So she really was just a little girl! Jaina hadn't yet become the Archmage who bore the weight of an entire race on her shoulders, or the ruler of Theramore. What had she been thinking about? She could even roast meat?
"Ding! You have learned a life skill: Fishing, Beginner."
Well, that was good news. A Gourmet and a fishing enthusiast—a perfect match!
After using the fishing rod three times, he returned it and watched Jaina fish. Jaina caught her first coin, too:
Arthas's Coin
"Well, I'll definitely get a kingdom someday. If I'm going to rule my own realm, what else would I need? Maybe a cooler seat...?"
Taelan: Will Jaina still meet Arthas? Or is this the force of the world's inertia? Do I still have a chance to change the course of her fate?
Jaina froze for a moment, then began fishing again.
Little Goblin. Magic Wand's silver coin
"Dad's dead, Mom's dead! Uncle Tom's dead, too! Only Mr. Bigglesworth is here to keep me company! I wish this were all just a nightmare!"
The gnome who turned people into cats? Mr. Bigglesworth? Was there a coin of his here? Right, this was an entirely new world, with no version differences. Why couldn't Little Goblin toss in a lucky coin?
Just then, a gnome happened to walk by! What perfect timing! Finally, he'd caught him! Damn it! So that super Polymorph: Cat spell was something he'd learned from Kel'Thuzad!
As everyone knew, Mr. Bigglesworth was Archmage Kel'Thuzad's beloved cat—a being no one could afford to offend! Taelan Fordring lunged forward, seized the little gnome, and pulled his shield out of his magic pouch, ready to hit him with a Mortal Strike.
The captured Little Goblin. Magic Wand recognized Taelan at once. Just then, Jaina suddenly cheered, "Yes!"
She ran over, holding a coin high.
Taelan Fordring's Coin
Quality: Legendary
"I want to become a powerful Paladin and protect the ones I love! I'll fight for justice all my life!"
Not only did the coin have a quality attribute, it also had another line of yellow text below:
I'm out of a job, and it's all your fault! Ha! Ha! (laughing)
--Nozdormu
This coin, blessed by the Lord of Time, was extraordinarily precious. It could fetch at least 100 gold!
Jaina happily waved the coin in her hand, then casually tossed Arthas's and Little Goblin. Magic Wand's coins back into the Wishing Well.
Taelan Fordring thought for a moment, then glanced at Marcia Chess beside him. Was this your doing, the one with the toast?
Marcia Chess shook her head innocently. "Those were your own choices. It had nothing to do with me! Besides, wasn't he brought to you by fate, too?"
Little Goblin?
Jaina spotted him and asked in puzzlement, "Taelan, why are you holding him?" Taelan Fordring said, "He was the one who turned me into a stuffed cat that day! I finally caught him today. I'm making him pay!"
Gripping Little Goblin by the collar with both hands, he shook him. "This is all your fault! You made me get chased down the street by a Dragonkin General for three blocks. I was almost hacked to death. And that's not all—you also forced me to drink an expired potion that tasted like shit!"
Jaina restrained the furious Taelan. Then she suddenly noticed that he had also fished up her wishing coin! She hopped in place with delight, casually tossed Alonsus Faol's copper coin and the precious ancient Quel'Thalas coin into the Wishing Well, then asked, "What's your name?"
My ancient coin! My 100 gold! Ah...
The gnome was quite a bit older than Taelan, more like a teenager. He was exceptionally gifted, or he never could have become Archmage Kel'Thuzad's apprentice. But he was a gnome, while the World Power had transformed Taelan's body, making him taller and sturdier than other children his age. So he'd somehow managed to overpower Little Goblin, who was already a full-fledged mage.
Little Goblin had only been playing a prank. He hadn't meant any harm. Held fast, he had no choice but to say, "My name is Little Goblin. Magic Wand."
"Oh, you're Little Goblin. Magic Wand! I just fished up your wishing coin!"
When Jaina finished speaking, she turned to Taelan. "Taelan, let him go. I just saw his wishing coin."
Taelan Fordring said, "What did he wish for? To turn everyone in Dalaran into cats? I hope he gets hit with a Counterspell the next time he casts Malicious Polymorph on Archmage Antonidas."
