Time always flies when playing games. The screens went dark for the five men from Westbrook Garrison, who felt they had barely slain a few bosses, and for Amy, who was still deep in the world of Quidditch, researching broom control and the physics behind how the Golden Snitch could fly so fast.
In the previous plot, she had learned from the Hogwarts professors that the Golden Snitch was the key to winning a Quidditch match. It was a walnut-sized metal ball with silver wings that flew incredibly fast and was notoriously difficult to catch. Each team had a Seeker dedicated to capturing it; whichever Seeker caught it first earned 150 points for their team, and the game ended instantly.
But rules were rules. Everyone knew the shop had to close at 8:00 PM.
Verdan: "Miller, I'll pay double! Just let me play a bit longer..."
After finishing the hunt against the Black Dragon, Wayne had prepared to relax by starting the second Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As he took off his goggles and prepared to cast a cold glance at the two men, Hicks beat him to it.
"Play with your damn head!" Hicks's words reminded Wayne of Todrick, the butcher at the inn, who used that exact phrase when cursing people.
"Even if you paid five gold an hour, Mil wouldn't let you break the rules. Let's go, let's go. We'll head across the street for a few drinks."
Rainier and Hudson had more self-control. Having played since noon, they felt the stiffness in their backs and agreed with the suggestion to grab a drink.
When the commander spoke, the subordinates had no choice but to follow, leaving the shop dejectedly.
Amy also exited her movie. After politely saying goodbye to Wayne and Tess, she headed toward the inn.
Wayne was a bit surprised. "Miss... Miss Amy, are you going for a drink with them too?"
Amy turned around at the door, her face turning red at the question. "No, no, no... I'm going to find the innkeeper to bind my Hearthstone. It'll be more convenient to come here in the future."
Wayne understood immediately. As a Mage, Amy only needed to cast a teleportation spell to return to Stormwind. Her home was in the Mage District, which likely wasn't far from the Wizard's Sanctum where the portals were located.
By binding her Hearthstone—a special stone imbued with low-level magic that transports the user to a pre-bound friendly area, usually an inn or a tavern—to the Lion's Pride Inn, Amy wouldn't have to spend nearly a day riding a horse to reach Goldshire. She would only need to take out the stone, chant the name of the bound location, and she would be teleported there instantly after ten seconds.
While it couldn't be used continuously and required a "cooldown" period after each use, it was undoubtedly the most convenient "transportation" for adventurers who didn't know teleportation magic.
Wayne slapped his thigh and cried out, "Right! The Hearthstone! Where is my Hearthstone?!"
Just then, his old friend Anduin and the Steelis siblings walked over, carrying a wooden counter.
Anduin: "Kid, here's the counter you wanted."
The white-haired Anduin spoke to Wayne but didn't look at him once. Instead, he smiled at Tess. "To work at such a young age... it must be hard on you."
The three of them were efficient and finished the installation quickly. Anduin finally looked at Wayne. "Kid, come with me."
Wayne huffed inwardly, wondering who the boss was here, but he followed Anduin out obediently.
In the blacksmith shop, Anduin pulled out a bundle and handed it to Wayne. "Argus asked me to give this to you before he left. But he also said to only give it to you when you needed it."
He pointed toward the net cafe. "Though that guy probably never imagined his idiot nephew would open something called a 'Net Cafe.' With the money you're making now, most of these things probably aren't very useful to you, but the Hearthstone inside should still come in handy."
Wayne took the bundle and opened it. Inside were a Hearthstone, two small vials of red liquid labeled "Minor Healing Potion," five rolls of linen bandages, and a set of flint and tinder for making fires in the wild.
Wayne recognized these items. They were essential supplies for traveling and adventuring, but only for commoners or entry-level adventurers.
Altogether, these things weren't worth even one gold coin. Yet Wayne sighed. He didn't know how his uncle Argus—whom he had memories of but had never seen in person since crossing over—was faring in Theramore across the ocean.
As an old World of Warcraft player from his previous life, Wayne knew that Theramore was not a peaceful place. In fact, its fate could be described as tragic and ill-fated.
Perhaps in Argus's original plan, this blacksmith shop wasn't meant to be Wayne's home for life. Maybe one day, when Wayne decided to travel, the money left with Dughan and these survival supplies would help his nephew take his first steps away from home.
Anduin: "The three of us are working overtime today, so it's time to go home and rest. Don't stay up too late yourself, kid."
With that, Anduin took out his keys, locked the blacksmith shop, and walked home humming a tune without looking back.
"That old guy... he's so arrogant..." Wayne smiled and shouted, "Old friend, see you tomorrow!"
Back at the inn, after binding her Hearthstone, Amy didn't dare disobey Marlin's command to be home by 8:00 PM. She quickly cast her teleportation spell and vanished in a flash of blue light.
Wayne put the Hearthstone in his pocket and returned to the net cafe with the rest of the bundle.
As he walked in, he found Tess sitting excitedly on a high stool, organizing the ledger, pens, and money bags.
Seeing Wayne, she said excitedly, "Boss! We made so much money today! I hope there will be even more customers tomorrow!"
Wayne smiled, finding the behavior of this twelve-year-old girl increasingly unpredictable.
He looked at Tess, whose feet couldn't even touch the ground from the high stool, and said, "The title 'waitress' is a bit plain after all..."
A look of confusion appeared on Tess's face. "Then... what should I be called? A shop hand? Waitress Tess becomes Shop Hand Tess, hehe, that sounds fun."
Wayne wagged his finger. "Shop hand sounds like someone who does heavy manual labor."
Tess scratched her head. "Then... Boss, what else is there?"
She thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up. "Oh! I know! You can call me a maid! Maid Tess, though that sounds a bit strange..."
"Pfft!" Wayne nearly spat out. "Look at you, a little kid calling herself a maid?"
While the title wasn't technically wrong, the word "maid" made Wayne think of the "maids" in maid cafes from his previous world.
A maid without a maid outfit had no soul!
Tess: "Maid won't work either... then what? A hostess?"
Wayne shook his hand again. He looked Tess up and down as she sat on the stool. After a few moments, he suddenly laughed and pointed at the counter. "What is this?"
Tess didn't know why he was laughing. "A counter?"
Wayne smirked. "And what position are you in right now?"
Tess looked down at herself. "Sitting?"
Wayne couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Hahaha! Let's just call you the 'Counter-Sitting Girl' then."
Although Tess felt there was a hint of mischief in Wayne's smile, she found this novel, never-before-heard title to be quite fitting.