Vladimir's proposal

A few days later, at the construction site on the back street behind the trading house.

In truth, the work here had long been nearing completion, but Stormwind City's Council of Nobles kept refusing to send anyone to inspect and approve it. They were simply doing everything they could to delay the acceptance procedures, and the people they did send tried every possible way to find faults, forcing the Stonemasons' Guild to make this subproject even more perfect.

Just then, Felix noticed a familiar figure. In the few days since they had last met, parts of the man's full beard had turned gray, his eyes had sunk into their sockets, and the skin beneath them was dark. He looked even more dispirited.

Still, in terms of looks, the melancholy-faced Joseph better suited the aesthetic of "battle-worn beauty."

"Joseph, what's happened to you? Didn't Guildmaster VanCleef already raise some money for you?" Erlan Drudgemoor walked over curiously. He was also a member of this work crew.

"That's right, Joseph. You're one of our mainstays, but you missed work again yesterday," crew leader Lightfinger interjected. "If you offend those noble lords and give them another excuse to delay approval, then-"

"Stop talking!" Joseph suddenly erupted, hammering the tabletop furiously with his wrench.

Everyone stopped working at once, and the construction site on the top floor became so quiet that a pin drop could have been heard. Though Joseph was not tall, no one here doubted that if they pushed him too far now, he really would dare to strike someone.

"Joseph," Felix took a deep breath and walked slowly toward him, "can you tell us what happened? Perhaps we can all help you."

"You can't help!" Joseph shouted, before his voice sank again. "It's impossible now. It's all over. I'll never get that much money in my lifetime."

"Joseph, get a hold of yourself!" Felix gripped Joseph's shoulders with both hands, bent down, and spoke quietly into his ear. "Listen to me! There are dozens of brothers here, and we'll all stand behind you. As long as you explain things clearly, everyone can help you think of a way."

"There's no way! I'm eighty gold coins short, and even if they paid me all my wages, it wouldn't cover a fraction of that!" Joseph's voice grew quieter and quieter. "The priest told me it would cost a hundred gold coins to treat my mother's illness."

"I sold everything I owned, and even with the guildmaster's help, I only have twenty..."

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands rested on Joseph's head.

The rogue VanCleef ended his Stealth and emerged from the shadows. "Don't worry, Joseph. The Stonemasons' Guild won't abandon any of its brothers. Even if some dukes and earls refuse to help, there are still kindhearted people in Stormwind City, aren't there?"

His words were deeply earnest. "Joseph, listen to me. Never give up hope, no matter what, all right?"

Whenever VanCleef appeared, he always brought comfort to these agitated stonemasons. Tears streaming down his face, Joseph nodded silently.

VanCleef had indeed not given up yet. Though the wealthy Duke Wishock had refused him and humiliated him, perhaps the powerful Duke Bolvar Fordragon would be willing to help?

After all, Bolvar was a noble Paladin.

"We can still seek help from Grand Duke Bolvar." VanCleef gritted his teeth. "Wishock and his lot may be a bunch of bastards, but Bolvar is a good man."

"It's no use," Vladimir, who had a thick beard and sparse hair around a bald crown, muttered discontentedly. "You should know that although Bolvar is a Paladin, his nobility only speaks for himself. He can't influence anyone else. He can't, and won't, persuade the Council of Nobles to give us money."

"But we have to try, regardless," VanCleef said. "Not long ago, the kindhearted Lady Katrana gave me some money, which I handed over to Bazil. Yesterday, Bazil's child was born safely. Wishock, Ridgewell, and the others may be greedy, despicable, and cunning dragons, but Katrana Prestor, at least, is a countess worthy of respect. That shows there are still good people among the nobles, doesn't it?"

Yet while everyone entertained hopes of Bolvar's help, Vladimir mocked them sharply. "What sort of person do you take Bolvar for? Do you think he'll speak for us from our side? No, at most, he feels a little sympathy for us. If you expect him to actually give us money to support us, that's utterly impossible."

After a brief pause, Vladimir continued, "In my opinion, instead of asking them for it, we might as well take it ourselves."

"Take it? How?"

"Take it from whoever has money." Vladimir spat disdainfully. "The Royal Bank in the Dwarven District, the accounting office in the Trade District, and the mansions of those wealthy dukes and earls. There are plenty of rogues among us, especially you, Guildmaster. You can go practically wherever you please in Stormwind City."

"Wouldn't borrowing a little spending money from them be child's play?"

Objectively speaking, Felix thought Vladimir's proposal had very lucrative prospects-and was entirely criminally viable.

"Vladimir, how could you even think of that!" VanCleef sounded somewhat shocked. "If we did that and it came to light, we'd all be finished! Then not only would the Council of Nobles want to wipe us out, even Lady Katrana would no longer sympathize with us!"

Felix, however, completely agreed with Vladimir.

"Guildmaster VanCleef, you're too weak!" He delivered his judgment without mercy.

"Yes, I admit King Varian is a good man, Grand Duke Bolvar is a good man, and Lady Katrana is a good woman. So why haven't we received our money yet?"

VanCleef was about to speak, but Felix glared at him, making him swallow the words he had been about to say.

"Guildmaster, are you going to say the Kingdom of Stormwind has no money? Then what caused the Kingdom of Stormwind to have no money?"

Felix stared at him. "You saw it that day too. Duke Wishock claimed he had no money, but he certainly didn't look like someone without money! He said he was holding a meeting, and what did we find? They sat on velvet-covered sofas, ordering people about, raising lavish stemmed wineglasses and eating exquisite delicacies, while smugly telling us with grinning faces that they had no money!"

"That is their private money, not the kingdom's money. They are entirely different in nature," Baros Alexston interjected, having stood silently behind VanCleef all this time. "Felix, Vladimir, I understand your desire to help our brother Joseph, but this proposal is still far too unsound!"