Tirion Fordring sternly criticized his son for wanting to break his promise! He also told him that until Master Antonidas found a solution, he'd better use the Holy Light less and try to be happier, since that would help him grow!
In the end, with no other choice, Taelan Fordring had to visit Daelin Proudmoore with Old Fordring. Daelin was delighted to see Tirion. A drinking buddy who shared his experiences was hard to come by! The two quickly started drinking and discussing life. They were already planning a summer vacation to Caer Darrow, where they could properly enjoy the local specialty rum.
Taelan Fordring and Jaina became a couple of nobodies. Jaina seemed very interested in Caer Darrow. Taelan was more curious about the famous painter. So the two decided to go catch those shapeshifting Gnomes on the street after all!
As soon as they left the inn, Jaina grabbed Taelan's hand, and he let her pull him along. After all, they were both little kids now, so no one would get the wrong idea. They didn't have any particular destination, either! They could only start by searching near the place where the incident had happened yesterday. But after waiting around for ages, they didn't see a single shapeshifting Gnome. Seeing Jaina looking so unhappy, Taelan Fordring had no choice but to take out his private stash and buy her an ice cream. That finally brought a smile to her face!
Meanwhile, Taelan was secretly relieved. Girls in this world were so easy to cheer up! A few novel snacks could keep them happy all afternoon. It wasn't like the world he'd lived in before, where cheering up your girlfriend meant waiting on her hand and foot, buying gifts for every holiday except Tomb-Sweeping Day, and sending out endless red envelopes. On top of that, you had to pray your girlfriend didn't have a close female friend who was one of a kind! Of course, even worse was if she had several close male friends!
Taelan said to Jaina, "Let's wander around here. Maybe we'll catch that little Gnome."
"Sure! I know there's a Wishing Well in Dalaran. It's really fun there. Let's go take a look!"
The Wishing Well was a famous Dalaran landmark. It stood in the city's eastern district, right beside Violet Hold, in Dusk Square. In World of Warcraft, it was a place the Highlords often visited! While waiting to enter a dungeon or battleground, you could fish there, read the messages on the wishing coins, and learn the little secrets in the hearts of World of Warcraft's big names. Taelan had loved the place in his previous life and spent a lot of time earning an achievement: Coin Master.
The achievement rewarded a treasure called the Dalaran Titansteel Seal. It was actually a toy you could use to play a game of heads or tails!
The achievement was easy to complete, but it took a lot of time. There were as many as 52 coins to collect (that was just the number of coins, of course; there were others, too). They weren't easy to gather.
(I really want to write out the contents of every coin you can collect. That'd be enough to pad out a whole chapter!)
The two soon found the landmark building, Violet Hold. The Wishing Well was in Dusk Square beside the prison. It was already afternoon, and after this morning's massive search, plenty of Spellbreakers were still on patrol. They even saw a squad of Lordaeron Royal Guards standing at attention, apparently protecting some important figure. There were very few visitors in the square.
A woman named Marcia Chase stood beside the well. Taelan remembered her as a fishing master. She was also the giver of the famous Ghostfish quest.
Taelan Fordring was only level 6 right now, so he probably couldn't take any quests.
But Jaina grabbed Taelan and led him over to Marcia. "Good afternoon! Are you here every day?"
It seemed Jaina knew Marcia Chase! Seeing Jaina walking up with a handsome little boy in tow, Marcia Chase smiled warmly. "Hello, Jaina! Who's this handsome young fellow?"
Jaina's little face flushed. "This is Taelan Fordring. He's my friend!"
"Oh! Hello, Taelan Fordring. I've heard about you! Thanks to you, Dalaran caught three spies yesterday!"
"You're a good boy! I can make you a Magic Wishing Coin, but it won't be free!"
Jaina clapped her hands. "That's great! How much? I brought my Coin Pouch today!"
"Two gold coins each, and each person can only buy one!"
What a greedy merchant! Not only did she charge a whole gold coin, she even imposed a limit!
Taelan Fordring's past-life instincts kicked in. He pulled the little wallet Tirion Fordring had given him before they left from his pocket, took out four gold coins, and handed them to Marcia.
When Jaina saw Taelan pay, she suddenly giggled, her pretty eyes curving into crescents!
Then she took the two Magic Wishing Coins and handed one to Taelan, keeping the other for herself. She took Marcia aside and whispered something to her. Marcia nodded, cast a spell on the coins, and handed them back to Jaina. Jaina took her coin straight to the Wishing Well, clasped her hands reverently, murmured a prayer, then dropped the coin into the water.
Following Jaina's example, Taelan Fordring said to Marcia, "I wish to become a powerful Paladin and protect the people I love! I'll fight for justice all my life!" Marcia quickly finished casting her spell. "Good boy! Your wish will surely come true! You're already a Paladin, and you'll soon find the one you love."
Ma'am, you've got the wrong idea! Taelan Fordring nodded. "Thank you!"
After Jaina finished making her wish, he went to the Wishing Well, clasped his hands, and silently made his own: I hope my parents from my previous life are safe and well, and that my parents here are happy and safe! I hope there's less suffering in this world! I hope I can marry a beautiful, rich woman and reach the peak of success! Yeah, I accidentally said what I was really thinking! The Holy Light will forgive me!
Ding! I find that hard to forgive!
System, you don't need to butt in!
After Taelan Fordring tossed his wishing coin into the well, Marcia saw that the two of them had finished making their wishes. She took out two fishing rods and handed one to Jaina and one to Taelan. "These are complimentary, no extra charge! You can use them to fish in the well! But you only get three tries. They're special, so you can keep whichever coin you like best. Don't pick the wrong one!"
Taelan Fordring froze. Was this an added scene? Did the director know about it?
(Yogg-Saron: "I don't know!")
Taelan Fordring took the fishing rod. Sure enough, it showed durability 3/3. Jaina happily thanked Marcia, took her rod, borrowed two little stools from Marcia, and quietly began fishing.
Taelan sat on a little stool too and cast his line into the Wishing Well. He hoped to catch a gold coin, so he wouldn't get fleeced by that greedy merchant!
Soon, he fished up a copper coin:
Alonsus Faol's Copper Coin
"I hope that one day I can spread the path of Holy Light among all people and teach them the meaning of the Three Virtues."
Well, that was a huge loss.
He decided to keep going:
Sylvanas Windrunner's gold coin
"I hope my sisters can grow up with me and get married with me!"
This gold coin looked quite ancient!
This was the one. An ancient Quel'Thalas gold coin. He could sell it as an antique to some "connoisseur" and make at least 99 gold! Someone like Rafaam, for example?
Keep going!
Jaina Proudmoore's gold coin
"I hope Taelan can come with me to Kul Tiras to visit my mother! I'll make him Kul Tiran Honey-Glazed Loin."
Stormsong cuisine awaits!
I'm really not high enough level!
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