At that moment, everyone in the trial grounds looked at Jiang Jie with envy. Some of the girls even cast admiring glances his way.
He had achieved a result of 100 meters, and he seemed to have strength to spare.
Although rogues belonged to a profession that lurked out of sight, nowhere near as glorious and prestigious as mages, priests, and paladins, and even less popular than warriors and hunters, when it came to awe, rogues were probably second only to mages-especially the assassins among them, and especially the assassins of the Lordaeron Assassin Corps!
Assassins hidden in the shadows would always approach as silently as shadows when their enemies were most off guard, then strike without hesitation and take their lives!
To everyone in Lordaeron, the best path for a rogue was to become an assassin in the Lordaeron Assassin Corps, followed by becoming an army scout or an intelligence operative or assassin for some family. Only low-ranking rogues and rogue apprentices who could not amount to anything would sink to becoming thieves, and only when they had no other choice.
They were all excited, because they knew very well that a rising star was about to emerge. Nicholas Jiang had an incredibly brilliant future ahead of him!
No one should assume that rogues had to hide from the light and held low status!
A full-fledged assassin of the Lordaeron Royal Assassins held a position not much lower than that of an ordinary mage. A high-ranking assassin had the same standing as a court mage!
Only Jiang Jie himself thought little of it.
A rogue? Just an identity to conceal who I really am. If necessary, I can become a warrior or a hunter, too. Once my cultivation grows stronger, even posing as a mage or priest won't be out of the question. But my true identity will always be a Chinese martial artist.
The Lordaeron Assassin Corps? Of course I'll join, but my future isn't here.
An Assassins' Order with practically no reputation in the game—aside from Master Onias, who would later become renowned, none of its members were worth mentioning. It was nowhere near comparable to the Stormwind City Assassins.
Among all the rogue organizations in Azeroth, the Lordaeron Assassin Corps did not even rank in the top five!
More importantly, before long, this Assassins' Order would be destroyed along with Lordaeron, vanishing into nothing...
Of course, at least for now, the name of the Lordaeron Assassin Corps was still very useful to Jiang Jie. It could not stop arrows fired from the darkness, but at least it could shield him from Baron Soroson's heavy-handed suppression.
"Your name is Nicholas Jiang? Come here, come here! On behalf of the Lordaeron Royal Assassins, I now formally invite you to join us as a trainee assassin. Are you willing?" Miles's face was wreathed in smiles.
As one of the high-ranking assassins in the leadership of the Lordaeron Assassin Corps, he had the authority to recruit people directly.
At that moment, his eyes were practically glued to Jiang Jie, and he paid no attention at all to the young prodigy beside him.
"I am." Although Jiang Jie very much wanted to comment on how this exchange sounded like a wedding ceremony, he still agreed quickly.
"Good, good, good! Come with me now. We're going to see Master Onias! I'll apply for the best benefits for you!" Ignoring everything else, Miles took Jiang Jie by the arm and led him toward a certain place-the headquarters of the Lordaeron Assassin Corps.
Along the way, Jiang Jie heard people discussing him. Everyone gave this young prodigy of only fifteen the attention he deserved.
A prodigy who had earned full marks in the rogue trial was worth talking about with relish throughout Lordaeron!
Soon, they met Master Onias.
The Half-Elf woman, whose age was impossible to tell, was preparing to leave.
"Prince Arthas summoned me and ordered me to send out all our assassins to destroy every undead they find. You know that I am a follower of His Highness." Onias looked at Miles. "So if you have something to say, keep it brief. In ten minutes, we'll hold a meeting to discuss the details of our operations."
Something stirred in Jiang Jie's mind.
He immediately realized that Arthas had already told Master Onias about the Scourge plague, and of course, he must also have told His Majesty the king and the other senior figures. This did not match what Jiang Jie remembered.
In fact, according to the original history, after destroying Kel'Thuzad in Andorhal, Arthas should have immediately rushed to Hearthglen to purge the undead there, then continued on to Stratholme.
Yet he had returned before leaving again.
Has the butterfly effect of my transmigration already begun? Is history... changing?
But no matter how things changed, the outcome was already destined.
It was not as though Jiang Jie had never considered finding a way to warn the king of Lordaeron, Archmage Antonidas, and the other leaders involved in this matter. But he knew it would be meaningless.
All of Lordaeron had already been corrupted. Who knew how many people in Lordaeron were already members of the Cult of the Damned? Among them were powerful nobles such as Baron Soroson.
Never mind that he had no way to meet the king of Lordaeron-even if he did, His Majesty would not believe such an accusation against his own son, nor would any of the nobles. In their fury, they might not let Jiang Jie live to see the next day!
Even if His Majesty and the other nobles spared him, doing so would truly draw the Cult of the Damned's attention to Jiang Jie. What awaited him would be relentless, intensive assassination attempts until they killed him!
Unlike now, when the Cult of the Damned might not even have noticed him, and only Baron Soroson regarded him as an ant he could casually crush. None of the schemes, plots, or assassination attempts directed at him would be too difficult to handle.
So he could only remain silent, then find ways to improve his strength and standing to cope with the increasingly perilous situation.
"Master Onias, here's what happened. Two promising talents emerged in today's rogue trial..." Miles hurriedly told Onias everything that had happened during the day, then pointed at Jiang Jie. "This is Nicholas Jiang. His trial result was 100 meters. Full marks."
Onias glanced at Jiang Jie, and her piercing gaze made his heart tighten.
The strength of a master assassin needed no explanation. This Master Onias was a master of wielding shadow energy. Jiang Jie dared not show any disrespect and hastily lowered his head.
Onias nodded. "I understand what you mean. Normally, I should personally choose a reward for him, but I don't have time for that now. Miles, I'll leave after the meeting to join Prince Arthas. I'll leave the Assassins' Order in your hands. You'll therefore be responsible for his reward and training. As for you..."
Onias opened a chest, took out two exquisite-looking daggers, and handed them to Jiang Jie. "These are a personal gift from me. I hope you like them."
"Blade of Cunning!"
Miles cried out in surprise. "That's the standard reward for the beginner rogue class quest. Only rogues who complete the advancement quest can obtain them! More importantly, those are the two Blades of Cunning you received back then! They're far too precious..."
"With a result of 100 meters, he deserves this reward," Onias interrupted Miles, then continued, "All right, it's time. You two youngsters should head outside. Someone will arrange your accommodations, and you'll begin training tomorrow. Miles, come with me. Let's hold our meeting."