Make Azeroth breathtaking

"Do you sell blueprints here? Design blueprints for large-scale integrated wheat harvesting machinery?"

"Sorry, that's not for sale."

Upon hearing this request, Torque became secretly wary. After all, the integrated wheat harvester was one of Ratchet City's flagship products, and its blueprints were currently considered a trade secret!

"...And what about the smaller ones?"

"Sorry, these blueprints are not for sale, no amount of money can make them available."

"..."

The shopper paused for a few seconds before making a third purchase request.

"Then... what about the prototype blueprints that were completely failed or were never adopted?"

"Um... let me ask..."

This strange request startled Torque, who turned to dial a phone number and received a reply a few minutes later.

After hanging up the phone, Torque continued talking with the customer.

"Guest, are you sure you want to buy a prototype blueprint for a wheat harvester that the Tinkerers' Guild considers impossible, completely obsolete, and essentially meaningless? The Tinkerers' Guild of Ratchet solemnly reminds you that such blueprints are of no reference value whatsoever."

"Yes."

"Okay... then..."

Torque's face once again wore a businessman's smile.

"One hundred Ratchet gold coins or gold coins with a similar gold content or goods of similar value, cash on delivery."

VII. Tannis, who is about to head to Stormwind.

————————————Three days later——————————————

Logosh sat at a tea stall next to the Ratchet Arena, slowly sipping his herbal tea. In the second training match not long ago, he barely managed to control his temper and unleashed his amazing combat potential, seriously fighting Bloodfist, an orc veteran, to a standstill in a one-on-one situation. Of course, in the end, he was slightly inferior and was knocked to the ground by Bloodfist with a single punch.

Suddenly, he saw several human men, more robust than average-looking, walking past the tea stall. They wore somewhat worn but well-made linen casual clothes, linen headscarves, and linen masks covering their mouths. For some reason, Logosh felt a strange sense of familiarity with these men. However, this familiarity was fleeting, like some kind of illusion.

"Perhaps Blood Fist's punch was a bit too heavy just now."

Logos muttered something to himself and continued drinking his herbal tea. What he didn't notice was that less than half a minute after he looked at those people, the leader of the group also stopped.

"President, what's wrong?"

"I thought I felt someone was watching us... Oh well, this place is a mixed bag, it was probably just my imagination."

Although he kept saying it was just a misperception, the leader still looked in the direction of the herbal tea shop for a short while—but found nothing.

"Should we go over and take a look?"

The president gently shook his head.

"There's no need to waste time on this illusion. We've acquired the blueprints, but to actually build anything, we'll need a lot of parts—even though the blueprints we got from Ratchet are obsolete, those goblins at the venture capital firm might still be able to make something out of them..."

The man referred to as the guild leader tightened his clothes and merged into the bustling crowd with his subordinates. Meanwhile, Logosh finished his herbal tea, paid the bill, slung his two-handed sword over his shoulder, and headed towards the arena. His teammates were probably already waiting inside, and he couldn't waste too much time.

Everything was so calm, as if the 'meeting' of the two men was just a trivial matter.

————————————Gazlowe's Office————————————————-

"puff!!!!"

Three days after the invalid harvester blueprints were sold, Tennys saw the report in the sales records. The news was so shocking that she spat out her tea.

"What's wrong? Is this a good deal? I've seen those blueprints too. You can't make a harvester out of that. If you keep going in that direction, at best you'll make a useless, indiscriminate attack robot—large, slow, lightly armed, and two armored soldiers can take it out."

Gazlowe looked at his shrewd daughter with a puzzled expression, completely baffled as to why she was reacting so strongly.

"No, I didn't have a father. I just choked on it."

Tannis didn't explain to her father why she was so agitated. While the matter of King Varian could be explained indirectly with a series of pieces of evidence, the matter of the Defias Brotherhood was truly inexplicable at the moment. Although this organization had already shown a glimmer of hope in Stormwind Kingdom, compared to the scale of the Memory Fragment, which almost overturned half of Stormwind Kingdom's territory, the Defias Brotherhood was still relatively friendly at the moment.

