"Nonsense!" Shadowbreak couldn't believe that Marlin, who usually spent his days buried in stacks of books, would indulge his precious daughter in wasting her life in a place like this.
"Arator, there are so many senior Holy Light mentors in the Cathedral of Light. In all of Stormwind, aside from the Priests' Guild, not even the Wizard's Sanctuary has more resources than we do. You have such excellent conditions at your disposal, yet you keep insisting you're here to 'study.' Tell me, who are you learning from here? And what exactly can you learn?"
Inside and outside the cafe, people had been focused on their games and the livestreams. But Shadowbreak's scolding voice cut through their headphones and drifted into everyone's ears. Suddenly, the crowd gathered around, switching into "spectator mode."
Wayne had no choice but to pause his game, take off his glasses, and look over.
"Who is that man? He's got quite the presence. Even a Grand Magus like Andromath is just following behind him."
"That's Duke Shadowbreak! A pivotal figure in the Cathedral of Light. Even the Archbishop has to show him respect."
"Then who's the person he's yelling at?"
"No idea. He looks a bit like a Night Elf."
"Don't be ridiculous. Night Elves don't have orange hair."
"Sigh, some people just don't know how lucky they are. Imagine having a big shot like that as a mentor and still sneaking out to play."
"This doesn't look like it'll end well. The owner of this net cafe might get dragged into this too."
...
The surrounding crowd whispered among themselves, while the regulars inside the shop didn't dare to step forward to mediate.
They could tell by the look on Andromath's face that he had surely spent the entire journey explaining things to Shadowbreak. But the fact that the Duke had shown up anyway meant those explanations were useless. If even the word of a leading mage had no effect, then Marlin and Jysette knew they shouldn't bother speaking. Younger generations like Liria and Amy were even less likely to intervene.
Furthermore, Shadowbreak was a Duke, the leader of Stormwind's paladins, and a member of the House of Nobles. In terms of status, influence, and power, he was a top-tier figure in the city. While Marlin had once threatened to burn the shop down, he lacked the actual authority to openly attack a lower noble like Wayne. But if Shadowbreak gave the order, the situation would truly spiral out of control.
"Sir, we are a legal business and an honest shop. If you don't believe me, take a look at our house rules."
At this moment, Wayne spoke up.
Shadowbreak followed Wayne's pointing finger and looked at the wooden sign. In his huffy entrance, he had indeed ignored it. He muttered the rules under his breath:
"Open at 12:00 PM... Close at 8:00 PM..." "Membership required... Snacks and drinks cannot be shared..." "No minors allowed..."
Reading the rules didn't diminish Shadowbreak's dissatisfaction. While the regulations suggested that the young owner had some moral bottom line and wasn't a greedy person exploiting children, they had nothing to do with Arator, whom he was responsible for.
Seeing him about to speak, Wayne continued, "Sir, let me finish."
"Educating a child requires the right methods. You must realize that children of this age are in their adolescence. Blind accusations and criticism will only intensify the rebellion and resistance in a young person's heart."
"Do you know how much harm you cause to his inner self by scolding him indiscriminately in a public place like this? At best, he'll be heartbroken and lose his appetite. At worst, he could become withdrawn, depressed, or even mentally unstable."
Shadowbreak had spent half his life dominating military, political, and religious circles. To use an old saying from Wayne's original world, he was only half a step away from having the highest imperial privileges. Even the Regent had to discuss matters with him politely.
Who would have thought that in a small shop in Goldshire, he would be lectured by a twenty-year-old youth in public? Not only was he so shocked that his mouth hung open, unable to believe what he was seeing, but even Marlin and Jysette were breaking into a cold sweat. Everyone thought that if McBride were present, he might be able to use his seniority to mediate. But with this current lineup, no one could influence the fuming Shadowbreak.
Andromath technically had the status, but Rhonin had personally entrusted Arator to him and Shadowbreak. If this mentor and student had a falling out—or if the hot-tempered Shadowbreak slapped Arator in public—Andromath wouldn't be able to face the leader of all mages in Azeroth.
