Vanessa VanCleef

The person who arrived was Rick, the very same Rick who had abandoned Shawn and fled when faced with a Domesticated Sow.

This fellow looked to be in terrible shape; he had lost a significant amount of weight, his entire body was covered in wounds, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion, helplessness, confusion, and... hatred.

None of that mattered.

What mattered was that this fellow had brought along a little girl under the age of ten. The girl's hands were tied behind her back, and her small mouth was gagged with a white cloth, clearly to prevent her from screaming or escaping.

Though the girl was young and at an age of innocence, her eyes revealed a maturity that belied her years, which struck Shawn as rather strange.

"Tell me, Rick, did you feel guilty after dumping me that day, so you beat yourself up until you were covered in wounds, and then kidnapped a little girl to offer as an apology? Are you hoping I'll spare you and not let the 'Princess' gore you?"

Shawn pulled on the reins, and the Domesticated Sow let out a roar like a lioness, causing Rick to tremble. Conversely, the bound little girl showed no fear at all; her eyes merely revealed defiance and resentment.

Rick glanced at the Domesticated Sow, confirmed that the beast was only trying to scare him and wouldn't actually gore him, and then relaxed his backside, offering a bitter smile: "Shawn, I know you're a mage lord who worked with Gryan Stoutmantle to wipe out the Kobolds and Murlocs. You're powerful, so, so I've come to seek refuge with you!"

How high-sounding and self-evident this sounded. Because of this, therefore that—it was only natural. Because Shawn was powerful, Rick was seeking his protection.

Shawn wondered if there was something wrong with his ears to have heard such a thing.

Was this really something Rick would say?

Could the words of a habitual thief really be trusted?

Shawn scrutinized Rick with a look of suspicion and asked in a skeptical tone: "Rick, do you think I'll believe you? Do you think I look like a fool?"

Rick had clearly anticipated Shawn's reaction; he sat down on the ground and pointed at the little girl beside him: "That's why I brought her along—to earn your trust. Sigh!"

Shawn was stunned for a moment, then carefully examined the little girl.

The girl, dressed in a simple cloth dress, had an unnaturally pale complexion, as if she had lived in an environment devoid of sunlight for years. Her physical condition was poor, and she appeared to be suffering from malnutrition.

Judging solely by her appearance, she was no different from any other little girl; though she seemed quite pretty, she hadn't yet blossomed. Most importantly...

Shawn looked at Rick and said with a straight face: "Rick, I'm not a lolicon."

Rick looked blank: "What does 'lolicon' mean? Never mind, that's not important. Shawn, she is Vanessa, Vanessa VanCleef, the daughter of Edwin VanCleef. There are always people in Westfall who know her. You only need to ask around to confirm her identity. I've brought her out; you should at least believe me now and listen to what I've been through these past few days, right?"

Shawn was instantly frozen.

What?

Vanessa VanCleef?

This little girl was Vanessa?

Damn!

Damn, damn, damn!

Shawn hurriedly cast Eye of Insight on the little girl.

Name: Vanessa VanCleef, daughter of Edwin VanCleef.
Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 5, Stamina 4, Intelligence 9, Spirit 10.
Class: None.
Skills: None.
Equipment: None.

No class, no skills, no equipment—a "three-nothing" girl.

The problem was, was she really Vanessa VanCleef?

Shawn took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. His heart was filled with nothing but shock and... excitement.

In the original history, Edwin VanCleef was eventually assassinated by men sent by Gryan Stoutmantle, and the Defias Brotherhood scattered, breaking into smaller factions.

Vanessa had witnessed her father's death with her own eyes, transforming from an innocent little girl into a vengeful beauty who hid hatred deep within her heart.

Later, she arrived at Saldean Farm and was adopted by Old Saldean, taking on the name "Hope Saldean."

What a beautiful name that was!

Old Saldean must have wanted to tell Vanessa that as long as she was alive, there was still hope. Not to be filled with despair about life, because there was still hope for the future. Shawn even guessed that Old Saldean had likely recognized Vanessa back then and knew her true identity.

He adopted her out of kindness, and because of the hope he held for her.

In his eyes, she was just a homeless little girl, nothing more.

However...

"Hope? Is that what I should feel while watching you lackeys of the nobility chop off my father's head? To me, hope is nothing but a cruel joke in this cold world. Hope does not exist; only Vanessa exists."

Yes, Vanessa had always kept her hatred buried deep inside.

She silently accumulated strength, contacted her father's old subordinates, spread word of Stormwind City's atrocities among the wanderers, gathered support, and five years later, she raised the banner of the Defias Brotherhood once more, rescued Ripsnarl, occupied the Deadmines, and continued the construction of the Juggernaut!

During this time, Gryan Stoutmantle led his People's Militia under the banner of Stormwind City to wage war on the continent of Northrend.

Gryan Stoutmantle was a selfless man who did not want to abandon his paladin principles over past grievances. Everything he did was to protect the people.

However, Vanessa did not care about any of that.

She believed Gryan was wrong.

"If a man accepts the amnesty of Stormwind City, he has betrayed his people."

Perhaps Vanessa had once wavered and felt lost, caught between the weight of her hatred and the debt of gratitude she owed to Old Saldean, unsure of which path to choose. It was perhaps Grian's surrender to the crown that stripped away her final hesitation, leading her to finally step onto that road of no return.

Vanessa, as a rogue, may not have been as powerful as her father. Yet as an avenger and the leader of the Defias Brotherhood, she was far more cunning than he ever was.

She gathered the refugees of Stormwind City;

She hired the powerful ogre mage Glubtok;

She recruited the goblin engineer Helix Gearbreaker of the Bilgewater Cartel;

She commanded her engineers to refine and improve the Reaper 5000;

She rescued General Wolf-Heart;

She even pushed Cookie to the forefront, making him the public captain of the Dreadnaught.

Even when the Deadmines were breached once again, she used her exquisite schemes and Dream Poison to play everyone in the palm of her hand, shedding her skin like a cicada to escape, burning the Dreadnaught, and drifting away into the night.