The players, having understood the introduction, returned to their games and began checking their personal accounts. However, with their current points, creating any MOD was out of the question.
On the leaderboards for each game, the top three rankings had already been established.
Li Li: "Whoa! Uncle, you're number one in Street Fighter! You've reached over rank 1,000 in the ladder. Impressive!"
Chen chuckled. "But it's a bit frustrating. This player named 'Eita' has beaten me three times in a row... he seems even more skilled than that 'Daigo' from the recordings."
Sandar: "What? Marlin is rank one in Skyrim?!"
Marlin: "Ahem... cough, cough..."
Andromath: "What's this? From the Great Warlock's tone, it sounds like he finds this unreasonable."
Sandar: "Not surprised... fine, just you wait and see."
Though the two continued to mock each other, their shared experience against Onyxia had fostered a secret, mutual respect.
Dughan: "Rank two in Monster Hunter! I'm only a tiny bit behind Miller!"
Rainier: "Yeah, my boss kill count is much lower than his. I need to push harder to see if I can overtake him."
Amy: "Miller is amazing; he's rank one in Heroes of Might and Magic as well."
Arator: "How am I not on a single leaderboard?"
Shadowbreaker: "You've only been here a few days. Although this Duke also feels a bit disgruntled, those at the top only got there because they arrived earlier than us."
McBride: "Indeed, Grand Marshal. It seems we need to call more people to play, accumulate those Achievement Points, and bring the units of the Horde and the Scourge into this game as soon as possible."
Dughan: "Exactly! But don't forget the demons of the Burning Legion! After that, we can add Murlocs, Ogres, and Goblins."
Wayne thought to himself, You just want to play Warcraft, don't you?
Tess: "Boss, how are you even rank one in the fruit-slicing game? And rank two is that simple-minded Ogre..."
Raymond: "Move aside, move aside! This spot is open. Watch me, the master's personal disciple, take rank two and show off my prowess!"
As he spoke, a notification appeared on the customer interface: [Guest at Lobby V16 has ordered a bottle of Cola.]
Raymond: "Got it! Right away!"
The arrival of the Leaderboards and MOD Workshop was like pouring oil on a fire, making the already intense gaming passion unstoppable. Players who used to stand up, stretch, and grab a coffee in the lounge area, or stop to savor expensive delicacies at mealtimes, changed instantly.
Eat? "I'm not hungry, wait a bit!"
Bathroom? "It's fine, I'll hold it. I'm not moving until the point of critical explosion."
What if they really couldn't hold it anymore?
Rogues stood up and used "Sprint," Mages "Blink" towards the restroom, and Warriors wished they had a target dummy to "Charge." As for the only three Hunters in the building, the other players unanimously demanded they keep their "Aspect of the Pack" aura active at all times to boost everyone's movement speed.
By nightfall, those who were too sleepy to continue either splashed cold water on their faces in the restroom or bought double espressos to stay awake. Wayne looked at the scene in the net cafe and felt a phantom pain in his own liver... but once the three free days ended, whether it was from food and drink or overnight session fees, gold coins began flooding into his safe like a river.
Stormwind Keep, The Gardens
"Uncle Magni, I apologize for inviting you to speak privately in this manner."
Anduin addressed the Dwarf King. Although their conversation was private, several Human Royal Guards and Ironforge Guards stood at a distance to ensure security.
Anduin spoke with a look of sadness and confusion. "I had to confirm with you whether you feel the same way I do."
"I feel the same as you. Your father... His Majesty Varian, the High King of the Alliance, has become... strange."
Hearing this, Anduin lowered his head further.
Magni continued, "I thought everything would change once your father returned. But... I don't know what happened during his disappearance. I know these royal secrets are meant to stay buried, perhaps never to be known by the outside world, but my current disappointment is even greater than when Bolvar was Regent."
"It may take some time for him to recover, but I don't know if the Dark Iron Dwarves will give us that time. Stormwind needs allies, and Ironforge needs them too."
Anduin looked up. "Uncle Magni, please believe me, I will always stand with you."
Magni patted Anduin's shoulder. "I know! And I believe you will one day become an excellent king!"
Anduin: "But I don't know what to do now. Father won't even listen to Uncle Bolvar. He seems..."
As a prince and a young son who had lost his mother early, he was more mature than his peers, but he found the next words hard to say. Rumors about an inappropriate relationship between the King and Katrana Prestor were rampant. Even with official denials, the gossip spread—some claimed to have seen Varian resting his head on Katrana's lap. Many sycophants were already scrambling to flatter her, preparing for the possibility of her becoming Queen.
In a time of peace, such a monarch might still oversee a prosperous era, but Azeroth was in a state of endless war—a struggle that might not end in a single lifetime.
"If Stormwind feels too suffocating, I can speak with Varian and take you to Dun Morogh for a while. What do you think?" Magni suggested. "You've been there many times, but a change of environment can bring new insights. High Tinker Mekkatorque would certainly welcome you and show you the Gnomes' latest eccentric inventions."
Anduin offered a polite smile. Being the responsible boy he was, he knew he shouldn't leave so soon after his father's return. However, the mention of "new inventions" sparked an idea in his mind.
"Uncle Magni, how many more days will you stay in Stormwind?"
"Just as Stormwind cannot be without a King, Ironforge cannot lose me for long."
That morning, two Royal Guards arrived at the entrance of the net cafe.
Stepping inside, they found Raymond, who had worked the night shift, dozing off at the counter. One guard was about to shout to wake him when the other covered his mouth and gestured for him to look inside the room.
The guard's eyes widened in shock. Duke Shadowbreaker and Grand Marshal McBride were sitting there eating burgers.
The guard felt fortunate he hadn't made a scene. He respectfully shook Raymond awake. "Excuse me... who is in charge here?"
Raymond opened his eyes. He was about to say he was, as Wayne had told him to handle small matters at the door, but seeing the Royal Guards, he didn't dare boast. He stood up. "How can I help you?"
The guard, speaking out of habit, said, "We have an order personally stamped by the Regent... no, no, the High Duke, to be delivered to the owner here."
The guard produced a parchment scroll. From the exquisite wax seal to the quality of the parchment, it was dozens of times superior to the fake one carried by those three impostors during the Cassus incident. This was undeniably the real deal.
Raymond rushed up to the fourth floor and called Wayne down. Seeing the owner was a young man in pajamas with a tuft of messy hair, the guards found it hard to believe this was the famous Baron Wayne, who had led a small team to repel a Black Dragon. However, the sight of the high-ranking officials in the back greeting Wayne politely was proof enough.
The guard handed the order to Wayne and asked him to unseal it on the spot.
Wayne opened the scroll and scanned it. His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, and finally to anger. The order was simple:
"Starting tomorrow, the 'Wayne Net Cafe' is ordered to cease all operations until further notice."
This was a blatant case of government interference in the market!
"WTF!"