Captain Jack of Azeroth

Chapter 2 Undercurrent
In the dark streets of Stormwind City, Jack was leaning against the wall wrapped in a tattered sack.

This is his shelter.

Sir Lothar defeated the orcs and brought a brief peace to Stormwind. Jack also avoided the battlefield because he took the wrong road, and entered Stormwind with the refugees after the war.

Jack witnessed the death of his "father" and became mentally ill, like a fool. This made other refugees stay away from him. If a kind person hadn't given him a piece of sackcloth, he would have frozen to death on the cold street.

A fool also has his advantages. He can always beg for more food than other refugees, so he won't starve to death.

That day he asked for some bread again, and ate it in big mouthfuls while huddled in a corner.

"It's so pitiful. Not only has he lost his home, but he has also become stupid."

"If you still have the mood to care about others, why not care about yourself? Someone disappeared again last night, so be alert when you go to bed at night..."

"Maybe they left on their own."

"You are so naive!"

The idle chatter of two refugees nearby did not disturb Jack's appetite. He ate the bread in big mouthfuls, crawled to the puddle on the street and drank some stinky water. Then he leaned back against the wall contentedly and closed his eyes to rest.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt a slight pain in his stomach. When he opened his eyes and wanted to go to the bathroom, he saw several tall figures dragging his two "neighbors" onto a bright and gorgeous carriage.

Jack looked at it curiously for a few seconds, then he felt a dark shadow flash by, and a handkerchief covered his mouth and nose, making him lose consciousness.

"Damn it! This guy actually pooped in his pants."

"Stop complaining, he's just a fool, why did you arrest him?"

"He saw the carriage and perhaps remembered the emblem on it."

"So what if he saw it? Can he still remember it?"

"What if he remembers it? Besides, after he faints, he is no different from a normal person, so he can also be counted as a number."

"Then you are responsible for cleaning him up."

"..."

The next morning, the dark streets were filled with sunlight, but the homeless people who were supposed to be enjoying the sunshine disappeared.

An uninvited visitor entered the street and squatted down in front of the garbage left by the homeless.

"It seems they didn't leave on their own."

The uninvited guest stood up, glanced at the road, and walked straight to the place where the carriage stopped last night. He squatted down and looked at the marks on the ground, which were left by the wheels twisting when the horses replaced their load-bearing feet.

"Someone is doing something in secret!"

He looked toward the end of the street and saw a guard.

"Hey, Rude, were you on duty last night?"

The guard named Rude was feeling sleepy. He turned around unhappily and was immediately frightened awake.

"Ah... Hi, Mr. Shaw... How can I help you?" Shaw walked over with a smile and warmly put his arm around Rude's shoulders. "Don't be nervous, buddy. I just want to ask you something. There should have been a carriage passing by here last night. Did you see where it went?"

The morning sun was just a little hot, causing a streak of sweat to run down Rude's temples. He tried hard to recall what happened last night and cover up the dereliction of duty as much as possible.

"Indeed, a carriage passed by, but you know the bad tempers of those nobles, so I didn't dare to look at them for long... However, I remember that they made a noise when they left, that was the sound of the wheels hitting the steps."

Shaw smiled and patted Rude on the shoulder. "Man, you helped me a lot."

Letting go of Rude, Shaw walked straight to the dock. Where Rude couldn't see, Shaw's smile disappeared, replaced by endless chill.

Standing on the hill near the pier, Shaw kept recording.

The dock of Stormwind City is not big, it is only used for commercial trade with other kingdoms in the north. Stormwind Kingdom is located in the south of the continent, too far away from other kingdoms, merchants are not willing to spend a month or two to come here, and go to the more prosperous Lordaeron and Dalaran full of magic items, which obviously earn more.

But now, the dock is full of ships. These ships were transporting knights to the western wilderness a few days ago, but now they have become tools for nobles to transport wealth.

These traitors!
The kingdom had just won a victory, but they wanted to escape, completely ignoring the fact that such behavior would shake the people's hearts. What else could it be but treason?
Shaw kept recording until dark, and then he went back to report. However, the treasonous behavior on the dock was still in full swing.

The report was delivered to King Ryan, who angrily smashed the report on the table. He was very angry about this treasonous act, but he could do nothing about it.

"Your Majesty, now that the evidence is irrefutable, why don't you send troops to intercept these traitors?"

Ryan smiled bitterly. "Almost all the nobles are involved in this. If we arrest them all, it will only cause civil unrest in Stormwind City. That will give the orcs an opportunity to take advantage. As long as they are still in Stormwind City, don't worry about what they transport out."

Shaw was very unwilling, but he had no better solution.

Maybe Grandma did?
Thinking of this, Shaw saluted King Ryan and hurried out of the palace.

A young nobleman turned around the corner and looked at the background of Shaw leaving, and couldn't help but smile smugly. They transported the property out without hiding it from Ryan, and even gave a legitimate reason.

The war has reached a point where there is no end in sight. The orcs have reached Stormwind City. Except for the western wilderness, all other villages and towns have been looted by the orcs. Only by preserving the property of the nobles can these places be rebuilt.

In case Stormwind City could not be defended, the throne of the Wrynn family could be guaranteed by relying on the wealth of the nobles.

But if these properties are not transported out, once Stormwind is conquered by the orcs, the kingdom will lose the ability to make a comeback.

Under such circumstances, even though King Ryan was unwilling, he had to acquiesce to the nobles' transfer of property. As for whether they would use these properties to rebuild the kingdom in the future, that was not up to them.

There was murderous intent in King Ryan's eyes. After the war, he would have plenty of time to deal with these traitors.

The next morning, Jack was awakened by a group of fierce soldiers. "Lazy, get up quickly. There is a lot of work waiting for you..."

Jack was pushed out by the soldiers, and only then did he realize that he was on a boat.

But he remembered that he was clearly in the city!

The confused memory reminded him of that night when the man's head was chopped off in front of him...

Jack shuddered violently, a weird smile appearing on his face.

Snapped!
A hand slapped him on the face, and then there was a soldier's scolding: "What are you grinning about! Get back to work!"

(End of this chapter)