The two diners who had been snickering at the Westbrook group quickly backed down when they saw a drunken Hicks approaching with hostile intent. Hudson and Willem stepped in to pull Hicks away, narrowly avoiding a tavern brawl.
Despite being restrained, Hicks wouldn't let it go, pointing his finger at the two men. "You'd better show up again the day after tomorrow! See for yourselves if I'm just talking big! Let me tell you, I've killed dragons of every color—red, yellow, blue, and green—and that black one is the only one left!"
"Alright, alright, look at you bragging. The one who slew the dragon was Mil, not you," Hudson laughed as he dragged Hicks back to their table, teasing him.
Just then, a sophisticated, mature female voice spoke up: "You gentlemen seem to be in high spirits today."
The six men, including Willem, turned their heads. It was Jyssetta.
During the day, she and the other professional trainers stayed in rooms rented by their respective guilds on the second floor of the inn, waiting for adventurers to seek guidance. Lately, however, her work schedule had shifted to a "one day on, one day off" routine.
In the evenings, when she was free, she would join the other travelers on the first floor for a drink—usually strawberry juice or chilled milk, but rarely alcohol.
Today, however, she seemed to be in a particularly good mood. She took a seat, and Verdan, the thirty-two-year-old gentleman, proactively ordered a glass of juice for this graceful priestess who was seven years his senior. Jyssetta declined. She took an empty glass, held it under the tap of a mead keg, filled it to the brim, and raised it with a smile.
"Congratulations to you all."
Seeing the beautiful woman raise a glass, the six men cheered in unison.
Verdan: "What wind blew our Messenger of the Light down here today?"
Jyssetta gave a charming smile. "Don't get me started. With the new schedule, there are too many people seeking guidance during the day. I'm exhausted."
As soon as she spoke, the floodgates opened for three of the men—excluding Rainier and Hudson.
One gave her a detailed account of the Hunter's Guild records on black dragons, another described the dragon's appearance in vivid detail, and the last one reviewed the dragon's moves and how Wayne had countered them.
Because it was a true event they had witnessed, their accounts were perfectly consistent and logically sound, filled with intricate details. As they spoke, the other diners in the hall gradually fell silent, listening intently to their conversation.
Between sips and stories, they polished off another large keg of mead before finally finishing the tale of Wayne's dragon-slaying feat.
Jyssetta: "So, young Wayne has completely cleared the game?"
"Cleared it? Far from it!" Hicks slapped the table. "Mil told me that the Black Dragon is just the villain on the surface. Behind it, there's an even more powerful monster called... called some kind of dragon..."
He tapped his head, unable to recall the name. "Anyway, it's an existence far more terrifying than the Black Dragon killed this afternoon. One of the oldest Ancient Dragons."
"It's said that this dragon lives within a volcano. Its body is covered in a shell that looks like cooling magma, glowing like a burning red ember. Once it appears, the earth will be torn asunder, the sky will burn, and the entire world will fall into... Doomsday!"
Jyssetta's expression became subtle, a mix of surprise and confusion. She asked, "And when will young Wayne let us see this dragon that brings the apocalypse?"
Hicks took a few large gulps of mead, let out a loud burp, and said, "How should I know? You'll have to ask him. He said he was tired after the fight and went to watch a movie with that beautiful young sister."
Jyssetta: "Beautiful young sister?"
Verdan: "Sigh... don't mention it. She won't even look at us, but she looks at Mil with such tender eyes."
Hicks: "Stop daydreaming. If she looked at you even once, you'd have that stubborn old donkey Marlin pointing at your nose and cursing you for kidnapping his daughter."
Jyssetta: "Marlin? Which Marlin?"
Hudson: "Archmage Marlin from the Mage District. He is indeed a bit of a stubborn one."
Jyssetta's complexion paled even further. She stood up, rubbing her temples, and told the men she had drunk too much and needed some fresh air outside. She insisted they stay and continue drinking without her, then turned and walked out of the inn.
About ten meters from the inn, her demeanor changed completely. Her mind was racing: Why are the people from the Wizard's Sanctum getting involved in this?
She approached a carriage, woke the dozing driver, and ordered him to take her to the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind immediately. She needed to report this vital intelligence to the Archbishop in person.
Inside the net cafe, Wayne and Tess continued watching the movie.
Harry and his classmates were preparing for the new school year and agreed to go to Diagon Alley to buy their supplies.
Unlike the first film, where the giant Hagrid took Harry through a secret passage, this time they planned to use "Floo Powder"—a magical powder that allows for instantaneous travel to a destination.
The caster must stand inside a fireplace connected to the "Floo Network," state the destination clearly, and throw the powder into the flames.
However, due to a slip of the tongue, Harry was transported to "Knockturn Alley," a place adjacent to Diagon Alley that specialized in Dark Arts supplies.
The entire alley was dark and oppressive, filled with Dark Wizards in hoods and eccentric, deranged individuals.
Watching this, Wayne felt that the relationship between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley was very similar to the layout of Stormwind's Mage District—specifically the Wizard's Sanctum and the Warlock training area beneath "The Slaughtered Lamb" tavern.
Although he hadn't visited those places since crossing over, he had spent plenty of time there in his previous life.
Just as Harry was preparing to leave, Draco Malfoy and his father, Lucius, entered "Borgin and Burkes." Harry hid inside a large cabinet to avoid them.
From inside the cabinet, he watched Lucius sell off his collection of Dark Arts artifacts.
Tess couldn't help but say, "Boss, these two are the bad guys, right?"
Wayne laughed and nodded. He thought to himself that compared to his straightforward, dim-witted apprentice Raymond, Tess was quite the clever one.