Yu Lin Bloodhawk took out his badge and said, "I'm Baron Bloodhawk. I was sent out on an assignment by the Military Department, and now I'm returning."
The Dragonhawk Rider saluted him and asked, "My lord, are you Baron Bloodhawk, the commander of the battle pet unit?"
"You know me?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked in surprise. Was he really that famous already?
"A squad of our Dragonhawk Riders went there for training too," the Dragonhawk Rider said with a smile.
"Your air force wants a battle pet unit too?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was puzzled.
"The air force has ground troops too. My younger brother is the squad leader who went there for training," the Dragonhawk Rider said.
"Heh, sorry about that," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said, scratching his head. "I've been rather busy lately. My adjutant has been handling everything in the unit. I only laid out the general plan."
"Haha, I know," the Dragonhawk Rider said with a laugh. "You could be called the busiest commander, or the most idle one. Everyone in the unit knows that."
"How did that happen?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was utterly bewildered.
"Baron Bloodhawk, there's a ship that's been following yours. Is it one of your ships?" the Dragonhawk Rider asked.
"What sort of ship?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk's heart jolted. At last, he understood why he had felt uneasy all these days.
The Dragonhawk Rider took a crystal ball from inside his clothes. Magical light shone from his hand, and the crystal ball connected to the magical energy barrier. Then an image appeared in the ball like a film: a medium-sized warship was speeding across the sea under full sail.
"A pirate ship!" the female Rogue beside Yu Lin Bloodhawk cried.
"So pirates have been chasing us all along. No wonder I've felt uneasy these past few days. Good thing we sailed at full speed, or they would've cut us down, wouldn't they?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said with a cold laugh.
"So they're not one of your ships?" the Dragonhawk Rider said. "I'll drive them off."
"Wait, Captain. They're pirates, so be careful and don't get too close. They probably have ranged weapons," Yu Lin Bloodhawk warned.
"Don't worry," the Dragonhawk Rider captain said with a smile. "We've brought aerial bombs. If they dare make a move, we'll bomb them to the bottom."
"Sink them?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked, his eyes widening. "Could you capture that ship instead?"
"What use would you have for a human ship like that? Our navy won't accept it," the Dragonhawk Rider captain said with a frown.
"It's useful to me! If they don't want it, I do!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk exclaimed.
"I see!" The Dragonhawk Rider captain fell silent for a moment before saying, "I heard you procured most of the battle pets for the battle pet unit?"
"Yes, but I don't have any flying battle pets for you!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. Our air force may establish a ground-based battle pet guard unit in the future, to protect the Dragonhawk bases. But I hear Lynxes in Quel'Thalas are getting rather hard to catch..." the Dragonhawk Rider captain said, shaking his head.
"How about five hundred Dire Wolves and a hundred War Bears?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk understood now. Business just kept coming his way! He was beginning to suspect that his cheat was simply his charm with merchants.
"Now that's decisive!" the Dragonhawk Rider said with a hearty laugh.
In truth, he was also thinking of his younger brother, who had taken a fifty-man squad to join the newly established battle pet unit. From the news he had received, more than a dozen Rangers had already successfully performed soul rituals with beasts.
His younger brother was one of them. The battle pet his brother had chosen was a War Bear, and he was currently training it in some basic tactical maneuvers. According to his letters, this newly established battle pet unit had a very high chance of success.
What worried his younger brother now was not training the battle pets, but what would happen when he returned to the air force after completing his training.
Once he returned, he would surely be ordered to establish a ground-based battle pet unit. But Lynxes were already very hard to catch in Quel'Thalas, and he had heard that other legions had begun catching them to build up reserves. What would he do then?
He had never expected Baron Bloodhawk to be so generous, offering six hundred battle pets in one go. That was enough to establish a complete battle pet unit. Astonished and delighted, the Dragonhawk Rider captain patted his Dragonhawk and flew toward the pirate ship.
Meanwhile, Yu Lin Bloodhawk had forgotten that Sylvanas had already laid claim to the Dire Wolves. All he could think about was getting that pirate ship. A tiny investment for an enormous profit!
The pirate ship was still far behind them, out of sight, but he did not dare let their ship stop. He told the captain to hurry toward Sunsail Archorage.
When the captain heard that a pirate ship had been following them all along, he broke into a cold sweat and urgently ordered the sailors to move faster. The sailors wasted no time either. By now, every one of them knew danger was upon them.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk looked up at the squad of Dragonhawk Riders overhead and saw one peel away to fly back to Sunsail Archorage. After their ship had sailed for another half hour, two more squads of Dragonhawk Riders flew overhead. Yu Lin Bloodhawk saw one of the riders wave to him, and he waved back at the sky.
