Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 248.5. Noggenfogger has found a new source of profit growth, but it requires paying outdated dividends.
Diakum's treasurer, Marin Nogfogger, spent some time negotiating the arms supply contract with the wealthy Rivigaz at the dinner table. After the dinner, which had a desert flair and goblin-style cooking, ended, the Vigilant returned to his room to rest.

Although we said we would stay here for 24 hours, there was really nothing fun to do in Gadgetzan during the plague.

The desert arena, which used to be bustling in the city, has been shut down, and the gangs on the streets and alleys are now only engaging in small-scale battles. It is nothing like the vibrant and competitive "Battle of Gadgetzan" that will be a part of the city more than 20 years later.

The casinos that goblins love to open are still in operation, but even though Diakum is on the path of light and darkness, his high moral standards cannot allow him to fall into the abyss of gambling.

Unfortunately, morality can only restrain oneself, so he simply pretended not to see Nelly and Irelia's behavior of going out to "see the world".

Draenei generally have high moral standards, and Nellie has a "duty to carry," so opportunities like this, where she can freely stroll through casinos, are quite rare even for the Archbishop.

Chromie and Teregosa suddenly disappeared, probably taking advantage of their time passing through Tanaris to visit the Caverns of Time deep in the desert.

Rexsa is very interested in desert environments.

Draenor doesn't have this kind of terrain, so as a druid and hunter, Rexxar decided to spend a night exploring the unique ecology of the desert and, incidentally, giving his two beast companions a run for their lives.

As night fell, only Diakum and his "prisoner" remained in the room.

"Just give me a quick death, you hateful Holy Light Slave Master!"

Onyxia, dressed in a black dress, roared fiercely at Dick:

"None of you Holy Light believers are good people. Don't give me a chance to contact my compatriots, or you will all die!"

"I thought that Black Dragon, known for his cunning, would be more rational in seeking a way out when he realized he was in a predicament. But you just provoke me like this, trying to survive in a desperate situation?"

Dick glanced at the Black Dragon Princess with surprise and said:

"You should have been more cunning. Did His Holiness Kara's holy light wash away the void power within you, and take your brain with it?"

“I can be more cunning; I can even seduce you.”

Princess Black Dragon said through gritted teeth:

"But you are a Voidwalker, wielding the Twilight Hammer so that no illusion can escape your notice. I don't think the appearance of a dragon can be described as 'beautiful' in your eyes, and you are a gloomy person."

I am no match for you when it comes to scheming, so why should I humiliate myself?

And I don't understand, why do you insist on trying to light-cast me? Have I ever offended you before?

"It's just an experiment about possibilities, Katarina."

Diakum meticulously wrote the Eredar runes, explaining:

"I simply wanted to try and see if I could bring a mature, high-ranking black dragon like yourself out of the corruption of the void and into the light. That would mean Azeroth would have another valuable possibility. Aren't you curious why Krodhomme and Teregosa were willing to travel thousands of miles with me into the desert?"
Lightforging is indeed painful for a creature like you, but I have no ill intentions in this matter.

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, you'll thank me.

"you are dreaming!"

The black dragon princess glared at the vigilant with eyes blazing with fury. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Diakum glanced at her and gestured with a pursed lip. Onyxia stepped forward, clearly annoyed, and opened the door with her hands shackled by the Arkenite crystal chains.

Outside the door, Marin Noggenfogger, drunk from his first visit to the "goblin high society," was about to report to his "boss" when he looked up and saw a pair of cold, yellow snake eyes looking down at him.

Even though Onyxia's power was dispelled by the Holy Light, the pressure from her status as a high-ranking dragon still instantly sobered Marin up.

"Alright! Bullying the weak won't show your strength."

Dick gave a stern rebuke, and Onyxia withdrew her "Dragon's Might," snorted, pushed open the door, and strode away.

She was in a bad mood and wanted to find a place in Gadgetzan to drown her sorrows and numb her current predicament with weak alcohol. Fortunately, this commercial city was never short of such good places to relax.

