SI:7

In the world of Azeroth, there are many famous rogue organizations, such as Ravenholdt Manor, the Syndicate, the Defias Brotherhood, and...

SI:7!

SI:7 may not be the most powerful, the most populous, the oldest, or even the most famous rogue organization, but it is undoubtedly the most efficient and capable.

SI:7, also known as the Stormwind Assassins, is an organization established and directly led by Stormwind City, specifically tasked with handling missions that cannot be completed through open, legal, or official channels. Examples include assassinating nobles, wiretapping military intelligence, and various other clandestine operations.

With approximately 2,500 members, SI:7 has infiltrated every corner of Stormwind's sphere of influence. Wherever people gather, there is bound to be an SI:7 assassin present.

Matthias Shaw is the current leader of SI:7.

SI:7 views itself as a hand gripping a dagger, and the organization is divided into five branches accordingly.

Matthias Shaw and his leadership team act as the thumb, responsible for management and command.

The leadership consists of about 30 veteran rogues who handle major decision-making and oversee the other four fingers, including leading, training, record-keeping, managing ledgers, and ensuring salaries are paid to every individual.

The other two fingers of this hand are composed of the highest-ranking members of the organization, with about 500 rogues each.

The index finger represents the highest rank an assassin can reach before giving up their life to join the thumb-level leadership. They are dedicated to assassination missions, targeting anyone from hostile military leaders to corrupt priests.

The middle finger is responsible for "acquisitions," such as recovering stolen items to return them to their rightful owners or obtaining powerful artifacts from political figures who are inconvenient to assassinate directly.

The approximately 500 rogues who make up the ring finger are skilled in espionage. They typically work with the index and middle finger ranks to gather intelligence, read and memorize the contents of scrolls without stealing them, and act as lookouts or provide cover while others carry out their missions.

The little finger is the largest and lowest-ranking branch. These 1,000 rogues are less specialized members: they are usually responsible for burying victims, hiding corpses, and tampering with crime scenes. Their duty is to ensure the identities of Stormwind's assassins remain undiscovered. They are also responsible for recruitment.

Being able to lead such an assassin group, commanding 2,500 subordinates, directly participating in many unknown major events, issuing countless assassination orders, and killing countless difficult targets or members of other intelligent races, Matthias Shaw is undoubtedly one of the true high-ranking figures of Stormwind.

Shawn believes that such a person must have a way to send anyone to Anduin, and must also have a way to send anyone to Theramore to see Jaina.

However, what exactly is the relationship between VanCleef and Matthias?

Rick said, "VanCleef once received years of training at SI:7 and has known Matthias Shaw since childhood. Their mutual teacher was the most powerful assassin in SI:7, Halford Wyrmbane."

Well, for Shawn, this is a completely unfamiliar name. But for every member of SI:7 and the true elite of Stormwind, it is a name that rings like thunder.

This great assassin is the true top expert of SI:7, a terrifying master rogue, a master assassin, a master thief, a master warrior...

Halford Wyrmbane, this elderly man, has always been teaching and cultivating Matthias Shaw. Matthias's current achievements are inseparable from his help.

Well, let us temporarily forget this name, as he will not appear for now, but he will pop up in the future.

In short, after Shawn understood the relationship between VanCleef and Matthias, he thought carefully and finally determined the feasibility of this matter.

Indeed, there is hope!

"Since there is hope, then let's give it a try! But before that, I still have to go talk to old Grian," Shawn said.

Arriving at Sentinel Hill, Shawn saw that the entire area was under construction. The workers were not soldiers of Sentinel Hill, but recruited wanderers.

The original Sentinel Hill, aside from a perimeter wall, a crude stone Town Hall, a dilapidated barracks, and a few small arrow towers, had nothing else; its defensive capability was basically at a +5 level.

But now, under the construction of a group of workers, Sentinel Hill has begun to take the shape of a true military base.

The walls have been thickened and heightened, the gates are being rushed to completion, the arrow towers have increased from two to four, the barracks are being renovated and expanded, the Town Hall is under construction, and various other buildings are beginning to take form.

Hundreds of elite soldiers, fully armed, are patrolling and guarding the perimeter of Sentinel Hill.

Not far away, a captain-level soldier is training a group of recruits. The recruits are clearly dressed in mismatched gear, with ragged clothes and broken swords, obviously just recruited.

"Damn, old Grian, what are you doing? You sent your own soldiers to help me build the Mage Tower, yet you are recruiting workers to build Sentinel Hill? And what's with those recruits? You've started recruiting new soldiers?" Shawn squeezed his mount's belly and arrived in front of old Grian, dismounting.

Old Grian stood at the entrance of the Town Hall, wearing casual clothes, not even carrying his Truesilver Champion. He didn't look like a general, but rather like a wealthy man...

Well, this guy is rich now, so he really does count as a wealthy man.

Seeing Shawn arrive, old Grian laughed heartily: "Haha, Shawn, don't you understand? Where did I hire workers? Those are all the new recruits I've enlisted! Hehe, now that I have money, I have to recruit heavily, don't I? Otherwise, am I supposed to rely on my three hundred men to deal with the Defias Brotherhood? Hehe!"

Shawn thought to himself that this was the truth. Even if old Grian really sent people to kill VanCleef, he wouldn't be able to wipe out the Defias Brotherhood; instead, it would force them to move from the light into the shadows, making them even harder to deal with later. Therefore, recruiting new soldiers was imperative.

However, there was one problem...

Shawn asked suspiciously, "Since you intend to build up Sentinel Hill, and looking at the scale of this project, it's clearly much larger than my Mage Tower, why did you still send your soldiers to help me build it? Aren't you worried about delaying your own schedule?"

Old Grian chuckled, "No delay, no delay! Hehe, what is our relationship? Friends through life and death, friends across generations, right? If I don't help you, who would I help?"

Shawn sneered and said, "Cut the crap! Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Would you do anything without a benefit? Tell me, what is it really for?"

Old Grian's old face flushed slightly. He signaled for Shawn to come closer and then whispered, "Well, those soldiers I sent to you are basically the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Their work efficiency isn't high, and they don't do a good job, so I wouldn't trust them to build Sentinel Hill. Besides, sending them to you... doesn't it also earn me a large sum of money? Hahaha!"