Most readers had strongly objected to the rule that a summoned minion lasted as many days as its mana cost-a ten-mana minion, for example, lasting ten days-and expressed varying degrees of concern. The main problem was that this made high-cost cards ridiculously cost-effective. Imagine summoning a large number of high-cost minions and having them stick around for quite a long time. During that period, you would be practically invincible.
Another problem was that the rule would indirectly speed up the story. If a ten-mana creature stuck around, for example, Aige would have to think of every possible way to make good use of this hard-won creature while it lasted, finding things to do and monsters to fight even when there were none... That would be very bad for the progress of the novel as a whole.
After much deliberation, Kushou decided to upgrade the Book of Hearthstone (in other words, the plot made it necessary to change the setting): all summoned minions, apart from the special zero-cost Wisps, would survive until six the next morning. This would make high-tier cards feel more precious and keep them from being used so readily, making them less overpowered. And since the continent was so large, a lifespan of less than a day would also keep Aige from constantly rushing around on his way to level up...
"As expected of a mage, my lord! You took care of four boars so quickly. Please accept our thanks!"
Sally pressed down on her brother's head and bowed to Aige. Four boar carcasses lay neatly arranged before them, the proof needed to turn in the quest... Why four? Weren't there eight? Did you swallow the other four?
The quest clearly said turning in four would complete it. Couldn't he put the other four in his storage space and find time to sell them? The miserly Young Master Ai, who had never been much better than Grandet, never did anything at a loss...
Notice: Quest to clear out the Stonetusk Boars completed. Received experience and copper coins. Received one Boar card, which has been added to your Book of Hearthstone. Please check it.
The young master was in a good mood as he happily watched two Boar cards come in. He had a theory. He hadn't washed his hands before going out today, and he had never dared hope that ordinary mobs would drop cards. The reason probably lay with the Book of Hearthstone itself.
Stonetusk Boars were boars to begin with, matching the one-mana neutral Boar card. Were creatures more likely to drop cards with the same attributes as themselves? The theory was bold, and it also explained why something as outrageous as an ordinary mob dropping a card had happened-he had fought for a month last time before it happened once-and why both the monsters he fought and the cards they dropped happened to be boars...
With that question in mind, Aige rubbed his chin and sank into thought, or rather, spaced out... It wasn't until a pretty girl tugged on his sleeve that he suddenly came to.
"My lord, you seem to have something on your mind. You finished our request, yet you haven't left. It's just about lunchtime, and we've been poor hosts. Please stay and have a simple meal with us!" said the girl named Sally, looking a little odd.
Oh no, they thought he was hanging around for a free meal! Fortunately, Aige was no thin-skinned fellow. Just as the girl had said, it was already noon. If you weren't eager to eat, there was something wrong with your brain... He took the opportunity to nod with a show of composure.
Lunch was excellent, a feast of pure wild game: the boars the great master had hunted himself. That was some consolation to a certain fellow. After all, eating what he had hunted himself couldn't count as freeloading, could it? He had contributed, at least.
Pork stewed with vermicelli, stir-fried pig tongue, pork intestines in vinegar sauce-there was none of it!
What did the people of the Azeroth Continent know about the essence of Chinese cooking? It was just ordinary roast pork leg... What a waste. But Aige himself had only just learned a tiny bit of cooking. With a measly cooking proficiency of five, he had better not casually bring it out and scare people... At least their roast meat used honest ingredients. They certainly hadn't passed off rat meat as mutton like roadside barbecue stalls!
"Kate, since Lord Aige has done as you wished and temporarily dealt with the Stonetusk Boar problem for our farm, you should keep your promise and tell him the clue he wants, shouldn't you?" Sally gazed gently at her brother and spoke in a very ladylike manner. Under the gaze of those bright eyes, however, her brother seemed frightened and muttered, "I still haven't had Aunt Hall's real pork pie..."
"Hmm?" The girl gave an exaggerated hum through her nose...
"No, no, I mean... I think I've seen that necklace!"
Aige smiled. The boy still didn't want to give in. Apparently, he really wanted those fragrant pork pies. "Kate, the next time I pass Hall Farm, I promise I'll bring you one... No, a few pork pies, all genuine pies made by Aunt Hall herself. How's that?"
