No matter how unwilling he was, Wayne had no choice.
This order came from the High Duke, the former Regent, and the Supreme Commander of the Alliance's First Legion—Bolvar Fordragon. In the Stormwind Kingdom, his word was effectively law.
The news immediately sparked heated discussions among the players, with everyone speculating why Bolvar would force the net cafe to close for a day. Wayne was equally baffled; there were no surprise fire inspections or food safety spot checks in this world. He checked with other shops in Goldshire, but none had received similar instructions.
As a member of the high nobility, Shadowbreaker had a pretty accurate guess. He suspected an "important figure" was coming to visit, and the closure was likely due to high-level security protocols requiring the area to be cleared.
Wayne remained skeptical. No matter how important the figure was, could they be more important than a Duke like Shadowbreaker?
The Duke laughed, mockingly remarking that while the status of a Duke was indeed high, it was often just a noble title without real power. His job was merely to vote in the House of Nobles according to the King's wishes. Since King Varian's return, the power of the House of Nobles had been significantly weakened, and military matters were no longer decided by their votes.
This decline was partly due to the presence of many "useless bags of grain" like Duke Lescovar, but it was also inseparable from the manipulations of Lady Katrana Prestor. Only those like Bolvar, the former Highlord Mograine, or Baron Tyrosus of the Argent Dawn—who held both actual power and noble titles—were the true top-tier figures.
Wayne asked, "What if I don't accept this order... what happens?"
Shadowbreaker paused. "I don't know... if it were just Bolvar personally, even as a Duke and Commander of the First Legion, he wouldn't have the legal authority to command you now that he's no longer Regent. However," he pointed to the seal on the order, "this was issued by the Stormwind Defense Force. Given the current state of war, they have the authority to demand compliance from anyone within their jurisdiction. Openly defying it could be labeled as disobeying military orders or disturbing public peace at best—or treason at worst."
What a load of crap, Wayne thought.
He sat back in his seat, watching the final episodes of the "Pope's Assassins" arc of Saint Seiya while pondering how to handle tomorrow. He didn't care much about the financial loss of one day; the Kingdom had already granted him the surrounding lands as his private domain, so a little "bloodletting" was reasonable.
His real concern was Katrana—Onyxia, whom he had defeated and humiliated. Since he hadn't taken her life (solely because Varian was still under her influence and the Bronze Dragons would interfere with the timeline), he knew the little dragon wouldn't stop until her head was on a pike. For now, all Wayne could do was wait. The plan with Mathias Shaw was already set, and the key to ending everything was Marshal Windsor.
However, Blackrock Mountain wasn't Goldshire. To get from there to Stormwind, one had to cross the dangerous Burning Steppes, break through a canyon occupied by Blackrock Orcs, head south into the Redridge Mountains, and reach Lakeshire. That journey alone would take nearly a month.
Furthermore, while the major timeline nodes remained unchanged, Wayne's "intrusion" as a transmigrator had fundamentally altered the process. Onyxia attacking the cafe in her dragon form and summoning Nefarian were events that never happened in the original lore.
Wayne's worry deepened as he realized that some "important figure" was coming to the net cafe. He was increasingly convinced this was Katrana's doing.
On the screen, Aiolia, the Leo Gold Saint who had been brainwashed by the evil Pope, arrived at the residence of Seiya and the other Bronze Saints. Following the Pope's orders, he intended to eliminate these "rebels" who dared oppose the authority of the Sanctuary.
With Seiya's current strength, he was no match for Aiolia. His "Pegasus Meteor Fist" looked like slow motion to the Gold Saint, failing to land even a single hit. Even when the Sagittarius Gold Cloth suddenly appeared to protect Seiya, and Shun and Hyoga arrived as backup, they were all knocked down by a single blow from Aiolia due to the massive gap in power.
In the end, it was the appearance of Saori Kido—who always seemed to be in danger yet never died—whose Athena Cosmo moved Aiolia, causing him to doubt the Pope's orders and depart, thus resolving the crisis.
Watching this, Wayne suddenly had an epiphany. He realized he had to "use magic to defeat magic."
The rest of the day passed without incident. Knowing the cafe would close at midnight, most players left after dark. Only a few hardcore addicts stayed until the final minute, leaving the cafe unusually quiet.
Early the next morning, Old Chen and Li Li (who had decided to honor Wayne's "five-year pact"), along with Raymond and Tess, began moving tables and chairs into the woods outside the cafe. These had been borrowed from nearby shops and inns.
It was now early November, the weather was turning cold, and insects were long gone. The trees charred by Onyxia's "Deep Breath" had become ash fertilizer, nourishing the newly planted fruit trees.
Wayne set up a sign at the entrance of the net cafe that read:
"Net Cafe Closed Today. No Guests Accepted.""Orchard Open Today. Experiences Welcome."
Shadowbreaker, Amy, and the others had received Wayne's notification yesterday and appeared at the woods promptly at 8:00 AM. About sixty to seventy meters from the net cafe, everyone grabbed a wooden chair, took a bite of a "fresh apple" bought from the neighbor Clara, put on their VR headsets brought from the cafe, and started another day of gaming.
After sitting indoors for so long, having an "outdoor fight" in the woods provided a unique kind of fun.
When the Royal Guards arrived to enforce the closure, Raymond met them with a smile. "Officer, that over there is the orchard. Our boss is holding an Autumn Apple Tasting event today."
"Didn't you receive the order to cease operations yesterday?!" the guard barked.
Raymond replied, "We did, loud and clear. The net cafe has stopped operations. See? Aside from staff, not a single guest has been let inside the building."
The guard looked at the groups of high-ranking officials sitting in the woods wearing strange silver visors and began to clear the area.
Raymond asked, "Officer, what are you doing?"
"This area is being cleared for security!"
Raymond gave a cheeky smile. "The Baron is currently speaking with the Duke and the Grand Marshal over there. Are you sure you want to disturb them?"