Late at night, a carriage bearing no markings raced along the roads of Elwynn Forest, carrying orders from the Council of Nobles. Meanwhile, on a narrow path far ahead, two young rogues were running for their lives.
Though neither knew the other existed, they had already begun a race against death. Whoever reached Goldshire first would gain the advantage of making the first move in the coming clash.
This fertile land was one of the Kingdom of Stormwind's breadbaskets. To the south of Elwynn Forest lay the famous Elwynn River.
Several large farms stood along the beautiful Elwynn River. Together with the farms of Westfall, they provided enough grain for the entire kingdom every year.
Since the war ended, good fortune had continued to favor this land. In recent years, Elwynn Forest had enjoyed favorable weather, and its grain harvests not only met the kingdom's needs but could even be sold abroad, accumulating more wealth for the farm owners.
"Vladimir, are you still holding up? If you're really too tired, stop and rest for a while," Felix said breathlessly. After running for so long, his breathing and heart rate had begun to grow unsteady, but he still did not slow his steps.
"I can keep going." Vladimir was clearly in worse shape than Felix. He was driving his two numb legs forward through sheer willpower. "Their people... should have set out... Felix... we have to... get there first."
Felix knew they had two advantages: they had set out before their opponents, and they were taking a narrow path. But as time passed, those advantages could very well dwindle away.
Meanwhile, on the main road.
Clip-clop, clip-clop. Under the driver's raised whip, the fine horses pulling the carriage raced toward the center of Elwynn Forest-Goldshire-at tremendous speed. It was also one of the Kingdom of Stormwind's most important towns, home to nearly a hundred thousand people, and had been among the first areas to prosper after the kingdom's reconstruction.
The Stonemasons' Guild also had a branch here, headed by Morgan and Jack.
After an entire night of running, nearly ten hours, a faint light had appeared in the eastern sky, and Vladimir finally could not go on.
His face had turned pale, and his legs trembled. At last, he failed to catch his breath and collapsed to the ground.
Felix was about to go over and help him up when he heard broken sounds coming from his throat. "Felix... go... don't worry about me... Lion's Pride... beside..."
Felix gritted his teeth and continued sprinting toward Goldshire. As the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon, he finally reached his destination.
Filled with worry, Felix entered Goldshire and made his way with difficulty toward the Lion's Pride Inn.
Along the way, he encountered some sluggish, yawning patrol soldiers.
Normally, those on the night shift were often sleepiest around dawn, so this was nothing unusual. But under the circumstances, it was very good news for Felix-it was enough to show that the Council of Nobles' messengers had not yet delivered their orders to Goldshire.
Beside the Lion's Pride Inn stood the Goldshire headquarters of the Stonemasons' Guild. Clearly, the guild had not yet been shut down and was still operating normally.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
Felix pounded desperately on the door, afraid that the people inside were sleeping too deeply to hear him.
The low thudding at the door disturbed the group quietly plotting something in the guild hall.
"They've come to arrest us," Morgan whispered. "Brothers, get ready."
"Not necessarily," said a man dressed in black. "That mysterious person said they wouldn't come until noon today."
He put his index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence, then crept toward the door with an assassin's dagger clenched tightly in his hand. "Who's there?" he demanded in a low voice.
"I'm from the Stonemasons' Guild in Stormwind City! Open the door!" Felix shouted. "I have something urgent to tell you! Otherwise, it'll be too late!"
The young stonemason's voice carried through the wooden door. The man in black cautiously opened it a crack and quickly checked that no one was lying in ambush outside.
Then he swiftly opened the door, pressed his dagger against Felix's neck in a flash, and dragged him back into the room before shutting the door.
"Tell us, who sent you?" the man in black demanded. "Are you a lackey of those nobles in Stormwind City?"
"Guildmaster VanCleef sent me," Felix said with difficulty. "My work papers are in my right pocket."
The person beside the man in black carefully inspected his papers and also noted that no hidden attackers had surrounded the place. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and put the papers back into Felix's pocket, while signaling for the man in black to release Felix's collar.
"Brother Felix, my name is Jack. Please forgive what I did just now. These are extraordinary times, after all-"
"Jack, get everyone ready to flee! The nobles' lackeys are coming to arrest us! I'm certain they're after little Vanessa!"
Morgan and Jack exchanged looks.
Felix, badly distressed by having his neck held, leaned against the door and took several deep breaths before following Jack and Morgan into the hall.
He was soon stunned by everything he saw.
All the windows around the hall had been tightly covered with black cloth, completely blocking the light from outside and ensuring that no one outside could see anything within.
In the dim candlelight, swords, daggers, bows and crossbows, several firearms, and large quantities of arrows were actually piled up here.
Among these piles of weapons, dozens of people had gathered, poised and ready. They seemed to be preparing for a battle.
Did they already know what was going to happen?
In fact, just five hours earlier, a mysterious person had also arrived here and woken them from their sleep, saying that the Council of Nobles was ready to move against the Stonemasons' Guild. The visitor had reminded them to prepare for battle and insisted that they fight the Council of Nobles' lackeys to the bitter end.
Jack told Felix that all he knew was that the mysterious visitor, whose sex was impossible to discern, was very powerful. The visitor claimed to be a noble with a conscience who could not bear to see the Stonemasons' Guild destroyed by a conspiracy. Beyond that, they knew nothing.
Felix immediately understood. This mysterious visitor had to be Katrana Prestor!
After a moment of contemplation, Felix finally figured out the scheming Black Dragon Princess's plan.
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