I am an upright noble

Yu Lin Bloodhawk sat at the table with his chin propped in his hands. As he calmed himself down, he wondered whether the dream had something to do with the High Elves abandoning Tirisfal Glades all those years ago. Or had it merely been an ordinary nightmare, a complete coincidence? Were there really countless resentful spirits beneath Tirisfal Glades? Where had they come from? And what did they resent?

He had no way of knowing. The almighty Blizzard had only glossed over this part of the lore without much explanation. In many places, Blizzard's art of evasive storytelling outdid even the Spring and Autumn Annals themselves. Offering neither reasons nor explanations was its style.

After thinking for a while, he decided there was no point dwelling on it. None of it made any sense. Why not just treat it as a coincidence? Surely he wasn't being haunted by those unclean things. Humans had been fine here for so many years, and now this happened just because he was an elf? Surely his luck couldn't be that bad.

He had yet to encounter any real undead, but after a lifetime steeped in traditional Chinese ghost stories, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't afraid. It was the unknown that frightened people. Once he actually saw them, he might well say they were nothing special. Unable to make sense of it, and with his mood restored, he returned to bed. This time, he had no more nightmares and slept until dawn.

Dirithis came to see him early the next morning.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk opened his bleary eyes and asked, "Shouldn't you be busy with your business? How do you have time to come here?"

"A noble doesn't have to do everything himself!" Dirithis said with a smile.

"You've arranged everything already?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked in surprise.

"There wasn't much to arrange. Just two contracts. Only the mountain lions and the Frostwolf Clan mounts are a little tight," Dirithis said. "Once I give the orders, someone will take care of everything. Don't worry."

"You certainly have an easy life as a marquis." Yu Lin Bloodhawk was genuinely impressed.

"Not as easy as yours! You may only be a baron, but you're a baron with a fief. I can't compare with that. Though I don't have to worry about paying taxes to the king every year, and I even receive some money to spend, how could that little sum cover the expenses of so many people? It's nowhere near as good as having a fief," Dirithis said.

"If I had any choice, I'd love to be a hands-off baron like you," Yu Lin Bloodhawk sighed. "War really leaves a man helpless."

"Is your war with the trolls that fierce?" Dirithis asked curiously.

"Of course. We've been fighting for thousands of years. Reconciliation is impossible," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "The trolls have always outnumbered us many times over. According to the latest news, they may even launch a large-scale invasion. So, before all-out war breaks out, I've come here to lie low and make a little money on the side."

"Won't your king summon you when war breaks out?" Dirithis asked.

"Of course he will, but there's no large-scale war right now, is there? Better to come out and find a few ways to make money first. Postwar reconstruction will cost a lot of gold, and it's no pleasant task. Once I have some income streams, I can keep fighting and earning at the same time. But then, my friend, we won't have many chances to meet. I'll only be able to wait at Sunsail Harbor for the goods you ship over," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

"I don't mind meeting less often. I only mind earning less," Dirithis said with a laugh.

"Actually, my greatest wish isn't to become some baron or have a fief. My greatest wish is to have more money than I can spend, then eat, drink, and idle away my life. At most, when I'm bored, I might play the petty tyrant, bully a few commoners, or snatch a beautiful woman. I don't have any grand ambitions. But war..." Yu Lin Bloodhawk shook his head. "As you know, that's impossible in Quel'Thalas."

"Your ambitions really are tiny! I'd like more money than I can spend, too." Dirithis laughed heartily. "That's not too much to ask at all. Unfortunately, even I can't manage it. I doubt even King Terenas could."

"Is it really too much to ask?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked.

"Not just too much. Far too much!" Dirithis said.

"Then it seems I'll have to adjust my expectations for the future a little. I'll settle for having enough money to spend," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said with a smile.

"That's a perfectly reasonable demand, but it's still too much," Dirithis said with a laugh. "Because I never feel I have enough money to spend."

Dirithis waited for him to finish washing up, then the two went out to explore Lordaeron. They did not return to Dirithis's home until evening.

That night, Dirithis invited him to a gathering. Yu Lin Bloodhawk thought it would be good to see what one was like, so he went along.

But the evening's gathering disappointed him. Quite a few human noblewomen and young ladies approached him to chat and invite him to dance. Unfortunately, he couldn't dance, so he politely declined them all.

While he was drinking alone, Dirithis brought a baron over to meet him. After the introductions, he discovered that the man was none other than Baron Rivendare. Surprised, Yu Lin Bloodhawk spent quite some time talking with him. After all, he would become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a boss of no small importance.

