Is He Really an Intelligence Officer?

Dirithis collected the gold coins and the contract, and the two began chatting again. When Yu Lin Bloodhawk mentioned that his next stop was Gilneas, Dirithis said, "Are you in need of any other beasts? I can help you catch them."

"I am," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "However, some of them aren't in the Kingdom of Lordaeron, so you might not be able to pull it off. I'll probably have to find some partners."

"Aside from wild bears, what else do you need? Maybe I can find a way to get them." Dirithis had grown very active ever since he learned the transaction would be settled in Quel'Thalas gold coins.

"I've heard Alterac has quite a few mountain lions, and I'd like to head over there and take a look," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

"Mountain lions? You're right about that. There are plenty of mountain lions and shardtooth bears just north of Southshore, and if you head further up the Alterac Mountains, you'll find quite a few dire wolves operating in Alterac Valley," Dirithis said.

"Oh? It seems you're very well-informed," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said in surprise.

Dirithis blinked mysteriously and said, "I have quite a few friends there, and Lieutenant Blair is one of them."

"Does that mean you can catch mountain lions? Aren't you from the Kingdom of Alterac, then?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked curiously.

Dirithis smiled and said, "Didn't you know about the tradition of intermarriage among nobles?"

Yu Lin Bloodhawk slapped his forehead in sudden realization. "Ah, right! I actually forgot about something like that. You mean..."

"Don't you understand yet?" Dirithis laughed. "If you're willing to give me this entire business contract, I can contact some nobles from Gilneas and Alterac to catch the beasts for you together. That way, you won't have to go through so much trouble."

That made sense. The procurement list for two armies was no small business either. Yu Lin Bloodhawk stroked his chin for a moment and said, "If you can pull it off, I can hand the whole thing over to you. But I'm still a bit uneasy. I want six hundred frostwolves, and there's no limit on the number of mountain lions. When do you think you can transport them over to me?"

If Sylvanas takes all the dire wolves on Shalandis Isle, Yu Lin Bloodhawk thought, then dropping off some frostwolves down there wouldn't be bad either. Otherwise, my one hundred subordinates would really struggle to handle all of them.

"I definitely won't be able to catch that many in a short time, but I can catch a portion of the mountain lions for you first to prove our capability. How does that sound? The first batch will be one hundred mountain lions and two hundred frostwolves. A month?" Dirithis said.

"Fine, I'll tentatively believe you can pull it off. Let's sign another contract, and I can give you this portion of the deposit upfront. Just keep in mind that if you fail to deliver after a month, you'll have to pay a penalty for breach of contract," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

The two bargained a bit more before finally signing a contract. Dirithis asked Yu Lin Bloodhawk where he planned to go next, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk said he wanted to visit Lordaeron City for a bit. Thrilled that the business deal had gone through, Dirithis warmly invited him to stay at his home, which happened to be in Lordaeron. Yu Lin Bloodhawk agreed and decided to wait there for a month to see the results.

The two boarded a carriage and headed toward Dirithis's home.

Tirisfal Glades had not yet turned into a paradise for the undead; lush forests were everywhere. Legend had it that the high elf ancestors wanted to build a kingdom here, but discovered that countless vengeful spirits were hidden beneath the soil, which was why they continued marching north until they reached the location of present-day Silvermoon City.

Yet why could humans build a kingdom here? They had even become the most powerful nation among the seven human kingdoms. This was a question he pondered over and over without finding an answer.

And so, he voiced his confusion to Dirithis. Upon initially hearing of this secret lore, Dirithis turned pale, though he had never imagined why humans could do it. Finally, he asked Yu Lin Bloodhawk in disbelief whether there really were so many vengeful spirits beneath Tirisfal Glades.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk told him about this bit of history from the game, smiled, and said, "This is already a very ancient record in Silvermoon City, so don't dwell on it-just treat it as a legend. After all, you've all lived here for so many years without anything happening, right? Perhaps we high elves are just a bit too sensitive, or maybe not."

Dirithis felt that what Yu Lin Bloodhawk said made some sense. After all, after so many years, nothing had happened. Even if something were to happen in the future, it probably wouldn't fall on his head, so he smiled and said, "Perhaps we humans are just a bit thick-skinned. We humans have never lacked brave warriors."

Yu Lin Bloodhawk nodded in agreement with his sentiment, which pleased Dirithis greatly.

However, Dirithis did not know that Yu Lin Bloodhawk was muttering to himself inwardly: If your prince is born, it will be a different story. At that time, every tree in Tirisfal Woods will whisper his name in terror: Arthas. The ironic part is that humans are oblivious to the terror of the forest, instead mistaking it as a blessing for the prince.

A trace of mocking amusement hung on the corners of Yu Lin Bloodhawk's mouth.

