Dividing Elwynn

"Strange. Miser Capol was greedy and cunning—why had he let us leave so easily?" Sulonna muttered to herself as she walked.

"Stop thinking about it. Are we still going to the Deadmines next? Wasn't VanCleef about to fight the People's Army leader at Sentinel Hill?" Li Shaolin asked. Behind him, five skeletons and the Clay Golem followed closely.

Sulonna stopped. "What do you think?"

"I think we definitely can't go back to the Deadmines. We don't know whether the People's Army is really going to attack Moonbrook Town, but Defias is a complete mess right now. If you went back, who knew how VanCleef would deal with you?" Li Shaolin stopped as well, sat on a stone slab, and spoke while drinking water.

"That's true. The Brotherhood in Westfall has split into four factions now, and the Deadmines faction is the most dangerous. It's not just the People's Army's attack, there's also..." She hesitated for a while, staring at Li Shaolin without finishing her sentence.

"What is it? Is there something on my face? Oh, right, are you thirsty? Here, have some water." Seeing Sulonna looking at him strangely, he hurriedly looked himself over. Nothing seemed wrong.

"No. Something should have happened inside the Deadmines too. Didn't you know?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Li Shaolin found it strange.

"It has to do with your uncle, Karnak. You know, he's a mage and also the Scourge Legion's representative in Westfall. Of course, I only know part of his plan. It was probably to spread plague in the southern Deadmines and transform people into Undead. He's been missing for so many days. I figure those Undead should be appearing by now. Oh, right, aren't you with the Scourge Legion too? Do you know anything?" Sulonna tugged at his sleeve and asked curiously.

"Cough, cough. He never mentioned it to me." Whenever Karnak came up, Li Shaolin got a headache. That uncle-nephew relationship had only been something he improvised, and the old man had long since reported to hell. Was he supposed to tell her the truth?

Sulonna blew the dust off the stone slab and sat down beside him. "At this rate, VanCleef will be driven mad sooner or later. Tell me, who should I choose to join?"

"Why do you have to join someone else? Can't you become an adventurer?" Li Shaolin turned to ask. Her body pressed close against his, and a faint fragrance drifted to his nose.

Hearing that, Sulonna sighed. "Stormwind City has a file on me. It won't accept me. Even if other lords wanted to recruit me, they couldn't. Other than following the rebellious Defias, I have no other choice."

"Rebellion?" Li Shaolin suddenly had an idea. "How about going back to Elwynn?"

"What would I go back for? It's already a scattered mess over there." Sulonna shook her head dejectedly, then froze as if she understood something. She grabbed both his hands. "You mean I should go back and gather them?"

"That's right. Claim a territory for yourself. You have the Consignee's Ring, and all the Defias funds in Elwynn are in your hands. It shouldn't be hard to buy over a few capable rogues." As an outsider, Li Shaolin had none of that so-called loyalty, so naturally he thought of carving things up.

"Do you think I can succeed?" Sulonna seemed startled by her own treasonous thought, but she was the sort of formidable woman who quickly cast aside her girlish hesitation and asked in a firm tone.

This woman really changed fast. Over the past few days, Li Shaolin had usually taken the lead while she was only responsible for roasting food or occasionally lending a hand. After several days, he had actually forgotten that she had originally been one of Defias's seven captains.

"Do you remember the treasure at Fabron's Farm? Once you return to Elwynn Forest, quickly use a ship to transport it back. I'm worried Fabron's Farm will sooner or later be occupied by other rogues as well. With those two sums combined, it should be enough." Li Shaolin took out the Pocket Watch that opened Fabron's treasure from Storage Space and placed it in her hand.

The woman hesitated slightly, then gripped it tightly. "What about you? Are you coming with me?"

Li Shaolin shook his head. "I'm going to take a look at that so-called Dust Plains and see what's going on with the Scourge Legion over there." Deep down, he still did not want such a beautiful place to become the Plaguelands.

"All right. Then I'll leave for Elwynn now. Lin, take care of yourself." Sulonna was not one to fuss over sentiment. Understanding the stakes, she immediately stood up.

"Oh, right. Once you reach Elwynn, if you encounter any real danger, you can ask the Stonemason Family for help. And if something truly serious happens—if your life is in danger—go to Fargodeep Mine. Here, take this Space Belt." Li Shaolin removed the eight-slot belt gifted to him by the mage from Azshara's Tower and handed it to Sulonna. After all, they had known each other for a while.

"Fine! I'll take the Official Road and get myself a horse. I'll be there in a day!" Sulonna nodded without asking why. She turned and left.

Only when her graceful yet lonely figure gradually vanished from sight did Li Shaolin unknowingly let out a sigh. She was the first woman he had been intimate with since coming to this other world—though he did not know what had happened at Stonefield Farm—and she was also the only person who knew he possessed skeletons. Everyone else who had seen them had been killed, and when he was at Golden Coast Mine, he had covered his face with a Defias mask. The feeling left an emptiness in his heart, and he felt strangely upset.

"Fine. Tonight, I'll find a big Sunken Ship and sleep alone!" Although it was still early, he was in a bad mood and could not be bothered to continue traveling.

That was what he thought, but man proposed and heaven disposed. While searching for a place to rest, he ran into several groups of Murlocs in succession and could not get away, leaving him no choice but to fight them. Fortunately, he now had a Fire Skeleton Mage, and his offensive strength had increased considerably, so he was not afraid of them. Before he knew it, night had fallen. At the same time, dark clouds filled the sky, and rain was clearly about to fall.

At last, the Black Skeleton sliced off the final Murloc's head with a single slash. A thunderclap followed, and lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating half the sea. In the next instant, rain poured down in torrents!

Li Shaolin hurriedly took out the Book of the Dead and stored the Clay Golem inside. He had just taken an umbrella out of Storage Space when a fierce wind howled past, instantly blowing the umbrella into the sky. It vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Damn, what kind of crazy rain is this? Why did it come so suddenly? I wonder how Sulonna is doing." Within moments, he was soaked through. The raindrops were as large as silkworm beans, striking his cheeks painfully.

Lightning flashed across the sky once more. In the distance, he vaguely saw a light. There seemed to be a Lighthouse there.

Seeing the light ahead, Li Shaolin was overjoyed. He had no desire to spend the night getting drenched beneath this torrential rain. Never mind whether he would get sick—the temperature alone was enough to make him suffer.

He hurried forward through the rain, stumbling through the mud as he made his way toward the place illuminated by that light.