As the party ended, the crowds slowly dispersed. They were generally split into two camps: one group was reminiscing about the performances, the scenery, and the food, while the other was repeatedly humming the songs now etched into their minds.
From "Hey you!" to imitating the lyrics of "I was made for loving you baby" with uncertain accents. In short, the vast majority of attendees hailed this concert as the most spectacular performance they had ever seen.
The outer circle had cleared out, but the business in the inner circle was far from over. Although they were in a game and their physical bodies remained reclined in their chairs without feeling physical exhaustion, the mental fatigue from a night of excitement or singing was unavoidable. To use an imperfect analogy, it was like dreaming vividly and intensely all night—even if the dreams were thrilling, you would wake up feeling drained.
Furthermore, after a night of high energy, removing the glasses and returning to reality to relax the brain immediately triggered a sense of hunger. Before long, the dining tables in the net cafe's lobby were filled with people ordering food—steamed buns, stinky tofu, ramen, pizza, and burgers were served one after another.
People didn't stop talking while they ate, discussing everything they had witnessed in the game. Besides the music, some debated which NPC had the best personality, while others rated the tastiest foods. After tonight, even the players who previously had no interest in Stardew Valley understood one thing: at Wayne's net cafe, there are no bad games, only games you haven't figured out how to play yet.
Once they had eaten their fill, many returned to the game, picking up hoes and axes to continue developing their own farms.
Meanwhile, Wayne and Chen were in the basement with the five members of the Tauren band. The new guitarist, Sig Nicious, had been introduced by Silas Darkmoon. Originally, this Blood Elf from Silvermoon City had left his home to find like-minded partners who loved music, much like Thunder-Skin and the others. He eventually encountered the Darkmoon Faire and joined them as a resident guitarist to liven up the atmosphere.
Having grown up in a noble family and received a formal musical education, Sig played with an air of elegance. This created a stark contrast with the "resurrected" Undead Bergrist, whose style exuded darkness—a juxtaposition of heaven and hell. This contrast made the coordination between the two skilled guitarists feel more multi-dimensional.
The other new member, the lead singer and veteran Blademaster Samuro, needs little introduction. His voice and roars perfectly matched the band's style. The heavy metal track Wayne had renamed "Power of the Rock" was originally titled "Power of the Horde"—and who could be more suitable for that song than Samuro?
When Wayne and Chen went downstairs, the five members were discussing the band's future. Sig Nicious suggested taking advantage of tonight's success to tour with the Darkmoon Faire before performing in the major cities of the Alliance and the Horde. If the Alliance cities proved inconvenient, they could start with the Horde. This suggestion won immediate approval.
However, Samuro stated that he would have to leave for a short time before returning. He told Chen that although he was retired and no longer a mercenary employed by the Horde, he had written to Saurfang to report his trip to Goldshire after receiving Chen's letter forwarded by Thunder-Skin.
He soon received a reply. To his surprise, while the letter was written by Saurfang, it relayed the response of Warchief Thrall. Thrall stated that since the Darkmoon Faire had granted Samuro membership, his visit to Goldshire would not affect the relationship between the Horde and the Alliance. However, Thrall had one matter he wanted Samuro to convey to Chen.
Following the words passed by the female Troll, Hasana, on December 15th, Rexxar and Eitrigg would be waiting for Chen and Tirion Fordring at the ruins of Moonbrook.
Wayne and Chen felt their hearts skip a beat. When Wayne had spoken to Hasana, he only intended to put the word out so the Horde would know Chen had joined his net cafe. He didn't mean to provoke anyone; he wanted to use Chen's close and respectful relationship with the Horde to pave the way for the net cafe's future expansion into Horde territory.
Of course, if that message eventually reached Rexxar's ears and brought the legendary Horde hero to find Chen, that would be even better. But neither of them expected the matter to reach Thrall himself, let alone have him specifically name-drop Fordring as well.
Chen pulled Wayne aside and whispered his thoughts. He had no problem meeting Rexxar; seeing an old friend was always a joyful occasion, regardless of the circumstances. However, he felt the chosen representatives for this meeting were mismatched in status, suggesting there might be a "catch."
While the four individuals were friends with one another, Chen did not officially belong to either the Alliance or the Horde, whereas Rexxar was a true "Hero of the Horde." Fordring, though still technically a member of the Alliance, held no official title.
The Order of the Silver Hand had officially disbanded as an independent organization from the Church of the Holy Light. Although people like Shadowbreaker still identified with it, it was currently little more than a civilian group. Furthermore, Fordring's plan to rebuild the Order had not yet officially begun. Despite being a legendary figure, he was currently just a very famous civilian in the Alliance.
Eitrigg, however, was different. He was the Warchief's personal advisor, involved in planning major military and political affairs—a high-ranking official of the Horde.
The question then arose: would this meeting involve only these four? Or would the Horde deploy a small escort? Perhaps even the Kor'kron Guard, who answered directly to the Warchief?
Facing this mountain of questions, Wayne hadn't expected the fat panda to have such a meticulous side. He asked Samuro if Thrall had said anything else, but the old Blademaster, while respecting Wayne's talent, did not trust his stance as a member of the Alliance.
In the end, Chen had to step in. He knew that traditional Orcs valued "Honor" above all else; to lose honor was a fate more shameful than death. Thus, Chen staked his own honor—earned by helping Thrall and Rexxar defend Orgrimmar—to guarantee that Wayne was an absolutely trustworthy human.
Only then did Samuro produce the letter and hand it to Chen and Wayne. In addition to the details Samuro had already shared, the letter specifically mentioned the net cafe.
Thrall hoped Samuro could carefully observe whether the net cafe was, as rumors suggested, an academy for training officers and elite assassins. Samuro couldn't understand how his Warchief had come up with that idea; from his perspective, the net cafe was just a place for planting vegetables and singing songs.