The rules of the "grown-ups'" game

A soldier brought Rowan a small stool, and Admiral Daelin motioned for him to sit between himself and Lord Aldrius.

The solemn atmosphere of the morning meeting at Proudmoore Keep made Rowan feel very ill at ease.

He knew that Admiral Daelin must have invited him to the family council because of the various events that had happened recently.

With that in mind, Rowan began adjusting his mindset. Otherwise, when it was his turn to speak, he might stammer from nerves, which would hardly be fitting for a protagonist.

In the end, Rowan resorted to convincing himself he had already won. As an elite World of Warcraft player, he had mostly followed the game from the sidelines since version 8.0, but that did not change the fact that he had once been Azeroth's Grandmaster, Highlord, Slayer, Huntmaster, Battlelord, Deathlord...

Thinking of it that way immediately put Rowan at ease.

"Long time no see, Uncle Ashvane. How is Aunt Plashiri's weight loss going? Has she gotten her figure back?"

Lord Ashvane gave a few awkward chuckles and shook his head slightly. "No, no," he replied politely.

"Uncle Arthur, I saw Lucille a few days ago. Her legs are so long, just like Aunt Meredith's."

Like father, like son. No wonder this sharp young lad could deal with the pirates in the inland sea. Hmm, he would make a fine son-in-law. I think my daughter would really like him.

"Although this is hardly the right occasion to discuss it, Lucille is indeed quite pretty. She is in Boralus now, too. Would you like to come over this evening?" Lord Arthur invited him.

Whether deliberately or not, Admiral Daelin cleared his throat before Rowan could answer. "We have two reports today. One concerns how to handle the pirate incident in the inland sea, and the other is a detailed report on the new warship at Morris Shipyard."

The guards in the council hall handed copies of both reports to each lord and to Rowan.

Rowan set the recommendations on the pirate incident aside for the moment and leafed through the warship report.

The detailed figures in the report stunned him.

The vessel was classified as a medium sailing warship. Its first and second cannon decks had been modified and fitted with thirty-six Shipbreaker Cannons.

Thirteen bulkheads had been added to the lowest deck, dividing the hold into tightly partitioned compartments.

All sails had been removed. A massive steel blast furnace had been installed in a compartment at the stern, suspected to be the warship's propulsion unit. Two compartments contained large quantities of blackstone, suspected to be fuel for the furnace...

It has not even been half a day, and these lords already have their eyes on my warship? Worse still, they have investigated it this thoroughly.

They did not summon me here today to make me put my steam power technology on the table and hand it over to all the fleets for free, did they?

That is just like you lot!

Rowan had originally thought he was attending this meeting because of the pirate incident in the inland sea. But he had still underestimated the lords' instincts. Pirate attacks were commonplace in Kul Tiras, but this was the first warship they had seen that relied on neither wind runes nor magical power.

The lords calmly leafed through the reports in their hands, their seasoned faces occasionally showing surprise and admiration, as though they had only just learned about Rowan's new warship.

Still, the lords were clearly much better actors than his father.

Lord Aldrius neatly arranged the two reports in front of him. Stroking his chin, he quietly waited for the other lords to speak. Let us see who in the Five Great Houses Council has the thickest skin.

Lord Ashvane was the first to put down his documents. He cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

Lord Stormsong and Lord Arthur looked slightly more relaxed and put down their documents at the same time.

"House Stormsong has a long and distinguished history in navigation and shipbuilding. When it comes to the new warship built by the Norwington Family, I believe Lord Stormsong is the most qualified to speak." Lord Ashvane nodded slightly as he spoke in an even tone.

Lord Stormsong had just raised his teacup and taken a sip. Hearing Ashvane so deftly pass the buck to him, he nearly spat it out.

But with Ashvane dragging him into the discussion and blindsiding him, he could hardly brush it aside. He could only swallow his embarrassment and say, "According to the report, the Norwington Family's warship no longer relies on wind runes for propulsion. This is undoubtedly an innovation for the warships of Kul Tiras, a revolution in sailing warships. If this propulsion unit could be widely adopted and combined with our House Stormsong's wind runes, the fighting strength of Kul Tiras's fleets would surely rise to a new level."

Skirting the real issue, Lord Stormsong stubbornly avoided the main point.

Lord Ashvane picked up the thread. "Please explain Kul Tiras's policies on warship technology in greater detail, Lord Stormsong."

You old dog! And here we are, supposedly on the same side. Lord Stormsong was so angry that his breathing quickened. He glanced at Lord Ashvane and saw him give a confident nod, so he decided to hold his temper for now.

Sharing the Norwington Family's new propulsion technology with all the fleets would also serve House Stormsong's current interests. Once every major fleet had installed the new propulsion units, their warships would be on equal footing again. To improve their ships' performance, they would still have to purchase House Stormsong's wind runes and further enhance their fighting strength.

"As for warship technology, I believe everyone is familiar with Kul Tiras's traditions. Ever since the nation's founding, we have always shared our technology and used it to complement one another's strengths." Lord Stormsong finally came to the point.

After listening to Ashvane and Stormsong's double act, Rowan cursed inwardly. You two old dogs want to get your hands on my steam engine? In your dreams.

"Lord Aldrius, what do you think of this?" Daelin asked.

Aldrius patted Rowan on the shoulder. "My son should decide this. After all, he is the one who developed this new warship. It has nothing to do with me."

"Then, Rowan, what are your thoughts?"

Rowan narrowed his eyes and replied calmly, "Naturally, we should follow Lord Stormsong's suggestion."

At Rowan's answer, smiles spread across the faces of the three lords.

"However, I have one condition."

The smiles on Lord Ashvane's and Lord Stormsong's faces slowly froze.

"Go ahead," Daelin said.

"Let me ask a question first, my lords. Do you now acknowledge that my warship's performance far exceeds that of sailing warships powered by wind runes?" Rowan laid a verbal trap. He had, after all, lived two lives. Without a little preparation, he would hardly deserve to call himself a transmigrator.

Lord Arthur was blunt and outspoken. He answered immediately, "Is that not obvious? It completely outclasses the existing wind-rune warships."

Ashvane and Stormsong both turned to Lord Arthur, their expressions those of men saddled with an idiot for a teammate.

The brat is obviously going to name his terms next, and you are still charging headfirst into his trap.

"What do the other lords think?" Rowan's eyes brimmed with confidence as he slipped neatly into the rules of the "grown-ups'" game.