Jaina shook her head and asked Little Goblin, "Will you tell me about yourself? If you're still too sad, you don't have to."
Little Goblin said, "You're not any taller than I am!
"Well, even my mentor doesn't have time to listen to me ramble. He's always busy with his endless magical experiments."
Gnomes were a peaceful, unassuming people. Little Goblin. Magic Wand had been born in Stormwind. His parents were the official representatives of Gnomeregan's goblin mechanical-materials shop in Stormwind.
He'd spent his childhood in Stormwind. Though lonely, it had been a happy one. Aside from the haughty nobles, most people in the city were quite kind. His short stature and unusual appearance made it hard for him to fit in with the other Stormwind children, but no one had deliberately picked on him.
Then the Dark Portal opened, and hordes of Orcs invaded Azeroth. Soon, rumors were everywhere in Stormwind. Some said the Orcs were swarming across the land, sent by the gods to punish the fat and greedy nobles. Others said the Orcs were only a few scattered bands and that General Anduin's soldiers would soon wipe them out.
There were all sorts of stories. Little Goblin's father couldn't get any reliable information, either. In fact, even King Llane had only learned the truth about the Orcs through Garona. As official representatives, his family couldn't act on their own. They had no choice but to send a message to Gnomeregan and wait for orders.
But before a reply came, the frenzied Orcs, led by Orgrim Doomhammer, invaded the Stormwind Kingdom. Even then, the Stormwind nobles hadn't managed to unite. First, they bickered among themselves, refusing to let the king declare a state of war because they feared he would encroach on their lands. Later, the Orcs' strength frightened them, so they opposed Anduin Lothar's plan to retreat, since it would leave their territories in ruins.
The Orcs had already invaded Stormwind by then. The nobles seized the few ships available and fled, abandoning the common folk. Little Goblin was one of those left behind. He watched as Orc warriors chopped off his parents' heads. Hidden in a toolbox under a table, he survived thanks to his small stature. Later, General Anduin Lothar brought a unit back to help the civilians who had been left behind.
Then began his life as a refugee. Eventually, Uncle Tom's family took him in. They'd lost their own child when the Orcs breached Stormwind. Their family fled to Hillsbrad and settled in a humble cottage near Southshore. They lived in peace for a time. Then the Orcs pushed north again, leaving nothing alive in their wake. Civilians and soldiers alike were slaughtered by Orgrim Doomhammer's army.
By then, the seven kingdoms of the Alliance had finally united to resist the Orcs in Hillsbrad. If things had continued that way, Little Goblin. Magic Wand would have gone on living with a human family. Though his parents were gone, his adoptive parents could have helped him through those difficult years.
But Orgrim, who had been leading an expedition to Quel'Thalas, returned. This time, the damned King Aiden Perenolde of Alterac, terrified of dying, surrendered to the Horde. Orgrim's army was able to cross the snowy mountains of Alterac quickly and without losses, catching the allied forces completely off guard! And Little Goblin was forced to relive that same nightmare.
His adoptive parents were killed in Hillsbrad by the Blackrock Elite Guard. Poor Little Goblin was orphaned once more. Later, a passing mage rescued him because of his remarkable Arcane talent. He was taken to Dalaran and became Archmage Kel'Thuzad's apprentice. But the mysterious mage was so absorbed in magical research that he paid no attention to the apprentice assigned to him.
It was during this time that Little Goblin developed his fondness for pranks. As the Archmage's apprentice, many people turned a blind eye. After all, he didn't mean any harm.
War had brought immense suffering to this world. Even after it ended, the pain it left behind wouldn't fade anytime soon. Little Goblin not only hated the Orcs; he also deeply resented Terenas for advocating that they be accepted.
Jaina looked at Little Goblin, unsure what to say. All she could do was stay by his side in silence!
I saw screenshots from the 10.0 storyline today! I truly feel sorry for Azeroth's people! Not one of the world's native races can stand at the very top and fight for their own world! And yet an invader from another world can brazenly stand alongside the Dragon Aspects!
Today's chapter doesn't quite fit the occasion! Penglai apologizes to everyone!
Also, wishing everyone a happy Spring Festival and good health!
Before you continue