"You'll be going to Stormwind in a few days, right? Be careful."

Knowing that Tanis wasn't telling the truth, Gazlowe didn't press the matter. It's normal for goblin families to have their own little schemes, and as long as they don't threaten the overall situation, they can be ignored. What Gazlowe was more worried about now was whether his daughter would be safe in Stormwind.

"Relax, our Ratchet and Stormwind's nobles have now established deep cooperation in every aspect. They might dare to mess with the Stormwind King's mastermind, but they might not dare to use the same methods against me and Jaina."

"I understand, but this worries me even more... The forces that prey on the Wrynn family are either top human organizations or beings that have transcended history itself. Either way, they have the ability to inflict fatal damage on you—I know your choice may gain more leverage for Ratchet in the future, but I don't want that leverage to be earned with your life!"

Gazlowe's words silenced Tannis, but after a long while, she smiled.

"Dad, when have you ever seen me not fully prepared?"

"Yes... alright, as the adopted daughter of a goblin, you should have your own choices. Remember! If you really encounter some unavoidable accident, it doesn't matter if the trade routes in Stormwind are destroyed, as long as you can come back safely!"

Looking at her father's expression, Tennys felt both touched and amused.

"Father, we're a force that has gone toe-to-toe with the Burning Legion, don't be so timid, right? If the Stormwind Kingdom really wants to make a move against us, they should consider the difference in our strength, shouldn't they?"

"A knife in the back is always more deadly than a fist in the front, my daughter."

"A knife in my back..."

Suddenly remembering something, Tannis frowned slightly.

"I understand, Dad. I will be on my guard."

Black Stone Mountain ———————————————————————

In the fiery, rocky palace atop Blackrock Mountain, the black dragon prince Nefarian, disguised in human form, was communicating with his sister.

"Sister, I heard that the human who single-handedly wiped out half of my elite squad is coming to Stormwind?"

“I warn you, my brother, do not lay a hand on her on Stormwind territory. Although she is only a mortal, the consequences of attacking her are currently too great for us to bear.”

Onyxia, having more or less understood what her brother was thinking, warned Nefarian, who responded with a disdainful spit of fire from his nostrils.

"My sister, I don't remember you being so timid."

"If you act recklessly, my plans are very likely to fall apart."

"Heh... Since you're so obsessed with the games of human nobility, then keep indulging, my sister... I hope that in the moment before you die, you'll remember the truth that power determines everything."

After saying this, Nefarian cut off the communication, and Onyxia angrily threw herself back onto the sofa. A few seconds later, her eyes darkened.

"Brother, you actually look down on my plan? Then I'll show you... my plan is far more deadly to this world than your experiment!!"

8. Return to Stormwind

Stormwind, Dwarven Quarter, Ratchet District, Stormwind Embassy of the Gadgetzan Consortium.

With the hum of the teleporter in operation, Tanis, dressed casually, stepped out of her work area, strolled out the door into the hall, and sighed silently as she looked out the window at the bustling streets filled with dwarves, humans, goblins, and gnomes. Years ago, when Stormwind was still under construction, the image of the dwarven district, a dumping ground for building materials, resurfaced from the depths of her memory. The faces of the members of the Stonemasons Brotherhood, with whom she had occasionally exchanged a few words, filled with pride and excitement as they were about to complete a magnificent city that would surpass the old Stormwind and become the largest city in the human kingdom.

"Miss Tanya, shall we choose some of these invitations to attend?"

In the hall, Bao Shuan, who had been waiting, respectfully presented a stack of invitations. This goblin lieutenant, who had been silently standing by Tannis's side since she started trading alone, could now be said to have achieved great success. However, he was still proud to be Tannis's business lieutenant.

"That's why I don't want to come to Stormwind... There's just too much trouble..."

Tanis, who had hardly visited Stormwind since her successful raid on Lakeshire, looked at the thick stack of invitations in Bolton's hand and felt a slight toothache—she didn't even need to look to know that half of these invitations were from people trying to curry favor with her to get some 'exclusive products,' and the other half were from handsome men who were trying to sell their services to her family.

