Make Azeroth breathtaking

“Please have Ambassador Gnomeregan come over. I need to know at least what kind of weird stuff they’re researching back home.”

——————————————Stormwind————————————————————

Inside the Stormwind and Ratchet merchant guild headquarters, a grand celebration was underway. The reason, of course... was that Tani had brought back several huge orders that nearly made veteran employees like Bolton's heart stop beating.

Cheers! Cheers!

"Hahahaha! We've made a fortune! A fortune!"

"Honorable Lady Tanines! Ratchet can finally stand tall in the Eastern Kingdoms! Look at those guys in Booty Bay still discriminating against us!"

"And those dwarfs! They're decent at engineering, but their business acumen is absolutely terrible!"

"Everyone, please don't drink too much. Our partners from Ironforge will be arriving in the next few days, and we also need to arrange manpower for the mine tunnels and subways immediately. I don't want our partners to arrive to find a bunch of drunkards."

"Dwarves never mind if their partners are drunk."

A loud, gruff voice reached Tannis's ears; a familiar dwarf had appeared at the merchant caravan's encampment.

"Mr. Inke? What are you doing here?"

“Why can’t I be here? After you reached an agreement with His Majesty the King, my position was changed to liaison officer with Ratchet. From now on, I will be the first person in charge of trade liaison between Ratchet and Ironforge.”

"...King Magni is truly decisive and efficient..."

"Of course! He is the most suitable king among the Bronzebeard dwarves!"

Ink was pleased with Tennys's praise. He downed his beer in one gulp and moved closer to Tennys.

"Hey, when do we officially start our collaboration? I can't wait."

"The subway and food supplies will take a long time to prepare. As for jewelry, if you brought any raw gemstones, I can arrange for them to be processed now."

"I have some raw gemstones here that I couldn't sell because they weren't of very good quality."

Inkfire pulled out a pouch and opened it. Under the light, the jewels inside refracted a rainbow of colors. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that these gems had various tiny flaws, which greatly reduced their value.

"Will it work?"

Knowing full well the quality of the gems that had been rejected, Ink muttered to himself that the best outcome for these raw gems was to become decorative edges for various ornaments.

"no problem."

Tennys fastened the pocket, tucked it into her waistband, and patted Boom's shoulder.

"Break the bolt, prepare the carriage."

——————————————Tannis's Mine————————————————————

"This is?"

Ink and Tennys rode down a minecart to the deepest part of the mine, where they were drawn to a metal gate.

"This is my workshop, and it will be the place where Ironforge jewel ore will be processed for a long time to come."

As Tennyson spoke, her mechanical assistant flew up and connected to a socket on the door.

"Identity verification complete, security measures deactivated, welcome back."

The gate slowly opened, revealing the steel passageway behind it. The lights in the passageway lit up one by one, illuminating the path.

How did you do that?

Inke was dumbfounded by what he saw. He clearly remembered that when he came to this mine not long ago, this place was just a big pit!

"The modular factory is one of the results of my collaborative research with my father. Although this 1.0 version of the modular factory only has basic industrial production capabilities and the output is not very high, it has no problem processing gemstones."

Tennys walked into the passageway and pressed a button, causing two chairs to flip up from under the passageway.

"Sit down, fasten your seatbelt, and hold on tight to the armrests."

"What's so scary? I've driven that steam tank that dwarf kid designed specifically for us before, it's nothing special."

Despite saying that, Inkfire still obediently strapped himself into the seat with the seatbelt—the goblin engineering system was known for its explosives, and who knew if this chair was propelled by explosives.

The next second, the chair was launched at an incredible speed, leaving Ink's screams echoing through the corridor.

"Aa ...

——————————————Tannis's Workshop————————————————

"Huff...huff...is there an easier way to get in?"

As Ink rolled off the seat, he felt like his entire body no longer belonged to him.

"Yes, there is another emergency button that can open a descending passage, but due to design flaws, it can only be lowered down using ropes. We haven't found a solution yet."

As she spoke, Tannis walked to the workbench, which was already equipped with dozens of tools. She poured the gems Ink had given her onto the workbench surface, turned on the lights on the workbench to illuminate them, and then put on a pair of goggles.

"I'm going to start working now, please don't disturb me."

XIV. Target: Red Ridge Mountains!

Tennyson's treatment was a success.

With the help of the mechanical assistant, all the gemstones in this bag that could be polished were precisely polished to remove their flaws. For the gemstones whose flaws could not be completely removed, Tennys used the light paths she had carved and combined them with their geometric shapes to transform the flaws into traces with a strong decorative feel. This skill earned Inke's high praise.

"No wonder your Ratchet City can so easily control the luxury goods market in Stormwind Kingdom. This cost control is something that ordinary jewelers can't learn! You can polish inferior gems that others can't use into something that's no different from high-quality ones!"

"You flatter me, I was just taking a shortcut."

Tanis knew her own limitations. Assuming she possessed genuine gem-cutting and processing skills, she couldn't even compare to the elusive high elves and night elves, let alone the old craftsmen among humans. However, the beauty of gemstones was itself a manifestation of mathematical beauty. Therefore, with her mechanical assistant, she could easily find the mathematically most beautiful solution for each gemstone—or rather, the shape closest to the most beautiful solution.

"Next, according to the contract, the task of creating precious metal decorations for these finished gemstones is entrusted to you."

Tanis put the jewels in a bag and handed it to Ink.

——————————————Strange dividing line————————————————

When Tanis returned to Stormwind, it was already dark. To her surprise, Bolt was waiting for her at the door, looking anxious.

"What happened? Did the thrombus burst?"

"Miss Tanis, there's a bit of a problem with the food."

Bao Shuan rubbed his temples, his tone irritable.

