Chen and Taelan were chatting.
Although he had just started playing this game, when it came to food, Chen was confident he was an expert in any field. Fishing was no exception. However, he didn't know where to find a fishing rod in this game.
Taelan told him that in the south of Pelican Town, there was an uncle named Willy who ran a fishing shop. If he was lucky, Willy might even give a new resident an entry-level fishing rod.
As a self-proclaimed fishing master, Chen was initially dismissive of fishing in a game. But Taelan told him that despite having no prior skill in cooking or fishing, his practice on the farm over the last few days had not only made him a novice but increasingly proficient. He added that he had made the omelet earlier himself, and he could now replicate the recipe perfectly in reality using the same ingredients.
At the same time, Wayne was busy blacksmithing on his own farm. He needed to forge higher-tier pickaxes and weapons to prepare for mining in the caverns.
"Boss! Boss! We caught three Horde spies!"
"Huh?" Hearing the shouts, Wayne had to take off his glasses. He looked at Raymond and Pirelli as they ran in to report, feeling an instinctive sense of disbelief.
Between these two—one a Warlock with some combat power but a frequently malfunctioning brain, and the other a shrewd accountant who was a total weakling in a fight—how could they possibly catch three Horde spies? Just how "small" were these spies?
He walked outside the net cafe and was immediately amused by the scene. Tess and Li Li were staring at the two "captives," looking less like they were guarding prisoners and more like they were curiously inspecting exotic specimens.
A Tauren, an Undead, and a Troll. The three were dressed in bizarre clothing; the Undead and Troll sported towering mohawks. To put it kindly, they were "punk"; to be blunt, they looked like "smart-killers" (shamatte). Furthermore, each of them carried several suitcases, looking more like bedraggled refugees moving house than intelligence gatherers.
Wayne looked at Raymond. "You call... these spies?"
Raymond nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes, Teacher! Look at this Undead, he's carrying an axe on his back! It even has a skull carved on it—clearly a weapon for murder and robbery!"
"Oh?" Wayne was skeptical. He walked over to take a closer look, but the Tauren spread his arms to block him, saying in broken Common, "Don't touch my friend!"
Tess immediately shifted into a combat stance, pulling out two iron rods from her waist—gifts forged specifically for her by her old friend Anduin at the blacksmith shop. "Boss, watch out!" she warned.
The three newcomers exchanged glances, their expressions changing drastically. The Tauren couldn't help but ask, "Are you... the boss here?"
However, his grasp of Common was poor—at most, he could manage a few common phrases. No one present could understand what he just said. Given the Tauren's massive frame and deep voice, what was meant as a friendly inquiry sounded like a provocative warning to Raymond and the others.
Li Li was the quickest to react: "I'll go get my uncle!"
A moment later, Chen walked out, stroking his round belly. He was also startled when he saw the Tauren, who stood like a black iron tower. He had just heard Fordring mention that the Horde would be sending people soon—had they really arrived this quickly?
Moreover, since this was the Eastern Kingdoms, "people" larger than himself basically didn't exist. It had been a long time since he had seen a race as burly as the Tauren.
Chen immediately demonstrated his linguistic talent. As a monk who had wandered across most of Azeroth's two continents, he had dealt with almost every race. Over time, from Thalassian to the ancient language of the Tauren, and even the Mok'Nathal dialect he learned from Rexxar, there was almost nothing he couldn't understand.
He stepped forward and used Orcish to ask the trio their purpose. The Tauren said they were looking for the net cafe, and Chen replied that this was the place. To his surprise, the three broke into cheers upon hearing his answer.
The Troll and the Undead even hugged each other. In his excitement, the Troll accidentally tore off a piece of rotting skin from the Undead's back... This caused Tess and Li Li to recoil several steps in fright.
Wayne asked, "What are they shouting?"
Chen scratched his head, looking equally dazed. "They said... they found the right place."
Wayne: "...Are these guys here to play games?"
Chen shook his head and chatted with the Tauren for a few more moments. Then, looking as if he couldn't believe his own ears, he told Wayne, "They... they said... they are here to find Medivh..."
Everyone in unison: "HUH?!"
To be safe, Wayne had Chen and Shadowbreaker help bring the three directly to the basement through the hidden passage outside, telling the others to keep quiet. He then took three pairs of VR glasses from the cafe, went downstairs, and had Chen tell the trio to put them on. He also had Shadowbreaker and the others wear glasses so everyone could enter the game world together.
In the game world, language was translated in real-time, saving them the trouble of translation and making it easier to figure out what these three were actually doing.
The process didn't take long. After the trio settled down from the initial shock and wonder of the game world, the Tauren gave an excited and proud self-introduction that made Wayne realize exactly who they were.
The Tauren said, "I am Chief Thunder-Skins, and these are my two teammates, Bergrist and Mai'Kyl."
A lightbulb practically went off in Wayne's head as he said excitedly, "You guys are... the Tauren Chieftains band?!"
Thunder-Skins was also surprised. He never expected that his band's reputation would have crossed the vast ocean all the way to the outskirts of Stormwind. He had no way of knowing that Wayne had known them since playing Warcraft III in his previous world.
"Quickly, quickly!" Wayne urged, and had everyone take off their glasses.
The three members of the band removed their glasses and began opening their various bags and suitcases, hauling out bundles of equipment. Soon, a drum kit and two guitars were ready. Seeing the giant "ETC" logo on the drum skin, Wayne couldn't help but laugh internally. He didn't say it out loud, though; people in this world wouldn't know what those three letters meant—it was "interesting" and implied automatic deductions...
"Watch out!" Shadowbreaker, who still harbored no goodwill toward the Horde, saw Thunder-Skins pick up two large hammers and immediately shielded Wayne.
Wayne patted him twice. "Man, don't panic. We're about to get hyped!"
"Hyped"? No one except Wayne knew what that meant, but just as he said, the moment Bergrist's skeletal fingers—which looked like they might snap at any moment—plucked the strings, a burning passion surged into everyone's bodies along with the notes.
First came the metal guitar intro, then Mai'Kyl's bass joined in. Then, before the rhythm kicked in, Thunder-Skins roared in a deep voice:
"Storm, earth, and fire, heed my call!"
Immediately after, the two giant hammers in his hands slammed against the drum skins. The thump-thump-thump of the rhythm sounded, instantly giving this heavy metal rock song its complete and soulful form!