Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

"Thank you, brave warriors. If it weren't for your risky intervention, I probably wouldn't be able to escape today. William will remember your help."

William considered himself to be a man of principle, never provoking strangers without cause, nor would he conspire with some locals to deceive them.

During this period, everyone who was previously taciturn seemed to have suddenly become much more shrewd. It wasn't just strangers who would lie; the locals had also learned to deceive strangers.

It's hard to say now who influenced whom.

"Although I don't know what will happen in the future, William, you should still be careful."

The stranger's words made William frown. This was something he was also worried about.

The nobles can't control outsiders, but if they do, there's absolutely no trouble.

Just as he turned to continue his patrol, a cheerful voice called out from the crowd: "Sergeant William, please wait a moment!"

William turned around and saw a young stranger in worn leather armor, carrying a short sword and shield, pushing his way out. He checked the stranger's level and found he was only level 9, the same as William had been.

This person had a cheerful face and bright, almost glowing eyes; he was clearly a newcomer who had just arrived in Azeroth.

"My name is Chung Yen-min," the young man grinned. After introducing himself, he continued, "There's a hotel at the south crossroads in the slums. The decor is a bit shabby, but you can have as much beer as you want."

"If you have some free time after your patrol, I'd like to buy you a drink."

William hesitated, instinctively wanting to refuse—these days, the strangers had been causing too much trouble, and the Crusaders, from top to bottom, were constantly on guard against them. Even he, who had gotten too close to them, had received warnings from his superiors.

Currently, the higher-ups have no answer on how to deal with these lawless outsiders. Both the Holy Light and Elune seem to be turning a blind eye to these outsiders.

It's really a headache.

But then he thought about it again. Zhong Renmin and the others had indeed helped him a lot. If he refused them directly, it would make him, William, seem ungrateful.

Besides, he was also curious.

This was the first time in so long that a stranger had invited him to a bar for a drink. He wanted to hear what the stranger wanted to say to him.

"Okay." William nodded slightly, his tone decisive. "I'll come over after my mission is over."

"The Broken Barrel Inn is easy to find. Just like the name suggests, there's a pile of rotten barrels at the entrance; you can spot it at a glance. I'll be waiting for you there."

William nodded, signaling the recruits to follow, and turned to continue his patrol.

But his mind kept wandering along the way. So much had happened today, too much for him to process.

The main issue was offending the Earl.

For children born into commoner families, nobility was always a tangible mountain weighing down on their heads.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the patrol mission finally came to an end.

William dismissed the new recruits and changed into some light clothing. Following the direction Zhong Renmin had indicated, he headed towards the south intersection of the slums. The closer he got to the slums, the more dilapidated the surroundings became.

The muddy road was full of potholes, and after stepping on it, a mixture of mud and excrement stuck to the soles of his boots. The poor people around him hurried along, their faces pale and ashen. Some children ran towards William, reaching out their hands to him, their faces filled with longing, making it difficult for William to refuse.

William sighed as he placed the copper coins in their hands and watched them walk away from him.

This place is a completely different world from the bustling and clean streets of Xincheng.

He hadn't walked far when he saw the Broken Barrel Inn that Zhong Renmin had mentioned.

Sure enough, there were piles of empty wooden barrels used for storing wine on both sides of the entrance to the inn, and a faded wooden sign hanging at the entrance with the four large characters "Broken Barrel Inn" written crookedly in charcoal.

The low wooden house leaned precariously, its roof planks haphazardly pieced together. The windows on the second floor were all shattered, barely covered by strips of cloth. A noisy commotion emanated from inside, mixed with the sour smell of ale, which could be detected from afar.

As soon as William reached the door, he felt several unfriendly gazes sweep over him.

The inn was mostly packed with low-level outsiders and local adventurers, all disheveled, with arrogant expressions and defiant looks in their eyes. This was because almost everyone here knew him; they knew he was the local sheriff.

After all, the Crusader soldiers of the past were all high and mighty, and they always looked down on civilians and these lowly adventurers.

If William hadn't been staying in the slums these past few days, standing up for the common people, punishing the evil-doing strangers, and taking care of the elderly, weak, and disabled, he probably would have been stopped and harassed the moment he stepped through the door.

"Sergeant William, over here!"

Zhong Renmin was already waiting at the door. When he saw him coming, he waved and greeted him. He took a few steps forward and patted him on the shoulder familiarly.

"Come in quickly, don't take it to heart. These people have all come from hard times. They have deep prejudices against the Crusaders, but it's not directed at you."

The two entered the hotel, and a cacophony of noise immediately enveloped them.