"Uh, your maid is really fierce."

Noggenfogger is a pharmacist.

Although it wasn't exactly a proper spellcaster, it did have some knowledge. Those snake eyes just now indicated that this "black-clad maid" wasn't human, which made the goblin merchant start to wonder just how mysterious his boss really was.

Of course, as a goblin with business ethics, Noggenfogger wouldn't show such thoughts on his face.

It rubbed its weak legs, got up and went into the room, and said to Diakum:

"I've already drafted the contract with the big boss's manager. Boss, all you need to do is sign it. It's a war supply for 2,500 people, including food, medicine, and some spellcasting materials, all provided according to the standards the Hot Sands Consortium supplies to Cenarion Hold."

They assured you that once order is restored in Gadgetzan, they will immediately organize airships to transport supplies to Silithus for you.

Do I need to pay extra?

Dick took out a quill pen and wrote his name on the contract in the neatest handwriting. He then took out the Third Grand Seal of Government and stamped it.

he asked:
"These supplies must be very expensive, right?"

"No need. The seeds you provided were cleverly auctioned off to the city's one hundred richest goblins. The remaining seeds were soaked in water and given to goblins who couldn't afford the expensive medicine. As a result, both sides, having exhausted all other options, regarded it as a lifeline."

Even if they pay a large sum of money, they still regard the wealthy person as their 'benefactor'.

That guy is really good at business; he manages to balance both appearances and substance.

Noggenfogger said sourly:
"To thank you for saving this city, the wealthy Rivigaz generously gave us a 5% discount. Therefore, this income alone is enough to pay for these supplies, but we will have to pay for the manpower and labor."

However, you don't need to worry about that.

The more than two hundred goblins I rescued from the desert have all signed commercial contracts with me. They don't have the money to pay for the medicine, so they'll have to work for me for the next five years to pay off their debt. In fact, if I used a little 'professional skill', I could make sure they never pay off this debt in their lifetime.

This is how venture capital managers control their subordinates: debt traps and paid employment. What a terrifying concept invention.

"Don't be so cruel. The Holy Light teaches us that debts should be paid in full, but we should not demand too much. Lead those poor people to establish your own guild, Noggenfogger. Use this operation to properly integrate your team."

Dick reviewed the document, and after confirming there were no problems, handed it to his finance officer, saying:
"For a long time to come, you will all have to shoulder very important business missions."

That's a truly huge deal. I can guarantee that if you complete it, it will be more than enough to earn you the title of 'Business Baron' among the goblins, and you might even have enough wealth in the future to buy the entire city of Gadgetzan and make it your conglomerate's territory."

"You're joking. Buying Gadgetzan would require at least several million gold coins! And that's with the land prices here plummeting due to the plague."

Noggenfogger shook his head.

It is ambitious, but it also knows its own limitations. The boss in front of it is terrible at making empty promises. How can he make such a big promise?

It looks obviously fake.

If Mr. Diakum were a goblin, he would never amount to anything in such a ruthless business world.

It carefully put away the contract and prepared to leave, but hesitated and dawdled, seemingly wanting to ask something yet unsure whether to. This made Diakum anxious for it, so he asked:
"Anything else?"

"Oh, it's like this, boss. Some of the goblins I rescued have lost their minds due to severe infection. They're like wild beasts and have to be chained up to prevent them from tearing each other apart."

Noggenfogger sighed and said:
“I’ve tried before, but my alchemy can’t produce any potions that can help. You can produce seeds that can heal and save lives, so you must know something about the plague. Is there any hope for this loss of intelligence?”

"That is a degeneration of intelligence, one of the permanent damages that come with the plague."

Diakum said seriously:

"Unless they receive the blessing of the demigods of life again, their intellectual decline is incurable. But nothing is absolute, especially for the magical goblins."

Under Noggenfogger's questioning gaze, the Watcher stood up, inserted a copper coin into the room's engineering vending machine, retrieved a bottle of suspiciously colored soda, and said to the goblin:
"I've heard that you always advertise that drinking your unique 'Kaya Cola' can increase wisdom?"

