Half a month slowly passed, and everything began to fall into place.
Rex went to the Knights of the Round Table's training every day, personally overseeing every aspect of it. This was the sort of thing he had to handle himself. One of the worst mistakes in an army was letting the soldiers remain unfamiliar with their commander. If he delegated the training of a new army to his subordinates instead of taking charge himself, whose orders would those soldiers obey once their training was complete?
The six divisions of the New Beiyang Army trained in the late Qing Dynasty were one such example. Enormous sums had been spent, and no small price had been paid, yet in the end, they had become someone else's private army. Rex would never make that mistake.
After returning from the Knights of the Round Table's training base that day, Rex eagerly entered the Warcraft System. Construction of the Goblin Merchant had finished today, and he could hardly wait to see what treasures would appear in its three slots.
After a long walk, Rex spotted a building not far from the Town Hall. Four iron pillars were embedded in the earth, and four chains held a square chest firmly in place. Blue patterns adorned the chest, making it resemble a magical tome. Strangely, though, it floated in the air rather than sagging downward against the chains. Three azure magical crystals flew around the building, circling it again and again.
Rex hurried forward and immediately began inspecting its wares, without the slightest interest in admiring the Goblin Merchant's exterior.
A hazy glow appeared before Rex like a curtain of light, displaying the treasures in the Goblin Merchant's three slots.
One was a thick red book. Its dazzling colors drew Rex's attention, stirring memories in his mind. The past played out like a movie, and information about the thick red book flowed through his thoughts.
[Book of Energy: Raises a hero by one tier. Note: Cannot be used to advance to Heroic Rank.]
Rex reached out and grasped the thick Book of Energy. A prompt appeared before him: 1,000 gold coins. Without the slightest hesitation, he bought it. Apart from recruiting 200 Infantry Spirits, he had barely spent any of the 5,000 gold coins he had added to his balance. Those 200 Infantry Spirits had cost only 2,000 gold coins, and building the Goblin Merchant had not been particularly expensive. Never mind 1,000 gold coins—even if this Book of Energy cost 10,000, Rex would still buy it.
The Book of Energy's effect was simply incredible. In the game, it raised the user by one level; here, it raised them by an entire tier. Rex was already at the Eighth Tier. After using the Book of Energy, he could reach the Ninth Rank.
During his trip to Stormwind City, meeting Arthas had brought home the fate awaiting Gilneas, while Arthas himself had placed tremendous pressure on Rex. Arthas was only nineteen that year, much younger than Rex, yet he was already a Ninth Rank Paladin. He seemed perfect in every way. Standing beside Arthas only made Rex's inadequacy painfully clear.
Holding the thick Book of Energy, Rex smiled in satisfaction. This alone offered a glimpse of the Warcraft System's power. He did not use it immediately. His body here was only a manifestation of his consciousness, so he would wait until he returned to the real world. He kept gently stroking the Book of Energy, as though caressing **, while inspecting the other two treasures.
[Lesser Clarity Potion: Restores a small amount of mana over 30 seconds. Note: Cannot be used in combat.]
The crystal-clear bottle of green mana potion gave off a faint green glow. Rex did not buy the Lesser Clarity Potion. Each bottle cost 70 gold coins, and he could purchase up to five, for a total of 350. Although he could afford that amount, he had no intention of wasting his money. If the Lesser Clarity Potion could be used in combat, it would undoubtedly be valuable. Restricted to use outside combat, however, its value fell considerably. Mages in Azeroth had plenty of ways to restore mana. The Lesser Clarity Potion was nothing remarkable precisely because there were so many ways to recover mana outside combat.
[Hearthstone: Teleports the user to the bound city. Note: The bound city must contain a Town Hall.]
Compared with the Book of Energy, the other two items were undoubtedly worth far less. If he sold the Book of Energy, it would fetch an astronomical price. It could not turn someone into a hero-tier powerhouse, but it could raise an eighth-tier fighter like Rex to the ninth tier. A Hearthstone cost 350 gold coins. Rex bought all five, spending another 1,750 gold coins. Altogether, buying treasures from the Goblin Merchant had nearly depleted his remaining funds. Of the 5,000 gold coins he had added, only a single-digit amount remained.
When the five Hearthstones appeared in his hand, five Town Halls appeared as well. Unlike the thin sheets that served as Hearthstones, each Town Hall was roughly palm-sized, made of wood, and looked like a handicraft.
The Hearthstones had to be used in conjunction with these Town Halls. That was a convenient touch: they were not restricted to being bound to a single location.
Rex beamed. He now had something to sell on his trip to Dalaran: these Hearthstones.
After leaving the Warcraft System, Rex slowly opened his eyes and began reaching out to it. As he gently stroked his bright red birthmark, he sensed the treasures he had purchased through an unseen connection. With a thought, a thick Book of Energy appeared in his hand. He examined it and found it no different from the one in the Warcraft System, then immediately chose to use it. The method was simple: tear it apart.
With a tug, Rex easily tore the Book of Energy apart, as though it were nothing more than a thin sheet of paper. The thick book in his hands dissolved into motes of light that whirled and danced before him. Then, all at once, they flew toward Rex and merged into his body.
(End of chapter)
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