In a luxurious room, Rex watched the five chests laid out before him. A handsome High Elf slowly opened them, their lids creaking one after another, revealing glittering gold coins.
The High Elves' approach was crude, but it was exactly the sort of thing Rex liked best. Each gold coin was fairly small, not much different from the coins in his previous life. One coin amounted to little, but ten thousand took up a considerable amount of space and needed a chest to hold them.
What did it mean to be filthy rich? This was it. Fifty thousand gold coins—even Gilneas could produce that sum, but not on such short notice. It was like having a net worth of over a hundred million: that did not mean you could immediately come up with fifty million in cash. The same principle applied here. The speed with which they had gathered the money proved just how wealthy the High Elves were.
"I, Kael'thas, never take advantage of anyone. The payment for the Hearthstone I used earlier is here as well." Kael'thas stroked the exquisite box, a trace of satisfaction on his face. These few Hearthstones were simply too important to the High Elves. With them, their research might well achieve a breakthrough.
Rex noticed Kael'thas's expression. Since he had dared to sell the Hearthstones, he was not worried about anyone deciphering their secrets and producing copies. Each Hearthstone was enveloped in a mysterious power that prevented anyone from probing it. Rex had once entertained the same idea as Kael'thas, but he had soon given up. He had failed to reproduce even the simplest, cheapest Lesser Clarity Potion.
Rex took a few steps forward to the chests of gold and slowly reached out to touch one. At that instant, the countless coins inside began to vanish. In the blink of an eye, not a single coin remained in the chest. Rex moved on to the second and repeated the process. Before long, he had absorbed all the gold coins. His actions did not surprise Kael'thas or the others. As far as Kael'thas was concerned, Rex had merely put the coins into his Spatial Ring.
Fifty thousand gold coins took up a considerable amount of space and constituted an enormous fortune. In Azeroth, anyone with ten thousand gold coins to their name could already be considered immensely wealthy. Putting the coins into a Spatial Ring was the safest option.
What Kael'thas did not know, however, was that Rex had deposited all the gold coins into the Warcraft System. Since the Warcraft System allowed deposits, it naturally allowed withdrawals as well. Keeping the gold there was therefore the safest option of all. No one but Rex could take it out.
With the transaction successfully concluded, everyone was naturally happy, and the atmosphere between Rex and Kael'thas grew more cordial. The greatest improvement was that their relationship had advanced enough for them to count as friends. Their manner of address was no longer as distant as before, with neither constantly calling the other "Prince." Time passed slowly. After exchanging pleasantries with Kael'thas for a while, Rex rose to take his leave, and Kael'thas saw him out.
Rex had achieved his purpose in coming to Dalaran. Once he found a buyer for his trade goods and gathered some merchandise unavailable in Gilneas, it would be time to return. The enormous sum of fifty thousand gold coins would be enough to support the Knights of the Round Table for many years—provided he did not use the Warcraft System. The Warcraft System was practically a black hole, endlessly devouring his gold, yet he could not abandon it. With fifty thousand gold coins in hand, Rex naturally felt much freer with his spending, and he now had other plans for how to use the Warcraft System.
This meeting had brought Kael'thas a little trouble, however. As Rex left, he noticed several mages heading toward Kael'thas's residence. He could guess what they wanted. Kael'thas had made the trip back to Silvermoon City far too quickly. Rex had barely waited before Kael'thas used a Hearthstone to return to his residence. Using a Portal in Dalaran required advance registration and the proper procedures, even for an Archmage like Kael'thas. Clearly, Kael'thas had done no such thing.
Still, this was no great trouble. With Kael'thas's status, it would be easy to resolve, and Rex had no intention of worrying about it.
With a fortune in hand, Rex lost his former interest in Dalaran's towering mage towers. All he wanted now was to return to his lodgings, enter the Warcraft System, and indulge in some serious spending. Hurrying back eagerly, he discovered on arrival that Rona and Ulysses had also just returned from outside. Excitement was plain on Rona's face. She was still young, after all, unlike Ulysses. Although this was his first time leaving Gilneas as well, the mature Ulysses betrayed not the slightest sign of delight.
Rona held a staff that was fiery red from end to end. It was truly striking, with a fiery-red gemstone set at its tip and faint traces of magic rippling from it. Its color alone made it clear that this was a staff for a fire mage. Rona's excitement was obviously due to having bought it.
"Rona, who did you buy that for?" Rex asked, looking at her excited face.
"It's for my cousin. He's always wanted a better staff, so when I came to Dalaran, he asked me to buy one for him." Like a chirping little bird, Rona waved the staff as she answered Rex's question and recounted the whole story. Rex nodded.
Ulysses also held a staff, though its appearance fell far short of the one in Rona's hand. Every lord had mages in their service, regardless of who they were.
After chatting with Ulysses and Rona a little longer, Rex could hardly wait to return to his room. Lying on the soft, spacious bed, he paid no heed to the fact that it was still daylight outside. He immediately began stroking the blood-red birthmark on his arm. As his consciousness blurred, Rex entered the Warcraft System.
(End of chapter)
Before you continue