“I understand, Miss Tanis.”

Having swiftly grasped Tannis's meaning, Bolt walked to the fireplace in the hall and stuffed all the invitations into it. He rubbed his hands together to wipe away the remaining gold dust, and then looked at Tannis again.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss Tennys?"

"Not at the moment. Just continue preparing for the promotional event the day after tomorrow."

As she said this, Tennyson pressed down her engineering glasses.

"I'm going to take a look around the Stormwind Trade District."

———————————————Storm Trade Zone————————————————

"Fruit! Fruit! Fresh seasonal fruit transported from Stranglethorn Vale by griffons!"

"Look! Wool shirts are 20% off!!"

"Flowers! Flowers! The most beautiful flowers from Elwynn Forest!"

"The amazing items of Ratchet! Let's take a look!"

"Soft bread! Milk with honey! Sausage! Cheese!!"

"Selling pancakes! Delicious pancakes!"

As soon as Tanis crossed the bridge over the canal and entered the trading district, the vibrant atmosphere made her pause slightly. Stormwind's largest commercial center, while not as orderly as Ratchet's Grand Market, was still bustling with life. Men in simple linen clothes and wool scarves were haggling with flower girls; an older woman, her white clothes yellowed from cooking fumes, was enthusiastically promoting her pancakes; restaurant waiters stood at their entrances, loudly advertising their signature dishes; and merchants with stalls along the sidewalk were proclaiming the quality of their goods…

'It seems the people of Stormwind Kingdom—at least those within Stormwind City—are living much better than I imagined—Onyxia really knows how to play the divide-and-conquer game... But playing the balance game to the end always risks disaster... Instead of honing her combat skills, Onyxia, as a dragon, is trying to play the human game of palace intrigue? Is palace intrigue her only talent as a woman?'

While slightly surprised by the bustling state of the Stormwind Trade District, Tannis considered it merely a large farmers' market. Ten Tannis couldn't match the Stormwind nobles' skill in court intrigue, and similarly, all the Stormwind nobles combined couldn't necessarily surpass her in using commerce to make a city prosperous.

And so, with her mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts, Tannis walked along the slightly narrow road leading out of the trading district until two soldiers blocked her way, bringing her back to her senses.

"Miss, please stop. This is a military camp. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."

Although Tennyson's attire was simple, her engineering glasses and other accessories clearly indicated that she was not a civilian. Therefore, the two soldiers did not dare to take her away for further interrogation.

"Oh, sorry, I haven't been to Stormwind for a long time, so I got lost."

"..."

Tennys's strange reason caused the two soldiers to fall silent for a few seconds, but fortunately they did not forget that one of their own qualifications was to give directions.

"So, where are you going, lovely lady?"

"Hero Valley".

———————————————Hero Valley——————————————————

Although named 'Valley', Hero's Valley is not a valley, but a huge plaza built on a small lake formed by the Stormwind City moat. It can accommodate a troop formation of ten thousand men. On both sides of this plaza stand five statues, meticulously carved by the best craftsmen of the Brotherhood of Stonemasons. These statues depict five expeditionary generals believed to have died on the other side of the Dark Portal. The bases of these five statues are what Tannis wants to confirm today.

Of course... Tanis knew that Prince Kael'thas had confirmed the survival of three of the five, and the remaining two, judging from their appearance, were probably not dead either. In other words, these five statues actually commemorated five living people...

"They really wiped it all out, huh? The Stonemasons Brotherhood... They poured their hearts and souls into building the city, only to end up scattered in the wilderness, not even allowed to leave a trace of their name...?"

Gently stroking the words beneath Khadgar's statue, Tanis, kneeling on the ground, spoke with a tone devoid of joy or sorrow. In truth, neither the Stonemasons Brotherhood nor Defias had anything to do with her. However, the Stormwind nobles' tactic of betraying their benefactors after using them made her, someone who upheld the sanctity of contracts, very unhappy—extremely unhappy. Even if the mastermind behind everything was a black dragon who thrived on chaos, it couldn't make Tanis feel even the slightest bit of goodwill towards the Stormwind nobles.