The little brat nodded eagerly. "Once, I went over to Hall Farm to play and happened to find this gold necklace in a field. It must have been Aunt Hall's. I thought I'd return it to her, and maybe get a few pies in exchange. But it was getting dark, and on the way I ran into a Kobold that had wandered far away. It chased me, and I barely managed to get back. Later, I realized I'd lost the necklace. I think that Kobold picked it up."
"There are lots of Kobolds around the mine. I've heard passing adventurers say they have a leader called Goldtooth. If nothing unexpected happened, the necklace must have ended up in his hands. He's dangerous and should be staying inside the mine. That's their base."
Well, Aige seemed to remember something about this. The quest in the game seemed to go like this, but for some reason, possibly because he had transmigrated, he always had trouble recalling certain details from World of Warcraft, such as quest sequences... Otherwise, with his gaming experience from his previous life, he shouldn't have had no memory of such a classic quest, right?
Fortunately, the location of this quest was the same as the one he had previously accepted from the Goldshire constable, the quest to investigate the mine. At least he wouldn't have to make another trip.
He waved goodbye to Beech and his family, and, to the little brat's parting words of "Make sure you bring lots of pork pies next time," the young master headed speechlessly toward the mine...
Clearly, after Aige had cleared them out yesterday, there were very few Kobolds left around the outskirts of the mine. Even so, the great master had no intention of letting them go. For one thing, some of them really were blocking his way. For another, although the mine investigation quest didn't require him to kill every Kobold, the quest to find the gold necklace clearly required him to kill their leader, Goldtooth. If he was going to kill their boss, would his underlings be so accommodating? To prevent Goldtooth from using a skill to draw in monsters, and because these Kobolds really were excellent targets for leveling, Young Master Ai reluctantly decided to clear them out again...
An adventurer should have a little civic-mindedness. Letting experience run all over the ground was bad enough, and it might even trample the flowers and grass, wasn't it?
Aige's party leveled at an astonishing speed, especially when he was leveling on his own. He was a mage with powerful DPS, the Goldshire Footman served as the MT, and the two Wisps provided damage. Their efficiency was superb. After clearing the area around the mine, he gained some experience, along with copper coins, cloth, hoes, and other things...
Soon, he stood at the entrance to the mine.
This mine had once been a paradise for miners. Goldshire Mine had always been known for producing high-quality copper ore, and rare malachite, a material used to make engineering products, could occasionally be mined there as well. But as the old saying went, heaven and hell were only a step apart. When a band of Kobolds suddenly barged in, the place became a living coffin in every sense of the word.
The miners had some fighting ability. After spending years swinging pickaxes, they were quite strong. But that was only compared with ordinary civilians. Against the stronger Kobolds, they were basically as good as dead. In fact, only a small number of miners had escaped alive at the time. Most had been trapped inside the mine, then found and killed one by one.
The brutal struggles between races showed themselves at moments like these, with neither mercy nor pity. The Kobolds, who loved mining as much as life itself, had been especially ruthless in killing their human counterparts... As the saying went, people in the same trade were enemies. Perhaps that was why not a single one of these human miners had been taken prisoner!
In fact, Goldshire Mine wasn't the only one. To the east, before Eastvale Logging Camp, was a similar place called the Eastern Mine, which had suffered the same invasion. The blow was quite devastating and had been planned.
After production at Goldshire Mine stopped completely, much of the town's industry ground to a halt. The hardest hit were the Miners' Association and the various ore-related businesses, such as blacksmith shops, artisans' workshops, and engineering workshops.
With no source of raw materials, many miners, workers, and artisans were effectively half-unemployed. Some farsighted shops might still have had enough ore in stock to keep going for a while, but they didn't dare use it freely. Shops without ore reserves could only close their doors. Owners and workers alike had begun staging sit-ins at the town's security department, trying to pressure the army into marching out and clearing away the threat!
When it rained, it poured. Constable Paul had a splitting headache. It wasn't just the two mines: enemies had appeared to varying degrees at Eastvale Logging Camp and many outlying facilities around town. Kobolds from who knew where, Murlocs from who knew where, and large numbers of Diafei bandits from who knew where had sprung up everywhere at once, wreaking havoc... Even the normally relatively mild beasts of Elwynn Forest were attacking humans everywhere, as if they had taken the wrong medicine!
Goldshire was now surrounded by enemies on all sides!