By the time the sun hung high in the sky, Felix and Vladimir finally reached the Valley of Heroes near the gates of Stormwind City. They noticed that the garrison here was much more solemn than usual today, and more troops had been deployed in the area.
Felix's heart sank. Sure enough, the worst-case scenario he had anticipated had come to pass. They hurried to the auction house in the Trade District and carefully read the notices on the board:
"The Stonemasons' Guild is suspected of plotting rebellion and has been ordered by the Council of Nobles to disband immediately."
"The City Planning Office has been sealed off. Unauthorized personnel must keep away."
"The Stonemasons' Guild no longer exists and will be reestablished following a suspension of operations for reorganization."
"Suspension for reorganization? Reestablished?" Vladimir sneered. "It's our red union they're shutting down. I'm afraid that once they rebuild it, it'll be a yellow union that obeys the Council of Nobles' every command."
Felix said nothing, merely grumbling inwardly, When someone says you're plotting rebellion, you'd better really be plotting rebellion.
For example, he really was plotting rebellion right now.
The two then returned to the vicinity of their former headquarters, the City Planning Office, but sure enough, all the buildings there now bore large seals, and everyone inside was long gone.
Clearly, all the stonemasons had either been arrested or followed Joseph's directions and hidden in the sewers.
With Vladimir leading the way, they passed through a sewer entrance and entered Stormwind City's drainage system. After feeling their way around for more than ten minutes, they finally spotted a familiar, friendly figure.
"Felix, I knew you'd enter the sewers here. I'm glad to see you both safe and sound." As soon as Joseph saw them, he came forward to greet them. Ever since guiding everyone to safety, he had been waiting here for the two of them to return.
But then his expression grew dejected again. "Sigh, everything happened just as you said. They really did come to arrest us. I only saved some of the men-President VanCleef is in a terrible mood right now-"
"I'll take you to him now."
Yet no matter how Joseph led Felix and Vladimir around the sewers, they could not find VanCleef or the other stonemasons.
"Huh? What's going on?" Joseph was visibly anxious too. "They were right around here before!"
"This is bad. This is really bad!" Felix said anxiously. "Joseph, I think the president has already taken the men outside!"
A few hours earlier.
"Fuck Bolvar! Fuck the Paladins! Fuck the dukes and earls!" Curses passed back and forth, raising echoes through the enclosed underground space, rather like voices carrying through an empty valley.
VanCleef swore furiously. "I should have known all along that there's no reasoning with those shameless nobles!"
Only yesterday, he had received an empty promise from Regent Bolvar, and today, even his guild had been disbanded. Some of his men had also been arrested for no apparent reason, suffering unjust accusations. If Joseph had not tricked him into coming here by claiming there were quality issues with the sewers, he would probably have been locked up by now too.
Now VanCleef was hiding in a stinking sewer like a rat. It would have been a miracle if he had been in a good mood.
Even he, always so honest and meek, had finally reached his breaking point. The guild president had at last made up his mind: he would protest today, protest tomorrow, and protest forever.
"Come on, brothers! Let's take back what we're owed!"
In the early hours of that morning, Reginald Marshal Windsor had suddenly received instructions from the Council of Nobles. The council had obtained reliable information that the Stonemasons' Guild was plotting a rebellion.
The council ordered him to seal off and search the guild's headquarters, the City Planning Office, immediately.
Windsor dared not delay. But after his troops spent ages searching the City Planning Office, they found nothing.
Apart from some perfectly ordinary wrenches, axes, hammers, sickles, and daggers that the Stonemasons' Guild was legally permitted to possess, he had not found so much as a single restricted sword or suit of armor.
This made Windsor wonder, Were they really plotting rebellion?
"Marshal, I think there was a flaw in the Council of Nobles' intelligence." Marcus Jonathan approached and saluted Windsor. "These stonemasons don't look remotely prepared for a rebellion."
"To be honest, I think so too." Windsor sighed. "When I arrived here with the troops this morning, many of the workers had only just woken up. When they saw us coming, they scattered without even stopping to put their trousers on."
Windsor recalled the scene. They had looked as though... as though the god of pestilence had arrived.
"I don't think that's what plotting rebellion should look like. To be precise, they showed no signs of plotting rebellion whatsoever."
"Reporting, Marshal." Hammond Clay strode over, carrying himself with a professional soldier's brisk efficiency. "According to the report from the Goldshire garrison, the Stonemasons' Guild members there showed no intention of armed resistance either. But perhaps word leaked out beforehand. Marshal Dughan said they fled in advance."
"There must have been a mistake." Putting all the information together, Windsor reached his conclusion. "I'll go discuss this with the council at once."
"There's no need, Marshal Windsor." At some point, Duke Wishock had also appeared, with numerous other nobles standing beside him.
Wishock declared firmly, "There is conclusive evidence of their rebellion. What's more, they are attempting to murder the queen and the prince."
"What? How can you say that?" Windsor asked in surprise. This was an extremely serious accusation, after all. "Our troops have spent a long time searching here and in Goldshire, but they haven't found anything. There isn't enough evidence to show that they really are planning a rebellion-"
"I assume you already know that the Stonemasons' Guild in Goldshire vanished without a trace before the troops searched it."
"Yes, that hall was basically empty, but what does that-"
"That proves it was premeditated! And, Marshal, when you took action this morning, VanCleef had already left his lodgings, hadn't he?"
"Yes, his room was empty. There was only a pile of straw inside. We don't know where he went-"
"See? Just as we expected!" Wishock looked at the other nobles around him and found them all looking back in agreement, so he continued, "VanCleef has been secretly plotting against this kingdom all along. If he wasn't plotting rebellion, he should have stayed quietly in his room sleeping, instead of running away before the Alliance troops even arrived!"
Although what he said did indeed make sense, Windsor still felt there was something odd about Duke Wishock's logic. He simply could not say exactly what it was.
After all, stonemasons who resisted were plotting rebellion, while stonemasons who fled were meticulously plotting rebellion.
Just then, a guard suddenly came running over. "Reporting to Marshal Windsor! The target has appeared. He's in Cathedral Square right now!"
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