The long period of sealing had left Serana completely ignorant of the current state of the outside world. She told Wayne that whether it was the Dawnguard who wanted to kill her or the vampires who sought her, they were all after something far greater. If Wayne wanted her help, he first had to help her escape this place and escort her back to Castle Volkihar in the northwest of Skyrim. There, she could find her own kind and decide on their next move.
Wayne agreed and successfully helped her escape Dimhollow Crypt.
However, immediately afterward, he ran straight back to High Hrothgar... to catch up on his Dragon Shout lessons.
Amy and the others noticed that after Serana became Wayne's companion, her combat strength was immense. She was proficient in stealth and conjuration magic; not only could she engage enemies head-on, but she could also resurrect fallen foes to fight for them.
This provided Wayne, who was sneaking on the sidelines, with the perfect opportunity to deal damage. He could fire his arrows from the shadows to his heart's content, maximizing his damage output.
Following that, Wayne led Serana around the world. He was in no hurry to advance the main plot, instead picking up various side quests and utilizing Serana's immortal status to farm monsters, leveling up his Sneak and Archery skills.
Soon, noon arrived, and the net cafe opened for business.
The orange-haired man, Raymond, Ana, and Liria—who had given up her seat to Marlin yesterday—queued up one by one to use the machines.
Seeing that the cafe was full again and had even attracted a figure like Silas, Wayne was about to switch to the backend to see the orange-haired man's real name when a warning sound suddenly erupted from the game interface, giving him a start.
In the past, such alarms meant either SI:7 spies were testing him or gnolls were raiding the town. However, the interface that popped up left him stunned.
[Detected a low-intelligence race becoming a member]
[This member cannot play existing games normally]
[Mini-game mode unlocked]
[Game unlocked: Fruit Ninja]
WTF???
There's even a mode for this?!
In his distraction, Wayne spoke directly into the game's voice channel. The people watching the livestream outside were instantly confused.
"What happened? Why did he stop moving?"
"Did he forget something?"
"Could it be he saw an even prettier girl?"
"What? Someone even prettier? Where, where?"
"Bruise..."
"Beautiful woman!"
Hearing him shout, many female audience members couldn't help but feel a secret disdain: "Men are all the same regardless of age or race—lecherous until the day they die. Shameless, hmph!"
Bruise, who had sat down and put on the glasses, was still shouting. Tess didn't dare approach the three-meter-tall behemoth, so Wayne had to intervene personally. He tricked the ogre, telling him that if he sliced enough fruit to get the highest score in the game, he would see a beautiful woman. Hearing this, Bruise was instantly filled with passion.
"Hmm? What is this?"
Wayne switched one of the livestream screens to Fruit Ninja, and a buzz of discussion immediately broke out among the crowd.
Swish! Swish! Swish! To be fair, while Bruise wasn't a smart ogre, he was an incredibly powerful bodyguard. His hands rose and fell with lightning-fast reactions; as soon as fruit appeared on the screen, he sliced it in half with pinpoint accuracy.
But the problem was... as anyone who has played this game knows, you still need to use your brain.
First, you have to save up fruit to slice them together; hitting three or more in one swipe grants a score bonus. Second, you can't hit the bombs. Hitting one not only clears the fruit from the screen but also deducts health or time.
Bruise's intellect struggled to accept such complex settings. He simply sliced everything he saw regardless of the consequences. By the end of each round, he only had a few dozen points—at least ten miles away from the default high score on the leaderboard.
However, being unintelligent had another advantage: a poor memory.
As he played, he completely forgot about wanting to see Serana, throwing himself entirely into the thrill of hacking fruit.
With the behemoth settled, Wayne finally had time to check the orange-haired man's name. Unexpectedly, another accident occurred at that exact moment.
Andromath, who had said he wouldn't come today, walked in accompanying a middle-aged man with black hair, a black beard, and an extremely solemn expression. Standing outside the door were Jysette, Marlin, and others, all looking embarrassed.