As their conversation warmed, they clinked glasses and toasted each other. Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned that Baron Rivendare's fief lay in present-day Stratholme, bordering the southern edge of Quel'Thalas. Rivendare invited him to visit. Yu Lin Bloodhawk declined, saying he was too busy to get away, but promised to look around Stratholme when he had time in the future.

They chatted a little longer before a noblewoman came over to invite Baron Rivendare to dance. He excused himself and left with her.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk reflected that after this unlucky baron became a death knight, he would not only serve as a boss inside Stratholme but also appear outside it as a rare silver elite. He would also appear in the Death's Breach during the training of new death knights. A flashy bastard-that was Yu Lin Bloodhawk's quick assessment of him.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk was no savior. He saw no reason to tell the man what would happen to him, warn him to reflect over his meals, or watch his step. What he did want was to capture him after he became a death knight and study the possibility of living death knights. After all, their ultimate ability, Army of the Dead, was ridiculously powerful.

Still, that was only wishful thinking. He would be lucky if this boss didn't come looking for trouble with him. How could a rookie like him dare provoke someone like that? Better to wait until the situation became clear before making plans. Until then, he should keep his distance from these bosses. Attracting the attention of any major boss other than Sylvanas would do him no good. The Burning Legion and the Lich King in particular would be an enormous headache.

After the gathering ended, Dirithis and Yu Lin Bloodhawk rode home in a carriage.

"You still retain that pride your High Elves are so famous for," Dirithis said. "Quite a few noblewomen and young ladies were grumbling about you!"

"Do I? How come I

didn't notice?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked in surprise.

"You didn't notice?" Dirithis looked at him as though trying to decide whether he was telling the truth.

"No! I was thinking about something," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

"What had you thinking so hard?" Dirithis asked skeptically.

"Pirates. I happened to hear someone mention them earlier," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.

"Pirates?" Dirithis frowned, his expression darkening. "Who would mention pirates at a gathering?"

"I've forgotten who it was," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "I don't remember their names either, and their looks were nothing special. Anyway, I think you humans all look much the same. It's hard to tell you apart."

"What did they say?" Dirithis asked.

"What did they say?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk thought for a moment. "Something about ships."

"Ships? Was there a problem with them?" Dirithis asked.

"A problem?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk scratched his head. "I just can't understand why pirate ships are so much like warships, with all those cannons. Where do they get them? Surely they aren't soldiers in disguise?"

"Oh, that's all!" Dirithis said, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong? You seem pretty nervous," Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked. Could this fellow be a pirate chief?

"Me? Nervous? Am I?" Dirithis changed the subject. "I know how it works."

"You do?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked in surprise.

"Those ships are medium-sized warships to begin with," Dirithis said.

"Really?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then how could they..."

"There's nothing impossible about it." Dirithis winked and smiled. "As long as you have the gold, those shipyards will build whatever ships you want."

"Doesn't the king do anything about it?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was even more puzzled.

"Of course he does. But he can't stop it. They build the hulls as civilian vessels first, then sail them somewhere overseas to begin refitting them. After that, they bring cannons in from elsewhere, install them, and there you have it," Dirithis said. "Exactly the same as the military's medium-sized warships."

"So that's how it works. Incredible," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said in wonder. "They're quite resourceful."

"Some nobles are actually the owners behind the scenes," Dirithis suddenly said, watching Yu Lin Bloodhawk's expression closely.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk noticed, but pretended not to. He merely nodded casually, as though he had known all along. "They did mention a few people like that."

"They even talked about that?" This time, it was Dirithis's turn to be surprised.

"Yes. What's wrong?..." Yu Lin Bloodhawk feigned surprise. "You couldn't be one of them, too..."

"I am an upright noble," Dirithis said, straightening his back.

To Yu Lin Bloodhawk, the gesture looked rather like protesting too much.

"Oh!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk suddenly smiled. "Understood!"

Dirithis nodded knowingly as well, and the carriage rolled on.

"Dirithis, I had a terrible nightmare last night," Yu Lin Bloodhawk suddenly said.

"Yes, I heard about it from the servants," Dirithis said.

"You certainly don't know what kind of nightmare it was," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "I don't know whether it has anything to do with an ancient legend."

Dirithis frowned. "What kind of nightmare?"

Yu Lin Bloodhawk described the scenes from his nightmare, leaving Dirithis thoroughly unnerved. When Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked whether he had ever had a similar nightmare, Dirithis shook his head and said he hadn't.