"That's a lie."

Noggenfogger, being a goblin alchemist himself, naturally didn't believe such words. He took the soda, bit off the cork with his teeth, and took a swig. The unique taste made him let out a pleasant "ha!" before shaking his head and saying:
"It's just an exaggerated application of advertising principles. In reality, Kaya Cola only contains local Kaya mineral dust from Kezan Island as a raw material. That stuff is a special energy crystal. It is said that our ancestors were enlightened by it and were able to invent explosives and logging machines to drive away the Zandalari trolls who enslaved us."

But in reality, no one knows whether Kaya ore can truly enlighten goblins; it's generally believed to be just exaggerated advertising by Prince Hot Sands to promote this sweet little drink. "Now, you have the chance to verify whether this advertising slogan violates advertising laws."

Dick chuckled, and said in a subtle tone:

"Let's give those brain-degraded goblins a few more bottles of Kaya Cola and see if it works."

"what?"

Noggenfogger was dumbfounded.

It scratched its head, glanced at the small bottle of sweet water in its hand that could be bought for a single copper coin from vending machines all over Gadgetzan, hesitated for a moment, and said:
“This concentration of Kaya dust mixture is not enough to inspire wisdom; it would need to be concentrated at least ten times. But you’re right, there’s no other way now, so let’s try anything.”

"If it's useful, remember to pay me a share when you make big money."

Dick reminded him:
"After all, it was my idea, so at the very least it can be considered 'technology investment,' right?"

------

"Ugh, why can't I control this damn hand of mine!"

The next morning, Archbishop Nelly, having lost the last copper coin in her pocket after a gambling spree, slapped her wrists and yawned as she boarded the airship.

This was a specially made airship that the wealthy man lent to Diakum and his party as a token of his gratitude. It was extremely fast and safe, and even more extravagantly, each passenger was equipped with a parachute.

It's worth noting that on ordinary goblin airships, parachutes are an extra service that's usually offered at a high price.

"I really don't know what's so good about this sweet drink. Those goblins drink several cans of it every day."

Having stared at the goblin slot machine all night, resulting in red eyes, Irelia grumbled as she uncapped the bottle and, holding her breath, gulped down the Kaya Cola.

This scene was witnessed by Diakum, who had just stepped out of the cabin. The Watcher was immediately alarmed and rushed forward to snatch the small bottle of sweet water from Irelia's hand.

He scolded:

"Are you crazy? You'd drink anything? This stuff emits energy radiation! Drinking too much of it will give you Kaya radiation sickness. Nobody in all of Azeroth, except for goblins, dares to drink this stuff!"
The Hot Sands Consortium has been trying to promote its products for hundreds of years but has failed to gain traction with other ethnic groups, and it's not just a matter of taste.

This is a matter of life and death in the truest sense.

"what?"

Irelia was terrified.

She cursed while gnawing at her throat:
"Holy Light above! How could these little greens be so wicked! Isn't this blatant disregard for human life?"

"The problem is that goblins really feel uncomfortable if they don't drink it for a day. This stuff is their racial drink, a necessity for them, and you could say it's a kind of special addiction."

Dick sighed.

The relationship between goblins and Kaya ore remains a mysterious topic, even for veteran players, with various theories circulating.

However, it is certain that the reason why goblins can develop brains as terrifyingly intelligent as dwarves is not entirely due to their natural evolution. Compared to the natural intelligence of dwarves, goblins are a group of guys who abuse "brain-boosting pills".

The intelligence level of goblins fluctuates depending on how long they are away from the radiation of Kaya ore, which may explain why goblin engineering creations are highly unstable.

The birth, development, and future of this race are all based on the circulation of the peculiar drink Kaya Cola, which is their "smart drug."

"It works! Boss, that method really works!"

