Once the familiar heavy metal chords rang out, Wayne was absolutely certain that these three were the Elite Tauren Chieftain band he knew.
Although the explosive music initially startled everyone in the basement, it didn't take long for even an "old-school" monk like Chen and a Horde-hating Duke like Shadowbreaker to be infected by the energetic rhythm. Following Wayne and the band members, they learned to flash the rock 'n' roll hand sign—thumb, index, and pinky extended—and waved along to the beat.
Despite their mysterious origins, everyone was now convinced that these three were legitimate musicians.
As for the people upstairs who faintly heard the commotion below, Pirelli, under Wayne's direction, simply told them that the basement was undergoing renovations. When asked why the hammer swings followed a 2/4 or 3/4 beat, Pirelli claimed it was an enchanted renovation—complete with magical toilets that automatically flushed and cleaned.
The people upstairs were easy to fool, but the band had a problem: they lacked a lead singer. Consequently, they only had music and rhythm. Wayne remembered clearly that this song had lyrics; the band was incomplete.
He began to guide Chen. "Among your friends, is there anyone who especially loves to sing?"
Chen, who was currently wiggling his stout rear to the rhythm, hadn't expected such a sudden question. "Why are you asking that?"
Wayne explained the concept of a band, making him understand that music without vocals lacked its ultimate soul.
Chen thought through everyone he knew, even considering Thrall and Jaina. But either their voices sounded like metal spoons scraping against an iron pot, or he had simply never heard them sing.
Seeing that Chen was drawing a blank, Wayne offered a hint. "Look, this music is so passionate; what it needs is a rugged voice. Do you have any comrades who like to let out a wild roar before charging into a fight?"
Chen thought again, and his eyes lit up. "Yes!"
Wayne thought he had it. "Quick, say the name!"
Chen: "Rexxar!"
Wayne: "Huh?"
Chen: "Every time he starts a fight, he yells, 'Mangy CURR!'"
Wayne: "..."
"Anyone else?"
Chen scratched his head and then his rear. After a long while, he said, "High Lord Saurfang counts. He likes to shout, 'For the Horde!'"
Wayne: "..."
Wayne thought to himself, If that guy came to Goldshire to sing, the Alliance would send Bolvar with an entire legion to surround my net cafe...
Seeing that Chen was a lost cause, he turned to Li Li and asked her the same question.
Li Li reminded Chen, "Uncle, didn't you say you had an Orc friend? Every time he fights, he roars while hacking people down. One shout for one cut, two shouts for four cuts. The louder he yells, the more ferociously he strikes. He can even spin his blade like a whirlwind, hitting dozens of people at once."
"You said he carries a war banner on his back. Over time, his reputation grew so fearsome that in Durotar, people would flee the moment they heard his name. It reached the point where this old Orc couldn't find any work and had to retire..."
Listening to Li Li, Chen realized, Right, how could I forget him? But he was curious how his niece remembered the details so clearly.
Li Li replied, "Uncle, how could I forget something as exciting as hacking people?"
Watching the dialogue between the uncle and niece, Wayne thought, It's a good thing this old Orc didn't transmigrate into a triad movie, otherwise there'd be no room for the likes of Chan Ho-nam.
Chen turned to Wayne. "There is indeed such a person. I remember him sitting by the campfire at night, enjoying the ale I gave him while singing the war songs of his clan. Though I couldn't understand the lyrics and the melody was strange, he looked very soulful. Even Rexxar said he sang well."
Wayne immediately pushed the agenda and asked for the Orc's name. Chen blurted out, "Swordmaster Samuro!"
Wayne: "Then hurry up and write him a letter!"
Chen blinked in surprise. "But he's an Orc... a mercenary of the Horde..."
Wayne pointed at the trio who had just finished their set. "Aren't these three from the Horde too? And they're in the net cafe right now."
Chen explained, "That's different. These guys are..." He mimed playing a guitar.
"But that guy is..." He mimed a throat-slit.
"A Swordmaster who kills without blinking. Hacking people is like dicing tofu to him. Not just me, even the former man-eating Darkspear Trolls couldn't stand his bloodlust sometimes..."
Wayne pointed at the band again. "Look at these three—do any of them look like normal people? Don't worry. This Swordmaster will surely put down his weapon and cleanse his heart under the baptism of music."
"And besides, no matter how scary he is, can he be scarier than a dragon? If he doesn't behave, I'll deal with him!"
Being told this stirred Chen's martial spirit. He was actually quite curious to see if Samuro's swordsmanship had improved. He scratched his rear and said hesitantly, "But he's Horde, and I haven't joined the Horde. I can't send a magical letter to him from here."
For the third time, Wayne pointed at the band. "Write it, sign your name, and include a mark that will prove to the old Swordmaster it's from you. Let these three send it to him."
Chen clapped his hands. "Brilliant! We have the Horde right here! I'll go write it now!"
Soon, a letter personally written by Chen, stamped with his panda paw print, and splashed with a bit of his secret high-proof grain liquor, was handed to Thunder-Skins.
When Chief Thunder-Skins heard that this Pandaren was introducing a powerful lead singer, he grinned from ear to ear. He had Bergrist, who looked most like a human, put on a disguise and secretly drop the letter addressed to "Samuro" into the magical mailbox at the net cafe's entrance.
The lead singer issue was settled for now, but a new trouble arose: how to house these three Horde members.
Fortunately, when they first appeared, everyone in the net cafe had been wearing their glasses, immersed in games. Aside from the few Wayne had summoned, no one noticed them. Although they held no hostility toward the Alliance and only cared about their music, their races could not be hidden.
Currently, even someone like Shadowbreaker, who knew they were just a band, still held prejudices due to past history. Those who didn't know them would be even worse. If a small group of Horde members were openly spotted in Goldshire outside Stormwind, it would cause at minimum a riot, and at most, an armed arrest by the guards.
After all, Tirion Fordring's treason charge had only just been pardoned after all these years. In the eyes of most Alliance members, contact with the Horde was tantamount to treasonous collusion. Furthermore, while these three were peace-loving, they were unwilling to leave the Horde. Thunder-Skins, in particular, was still the chieftain of a small clan in Thunder Bluff.
After some negotiation, Wayne had to temporarily settle the trio in an empty room in the basement.
The upside was that the place was spacious and well-soundproofed; it wouldn't interfere with their rehearsals or be discovered by those upstairs. There was even a bathroom in the basement. The downside was the lack of sunlight.
However, for a Troll who preferred the dark and an Undead who feared the sun, this wasn't an issue. Only Thunder-Skins had to overcome it. This setup felt very much like the old-school rock bands that started in underground venues before becoming famous.
Wayne then turned his thoughts toward neutral factions. Was there a place where members of both factions could meet and feel it was reasonable, without any hostility?