Along the way, Dirithis showed great interest in Quel'Thalas, while Yu Lin Bloodhawk was equally interested in Lordaeron. Their mutual chatting turned out to be quite congenial. Dirithis expressed great envy for Quel'Thalas's magical daily necessities, such as magic lamps and magic brooms, whereas Yu Lin Bloodhawk was most interested in human combat classes.

"I've heard that human nobles all like to keep a group of thieves-oh, no, they should be called rogues-as subordinates to help them handle shady business. I wonder if that's true?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked based on hearsay.

Dirithis laughed. "It seems you really know quite a bit about us humans to actually be aware of such things."

"I just heard about it!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk smiled. "A marquis like you should have some as well." In truth, he was just guessing; where had he ever heard anyone talk about this?

Dirithis smiled awkwardly and said, "Other people have them, so I have to have a few too. Some matters are genuinely difficult to handle without them."

"Once my fief is granted, I want to raise a few subordinates like that too. How great would it be to have them help with matters inconvenient to handle personally? The saying goes that murder and arson bring golden belts-isn't that just how it is?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said with a nonchalant smile.

"Do you really think like that?" Dirithis looked at him in astonishment.

"Yeah, is there anything wrong with that?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was equally puzzled. What you humans do, we elves can't do? he thought.

"You really don't look like an elf," Dirithis said.

"I'm a special elf," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

Dirithis laughed heartily. "If you really want to do that, I can actually help you train a few." He truly felt as though he had met a kindred spirit.

"Really?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk hadn't expected it to be so easy, so he felt a bit skeptical. "I'm not looking for those run-of-the-mill parlor tricks. Even though I'm only a baron, my standards are still quite high. I really wouldn't care for anything below an advanced professional."

Dirithis smiled. "As long as you're willing to shell out enough gold coins, nothing is a problem. What's so hard about helping you cultivate a hundred advanced rogues?"

"You make it sound so real," Yu Lin Bloodhawk smiled. "I also happen to know that most High Rogues belong to the intelligence agencies of your human kingdoms. How are you going to help me train a hundred of them? You're just a marquis, not an intelligence officer."

"How do you know I'm not an intelligence officer?" Dirithis suddenly asked.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk stared in astonishment. "Are you really an intelligence officer?"

"I wouldn't be one if I told you." Dirithis laughed heartily. "Would an intelligence officer actually tell you he's an intelligence officer?"

"That's what I'm saying. Intelligence officers aren't vegetable vendors on the street-how could just anyone you meet be one? Otherwise, I'd have the worst luck. For a baron to have private contact with an intelligence officer from another kingdom really isn't a good thing if superiors find out," Yu Lin Bloodhawk smiled.

"What if I said I am?" Dirithis asked.

"I'll pretend you're not!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

Hahahahaha! Dirithis burst into laughter. "You really are interesting, Baron."

"Interesting? I certainly don't think so," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "When I first set out, I received some very bad news, and it's been troubling me." Is this guy actually an intelligence officer or not? he muttered inwardly.

"I wonder if I might be privy to your troubles?" Dirithis said.

"I've got terrible luck; my fief might end up being assigned very close to the Shadowpine Trolls. You know those trolls are adept at ambushing people in the forests, and they're far too familiar with our rangers. They frequently cross front-line troops to come in and raid us. I don't know which family I offended to have them pull this kind of stunt on me," Yu Lin Bloodhawk sighed, spinning a lie.

"Oh, that truly is a piece of bad luck," Dirithis said.

"That's why I want to raise some rogue subordinates. But as you know, in Quel'Thalas, we have very few high-level training talents in this area, and humans aren't allowed to stay long-term. That's what makes it such a pain. Otherwise, wouldn't it be great if I could just directly hire a batch of human rogues? When trolls came, I'd catch them and feed them to the beasts. That way, I could sleep soundly in my own territory," Yu Lin Bloodhawk sighed.

"Your situation really evokes sympathy," Dirithis said.

"It's so annoying! Once you catch all those beasts for me, I'll make a profit and then find some people to help with training. No matter what, I have to defend my own territory properly and let them see that not only am I not unlucky, but I can even catch trolls to feed to the beasts," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

"Training someone into a High Rogue is no easy feat, and it takes a long time—at least three years before it's even possible," Dirithis said. At the same time, he added an unspoken sentence to himself: And the expenses are not small; those without talent might not even succeed in training.

"I don't care how much money it costs; I have it!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "It's a pity I don't have much time, though. Once the fief is granted, I have to pay taxes to the king every year. If I can't even secure production, all that money will just end up belonging to the king in the end. What a headache."

"Actually, you could find a few High Rogue trainers here to act as your followers, and then you could train them in your own territory. The only problem is that you'd have to sort out their identities with your kingdom's authorities," Dirithis said.

"Followers?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk scratched his head. This was his first time hearing that term.

"Don't Quel'Thalas nobles have followers?" Dirithis asked.

"I have no idea! I only know I can form a baron's guard of my own, probably numbering around fifty to a hundred people," Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked. "What are followers?"