"20 gold?!"
"That expensive?!"
"My goodness!"
...
As soon as Tess finished speaking, a wave of heated discussion erupted from the crowd.
Even Anasha and Oneiya, who were full of ambition to try it just moments ago, recoiled. For the two of them, it would be 40 gold—an amount that many people couldn't save even if they went without food or drink for years.
Just as everyone was speculating about who the 20 people who supposedly already bought in were, a tall man in the crowd elegantly raised his hand. The crowd's gaze shifted to him instantly, but nobody knew who this gentleman was—dressed in a formal suit, tie, and leather shoes.
The suited man walked forward, and the crowd automatically parted to create a path for him. When he reached Tess, he smoothly removed his top hat, placed it against his chest, and bowed slightly. He didn't say a word, using only his eyes and a gesture to signal Tess to lead him into the net cafe.
Tess complied immediately, and even for her, this scene was completely unexpected.
The claim that there were "only 30 slots" and that "20 had already been sold" was entirely a marketing strategy designed by Wayne. The reason, of course, was to gather the 280 gold construction payment due in two days.
Wayne told Tess and Raymond that this was called "Hunger Marketing."
In his original world, some businesses would have plenty of stock but would only release small batches at a time. Naturally, these would be snatched up instantly. By doing this repeatedly and adding promotion, it created a perception in the market that the product was extremely high-demand and hard to get.
Now that the net cafe had some fame, long queues, and extremely limited stations—combined with the release of a masterpiece of peerless quality like The Elder Scrolls V—the conditions for hunger marketing were perfect. However, Wayne had also prepared a backup measure: two "shills" were already in place within the crowd.
Liria asked Amy: "Who is that guy? Did Little Wayne find him too?"
Amy shook her head, her expression indicating she was just as clueless.
Meanwhile, inside the game, Wayne had finished talking to Alvor the blacksmith about the dragon's reappearance. Alvor suggested that Wayne head to Whiterun immediately to report the matter to Jarl Balgruuf, as this was the best way to prevent the tragedy of Helgen from repeating elsewhere.
Wayne left the forge and entered the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, intending to buy some food and basic potions before setting off.
As he finished his shopping and pushed open the inn's door to leave, the bard behind him began to sing a melodious, haunting song. Accompanied by the plucking of lute strings, the music drifted into everyone's ears, causing the crowd that had been buzzing about the suited man to fall silent instantly.
"Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart" "I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes" "With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art" "Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes" "It's an end to the evil, of all Skyrim's foes" "Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes" "For the darkness has passed, and the legend yet grows" "You'll know, You'll know, the Dragonborn comes"
Wayne took one last look back at the people in the inn who were also listening in silence, then turned his head and stepped back onto the alleys of Riverwood.
He looked into the distance. On the snowy mountains to the west, faint traces of ancient ruins were visible—a place he was familiar with, and where he would soon be headed: the first major dungeon, "Bleak Falls Barrow."
Turning his head the other way, toward the east, stood the towering High Hrothgar. Its peak was so high it was invisible, hidden behind clouds year-round. It was the spiritual totem of Skyrim, and indeed, of the entire Elder Scrolls V.
The small river beside him gurgled, its winding path and changing elevation creating the sound of rushing water. Just then, Wayne walked out of Riverwood's simple north gate. The snow that seemed to fall perpetually suddenly stopped. He looked ahead, his gaze meeting winding mountain paths and lush forests.
Sunlight broke through the heavy winter clouds, and ice crystals and snowflakes sparkled in the wind and on his hands.
Inside the cafe, Wayne was silent, watching all this through his character's eyes. Outside, everyone was equally silent, experiencing this strange yet familiar world through his perspective.
Then, the classic soundtrack "Far Horizons" began to play. Accompanied by this deep, swelling music, Wayne took a deep breath of the slightly chilled air.
Wayne thought about the time he had been in Skyrim and sneaked up on a bandit, only to hear the man say, "She said she'd wait for me, but she left me in the end."
He thought about finding a diary on the body of a man whose wife complained he had abandoned his family, only for the diary to say, "I'm adventuring so I can give my family a better life."
He thought about parents who could only afford to eat potatoes for three meals a day, yet were teaching their child that "stealing apples is wrong."
He even thought about a beggar he had once absent-mindedly tossed a single gold coin to, only to find himself named as the beneficiary in the beggar's will after he died.
These NPCs didn't even have names, yet in the smallest details, they moved the players who visited this world again and again.
In the not-so-long life Wayne had lived before he crossed over, he had played many games. But there were perhaps only two that, because of their immersive worlds and moving plots, felt as if they had taken a piece of his soul, leaving a mark that could never be erased.
Now, after crossing over into the World of Warcraft, he could experience the winds and snow of Skyrim once more on the land of Azeroth.
At this moment, Wayne truly felt as if his soul had returned.
And that slight chill in his breath seemed to infect everyone watching.
Nobody bothered to ask where this heart-tugging music—perfectly matched to the environment—was coming from. Nobody stopped to think about how that ferocious black dragon was connected to their own world.
For a brief moment, they simply felt that this scenery was real, existing in a world that was beyond their reach, yet right at their fingertips.
This wasn't just shock; it was another emotion that touched the heart even more deeply—genuine movedness.
Anasha nodded to Oneiya and placed the gold coins from her bag into her sister's hands. In Darkshore, she had fought the Furbolg Marosh and his minions, escaping death with Oneiya's help to deliver vital intel to Auberdine. She decided to let her best friend enter this enchanting world first.
Ana and Veri also walked toward the net cafe entrance. Of course, not far behind them, Andromath and McBride—carrying their unique aura—had walked out of the inn. They seemed summoned by the scene and the music, ready and eager to go.
Old Marin looked back at his daughter and saw that she and Liria had joined the queue. But at this moment, they were no longer "shills"—they were devout players waiting to travel to Skyrim.
Old Marin and Sandal followed close behind.
Seeing this scene, those who were still hesitant or in a "wait-and-see" mood gritted their teeth and joined in. But the "only" 10 slots had long been sold out. No matter how much the remaining people pleaded, Tess stuck strictly to the rules and would not sell an eleventh.
200 gold in hand. The net cafe's savings rose to 225 gold. Combined with the revenue from these two days, it would definitely be enough to pay the 280 gold for the second phase of construction.