New Business

The midday sun was like molten gold, splashing across the white marble paving of Theramore's central square. Over a hundred Elf Rangers stood in formation, their leather armor gleaming with a cold sheen beneath the blazing sun. Their longbows hung diagonally across their backs, quivers neatly suspended at their waists, every arrowhead carefully polished. Their bowstrings refracted scattered starlike glimmers in the sunlight. Behind them stood even more High Elf civilians preparing to join Theramore.

Sylvanas stood atop the platform and began the oath before all her kin. "We once swore an oath to the Sunwell." Her voice was like tempered steel, clear and cold as it reached every elf's ears. "Today, we swear an oath to survival."

The Rangers raised their longbows in unison. The hum of taut bowstrings joined together in the air like the beating wings of a swarm of bees. Their arrows pointed diagonally toward the sky, their sharp heads forming a shifting sea of light under the sun. The other citizens watching from nearby let out quiet gasps of amazement. They had never seen a ritual so elegant and solemnly lethal.

Jaina stood in the shadows of the viewing platform, unconsciously stroking the shaft of her crystal staff. The arcane gem at its tip flickered faintly with her movements. Her gaze swept across the crowd in the square before finally settling on Deren beside her.

"Tonight." She tilted her head slightly, lowering her voice until only Deren could hear. "I'm hosting a banquet at the Mage Tower, just for you."

Deren replied without shifting his gaze, "It would be my honor."

Onyxia appeared behind Deren at some point, her black skirt brushing past his ankles like a living thing. Her golden slit pupils narrowed as her gaze moved between Jaina and Deren, a dangerous curve lifting at the corner of her lips. "What a touching oath of loyalty."

The two in front: What did you hear?

Night fell, and the Mage Tower's small banquet hall was brightly lit by candles. The dining table was draped in a dark blue tablecloth embroidered with Kul Tiras sea-anchor patterns, while the silverware gleamed with a cold light in the candlelight.

When Deren pushed open the carved wooden doors, he found Onyxia already seated at the far end of the long table. Her slender fingers toyed with a goblet, the red wine within as thick as blood.

"Jaina." The Black Dragon Princess lazily raised her glass, candlelight dancing in her slit pupils. "I hope you don't mind my uninvited arrival."

Jaina stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, moonlight coating her golden hair with a cold glow. Her smile stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to normal. "Of course not, Lady Onyxia."

Deren cleared his throat and took the seat between them. The Crystal Chandelier cast scattered flecks of light into his eyes, cleverly concealing his helplessness.

The attendants silently served the appetizers. Onyxia poked at the lobster with her fork, then suddenly chuckled. "I remember seeing you long ago, at a banquet in Stormwind City. You and Antonidas had come to visit, and this dish was being served." She looked pointedly at Jaina. "Back then, you were still a fledgling apprentice."

Jaina's fingertip lightly slid across her dining knife, and frost quietly spread to its tip. "That was ancient history. I never paid attention to who else sat at those hypocritical banquets."

Deren interjected at the right moment. "Today's oath ceremony was a success." He cut into the lobster, and its fresh, sweet aroma immediately spread through the air. "The elves' emotions were more stable than expected."

"Thanks to your 'miracle medicine.'" Jaina's tone softened, though her eyes remained scrutinizing. "But I'm curious. Can you provide this gas steadily over the long term? What if there are more and more Mana Addiction sufferers later on?"

Deren sat in a velvet armchair, lightly tapping the rim of his crystal glass with a fingertip. "Of course. We simply need to expand the scale. Both production and sales."

"So," Jaina asked tentatively, "you want to turn the gas into a business?"

Deren answered, "Not 'want.' It's 'necessary.'" He set down his glass and withdrew a small Crystal Vial from his inner pocket. Transparent mist slowly swirled within it. "Theramore needs elves, elves need it, and we—" He paused. "Need funding."

Onyxia chuckled. At some point, her nails had turned into pitch-black dragon claws, which lightly scraped across the tabletop and left a scorched mark. "I like this 'we.'"

Jaina tightened her grip on her staff. "Do you know what this means? Kael'thas will never allow it. The elves taking the oath today are only civilians and a small number of Rangers. Perhaps he can tolerate that. But if more elves come to Theramore, he will definitely react. Dalaran will put pressure on me as well."

"That's exactly why," Deren cut in, "it's even more valuable." He rose and walked to the map of Azeroth on the wall, pointing at the ruins of Quel'Thalas. "Dalaran monopolizes magical resources, but Mana Addiction requires enormous quantities of Arcane Crystals. Even Dalaran's stockpile probably won't last long. Besides, not everyone can be allotted crystals. Those Magic Craftsmen may distribute some at fixed times and in fixed amounts to keep them motivated to work. But the Prince and nobles will have to find Arcane Crystals themselves. In their current refugee state, how long can they hold out?" His finger moved across the map and stopped at Theramore. "But Arcane Gas? It's cheap, easy to produce, and—"

"It has side effects. It makes people laugh uncontrollably," Jaina added coldly. After trying it a few times herself, she had not dared use it again. It was far too undignified.

Deren smiled. "More accurately, it 'creates dependency.'" He turned to Jaina. "Think about it. More elves will come to Theramore for it, becoming your craftsmen, soldiers, taxpayers..."

The fire in the fireplace suddenly burst with a shower of sparks.

