As a member of the ranger forces charged with keeping Quel'Thalas safe, Charlemagne naturally had an obligation to stop dangerous schemes that threatened civilian safety.
"Hey! You two! Unless you want to get hauled off to prison to pick up the soap, stop entertaining those dangerous ideas right now!"
Charlemagne strode over to the two dangerous individuals, not forgetting to call on the rangers to notify Sunsail Anchorage's security forces.
After all, this was their territory. If Charlemagne went too far, he would unquestionably be overstepping his authority.
The gnome and the goblin raised their heads together, glaring irritably at Charlemagne for interrupting their argument.
"We're exchanging engineering knowledge, not entertaining any dangerous ideas!"
The bald gnome was the first to jump up and protest, though given his pitiful height, even a strenuous leap might barely bring him up to Charlemagne's waist.
As for that goblin... forget it. All these greenskins looked the same to Charlemagne. Once they changed clothes, he could not tell who was who.
"Time is money! You interrupted our pleasant exchange of engineering knowledge. I demand immediate compensation in gold!"
"I don't care whether you're exchanging knowledge, studying, or getting it on! You're not discussing where to plant bombs on High Elf territory!"
Unable to be bothered with these two clowns, Charlemagne saw the port's security personnel arriving with the rangers and handed the two dangerous individuals straight over to them.
The elf at their head, who had short brown hair and wore a fiery red military uniform, first signaled his subordinates to arrest the pair, then came over and saluted Charlemagne.
"Ranger, thank you for sending someone to report this. I never expected these two troublemakers who needed special supervision to sneak over here while we were inspecting the holds."
Seeing the gnome and goblin instantly wilt after being arrested, Charlemagne chuckled, then returned the salute. "You're welcome. We're the ranger unit heading to Silvermoon City this time. Maintaining stability in Quel'Thalas is our duty."
After talking for a while, Charlemagne finally learned the details.
The commander of Sunsail Anchorage's guards before him was named Sasfen Morningsong, a member of a collateral branch of the royalist Dawnblade Family.
The gnome and goblin belonged to two different merchant groups. The gnome had sailed from Lordaeron with a merchant delegation from Ironforge, while the goblin had come from the Cape of Stranglethorn farther south.
Since both had previously made explosives aboard ship, even their respective shipmates regarded them as dangerous individuals and kept them under strict watch.
After the ships entered port, Sasfen had been leading his guards through security inspections of their fleets. Who could have known that the two would use their small size to sneak off their ships while no one was looking?
After meeting by chance on the docks and talking briefly, the two explosion fanatics had begun exchanging experiences like dry tinder meeting a raging flame. In their excitement, however, their voices grew so loud that Charlemagne overheard them...
Watching the two explosion maniacs being escorted away, Charlemagne said goodbye to Sasfen, then rubbed his chin in thought.
Engineering in Azeroth could indeed produce some crude explosives. Although they were not particularly powerful, they still counted as explosives.
Now he began considering whether he should contact the gnomes or goblins ahead of time and offer them some ideas from Earth to speed up the development of gunpowder.
After carefully thinking it over, however, he put the idea aside for the time being.
Leaving aside the limitations on raw materials, I'm a nobody right now, and the gnomes and goblins I can meet are just ordinary civilians. The gnomes would be one thing... but didn't the goblins help the Orcs during their invasion?
Goblins were a race without scruples. So long as they were paid, they would work for you whether you intended to destroy the world or wipe out the entire goblin race.
If Charlemagne developed high-performance explosives only for those short greenskins to supply them to the Orcs... that would truly be shooting himself in the foot.
I'll leave it until I have a chance to meet the gnomes' higher-ups.
What had originally been a pleasant trip to Sunsail Anchorage had to end because of this unexpected incident.
Since Guard Commander Sasfen's deployment had caused quite a stir, the nearby merchants and elven civilians had all noticed Charlemagne and the other rangers.
Coupled with the rumors they had heard recently, these intensely curious elves with nothing to do all day seemed to have a gleam in their eyes, ready to rush over, grab them, and ask about the recent war against the Trolls.
Seeing things taking a bad turn, Charlemagne could only hurriedly call Sylvanas over and flee with the reluctant rangers in tow.
Speaking of Sylvanas... although the second Windrunner daughter had come along this time, she remained as evasive around Charlemagne as ever.
Occasionally, when Charlemagne noticed her gaze and looked back, he would always catch the complicated look in her eyes before she could look away.
What's going on? Does she really need to dwell on that mistake so much?
At that thought, Charlemagne lightly touched the long scar on his face.
Quite some time had passed since the injury. The dark red scab had long since fallen off, and all that remained visible was a slightly pale mark.
Although it still looked somewhat fearsome, fortunately his eyeball had not been injured, so it did not affect Charlemagne's vision. Even he was gradually beginning to forget about it.
In private, Lor'themar had even whispered that the scar looked cool and very manly, making Charlemagne wonder whether his younger brother was going through a chuunibyou phase.
Although he found the attitude of the woman known as Queen Xi in his previous life rather difficult to understand, she was, after all, one of Alleria's most cherished younger sisters. Charlemagne still put some thought into caring for her along the journey to Silvermoon City. This was also what his mentor Lireesa wanted.
As the mother who had raised her from infancy, how could Lireesa fail to notice that something had been wrong with her second daughter lately?
However, she had to manage military affairs along the way, communicate with officials wherever they camped, and even exchange pleasantries with nobles staying in their fiefs along the route. The Ranger-General had no time to attend to her daughter's little worries, so she entrusted her to her dependable, prized pupil, Charlemagne.
Yet the more concern Charlemagne showed, the stranger Sylvanas's attitude became, leaving him unsure how to interact with her lately.
Sigh, if I'd known, I would have asked Vereesa to come keep her sister company. This awkward atmosphere is unbearable...
Fortunately, even the most awkward journey eventually reached its end. Not long after leaving Fairbreeze Village and continuing north, the ranger forces led by Lireesa finally arrived outside the imposing main gates of Silvermoon City.
Thanks to reader "xyuanjinshijianj" for the tip and support.
(End of chapter)