"Wasn't the plan to buy it from Booty Bay? Are they not selling it?"

"No, they've raised the price by 30%, and they're also limiting supply—I bet someone in Ratchet has leaked our agreement with Ironforge—and it's quite detailed."

"There's nothing we can do. We're all members of the Hot Sands Consortium, and we're even venturing onto their territory to make a living."

Tanis, who was very familiar with the goblins' thought process, sighed helplessly. She knew that Booty Bay was not unaware of the various benefits of trading with Ironforge, nor was it unaware of the advantages of offering help in times of need. However, normal goblins would never sign a trade contract with others before maximizing their own interests. Goblins like her father, who were willing to sign mutually beneficial agreements with others, were truly an anomaly among goblins!

"If we can't buy enough food from Booty Bay, it will be difficult to reach a trade agreement with Ironforge."

Bolt was deeply worried. As a goblin who had followed Gazlowe and Tannis for a long time, he knew that the two valued reputation more than money.

"Relax, buying from Booty Bay is just option B. I also have option A. After all, it's better to rely on yourself than others."

"The suitable farmland in the Westfall and Elwynn Forest has all been occupied by their own people, and you've handed over all your land deeds to Countess Prestor. Where are we supposed to open a large farm?"

Baoshuan instantly understood what Tennys meant.

"Yes, there is. It's that piece of land that Stormwind Kingdom can't reach at all, almost indistinguishable from an enclave."

"...You mean, the remaining section of the Redridge Mountains at the end of Elwynn Forest, outside the western pass?"

“That’s right. I’ve looked up information about the climate there. It’s very suitable for large-scale crop cultivation. What’s even better is that there are lakes there, so we can also develop fisheries there.”

"However, that place is far from peaceful. There are orcs, black dwarves, and even rumors that there are dragons there!"

"I know, but eliminating those things is indeed the optimal solution, isn't it?"

“But Miss Tanis, with the few people we have, we can only protect ourselves at best. There’s no way we can drive out the orcs and establish a base there.”

"Therefore, we need to leverage this momentum—the momentum of the Storm Kingdom."

———————————————Storm, Royal Quarter——————————————————

"You want the Redridge Mountains Expeditionary Knight's Certificate? Do you even know that the Redridge Mountains are territory that Stormwind Kingdom has already expanded? Do you even know that the land there has owners?"

Varian Wrynn looked at the little girl in front of him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"No, Your Majesty, as far as I know, orcs still roam the Redridge Mountains, which makes many of the native inhabitants afraid to return to their homeland. As for the masters there? After they abandoned their land, ignored their people, and fled alone, they are no longer the protectors of that place. According to the laws of Stormwind Kingdom, it is entirely reasonable to reclaim their land. In conclusion, apart from having a map, what difference is there between the Redridge Mountains and undeveloped lands?"

Tanya looked at Varian with neither arrogance nor servility, while Varian rhythmically tapped the table, deep in thought.

To be fair, he admitted that Tanis's words weren't entirely without merit. Due to a severe manpower shortage, the Redridge Mountains, where orcs frequently roam, remained a complete enclave. The fact that the people who originally lived in the Redridge Mountains were homeless and forced to become refugees in Elwynn Forest or Westfall was also weakening Stormwind's power. It's worth noting that if these people could return to farming, Stormwind could collect at least 20% more in taxes.

If Tanis were a citizen of Stormwind, Varian would surely have already knighted this little girl who was willing to bring her own provisions to drive out the orcs, and then announced that she would be able to obtain a hereditary territory in Redridge Mountains. The problem is, Tanis is the little princess of Ratchet, a city of the Gadgetzan Consortium. If the land in Redridge Mountains falls into her hands, it will be a real enclave!

However, if Varian refused Tanis's offer, he estimated that he wouldn't be able to spare the manpower from Redridge Mountains until Stormwind was repaired. By then, it would be uncertain how many refugees would still be alive! And if the orcs built some permanent fortifications in Redridge Mountains during that time…

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Varian finally made up his mind.

"I can give you the pioneer certificate, but I have one condition."

As he spoke, Varian pointed to the wall, where the lion emblem of the Stormwind Kingdom was clearly visible.

"The town hall of the territory must bear the emblem of the Stormwind Kingdom."

15. Preparatory Work

Varian's request was within Tannis's expectations. Hanging the emblem in the most prominent place in the town hall held immense significance in the human kingdom. It signified that the town belonged directly to the noble who possessed the emblem, and the emblem's owner had an obligation to protect the town. In return, the town was obligated to fulfill a series of duties to its protector, including but not limited to paying taxes and providing military service.

Due to his special status, the Stormwind Kingdom would not grant him any title. Therefore, if he went directly to Redridge Mountains to expand, the territory he acquired would, in principle, have nothing to do with the Stormwind Kingdom. Redridge Mountains would very likely become an exclave belonging to the Hot Sands Consortium in the future.

However, the Stormwind Kingdom also hopes for stability in Redridge Mountains. Although a fortress has been built in the key western area of ​​Elwynn Forest to prevent the remaining orcs from invading, everyone wants a couple of days of peace, right? Besides, Redridge Mountains is not barren, and the resettled civilians can significantly reduce the various pressures currently on the Stormwind Kingdom.

Therefore, Varian ultimately adopted this compromise—neither preventing Tanys from pacifying the Redridge Mountains nor allowing her to turn it into a true enclave.

"Your Majesty, can your request be considered equivalent to the Stormwind Kingdom hiring Ratchet to exterminate the orcs in the Redridge Mountains—in exchange for a portion of the land in the Redridge Mountains as a commission?"

Tennys quickly followed suit.

"Yes, that's right."

Varian quickly replied, "From the result, it makes no difference."