War?
No, of course it was not war. This world had only regained its fragile peace less than a year ago. No one but a madman would choose to start a war at a time like this.
Azeroth's largest gang of madmen had already been banished to Draenor two years earlier. Under the Master's command, they had become an indispensable force in the Draenor theater. According to the Illidari's observations, they had grown even crazier than before, but for soldiers fighting a war, that was a good thing.
The somewhat brutal system of "exile" remained in force, but petty thieves would no longer be sent straight to that cruel world unless they committed a serious crime. Overall, social conditions in Azeroth had slowly recovered over the past year, though returning to their height would take a little more time.
Dick passed through the Dark Portal and stepped into Azeroth's Blasted Lands. This dark red land was synonymous with desolation and barrenness, and it was hard to imagine anything surviving here. Yet just outside the great crater where the Dark Portal stood, the town used to house the garrison had grown into a city-small, but commercially thriving.
From what the Paladin could see, this place had all but become a major hub for smuggling between Azeroth and Draenor World. Luxuries and weapons from Azeroth, along with precious medicinal herbs, rare minerals, and creatures from Draenor World, were all high-grade goods much sought after in both worlds.
Smugglers from the Goblin Consortium bought raw materials here at rock-bottom prices, then sold the goods they had brought, profiting both ways. These cunning little green-skinned fellows were the city's major financiers, though other small fry also claimed a share of this fully developed trade.
They included Stormwind City's Merchants' Guild, Ironforge's Deep Mountain Mining