Just as Rexxar drove the carriage to the airship's cargo hold and the group took off from Gadgetzan, Noggenfogger, who hadn't slept all night, rushed up waving a lab report and excitedly said to Diakum with bloodshot eyes:
"Kaya Cola Concentrate really works! I concentrated it fifty times and mixed it with other ingredients before giving it to those mad goblins."

Three hours!

Three hours later, they regained their basic speech abilities. I guarantee that if they take my Noggenfogger potion for a long time, they will regain all their intelligence and may even have a breakthrough in their wisdom!

Do you know what this means?

Noggenfogger is almost going crazy!
It excitedly hugged Diakum's leg and shouted:

"The plague is ravaging the world, and many goblins are turning into mindless beasts. My potion can save them! We're going to be rich, boss! We'll become as rich as the Prince of Gadgetzan! We can really buy the whole of Gadgetzan!"

"Well, it seems your dream of getting rich quick is about to come true, my dear CFO."

Diakum had to use mental channeling to calm the excited goblin down, fearing he might die from excessive joy. He gave a timely reminder:
"Then, after you make a lot of money, don't forget to give me a share of the profits, my CFO."

These words were like the most perfect mental spell, instantly waking Noggenfogger from his dream of getting rich quick. He clenched his teeth and stomped his feet, cursing his carelessness the night before.

But after finally slapping himself a few times, a calmer Norgfogger sighed and said to Diakum:

"Okay, I'll give you one-tenth of the profit."

"one third!"

"Let's compromise, one-fifth! That's the limit I can bear. After all, you only provided an idea, and I did everything else, including publicity and setting up trade channels."

These all cost money.

And we also need to find ways to protect the formula!

I absolutely mustn't let the other goblins know that the secret of 'Noggenfogger's Elixir' lies in the ubiquitous Kaya Cola. Perhaps I'll have to add some other random effects to this simple recipe to cover my tracks.

But where can we find the materials?
It would be best to also improve the taste of Kaya Cola, which is too outrageous for other races. Hmm... I'll have to put some thought into this. No, I'll have to drink a few more cans of Kaya Cola to perk myself up.

"Alright, the Holy Light teaches us not to be too greedy, so one-fifth it is."

Diakum smiled and approved the dividend amount, then turned to Archbishop Nelly, who was heartbroken after losing all her money in one night, snapped her fingers, and said:

"Don't be sad about that little bit of money. Next time I pass by Gadgetzan, I'll buy you the entire casino to vent my anger!"

"Wow, Commander Diakum is so domineering and powerful! No wonder he's the Third Grand Consul, so impressive! Um, Commander, actually I lost last night too."

“You are a Walker of Holy Light! You are also my chosen people. Both the doctrine and my morality forbid gambling. I am already being lenient by not punishing you. Go! Write me a three-thousand-word self-criticism.”

The noisy journey came to a temporary halt as they crossed the desert bordering Tanaris and Silithus. Archbishop Nelly stood at the bow of the ship, pointing curiously to an area between the two deserts, and said with a puzzled expression:
"What is that place? Why is it so gloomy and why is there a terrifying lightning storm constantly being released?"

"Uldum, the land of the Titans."

Diakum, who was resting on a sun lounger on the deck, casually replied:
"That place is the core area of ​​the Unity Field of All Things left by the Titans in Azeroth. It's inaccessible now, but... um."

He suddenly let out a groan, interrupting his words and thoughts, and Nelly teleported to his side, saying worriedly:
"What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"nothing."

Dick clutched his heart, waved his hand, and said:

"It's just that the power has returned! The thirty-day period of weakness is over, and the long-lost power is here again. But it's hard to say how long this wave of strength can last, since the enemy we're facing this time is no simpler than the corrupted Medivh."

It also involves the trials of the path of light and shadow, so it's best not to use the blessing of life force if possible, lest it interfere with the progress of cultivation.

"The vigilant has made contact with Marlaad."

Irelia rushed over and handed Diakum an Arkenite communication crystal, saying:

"Marlad said he had something to report to you in advance, saying it was related to some recent dramatic changes at Cenarion Hold. He also reminded you to be 'mentally prepared' before you land."

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)