Since it was an online game, even when players slept, their fleets could continue to sail. Although they could order sailors to dock in ports to avoid ambushes, doing so meant they would have no economic income during that period. For both sides, who were racing against the clock, this was unacceptable.
Therefore, once the overnight session began, both sides divided their labor into three groups. One-third would log off for deep sleep; another third would remain online, keeping a close eye on the various sea regions; and the final third would doze off while wearing their VR glasses, leaving the fleet to NPC crews but remaining ready to wake up and fight if an emergency occurred.
After a set period, the deep sleepers would wake up and go online, the online group would move to the "dozing" shift, and the dozing group would go to deep sleep. This cycle ensured everyone received enough rest.
Alos and McBride both allowed the two temporary commanders, who had been leading for over half a day, to rest first while they personally kept watch. Watching the game reach this level of intensity, many players in the net cafe felt a surge of genuine admiration. This wasn't just playing a game anymore; it was practically a life-and-death struggle.
Regardless of the side, the commanders told their subordinates during mobilization that such a state was normal in any real war. No matter how realistic the visuals and experiences were now, they were currently facing warships, cannon fire, and soldiers that couldn't truly harm them.
In real combat, many people would be under such high nervous tension—facing enemy ships that could appear from the thick fog or rain at any moment, or shells flying from unknown angles—that they wouldn't be able to sleep even if they were told to.
Although Wayne admired these soldiers, he couldn't pull an all-nighter. He kept the recording mode on and went up to his bedroom on the fourth floor for a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, after several hours of flying, half a day of riding, and dodging many terrifying plague-infected creatures along the way, the group of five—including Shadowbreaker and Chen—finally arrived at their first destination: a tomb near the southwest of the Eastern Plaguelands.
Wayne had been very clear before they left. Inside a grave in that cemetery lay a very important hammer; it was the first item they needed to obtain.
Shadowbreaker couldn't bring himself to do it. He was a high-ranking Duke who believed in the Holy Light; grave robbing was something he was utterly unwilling to do. Chen was also hesitant. In Pandaren culture, death is a significant matter, and disturbing a grave is considered a major sign of disrespect and bad luck.
Li Li, however, didn't care at all. She shouldered a prepared shovel and went right up, repeatedly telling Chen that this was for "saving the world" as Wayne had said, and that they weren't acting as common grave robbers.
Arator and Amy were also afraid to do such a thing, but curiosity drove them to follow her. When they saw the name on the tombstone, they cried out in surprise.
"Kalandra Fordring erected this... The Tomb of Tirion Fordring?!"
This shout immediately drew Shadowbreaker, who had been standing far back in protest. He looked at the words on the tombstone, trembling with excitement and grief.
"How is this possible?! Tirion... he's dead?! How can this be?!"
Shadowbreaker stared at the inscription, his lips quivering as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, yet he couldn't utter a single word. What was even more surprising was that the grave showed signs of having been dug up and refilled recently.
Li Li asked, "Should we... dig and see? We're already here. Once we dig, we'll know the truth, right?"
Chen looked at his niece and finally understood why the martial arts masters on the Wandering Isle had nicknamed her "Wild Dog."
Although Shadowbreaker felt it was disrespectful, he couldn't accept the reality that his mentor and friend had passed away so obscurely, nor that the grave had been tampered with. Thus, he silently supported Li Li's actions.
One shovel, two shovels, three shovels...
They dug a massive hole, but there was nothing. No body, no person—living or dead. They were here to find a hammer, but they didn't see so much as a pebble.
Just as the five were feeling bewildered, a cold "Heh heh" laugh rang out from behind them.
As the saying goes, it's not ghosts that scare people, but people that scare people. Li Li, who had been digging happily a moment ago, was so frightened she dropped her shovel. Hearing a cold laugh in a cemetery while in the middle of digging up a grave would make anyone's skin crawl.
The five looked toward the source of the sound and saw twenty dwarves! Seeing the shovels in their hands, the group realized these were the actual grave robbers. The other tilted tombstones and messy graves were likely their "handiwork."
The lead dwarf, named Mikutio, pointed at them and shouted, "Leave your valuables if you want to keep your lives. Otherwise, both your gold and your lives stay here."
Shadowbreaker was already burning with anger and grief. He was looking for a place to vent his frustration. Seeing this gang of thugs appear, he drew his great hammer and charged. Without waiting for his teammates to catch up, he engaged all twenty dwarves with the momentum of a thousand-man army.
In an instant, Shadowbreaker unleashed his full arsenal—Judgement, Repentance, Consecration, Seals, and Hammer of Justice. He executed the Paladin combat combos with fluid precision. With Chen and the others joining in, the dwarves soon paid for their crimes with their lives.
The five entered an abandoned shack where the dwarves had been hiding and were shocked to find a hammer inside.
It was a wooden toy hammer. In terms of weight and size, it was only suitable for a seven or eight-year-old child. But the appearance of this hammer was incredibly familiar to Shadowbreaker. It was a replica of the warhammer Tirion Fordring once used!
He examined it closely and found a small line of text: "Taelan's Hammer." He immediately realized this was a toy Tirion had given to his son, Taelan Fordring.
However, as one mystery was solved, more questions flooded their minds.
Chen asked, "How did Miller know this hammer was buried in this grave?"
Li Li added, "Of the three things Miller wanted us to travel thousands of miles for, one is actually a toy hammer?"
Amy looked at everyone. "Can this toy hammer really save the world?"
"Maybe there's some kind of energy hidden inside it?" Arator suggested, looking at Amy.
Amy shook her head. "I don't sense anything unusual in it, but I believe Miller must have a reason for doing this."
Shadowbreaker asked, "He told you this was about saving the world?"
"Yes," the four replied. "What did he tell you?"
"He told me that by getting these three items, he could forge weapons like Dawnbreaker in reality."
Upon hearing this, Arator and Li Li said in unison, "Huh?! You actually believed that?!"
Chen said, "We're already here; we have to believe it. Some things can be joked about, but others can't. You all know what kind of person Miller is after everything we've been through. Too many incredible things happen around him, so asking us to find a toy hammer isn't that hard to understand."
With that, he told Shadowbreaker to keep the hammer safe. The five decided to spend the night in the abandoned shack. Although it was a derelict cemetery in the Eastern Plaguelands—a land crawling with undead and ferocious beasts—this place felt like the most secure spot they could find.