Hammond Clay knew the net cafe owner was never an easy person to deal with. His previous encounters with Wayne had always ended unpleasantly, but he hadn't expected such a blatant act of defiance against a direct order.
Wayne continued his explanation, reciting the legal clauses Marlin and Arator had coached him to memorize word for word:
"The Kingdom's military may not trespass upon a noble's private fief without conclusive evidence."
Hammond Clay pointed to the massive crowd gathered around them. "The whole world knows. You call that no evidence?"
"A crowd is evidence?" Wayne countered. "How about I give each of them a gold coin right now to testify that you are trying to break into my home by force? How would that look?"
Hammond Clay swallowed hard, suppressing his mounting rage. "We received confirmed intelligence that Tirion Fordring is inside this building!"
"Fine," Wayne said calmly. "Think it through. You can come in and search. You've been inside before—you know there's a terrace above and tunnels below. After all, I'm the man who fought a black dragon here; naturally, I dug a few tunnels just in case."
"But," Wayne's voice dropped, "if you find no one and mess up my establishment, according to the law, not only will you be responsible for all damages, but I will go to the House of Nobles and sue you for trespassing on noble territory."
"As for witnesses... there are sixty or seventy people inside, and even more out here."
Hammond Clay knew the equipment in the net cafe was exorbitantly expensive. The strange devices and VR glasses weren't things he could afford to replace if his subordinates broke them during a fruitless search. "You are determined to stand against me today, aren't you?!"
"Listen," Wayne said, "I know going back empty-handed makes it hard for you to report to your superiors. Let's make things easier for everyone."
Wayne pulled a letter from his pocket. "Here is a letter. Please deliver it to Duke Bolvar. I've already explained today's situation on your behalf—that it wasn't that you failed to execute the order, but that I prevented you from searching. Regarding Tirion Fordring's whereabouts, I've provided clear clues in the letter. Let Duke Bolvar make the final judgment. I will find Tirion and send him to Stormwind myself."
"By the way," Wayne added with a smirk, "this is a letter from a Baron to a Duke. If it gets lost or the wax seal is broken along the way, that's quite a serious offense too."
Hammond Clay gritted his teeth and swallowed his pride. He took one last look at the Silver Hand banner fluttering on the flagpole before taking the letter and ordering his men to withdraw.
The onlookers were surprised, but the news that "Tirion Fordring has left the net cafe" began to spread. Gradually, the disappointed crowds dispersed, and the number of people surrounding the building dwindled.
The net cafe had weathered a major storm. Meanwhile, Fordring wasn't idling; he was discussing plans to rebuild the Order with Shadowbreaker. They talked about which veterans were still around and which groups could be invited to join.
Fortunately, messengers from the Argent Dawn, sent by Lord Maxwell Tyrosus, arrived at the cafe and met with them privately. The members who had become independent after the Order's dissolution were more than willing to rejoin under Tirion Fordring's leadership.
Tirion was pleased, but he wasn't in a hurry to finalize anything. In his mind, this was not enough. The new Order would not only fight the Scourge in the Plaguelands but would eventually march north to Northrend to eliminate the Scourge threat from Azeroth forever.
That afternoon, at Stormwind Keep, Bolvar Fordragon—who was assisting Prince Anduin in governing—received Wayne's letter. He had long been curious about this net cafe owner whom he had narrowly missed meeting. He hadn't expected Hammond Clay to return in such a state with a letter in hand.
He wanted to see what this young man, who supposedly "treated life like a game," had written to persuade him. Hammond Clay watched Bolvar's expression, which grew increasingly grave as he read.
If Bolvar had felt a slight sense of anticipation at first, by the time he reached the end, his face was set in a stern, serious mask. He had to admit he had severely underestimated this young man. He didn't reveal the contents to his subordinate, instead telling him to wait, as this matter required consultation with the King and the Prince before a decision could be made.
Back at the cafe, Wayne was busy using his earnings to add more equipment. The total number of gaming stations had reached 54, successfully completing "Quest 7."
[Quest 7: Investigate 50 sets of equipment]
[Reward: Unlock subsequent versions of existing films and television]
With this, all remaining Harry Potter films up to The Deathly Hallows and all remaining episodes of Saint Seiya up to the Elysium arc were unlocked simultaneously. Members who had finished the previous installments could now watch the new content to see the conclusion of both stories.
This new content provided a much-needed break from the "blue screen" dominance of Uncharted Waters 4 that had taken over the cafe. Many players logged out of the game to watch the plotlines they had been anticipating for so long.
Chen, a lover of combat, was a die-hard fan of Saint Seiya. The "Sanctuary: Twelve Temples" arc was widely considered the most celebrated part of the long-running animation. The twelve Gold Saints made their full debut, each with their own unique stance, background, personality, and techniques. Any one of them was a terrifying existence compared to anything the "Bronze Five" had faced before.
Li Li, munching on popcorn while watching with Chen, asked curiously, "Uncle, if we forged a set of gold armor like that, would we be that strong too?"
Chen imagined his stout Pandaren frame squeezed into a set of Gold Cloth—a clumsy image devoid of any majesty. He immediately dismissed the idea. "I don't know about being strong, but it would be great for weight loss... a set like that must weigh at least a hundred pounds. You'd be exhausted just running a short distance."
On the other side, Marlin and Amy began watching the third Harry Potter film: The Prisoner of Azkaban. In this installment, the wizard prison "Azkaban" was introduced. Located in the waters of the North Sea, it was guarded by Dementors—soul-sucking demons that fed on positive human emotions.
A prisoner named "Black" had escaped from Azkaban, and rumors suggested he was heading to Hogwarts to kill Harry Potter. Through a series of twists, Harry and his friends eventually discovered that Black was actually Sirius—Harry's godfather.
He was actually hunting Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, who was revealed to be a man named Peter Pettigrew. Peter was the one who had betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, leading to their deaths, before hiding in Ron's home disguised as a rat.
This series had always been a favorite among women and teenagers in the cafe. Watching Amy become so absorbed, Tess, Anita, and Corrine joined in as well. Compared to the repetitive cycle of battles in Saint Seiya, the Harry Potter plot was more multi-dimensional and rich, with a shorter runtime. Eventually, more and more customers were drawn in to watch.
Wayne asked Tess to sit in his private booth. The young girl was surprised; her boss seemed different today. Wayne told her gently, "It's fine. I'm just giving you a quiet environment to enjoy the movie."
In the film, the trio arrived at the Shrieking Shack, where they encountered Black and Professor Lupin. Just as the truth came to light, night fell, and the full moon rose. The moonlight hit Lupin's eyes, and his pupils were instantly consumed by darkness.
At that moment, the Wayne within the movie world stood beside Tess, watching with her as Lupin's body began to undergo a grotesque and eerie transformation.