As far as I'm concerned, there's no difference between six and sixty."
There's a huge difference! Robbie couldn't help complaining inwardly.
The plot was indeed good, with an open view, mountains and water nearby, defensible terrain, fresh air, and abundant vegetation.
Likewise, the Lunarfall Ravens had taken a liking to the place. There was a very large Lunarfall Raven nest nearby.
When Prophet Velen led the expedition to Lunarfall, he had mentioned that there were some Lunarfall Ravens here, but not many. On average, it would be enough for each commander to kill six, so the quest had been issued in a hurry.
The problem was that Lunarfall Ravens weren't evenly distributed. If there weren't any on one's own land, there was naturally no need to bother with them.
And so, with Delvar Ironfist as the tank, Vanessa as the healer, and Robbie dealing damage, they began their campaign to eliminate the Lunarfall Ravens.