Marshal Dughan looked at the records in his hand and the necklace Ethan had handed him. He wasn't quite sure how to respond.
From the report, it was clear that a considerable number of kobolds had been entrenched in the Fargodeep Mine, including a kobold leader who was significantly stronger than the others. Had they really been cleared out in such a short time?
He knew that the kobolds' combat strength was nothing in the face of true powerhouses, but he hadn't expected such a powerful adventurer to accept the task he posted.
"I need to confirm this. I'll give you a response later." Marshal Dughan thought for a moment and decided to temporarily set the matter aside. He would send someone to the Fargodeep Mine himself to confirm the situation. If the report was accurate, he would need to give Ethan a proper reward and recognition. That was the most appropriate way to handle it.
"I'll be staying at the Lion's Pride Inn during this time."
"I'll confirm it quickly."
Putting away Ethan's report and the necklace, Marshal Dughan didn't immediately send someone. It was already dark, and sending people into the forest at night was no different from sending them to their deaths.
After bidding farewell to the sheriff, Ethan, Logan, and the others returned to the Lion's Pride Inn. For the next few days, they didn't wander aimlessly or take on any special tasks. They simply explored Goldshire, trying to understand the function of every building in town.
Overall, although Goldshire was much larger than in the game world, it was still just a town. Besides the Lion's Pride Inn, there was the Mayor's office and the Sheriff's office. Other relatively large buildings included the blacksmith shop and several businesses. The rest were ordinary homes.
The Lion's Pride Inn was also located in the busiest area of the town, surrounded by many businesses.
As the most important transportation hub in Elwynn Forest, Goldshire didn't have many soldiers stationed there, not even a full unit. There were only Marshal Dughan and about a dozen guards maintaining security.
Because of this situation, the dozen or so soldiers could barely cover the entire town and often didn't have the manpower to handle issues outside of Goldshire. However, this time, to confirm the Fargodeep Mine task, Marshal Dughan didn't rely on ordinary people. Instead, he sent two trusted soldiers.
These two soldiers moved quickly. A round trip to confirm the situation took just over half a day. They also checked the area around the mine and confirmed that no kobolds remained inside. They even discovered that the necklace Ethan brought back belonged to the mistress of a nearby farm.
Once he understood the situation, Marshal Dughan personally delivered the reward to Ethan. After settling the payment Ethan was owed, he also expressed his gratitude.
"What are your plans next, I wonder?"
If Ethan planned to continue adventuring nearby, Dughan could introduce him to local contacts depending on whether he went west or east. These contacts could help him and his companions with any issues.
In recent years, the Kingdom of Stormwind seemed prosperous on the surface, but those working in lower positions knew that many regions were facing various problems. Even Elwynn Forest, the heartland of the kingdom, had seen an increase in troublesome incidents in the past two years. Some of Dughan's old friends had often complained about being short-handed.
If he introduced Ethan to them, they would probably be grateful.
"I originally wanted to go to Stormwind City to have a look, but I've changed my mind."
He had initially intended to go to Stormwind City to find some down-on-their-luck mages or see if any druids were around. Now, he felt it would be better to find Varian first.
If he could rescue the King of Stormwind, then he could obtain what he needed through Varian.
Gathering information from the bottom up was far less efficient than starting from the top. He got this idea from Katrana Prestor.
After all, in Azeroth, knowledge was still monopolized by a small group, and most resources were controlled by nobles. The knowledge and resources possessed by a king far exceeded those of ordinary nobles.
Since he had the best option, Ethan naturally wouldn't settle for a worse one.
To find Varian, he needed to go to Kalimdor. That meant he would have to travel to Menethil Harbor and take a ship to Theramore.
This wouldn't be an easy journey, but he could rescue Windsor along the way. The Marshal had long sensed the turbulent undercurrents in Stormwind City and had resolutely gone into hiding.
He should currently be imprisoned in a Dark Iron dwarf prison, but he had realized Stormwind City was unsafe and that staying there might actually preserve his life. So, he was quietly waiting for a better opportunity and was in no rush to escape.
"Perhaps I can rescue this person first?"
