Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

William, carrying the transfer order personally written by Durand, hurried back to his mansion. When he opened the door, the living room was already full of people—the entire Brotherhood had arrived, and they had clearly been waiting for a long time.

The firewood in the fireplace was still crackling. Seeing William enter, Hawke was the first to stand up, asking in a gruff voice, "Boss, how did it go? Did Commander Durand agree?"

William smiled and waved the two parchment scrolls in his hand. Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on the scrolls, making the gold-embossed Second Legion emblem stand out.

"What's this?" Elliott looked at one of the badges with some surprise. It not only bore the insignia of the Second Legion, but also the insignia of the Grand Commander and the Military Affairs Department.

"I've been promoted to sergeant major," William said with a faint smile. "The commander-in-chief has agreed, and I'll be departing in a week to garrison the outpost. That will be our front line from now on."

"Great! Boss, you've been promoted again!" Hawke slammed his hand on the table, nearly knocking over the cups, his face beaming with excitement. "Haha, we don't have to feel stifled in the city anymore!"

Lyra breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had had enough of being ostracized by the nobles, and it was imperative for her to go out and find materials for magical research. Going out with William was undoubtedly the best option.

Moreover, William was promoted, which is enough to show that Lord Durand thinks highly of him. Therefore, their Unity Society has a very promising future.

Thinking this, she stared intently at William with her sky-blue eyes, her shoulder-length brown hair swaying gently as she stepped forward. "The magical materials and herbs outside can solve the difficulties I'm facing, Captain. I definitely want to go with you."

Elliott wasn't excited. He stroked his beard. "It's good news, but we only have six people in our group right now. We can't all go."

William nodded and walked to the table to sit down. He placed the transfer order in the middle of the table and solemnly swept his gaze across their faces, "Elliott is right. This is also what I came back to discuss with everyone."

"After much deliberation, considering each of our individual circumstances, I've decided that only Hawke, Lyra, and I will go to the front lines."

Upon hearing this, Carl and Evan's expressions instantly changed.

Carl put down his bread, his tone somewhat resentful: "Boss, why won't I go too? I don't want to be a private forever!"

Evan nodded in agreement, his voice filled with urgency: "Yes, Captain, although we may have lower ranks, we are your men, shouldn't we go even more?"

William looked at them and patiently explained, "Your situation is different from theirs. There's no need for you to risk your lives on the front lines. You're both privates; whether it's the Scourge or the Horde's undead, a slight mistake could cost us our lives."

He paused, then continued, "Your goal is promotion, but promotion doesn't necessarily require risking your lives on the front lines. There are more important things for you to do in the city, which is more valuable than coming with us."

Elliott then chimed in, "William is right. You two are too low-ranking. You'd be unlikely to get ahead on the front lines and would be more likely to run into trouble. Staying in the city with me, we can do more."

Carl and Evan exchanged a glance, their disappointment fading slightly. Evan couldn't help but ask, "Captain, what are we supposed to do in the city?"

William stood up, spread his hands, and paced around his house: "I plan to transform my home into an officers' club. On the surface, it will be a place for the officers of the Second Army to rest, relax, and chat. Secretly, it will be the headquarters of our One Heart Society, a base for recruiting members and gathering intelligence."

Everyone except Elliott was stunned. Hawke scratched his head: "A sergeant's club? Boss, will this work?"

"I'll say hello to all my old superiors in the army. Before I leave, I'll try to get the Grand Commander to come here and support me."

Then William pondered for a moment and said, "Most of the officers in our Crusades are civilians just like us. I don't believe they don't harbor some resentment."

"It's almost impossible for us to even get into the ranks of lieutenant officers; that's the private domain of the noble descendants."

"As long as our club is cheaper than the beer and food offered outside, and we can even break even, that's fine. With the Grand Commander backing us, I don't think anyone will be so foolish as to cause us trouble."

He turned to Elliott and said earnestly, "Elliott, you are the oldest among us. We cannot compare to your experience and life wisdom."

"As the deputy leader of our Yixin Society, you will stay here to oversee everything in the club and be our support outside."

Elliott nodded without hesitation, his expression serious: "Don't worry, William, didn't we agree? Leave it all to me!"

"As for Carl and Evan," William turned to the two men, his eyes filled with expectation, "you two are still low-ranking, and there's not much room for advancement even if you stay in the military. Why don't you just leave the military and focus on helping Elliott run the club?"

Karl frowned. "Leave the army? If we leave the army, we'll lose our identity. Won't that be inconvenient?"

"No," Elliott continued, picking up where William left off. "After you leave the army, you'll stay here as club members."

"Evan, you're a smart guy, quick-witted and resourceful. You'll be stationed at the club. Your job is to greet guests and build good relationships with them. In your spare time, gather the people you know who are tight-lipped and build an intelligence network for our One Heart Society."

"We need to be aware of everything, from military deployments to the movements of the nobility. Can you do that?"

Evan's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded: "No problem! It really is something I'm good at!"