Wayne figured that anyone who could have Andromath following behind them was no ordinary person. He began to ask, "Excuse me..."
The middle-aged man didn't wait for him to finish, shouting huffily, "Arator! What are you doing here?!"
Arator...
Wayne's first reaction upon hearing the name was, "He's not a member of the net cafe." His second reaction was, "Since he's come looking for him, the orange-haired man must be this Arator." His third reaction was looking at the man's half-human, half-elven features. Suddenly, a long-buried memory resurfaced, and he was struck with realization!
Arator!
The future Paladin, "Arator the Redeemer"!
His parents were the legendary Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner. In the eighth year of the opening of the Dark Portal, they had led the Alliance Expedition across the portal into Outland. For the sake of their son, and due to the eventual fall of Dalaran, the two had sent him to Stormwind.
No wonder he had made that "chuunibyou" comment earlier about seeking the path of self-redemption!
Considering that Rhonin had become the ruler of Dalaran and leader of the Council of Six after Antonidas's death, and that Arator's parents—though classified as missing—stood as statues in the Valley of Heroes at the gates of Stormwind, this kid was essentially the elite of the elite among "second-generation" nobles. In the entire Alliance, perhaps only the young King Anduin could compare to the aura he carried. Not even Tess or the daughter of the current Regent Bolvar could match him.
Arator's face darkened upon hearing that familiar voice. He had no choice but to take off his glasses and say, "I'm playing The Elder Scrolls V."
At this moment, Andromath quietly began to chant a spell, communicating via magical whispers.
Rhonin and his wife had originally intended to raise Arator as a mage or a ranger. However, Arator—hoping to one day go to Outland, fight demons, and find his birth parents—had aspired since childhood to become a paladin. Thus, they had personally asked Duke Shadowbreak to teach him the Way of the Holy Light and requested Rhonin's friend, Andromath, to look after Arator's daily life.
Early this morning, instead of attending classes at the Cathedral of Light, he had skipped school to come to a net cafe. It was no wonder Shadowbreak was so furious.
"The Elder Scrolls V?!" The Duke was fuming, looking as if he might draw the massive hammer at his waist at any moment and order the guards outside to smash the net cafe to pieces.
"Yes, it's a game called The Elder Scrolls V. I've been watching the boss play since yesterday afternoon, and I only managed to get in line to experience it myself today."
Arator's righteous answer was like pouring oil on a fire. Shadowbreak almost unleashed his Righteous Fury right then and there to give him a beating. But since it wasn't his own child, it would be hard to explain to Rhonin if something went wrong. Given that Rhonin was the ruler of Dalaran, a serious incident wouldn't just be a matter between friends; it would be a diplomatic event. After all, the statues of the boy's parents were still standing at the gates of Stormwind. If such a scandal got out, it would tarnish the Alliance's image.
He suppressed his rage. "Come back with me. We'll talk about this at home!"
Arator asked, confused, "Why should I go back? I'm here to study."
Shadowbreak's temper flared again. "Study? You'll be twenty in three months! At that time, the Archbishop, myself, and other high-ranking paladins and priests will participate in your Holy Light assessment. That is the crucial event that determines whether you can truly become a paladin!"
"Teacher... I really am here to study..."
"Do you still respect me as your teacher?!" Shadowbreak snapped.
At that moment, his gaze swept across the net cafe and caught sight of Amy. He said in surprise, "You... why are you here too?!"
Given his friendship with Rhonin and Andromath, although he was a paladin, he was quite familiar with mages and priests. How could someone like her be here playing games too?!
Amy replied, "Uncle... I'm also here to study..."
Hearing this, Shadowbreak immediately suspected he had woken up too early and that the sun had risen in the west. He shouted, "Marlin! What on earth is going on?!"
Marlin thought to himself, So you finally have your day too. I went through this long ago...
He walked over with a bitter smile and said, "She... really is here to study..."