Zhong Ziqi and Bo Ya, Rend and Gazlowe

Rend's time enjoying Kalimdor's local delicacies was interrupted by Gazlowe's knock on the door, cutting short his battle with a kodo rib.

"Hello, Chieftain Rend. I believe you and I have a big deal to discuss." After seeing Rend's single eye and appearance, Gazlowe confirmed that the man before him was likely Rend Blackhand, chieftain of the Blackrock Clan.

"Of course, Mayor Gazlowe. I think you'll be very pleased with this big deal." Gazlowe looked very much like Rend remembered him: lean and capable, carrying the scent of engine oil. He must have been tinkering with one of his hobbies. His clothes were neat but not particularly luxurious, nor was he adorned with much jewelry.

"What do you need? Food, lumber, equipment, mercenaries, dirty work—whatever you can think of, Goblins can do business with you." Gazlowe knew Rend would definitely be buying food and lumber. As for equipment, Rend no longer needed much of it. The Blackrock Clan had modified a large batch of gear; while it could not outfit every orc warrior, it was basically enough.

"I heard that Mayor Gazlowe is a grandmaster architect. Would you be interested in leading the construction of a massive city that will never fall?" Rend's voice seemed to possess magic as it rushed from Gazlowe's ears into his mind, lingering there.

"Lead the construction of a city that will never fall. Lead the construction of a city that will never fall." The words kept circling through Gazlowe's mind. More than becoming a trade prince, Gazlowe dreamed of becoming Azeroth's greatest architect. Yet his talent had never been acknowledged by his own people. He had even been mocked and ridiculed: as a Goblin, instead of earning gleaming gold coins, he insisted on building some giant fortress unsuitable for trade.

Goblins were, after all, a mercantile race—born merchants and inventors who had no need for a massive bunker. And the other races that did need cities built looked down on a Goblin architect like him. Even if they chose a master architect inferior to him, they would never choose a seemingly greedy Goblin grandmaster architect.

His talent went unappreciated, and everyone laughed at him. It had always been a sore point for Gazlowe. His talent for architecture was like a fine steed without a Bo Ya to recognize it.

He had thought Rend merely wanted to purchase supplies. He never expected the first thing Rend would raise was his appreciation for Gazlowe's talent as an architect.

"Mayor Gazlowe? Mayor Gazlowe? Are you all right?" Rend called out several times as he watched Gazlowe stand there in a daze. Only then did Gazlowe come back to himself.

"My apologies, Chieftain Rend, my friend. Gazlowe is absolutely the finest architect in this world! I can build a city that will never fall—only I can! Please believe me, Chieftain Rend. Your recognition is absolutely not misplaced. It's time to let those who looked down on and mocked me know that the reputation of Gazlowe the grandmaster tinker was not earned for nothing." Gazlowe spoke with great excitement, gesturing wildly. Happiness had come too suddenly. He had thought no one would ever give him a chance to show what he could do, that his talent would remain buried for the rest of his life. Yet today, this Blackrock Clan chieftain had recognized his talent and become his Bo Ya. Gazlowe could hardly have been happier.

One only asked for a kindred spirit in life. Gazlowe saw Rend as his Bo Ya, his Zhong Ziqi. The joy he felt was beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Gazlowe, who was not good at drinking, made an exception this time. He took out some strong dwarven liquor and insisted on drinking with Rend. When he asked why Rend had sought him out to build an eternal city, Rend honestly replied that he believed Gazlowe had the ability to do it.

Rend did not like drinking, but the strength of an orc's physique was there for all to see. After Gazlowe had drunk himself into a muddle, Rend remained clear-headed, though he had to admire Gazlowe's drinking capacity. With a thousand cups too few when drinking with a kindred spirit, Gazlowe completely blacked out. In Rend's room, he tearfully poured out how those Goblins and humans had looked down on him, mocked him, and buried his talent all these years.

Rend became a listening ear for once, but he was not the least bit impatient. It was not because he had the temperament of a pushover, but because he, who had always thought highly of himself, had suffered countless misfortunes in his previous life—mocked by others, toyed with by reality time and time again, trampled beneath the feet of people clearly inferior to him.

That night, Rend and Gazlowe's relationship grew much closer. A man's friendship was forged over drinks, and the drinking table truly was a good way to bring people closer. Rend and Gazlowe chatted merrily and nearly swore brotherhood. Fortunately, their attendants stopped the farce, and Rend had not drunk too much either. Still, the drunken Gazlowe gave Rend a Goblin-style emblem.

It was not until noon the next day that Rend and Gazlowe got up from the same bed. Gazlowe's guards had originally wanted to take him back, but drunken Gazlowe refused, saying, "We're good friends, friends like I've never had before, real friends. Tonight, I'm sleeping with him. None of you are stopping me."

And so, one large and one small, one black and one green, Rend and Gazlowe spent the night together in what was fortunately a top-grade oversized bed.

Of course, nothing like that happened. It was perfectly normal for men to sleep together after drinking too much. After waking up, Gazlowe found the matter a little embarrassing and returned directly to his residence.

After getting up, Rend gave himself a quick wash, removing the smell of blood and alcohol from his body. He also used the perfume-like item provided in the room to cover up the gunpowder scent carried by the Blackrock Clan.

After changing into the clothes prepared by the inn, he set out to visit Gazlowe. Bringing his personal guards and guided by one of the people Gazlowe had left behind, he rode a Goblin-style vehicle and, after experiencing a bumpy journey, arrived at Gazlowe's residence—his mayoral mansion and laboratory.

Gazlowe's mayoral mansion lacked the luxurious style of Goblins. Ordinary Goblin lords would build lavish residences to display their wealth, but Gazlowe's mansion was more like a laboratory, without the slightest hint of extravagance or any unnecessary decoration.

Rend found him in Gazlowe's archives. According to the attendants, Gazlowe had rushed into his archives the moment he returned home and had been searching through things ever since, seemingly looking for some blueprints he had made in the past.

Rend had assumed that, given a Goblin's nature, Gazlowe's first priority upon returning would be setting the exact quantities and prices for their deal. Yet Gazlowe had not cared about business first. Instead, he was more concerned with the future construction of Orgrimmar.

Gazlowe truly was as Rend remembered him—not a particularly money-grubbing Goblin. So Rend did not have the attendants tell Gazlowe that he had arrived. He simply waited quietly for Gazlowe to finish searching before discussing matters with him.