Chen wanting to return to Pandaria was inevitable.
However, the appearance of the Bronze Dragon made Wayne realize that his actions had drawn the attention of the Great Dragon Aspects besides the Black Dragonflight. Given the current state of the world, discovering Pandaria too early would only shatter the fragile balance recently re-established between the Alliance and the Horde. If both factions sent massive armies to Pandaria, the only beneficiary would be the Scourge.
But Wayne couldn't think of a way to keep Chen. Even if his net cafe was miraculous, it could only hold someone as homesick as Chen for a few more days. Furthermore, Wayne couldn't just invent a fake location. If Chen decided to sail into the vast ocean based on false coordinates, it could lead to a fatal disaster.
Hasana's recent interference, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Few people, even within the Horde, knew that when Orgrimmar was first built, Chen had joined Rexxar's team to repel the Kul Tiras fleet. The two were brothers-in-arms who had faced death together. They shared two common traits: a love for wandering outside high castle walls and a deep desire to return to their respective homelands—Pandaria and Draenor (now known as Outland).
Though Hasana was reckless, her willingness to defend the Horde's honor even with a blade at her throat proved she was a person of integrity. After she swore on her personal honor to deliver Wayne's "arrogant provocation" to the Warchief, Wayne actually released her.
He watched as Hasana consumed another Savory Deviate Delight to turn into a human and disappeared into the Elwynn woods, leaving behind an embarrassed Purhart. Wayne didn't mind and even treated Purhart to a serving of Nanxiang Soup Dumplings. Purhart had received the answer she came for: even rare races like the Pandaren could gain strength through the net cafe's games much faster than through normal training.
After Purhart and Tess returned to the cafe, Wayne followed through on his promise to Chen. He told Chen that while he knew the approximate location of Pandaria, reaching it was far more difficult than Po's journey over mountains in Kung Fu Panda 3. Even with Chen's immense strength, courage alone was not enough to face the unpredictable weather and the moody seas.
Wayne did the math for Chen: from chartering a ship capable of withstanding any storm to hiring a team of experienced sailors and covering supplies, the journey would cost at least 2,000 gold.
Therefore, he proposed that Chen stay and work at the net cafe, playing games while earning his keep. After five years, Wayne would cover all the expenses for the voyage. By then, everyone's strength would have grown significantly, and they could even travel together.
Chen was tempted but hesitant. No one understood "wandering" better than he did. While his skills ensured he was never hungry or harmed, it was an undeniable fact that he was penniless. Over the past six years, he had traveled across the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, and many small islands, yet found no clue regarding Pandaria. It was discouraging, though Li Li's company had rekindled his hope.
As an elder, he didn't mind living a rough life, but he couldn't bear to let Li Li suffer with him. He had considered settling down; both the Horde and Alliance would have welcomed him. But neither Orgrimmar nor Ironforge ever felt like home.
This net cafe, however, was an exception. Here, he saw Po. In just six or seven hours, he witnessed Po transform from a lazy panda into the "Dragon Warrior" and find the Panda Village with his friends' help. This journey felt like a reflection of his own past and future.
Wayne told him it would take five years to reveal the location, but Chen knew he had already spent six years with nothing to show for it. Rather than spending another five years wandering aimlessly, it made more sense to settle here and prepare meaningfully for the journey ahead. He had seen too many wonders around Wayne to doubt the man's knowledge.
Chen thanked Wayne for the advice and said he needed to consult with Li Li before deciding.
Wayne returned to the cafe and found everyone still heatedly discussing the fighting tournament. He cleared his throat and announced over the game channel: "Alright folks, you've had your fun with solo combat. It's time to experience the thrill of commanding thousands of troops."
"Only three slots available for personal instruction. Those interested, launch Age of Empires II and join the Local Area Network match. First come, first served."
At least three-quarters of the players immediately quit their current games and rushed into Age of Empires II. When Wayne checked the LAN interface, he saw that every military officer in the building had applied. The top three were Verdan, Rainier, and Arator.
Wayne opened a medium-sized random map, and the other three joined the selection screen. Those who didn't make the cut started watching the livestream.
"Pick a country? It has to be the Kingdom of Stormwind!"
"Can you read? There is no Stormwind."
"Franks... Persians... Incas... Teutons... Byzantines... what are these?"
"Do you think 'Franks' has anything to do with that word Wayne always says, 'Fuck'?"
These names, familiar to any Age of Empires player, were like fairy tales to the people of this world. Wayne told the three through the voice channel not to overthink it and just pick whichever looked good for the first practice match.
Wayne didn't play himself but had Tess join the match instead. Although her brother Liam was currently the heir to Gilneas, Wayne knew Liam would soon fall in the coming wars. Tess would eventually take up the heavy responsibility of ruling the kingdom as the sole Greymane heir. Learning military command now, even in a game, was worth the 500 gold her stern father had left.
Arator chose the Teutons, Verdan picked the Britons, Rainier chose the Mongols, and at Wayne's suggestion, Tess chose the Chinese. The match officially began.
Chen and Li Li were also watching. Chen was still trying to figure out how to explain Wayne's five-year proposal to Li Li when the word "Chinese" appeared, pulling his thoughts back to the game.
This wasn't the first time he had seen those characters. Po lived in "Ancient China," Chun-Li was from China, and now this mysterious land appeared again in this game. Chen told himself repeatedly: this is not a coincidence. It absolutely isn't a coincidence.
However, as everyone watched with anticipation, a flood of question marks appeared in the chat channel.
"What's going on?"
"Are my headphones broken? Why is the sound repeating?"
"Why does she say the same word so many times?"
"Is this some kind of special incantation?"
"Incantation my foot! Do you need a spell to chop a tree? She's clearly just holding an axe."
Indeed, what they were hearing was:
"Wood, Wood, Wood, Wood, Woodcutter."