Six or seven dilapidated wooden tables were piled haphazardly across the hall, their surfaces greasy and shiny. Almost every table was surrounded by people. Humans, dwarves, gnomes, undead, minotaurs, elves, and so on—William saw almost every species on this planet here.

They talked loudly and unrestrainedly, as if speaking softly would diminish their abilities. Every now and then, they would ask passing barmaids for a drink, then take the opportunity to slap their butts, receiving a few light taps from the barmaids amidst their laughter.

Behind the counter, an old man with a wrinkled face, pipe in mouth, was slowly wiping glasses. Seeing Zhong Renmin, he grinned, his voice hoarse: "Little Zhong, here again? Two glasses of ale, as usual?"

"Yes, boss, the usual," Zhong Renmin nodded, guiding William to a relatively clean table by the window where he could sit down. Upon learning that William hadn't eaten, he snapped his fingers and called to the waitress, "Two more pieces of dark bread, the kind you can bite into, not the kind that's too hard to chew."

Not long after, the boss personally delivered the items.

"This is the first time we've ever hosted a sheriff here. What a rare guest, sir." The old shopkeeper glanced at William, noticing he didn't have the arrogant airs of other Crusaders, and continued, "For Elune's sake, I won't kick you out this time, Lord William. But you can't come again. This kind of place isn't suitable for someone like you."

William turned his head and noticed that everyone else in the bar was consciously or unconsciously turning their gazes toward him.

He understood what the boss meant.

"Enjoy your meal, gentlemen. The beer is plentiful, and this is all the bread we have."

The cloudy ale was placed in a wooden glass, and two dark, mushy loaves of bread were placed on a wooden tray. The owner said a few words and then left.

Chung Yen-min held up a glass of ale with both hands and handed it to William. Under William's calm gaze, Chung took a large gulp first, wiped the ale stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and smiled, "Please don't mind, this is what life is like in the slums. This is how people live here."

William took a small sip, letting the sour and bitter taste of the ale spread in his mouth. He put down his glass, looked up at the stranger, and said bluntly, "You came to see me, not just to buy me a drink, right? Just say what you have to say."

Zhong Renmin smiled, not in a hurry to speak, and pointed to the people in the hotel, speaking casually.

"Look at the people here. There are strangers from my hometown, adventurers from Azeroth, and ordinary people doing manual labor and odd jobs. Everyone is busy making a living."

"Look at that man over there."

William looked in the direction he was pointing.

Outside the window, a man dressed in gray linen clothes, his back seemingly unable to straighten, was hunched over, haggling with a vendor selling black bread.

Upon closer inspection, his clothes were riddled with holes, revealing his bluish-purple skin. His hair was matted together in clumps, his face was covered in wrinkles, his lips were chapped and bleeding, his hands were rough like old tree bark, and there were still unhealed wounds on his fingers.

"His name is Tom, a tanner for the local tannery. He supports three children on his own, leaving early and returning late every day. He often goes hungry himself, never steals, and only manages to feed his children."

"He's worked in leather tanning for years, yet he can't afford decent clothes. And because of this work, his back is permanently bent. How long can he keep going like this? How long can he take care of his children?"

William looked out the window at the man, who kept rubbing his lower back in pain. He turned to look at the stranger, puzzled, wondering what he wanted to say.

"Jasmine, come here for a moment." Zhong Renmin gestured, and one of the hotel's female receptionists quickly ran over. "Sir, you called me."

"Tell our sheriff about your family situation."

The woman named Jasmine was rather plump, and she wore an ill-fitting and somewhat revealing waitress uniform. She hadn't expected this generous stranger to say such a thing.

She paused for a moment, then instinctively looked at William. She saw the sheriff simply staring at her calmly, saying nothing.

So Jasmine lowered her head and squeezed her arms tightly against her body, making her breasts almost bulge out from her bare chest.

"My lord, I fled from the Western Plaguelands. My husband was a soldier of the kingdom, and he died in Stratholme. I have two children at home who need my care. I work at the Laundrymen's Guild during the day and come here to work as a waitress at night."

"How's life?" the stranger continued to ask. Jasmine glanced up at William and said with a wry smile, "Even though I try my best, so hard that I don't even have time to go to the toilet, I still can't keep up with the rising food prices."

"Thank you for your answer. You can go now. This is none of your business." Zhong Renmin took out a handful of copper coins and handed them to Jasmine, who carefully tucked them into her bosom. He bowed and left.

"so what?"

William looked at the stranger in front of him with suspicion.

"What are you trying to say?"