The Lion's Pride Inn

The current wasn't very fast, and the small fishing boat drifted downstream. Massive Elwynn Ancient Trees passed by on both sides, with occasional glimpses of lone or pack Forest Wolves. Li Shaolin secretly broke out in a cold sweat—if he hadn't followed this uncle by water, he'd probably have had a rough time of it. After drifting slowly for about two hours, the river ahead suddenly narrowed. Seven or eight naturally formed boulders were half-submerged in the water, cutting the channel's width in half. The uncle chuckled and said, "Past this, we're halfway there. Another hour and we'll see the road. Youngster, you can get off there." Li Shaolin asked in confusion, "Uncle, you're not stopping there?" The uncle replied, "We've still got a ways to go. We're heading to Stonefield Farm up ahead—that's only a quarter of the journey. Getting back a bit late today, I'm afraid the missus will nag again." He reached out and ruffled the boy's head with a smile, though his face couldn't hide a hint of sweetness. Clearly, this old couple's life was quite pleasant. The boy, sharp as a tack, said, "I hope we don't run into those wretched Gnolls. Every week when I go fishing, Mom always worries." Gnolls—another Warcraft species. It really seemed like a balanced world. There was even some guy named Hogger, if he remembered right. Li Shaolin recalled that back when he was around level 10, he'd had to team up with a small party to take that one down.

When the moon hung high in the sky, faint lights appeared ahead, and a wooden bridge gradually came into view. As they drew closer, the uncle smiled and said, "Youngster, you've arrived. There should be a carriage to Goldshire even this late. Good luck." Li Shaolin thanked him repeatedly. Once he'd disembarked, the uncle poled the boat away, his voice carrying from a distance: "Come by Stonefield Farm sometime—remember to have a drink with me!" Li Shaolin acknowledged with a shout and stepped onto the wooden bridge.

The bridge was about six or seven meters wide and over ten meters long. Just as he crossed it, a voice called out, "Who goes there?" Looking up, he saw two guards in silver armor, holding swords and shields, standing on the bridge. Damn, aren't these Stormwind Guards? Li Shaolin grumbled inwardly. But he didn't dare be careless—he remembered that in the game, these guards could take down a Forest Wolf in a few swings, and he probably wasn't a match for them. He quickly said, "I'm an adventurer, heading to Goldshire." The two guards looked him up and down without much suspicion—adventurers were a dime a dozen. One with a long face said, "Wait here. A carriage should be passing by soon." Li Shaolin nodded hastily. Sure enough, before long, a two-horse carriage came racing through the night. It stopped at the guards' post, and the old driver pulled out a few copper coins and handed them over. The guard nodded and said, "There's a professional here heading to Goldshire too. He wants a ride—50 coppers. Take him along." So tolls were a thing here too, Li Shaolin thought. The old man pulled open the door and waved Li Shaolin in, saying, "It's a two-hour ride to Goldshire." Luckily, he had two gold coins on him, so he wasn't worried about the fare. Bending down to enter the carriage, he found it packed with seven or eight people. Five were ordinary civilians, and three were actually professionals!

A human female mage in a blue robe, clutching a crooked staff, was flipping through something like a scroll in the corner. Beside her sat a Paladin uncle and a Rogue uncle. The Paladin had flowing golden hair, and with a two-handed hammer at his feet, he looked quite dashing. In contrast, the Rogue seemed far more shifty. He had a sturdy, muscular build, a flat-top haircut, a set of linen leather armor, and two daggers slanted at his waist. With his thick, short eyebrows and a little black mustache, Li Shaolin couldn't help but smirk inwardly, imagining what he'd look like sneaking around.

He found a spot on the bench and sat down. Outside, the old driver shouted, and the carriage began to jolt forward. A stranger in a strange land, Li Shaolin didn't dare casually greet the three professionals, so he just closed his eyes to rest. They paid him no mind either—hitching a ride halfway was far too common. Then the female mage's soft voice gently broke the silence: "Jack, this quest Aunt Bonis Stonefield gave us to find the necklace—tracking it down from that thieving kid Billy, it ended up in the hands of the Kobolds. The three of us might have a hard time finishing it." Before the Paladin could reply, the shifty Rogue chimed in, "Those damned Kobolds! They've taken over several mines in Elwynn Forest, and that damned Defias Brotherhood too—all of them deserve to die!" The Paladin Jack shot him a look, and the Rogue immediately shut up. But then he added, "That greedy little brat made us get him a pie before he'd tell us the necklace was snatched by the Kobolds. I say we just drop this quest. The Kobolds around there are all holed up in Fargodeep Mine, and I hear their leader Goldtooth is pretty tough." The Paladin shook his head and said, "The Kobolds don't have much conflict with humans, and there are rarely reports of them harming people. But they've still occupied what little mineral resources we have. I heard that Remy and William Speed in Goldshire are putting out quests for gold dust and candles. If we find a few more professionals and go together, it shouldn't be too hard." The Rogue and the mage fell silent after that.

Goldtooth, Kobolds—back in the day, he could slice through them like butter. When did they get so tough? Li Shaolin mused. And that mage chick had a nice figure too—curves in all the right places, nothing like the bloated, chunky models in the game. Heh, maybe he could try to hit on her? A lecherous grin crept onto his face. The three professionals saw this guy acting like a dazed fool since he got on the carriage. The mage tugged at the Paladin's sleeve and whispered, "Is this guy mentally off or something?" The Rogue just rolled his eyes at her.

He didn't know how long had passed, but Li Shaolin felt like he'd basically dozed off. Then, a horse's whinny came from outside, and the old driver tapped the carriage shaft, saying, "Young folks, we're at Goldshire. Everyone off." Li Shaolin clapped his hands and jumped down. Before him, wooden and stone houses stretched out in layers, connected by four massive roads cutting through the buildings in several directions. It was the dead of night, and their carriage had stopped outside a huge three-story building. Lights blazed inside, and a large sign hung above the entrance: Lion's Pride Inn. The old driver called out, "Emma! Emma! Where are you? Come take my horses to the stable and feed them—they've had a rough trip!" A stout woman responded. The old man turned to Li Shaolin and said, "Youngster, you haven't paid the fare yet." Li Shaolin froze for a moment, then quickly fished out a gold coin and handed it over. The three professionals who had just gotten off were startled—they hadn't expected this scatterbrained guy to be carrying a fortune. One gold coin was enough to cover dozens of quests for them. The old man shook his head: "I can't make change for that much. Go find the innkeeper Fale to rent a room—I'll collect from him later, haha! That guy still owes me a few pints of Lion's Black Beer!" With that, he wandered off toward the cluster of houses, disappearing into one of the wooden huts in the blink of an eye.

A wave of drowsiness hit him. The three professionals had already entered the inn. Li Shaolin put the gold coin back in his pocket and followed them in. After a turn, a large hall appeared before him. Rows of tables were lined with an array of beer, candles, milk, and other goods. Above, a huge chandelier hung from a wooden beam, and the fireplace cast a blazing glow across the room.