The sailors stared openmouthed at the twenty-odd Dragonhawks flying overhead. They had never seen such a magnificent sight in their lives. They would have something to brag about when they got home.
The ship sailed into the docks of Sunsail Archorage that afternoon. Yu Lin Bloodhawk paid the captain and sailors what he had promised, but they were extremely reluctant to accept it. They insisted that if he had not urged them onward, the pirates would have killed them by now.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk pressed the money into their hands, saying that working away from home was hard, that they still had children to feed, and that even if they would not think of themselves, they should think of their wives and children.
The captain and crew thanked him profusely. Yu Lin Bloodhawk also told them to wait until the pirate ship had been captured or sunk before heading home, as that would be safer. The captain and sailors were so touched they nearly cried. They had never seen a noble show such concern for commoners and could only take it as proof of the lofty character of High Elves. The five human Rogues who had accompanied him also felt that this High Elf baron was a little too kind. They wanted to offer a word of caution, but held their tongues.
After going ashore, Yu Lin Bloodhawk spoke with the dock administrator and had the matter put on record. Humans were not allowed to reside permanently in Quel'Thalas. Without an elf to vouch for them, they could not even stay overnight.
Just as he was about to leave with the five Rogues and Little Locust Tree, an officer approached him and said, "Are you Baron Bloodhawk?"
"I am! And you are...?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was certain he did not know this man, who was clearly an air force officer.
"I'm Glo, a lieutenant colonel of the Dragonhawk Rider flying corps," the air force officer said.
Realizing that the other man outranked him, Yu Lin Bloodhawk immediately saluted.
Glo returned the salute and said, "No need for formalities. Come, let's sit over there."
Yu Lin Bloodhawk nodded and followed Glo into an empty room in the dock administration building, where they sat down.
"I heard-"
"-you promised Maladai a hundred War Bears and five hundred Dire Wolves?" Glo went straight to the point.
"That's right, provided he gets that ship for me," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"Are those the five hundred Dire Wolves from last time?" Glo's eyes lit up.
"Yes. You saw them too?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk was dumbfounded. He had thought hardly anyone knew about them. He did not even know when they had been transported, yet someone else had found out before him.
"Heh, not only did I see them, I even know where they are now," Glo said with a smile. "Five hundred is no small number. How could they go unnoticed? Actually, my Dragonhawk just happened to fly over Shalandis Isle and spotted them by chance."
"Is there anything your air force doesn't know?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked with a wry smile.
"Yes! For example, I don't know what you've brought back this time," Glo said.
"This time?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said in surprise. "Just those five." He pointed at the five black-clad Rogues. "And I picked up a Young Treant."
"Those five?" Glo frowned as he studied the five human Rogues.
"Yes!" Yu Lin Bloodhawk said. "They'll be very useful."
"You're always so mysterious. No one knows what you're thinking," Glo said with a smile. "Let's get back to our business."
Yu Lin Bloodhawk laughed. "I seem to have quite a knack for dealing with merchants lately. I've almost forgotten I'm still an officer!"
"I hope you're a merchant. That would make it easier for us to talk," Glo said.
"Right now, I hope so too. Closing a deal always feels good," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"May I ask you something? Why doesn't your unit use that batch of Dire Wolves as battle pets?" Glo asked.
"Different units have different missions, so the battle pets they use need to differ too," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"Oh, there are distinctions like that?" Glo was deeply interested. "Give me an example."
"Take a War Bear. It walks slowly because it moves both legs on the same side together. But when it attacks, that changes. Its front legs move together, followed by its hind legs, making it very fast, though it can't keep that up for long. So it can't be used for prolonged charges. But it's big and strong enough to kill a Troll with a single swipe, and it's quite nimble within a small area. Its role is much like that of a human heavy infantryman, and it's particularly effective when attacking a tightly packed formation. It also works very well on defense. A Lynx, on the other hand, is small and not very strong, but it's extremely agile and good at hiding. That makes it useful for reconnaissance and ambushes, but not so effective in a head-on fight," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"So there are differences like that. A lot of people don't know about them yet!" Glo said.
"Of course. They're not much different from our current troop types. They all have their limitations and strengths. All we need to do is make use of their strengths and conceal their weaknesses," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
"Then what strengths and weaknesses do Dire Wolves have? Why doesn't your unit use them?" Glo asked again.
"Dire Wolves are fairly middle-of-the-road beasts, with clear strengths and weaknesses. They're small and not very strong, which is their weakness. They're not particularly suited to head-on battles, especially when outnumbered. But they're agile, quick, and very alert. Above all, they have keen eyes, an excellent sense of smell, and ears that can pick up very faint sounds from far away. Their howls are loud too. They're the first choice for a guard unit, and best suited to fighting when they outnumber the enemy," Yu Lin Bloodhawk said.
Before you continue