Before joining the Crusaders, Evan hung out with gangs in the slums. He knew all sorts of people from all walks of life.

William then looked at Carl: "Carl, Elliott and I trust you to get things done. You'll be in charge of the club's daily operations and procurement. If you don't understand something, just ask Elliott and Evan."

"Boss, I've never done anything like this before..." Karl looked troubled. "You can ask me to fight and kill, but asking me to do this kind of thing, I..."

"Everyone is growing up, you can't just stand still, can you?" Leila teased him. "If you don't study hard, you'll fall behind us and won't be able to keep up with us in the future."

Hearing this, Carl gritted his teeth and nodded firmly, "I'll do my best!"

Leila then asked, "Although Captain, your house is big enough and has many rooms, opening a club only requires minor renovations, but it still requires a considerable amount of money."

As soon as Leila finished speaking, William pulled out a small wooden box that was ten centimeters high and ten centimeters wide out of thin air.

William opened it in front of them, revealing it filled with gold and silver coins.

...

Many of William's colleagues didn't know why he was so keen on patrolling the city every day, never even asking for a day off.

Because William has Elune's blessing, he has a system that issues daily quests. As a Crusader sheriff, his daily task is to patrol at fixed times each day; as long as the quest is completed, he receives experience and coins.

So the choice is simple: just follow the missions, you can improve your strength and earn money.

William didn't even need to choose.

This is the simplest reason why William could readily hand out a handful of copper coins to the poor children while patrolling the slums, and why he was able to provide supplies to so many officers and soldiers.

.....

Afterwards, William kept Lyra behind and gave her all ten magical materials he had received as a reward from the Brotherhood's mission. When he took them out, they randomly transformed into bat eyeballs, the claws of unknown beasts, and other things, much to Lyra's surprise. William then gave her all the money he had left, telling her to prepare the materials needed to build a magical laboratory there.

Leila didn't speak; she was used to William doing this, always appearing when she needed help.

This moved her deeply, and she secretly made up her mind.

-

Over the next few days, William began to busy himself with Evan and Carl in his mansion.

After finding a suitable construction team, the house began a full renovation.

The entire first floor space was rationally allocated. The 60% area near the entrance was used as the club's lobby, furnished with tables, chairs, and a wine cabinet for the officers to drink and chat.

The inner 30% of the space was divided into separate private rooms for high-ranking sergeants or officers to use alone.

10% of the area serves as a kitchen and storage area. The cellar is located outside the kitchen and stores various purchased wines and foods that require low-temperature storage.

The outer rooms on the second floor were for the drunken sergeants to rest temporarily, while the inner rooms were for Elliott, Carl, and Evan to stay and rest permanently.

The third floor was more secluded; it had been converted into a secret conference room. Elliott had set up a mind-altering spell there, so even if ordinary people came up, they would find nothing there.

They rushed to finish, and by the fifth day, the first floor, which was mainly used, was cleared out.

Elliott sat at the bar in the lobby on the first floor, planning the layout. He pondered where to put the liquor cabinet, where to place the tables and chairs, and where to set up the reception area.

Carl hummed a little tune, picked up a broom, and carefully swept every corner.

Evan then arranged for the laborers to move the purchased supplies into the basement, and under Elliott's direction, they filled the planters and wine cabinet with them.

After Lyra finished tidying up the second floor, she came downstairs with a magic candle in her hand and said to William, "Captain, the rooms on the second floor are ready. I've set up simple defensive magic in each room so that an alarm will sound if any outsiders break in."

William nodded; everything seemed to be going well at the club.

The hall was furnished with a dozen or so oak tables and chairs, with a wide aisle in the middle. A huge wine cabinet stood in one corner, already filled with various wines, and several potted plants were also placed in the corner.

The windows in the wall were all fitted with dark, opaque curtains. Although the overall design was simple, it looked quite comfortable.

"Very good, that's settled." William nodded. "Thank you all for your hard work these past few days."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

William looked at Evan, who shook his head. "Everything has been bought. It wasn't my arrangement."

"Could someone have come so soon?" William muttered as he opened the door, only to find Taylor standing there.

"Why are you here?" William looked at her in surprise, then quickly let her in.

Taylor changed her usual red priest's robes and wore a light blue belted loungewear dress. Her red hair was braided and covered with a white headscarf.

"My brother is going to the front lines, how could I not know?" Taylor glared at him with her brown eyes, then turned and paced back and forth in the club.

The people in the room all knew about her relationship with William, and they went up to greet her. After that, they all left in a tacit manner.

After everyone left, the bar suddenly felt empty. With the windows covered by curtains and only a few candles on the tables providing light, the atmosphere in the room instantly became somewhat ambiguous.

It was just the two of them left.

Without a second thought, William stepped forward and hugged Taylor from behind.

"Let go, I am a priestess serving the Holy Light." Although she said this, Taylor's tone was not firm, and she even put her hand on William's hand that was supporting her waist.

William touched the cherry pit bracelet on Taylor's hand, feeling a warm glow in his heart, but said something else.

"So what?"