"And Kael'thas," Onyxia drawled, "will rage like a whelp whose toy has been snatched away." Her slit pupils gleamed in the darkness. "What a delightful sight."

Jaina turned to face the fireplace, its flames dancing in her deep blue eyes. She remembered the elven children curled up in blankets by the docks, the charred lute in the old woman's arms, and the hollow yet yearning gazes of the Rangers during the oath ceremony.

"This is too risky," she finally said in a low voice. "If the Alliance council discovers that we're selling—"

"Not 'we.'" Deren said with a smile. "The Goblins will be more than happy to act as middlemen. Theramore will merely produce a small amount of gas to treat Mana Addiction among its own citizens. No one can criticize that. Anything that leaks out will naturally be the work of greedy Goblins."

Jaina spun around. "You planned this all along?"

Onyxia's laughter was like silk tearing. "Darling, he planned everything." She strolled to Jaina's side, her black dress sweeping across the carpet. "Even your hesitation at this very moment was within his calculations."

Chromie suddenly poked her head out from a Time Rift and said to Jaina, "Human Princess, you'd better listen to Deren. That's the only way to save the lost Prince."

Jaina froze, then asked Chromie, "What do you mean?"

Deren took over. "Imagine this. If the High Elves all suffer a collective Mana Addiction episode and there aren't enough Arcane Crystals for them to drain, what do you think they'll do? Raid Dalaran's magical warehouses? Steal Antonidas's magical artifacts? Maybe even capture mana wyrms to drain them? In the end, everyone will despise them. Who will they have left to rely on? Who in this world can provide limitless magic for them to absorb, asking only for a little of their souls in return?"

"Demons!" Jaina's voice came out dry. "They truly are the only ones who can help them. But that would mean betraying Azeroth and joining the Burning Legion. Kael'thas would be nailed to the pillar of shame."

"When someone is dying of thirst, even a cup of poisoned wine can quench it," Deren said quietly.

"Fine. I can join the gas business. This counts as saving Kael'thas's fate, too," Jaina said firmly.

"Theramore earns money, the High Elves solve their Mana Addiction, and Azeroth gains fewer traitors. See? Isn't that a three-way win?" Deren raised his glass in a distant toast to Jaina. Onyxia covered her face as she laughed softly.

"Oh, Timeline! Where are you branching off to now?" Only the Bronze Dragon lamented.

"How exactly do we do this?" Jaina asked about the details of producing Arcane Gas. "Arcane Gas is merely the product of alchemical materials after arcane heating. It is then pressurized and cooled into liquid, which can be stored in steel cylinders. Onyxia can enslave a Fire Elemental to control the heating. And you can summon an Ice Elemental to cool the gas. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Deren asked.

"As a frost mage, such a trivial matter is no problem at all. But what do we use for pressurization? A wind elemental?" Jaina asked in confusion.

Deren smiled. "That's when we ask the Great Chieftain of our Horde for help. We'll ask them to send a Shaman to communicate with and persuade a wind elemental to pressurize the gas for us."

"Wow, Deren, you really are a genius." Chromie praised him with a grin. "You don't have to do anything. Just let the elementals work for us, then earn the long-ears' gold."

"Interesting!" Onyxia said with a laugh as well. "Enslaving a Fire Elemental would be effortless for me."

"What about the Goblins?" Jaina asked.

"Didn't they establish a Teleportation Array at the Theramore Chamber of Commerce headquarters? Just notify their Prince to come discuss business. I'm sure the Goblins will be interested in this business," Deren said quietly.

"Good. A pleasant partnership!" Jaina raised her glass, and everyone drank together. Riding the warmth of the wine, Jaina looked at Deren with unfocused eyes. "Just what is inside that head of yours? You keep coming up with one unexpected thing after another."

"Cough, cough." Onyxia coughed twice, reminding her pet not to fall for the human Princess's temptation.

"I just..." Deren held his wineglass and lowered his head in thought. "I just want to live peacefully in this bullshit world."

Hearing that, Jaina set down her glass and looked at Deren and the Black Dragon. Her tone was uncertain. "I received some intelligence. News came from Deeprock Abyss that that great monster was seriously wounded."

"Oh?" Onyxia answered blandly.

"Was that your doing?" Jaina asked curiously.

"Shh!" Deren raised a finger in a silencing gesture.

Jaina covered her mouth, then approached Deren with her glass raised, her curiosity surging. "How did you do it?"

"Boom!" Deren made an explosive gesture.

Ah! Jaina was startled, then remembered the massive explosion in the Swamp of Sorrows. That explained it. She nodded. "I see. What did you use to blow it up?"

Deren lowered his head in thought, then took a small bag of Fertilizer samples from his Space Bag. He poured a little onto the table and said to Jaina, "As allies, there are things you should know. This is alchemical Fertilizer. If you use magic to pressurize and heat it, it will 'explode.'"

Jaina used Mage Hand to tightly envelop that bit of Ammonium Nitrate, then cast a small Fireball Spell to heat it. Before long, a small explosion occurred, directly shattering her Mage Hand.

"This is no weaker than a large Fireball Spell." Jaina was startled as well. "How much did you use for the explosion?"

Deren held up five fingers and said flatly, "Five hundred tons."

"Ah!" Jaina was stunned speechless. She muttered, "No wonder. No wonder. Even that great monster couldn't withstand that amount." Her fear of Deren deepened even further.

First update. The book is currently in its new-release recommendation period, so please vote and add it to your collection.