If so, he would need to head east, go to Redridge Mountains, and then to the Burning Steppes. Although the road wouldn't be entirely safe, for them, it posed no real threat.
"I might go to Lakeshire, and then take a look at the Burning Steppes."
"Redridge Mountains?" Marshal Dughan frowned. To be honest, he was a little concerned. The places Ethan mentioned weren't exactly scenic destinations. The situation in Redridge Mountains was currently unstable. He had heard that Lakeshire was under threat from orcs and gnolls.
As for the Burning Steppes... things couldn't be worse there. Marshal Reginald Windsor of Stormwind had gone missing in the Burning Steppes, and the kingdom had long lost control of that region. No one knew how bad the situation was now.
"You're really going?"
"Unless something unexpected happens, I'll definitely go."
Ethan wouldn't tell Dughan that he was planning to find Reginald Windsor, whom many believed to be dead, and then take him to locate their missing king, Varian Wrynn.
"Good luck."
Marshal Dughan didn't try to dissuade him. Everyone had the right to decide their own future, and besides, he wasn't that familiar with Ethan, they had only spoken a few times. As an adventurer, Ethan's choices weren't something he had any authority to interfere with.
"I just hope that along your journey, you can lend a hand to the kingdom's commoners who are in trouble."
Marshal Dughan wasn't even sure if Ethan was a citizen of Stormwind. The Seven Kingdoms no longer existed, and not all humans belonged to Stormwind.
"I will."
The conversation ended there. Marshal Dughan returned to his duties, continuing to handle the various matters in Goldshire, while Ethan remained seated at a corner table in the Lion's Pride Inn, contemplating the details of his future plans.
Not long after Dughan left, Selene and Logan came over and sat down beside him. Even Loki joined them.
"Are we going to Stormwind City next?"
"No, we're going to Redridge Mountains."
This wasn't a game world. He didn't need to follow the quest chains from his previous life, unlocking the story step by step while doing side quests to level up.
Ethan's strength might not be top-tier, but it was enough to handle most enemies. He could completely ignore the "main plotline" and choose the parts of the "quests" that were most useful to him.
"What kind of place is that?"
Logan hadn't been idle recently. He had taken the time to learn about this world, but he had only focused on the Elwynn Forest area and had missed the surrounding regions.
Loki, on the other hand, had done more research and gave Logan a quick summary.
"East of Elwynn Forest is a region called the Redridge Mountains. It's mostly mountainous terrain. The largest town is Lakeshire, located on the northern shore of a large lake called Stonewatch Lake. That area is also the flattest region in the Redridge Mountains."
"You've done your homework."
"I had to understand the kind of place I've ended up in."
Loki didn't think this was anything impressive. He had gathered quite a lot of information. In fact, based on various sources, including rumors and Ethan's recent choices, he had already inferred Ethan's goal.
"You're planning to find the missing Reginald Windsor?"
Loki didn't lower his voice, but no one present was worried about their conversation being overheard. Both Loki and Ethan had cast interference spells to ensure outsiders couldn't hear them.
Ethan knew Stormwind's intelligence agency was everywhere. Who knew if there were any SI:7 operatives among the seemingly ordinary travelers?
Although SI:7 also had some doubts about Katrana's identity, they would definitely not treat a group of "outsiders" talking about the missing Marshal as friends. If they weren't careful, those guys might knock them out at night, drag them back to Stormwind, and lock them up for questioning.
"Yes, I want to try and find him."
"Are you sure he's still alive?"
The popular belief was that he had died in battle with the orcs. Only a small number of people believed he was still alive. No one knew why such a rumor existed, but oddly enough, it was actually true.
"If he's still alive, finding him will be helpful for the upcoming plan."
"Varian Wrynn?"
Ethan glanced at Loki, who wore a smug look as if to say, "I saw through you long ago."
"Yes, Varian Wrynn. Whatever we want, becoming friends with a king will make everything much easier."
Although Loki agreed, he offered another suggestion. "Actually, we could also choose to befriend someone else, couldn't we?" He didn't make them guess and directly stated the name. "Katrana Prestor."
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)