Wayne knew exactly how powerful this man was. Back when he played World of Warcraft online, countless paladins cursed this NPC and the designers while doing their epic mount quests. Other classes just learned riding at a certain level, but paladins had to run their legs off and clear a bunch of dungeons just to learn how to ride a horse.
But precisely because he was powerful, Wayne needed to pull him into his own camp during this period where the surface seemed calm but undercurrents were surging.
Before Arator's admiring gaze and Shadowbreak's imminent explosion of curses, Wayne spoke loudly again: "My net cafe is the best place for learning in Azeroth! Unlike the dogmatic theories of the professional guilds, what we learn here is practice. What we train here is actual combat. What we research is innovation, and what we expand is one's horizons!"
Shadowbreak finally lost his patience. Hearing Wayne's grand claims, he ignored his status and roared two words: "Bullshit!"
The crowd gasped. He pointed at Arator and said, "Then tell me, what has he learned here? What has he trained? If you can't give me a proper explanation today, I swear by my name as a Duke that I will not let you off, you silver-tongued deceiver!"
Wayne glanced at Arator's screen and saw that he had stopped a few hundred meters away from Riverwood. He had clearly just escaped from the underground tunnels beneath Helgen. With this little progress, let alone learning anything, his character hadn't even reached Level 2, and his combat strength hadn't increased a bit.
The only thing to blame was that this irritable old man had arrived too quickly. If he had come in the evening, they would already be at the "slapping-in-the-face" stage of the plot.
"He... just got on the machine. It's like school; the first class of the new semester is only half over. What practical things could he have learned yet?"
Hearing this, Shadowbreak clenched his teeth. He reached out to grab Wayne, intending to drag him out and hand him over to the guards to be taken back to Stormwind for a lesson. To his surprise, Wayne dodged backward and shouted: "As a paladin! what is the most important method for dealing with the undead?!"
Everyone present saw Shadowbreak move, and their hearts jumped into their throats. Veteran players like Andromath and Marlin were prepared to step in to save Wayne. But they never expected Wayne to shout such a question at this critical moment.
Shadowbreak snapped, "Kid, stop trying to change the subject! How does a hoodlum like you even deserve to mention paladins?!" He reached out again.
Wayne yelled, "It's the Holy Light! Intense Holy Light energy can burn the undead into ashes! That is why the weapon hailed as the most powerful against the Scourge was named The Ashbringer!"
"Shut your mouth! Stop wasting time!" Shadowbreak barked.
Wayne continued, "And a weapon like that exists in other worlds as well! And I have already found it!"
In an instant, the crowding heads inside and outside the cafe went silent. Everyone stared at Wayne in unison, as if they couldn't process his words, mentally repeating his last sentence.
Only a few seconds later, the sound of discussion drowned out all other noise in the center of Goldshire.
"What?!"
"What did he just say?!"
"He said... he found a weapon like the Ashbringer?!"
"The Ashbringer!"
"After Mograine fell in battle, that weapon has been missing for a long time... Could there really be... another like it?!"
...
"You... what are you talking about?!"
Shadowbreak's voice trembled slightly, partly from anger and partly from the intense excitement sparked by what he had just heard.
The Ashbringer—the supreme artifact in the hearts of all paladins. Back then, the three founders of the original Crusade who had not yet fallen—Mograine, Isillien, and Abbendis—had collectively decided to use a crystal of pure shadow, based on the principle that "Light cannot exist without Dark," to forge it into a blade of pure light.
Mograine had once wielded it, cutting through the undead armies as if they were nothing. Wherever he went, the Holy Light set the fields ablaze, leaving only piles of ash.
After his death, countless people sought the weapon's whereabouts. It was no longer just a weapon; it was a spiritual totem for the Alliance and the entire world in the fight against the Scourge.
Wayne picked up Arator's glasses and handed them to Shadowbreak. "Do you dare to come with me and take a look? You'll know once you see it!"
Under these circumstances, let alone Shadowbreak, everyone present wanted to find out the truth. Even Arator, while grateful to Wayne, secretly wished the glasses were still on his own head...
They all knew that if what Wayne said today was true, it would be an earth-shattering sensation. But if it was a lie, then this boast was so massive that no one would be able to save him...