Chapter 25

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Chapter 025: An Opportunity to Prove Oneself

On their way back to Raven Hill, Jesse and Greed walked along the main road. They could sense wolves or other predators following them through the bushes for a long time. It wasn’t until they were close to Raven Hill that they probably smelled the scent of wolf meat and blood.

Of course, in the end, there was no attack. After all, a dwarf carrying a long stick, a sword on his back, and a hunting bow was quite intimidating.

However, the two of them were worried throughout the journey. They were already exhausted by the end of the day, and facing a pack of hungry, wild wolves would have been extremely difficult.

In the evening, Raven Hill was as quiet as yesterday, even the old man sitting in front of the inn was nowhere to be seen.

Inside the inn, the lights were still on, a short man sat by the window, watching the new customers come in, giving their luggage a disinterested glance before returning his attention to the cheese in front of him.

"Boss," Greed placed the meat cut from the wolf on the counter, put the bones on the table, and asked, "Can you roast these meats a bit, sprinkle some salt and comfort grass… so everyone can eat together?"

The boss was a balding man, looking a bit older, speaking and acting somewhat slowly. He weighed the meat in his hand, and said, "Add some bread and pickles, we can have a party outside, Mr. Dwarf. The residents of Raven Hill have not gathered together for a long time. With this food, many people will come to join. What do you think?"

"That would be great," Greed rubbed his hands and said, "I wonder if there is any wine to drink?"

The boss put the meat and bones on his shoulder, saying, "There is some red wine in the cellar, all left over from before the explosion. Many people say that the wine has been contaminated, are you still interested?"

"Why not," Greed said, "If the contamination is really serious, then we are dirtier than the wine now for sure."

Jesse reminded, "Have you forgotten about those black things we saw in the mausoleum? There may be some unknown energy spreading from the south underground."

"Forget about it, it’s the wine from before the war!" Greed said unhappily, "I almost lost my life several times today. I can’t get through the day without wine!"

"Let’s go with what you want." The boss smiled and walked towards the kitchen.

And so, a simple bonfire party was held in the center of the town. A large wolf bone, some juicy sizzling wolf meat, a few big plates of dry bread and sour cheese, and a few jars of pickles were all the food at the party.

Many town folks were too scared of the "Worgen" at night to come out, so only around a dozen people came here, most of them older folks who were no longer afraid of death.

Greed drank and danced with an elderly human lady, circling around a bonfire singing and dancing, as if they could keep going all day without getting tired.

Jesse held a wooden cup, hesitating to drink the red wine inside. The unique aroma of the wine was tempting, especially after eating the oily wolf meat, making him want to take a sip to cleanse his palate, yet fearing it might be poisoned.

Just then, Morgan Ladimore approached with a cup in hand, reaching out to clink glasses with him.

"To still being alive today," he said with a smile.

"To being alive," Jesse responded, taking a small sip.

When Jesse realized that Morgan Ladimore was the legendary Mor’Ladim, he became uneasy looking at the young man.

Especially when he saw his young and shy wife, Lise Ladimore, wearing a light green long dress, holding their child sitting on a log, smiling and looking towards him, he felt uneasy in his heart.

The baby girl lying in her mother’s arms, gazing at the fire, must be the future leader of the Night Watch in Darkshire, Sarah Ladimore.

According to the game’s storyline, decades later, her family would all die in pain and torment, unable to rest even in death, wandering between the dark forests, threatening and harming innocent passersby.

She herself was powerless to change anything, only allowing the crazy rumors about her parents to spread between Raven Hill and Darkshire.

"I heard you went hunting today, it looks like you had a good catch." Morgan looked at the shiny wolf leg bone and said, "Such a big wolf, I guess Mr. Greed killed it?"

"Why can’t it be me who killed it?" Jesse jokingly asked.

"Even if it was you, you have to admit that a dwarf warrior battling a giant white wolf is more like a scene from a poem," Morgan said with a smile. "I hope to be written into such a story one day, to be passed down for generations. I want to bring this victory to my wife, Lise, and Sarah, let them see their husband and father become a true hero… instead of a weakling who can’t protect his homeland."

Jesse looked towards a window that had just been shut off in the distance and said, "People here can still lead a normal life, all thanks to your efforts."

"You call this normal? People are leaving, and even those who stay are considering leaving," Morgan said. "They don’t trust me, and I, along with a few young people who want to protect this place, feel helpless. And now, even they are slowly giving up. I think they will soon choose to move to Grand Town or even farther away. It’s not because of the curse of the Worgen, but because they feel this place is no longer worth protecting."

He took a sip of wine, shook his head, and said, "I feel like I haven’t done enough, maybe because I lack the skills. I am young and haven’t trained enough, far behind a true warrior who can take on this responsibility alone. It’s not surprising that they see me as a child, even though I’m married and have my own children. So sometimes, I envy adventurers like you who can leave their homeland boldly, have the chance to prove themselves. I also hope to have a similar opportunity, to show everyone that I am capable of reviving Raven Hill, so people don’t have to worry about any threats to this town when they see me here."

He drank too much, got drunk, Jesse could tell, even more drunk than Greed, who had been drinking non-stop since the beginning.

"Put your family first," Jesse said, "Family is the most important treasure to you, Mr. Ladimore, nothing else … no treasure can compare to them."

The dancing dwarf seemed to hear the conversation here, still shouting and singing a song that nobody understood, but his gaze flickered this way.

"Of course," Morgan said with a smile, "I love my wife and daughter, they are the most important people in the world to me. I will protect them and take care of them with my life."

"I don’t doubt that," Jesse blurted out, "but what I want to say is, never leave them."

Morgan sighed and asked, "Stay in this small town forever? But …"

Jesse wanted to say that the scourge in over a decade, the outcome of the whole war, the fate of the entire continent of Lordaeron, would not change because of Morgan’s participation or absence. Once he left, his family would lose all protection.

But in the end, he held back. He didn’t want to influence the world too much, because if things went according to plan, various people would eventually save the world from destruction.

But if you change a small thing, what will happen in the future?

Maybe his words already affected the other person, and his presence has permanently changed the world, just not noticeably yet.

Jesse didn’t say anything else. Morgan seemed lost in thoughts, looking in the direction of Lise and Sarah.

Lise was also looking at her husband like this, her eyes full of overflowing love and anticipation. The child in her arms slowly closed his eyes as she gently rocked him, then opened them again, and closed them slowly once more.

The night in Raven Hill was full of laughter and warmth. The firelight shone on Jesse’s face as he sat there, feeling like an outsider, as if he had never truly entered Azeroth. He didn’t like this feeling.

At midnight, Jesse lay in bed, watching his clothes swaying outside the window in the evening breeze, like a harmless ghost.

After a day full of soreness and several painful injuries, the relaxation at this moment felt even more intense.

Though extremely tired and exhausted, he couldn’t fall asleep peacefully, as if unwilling to let the night pass.

What’s even stranger is that Greed wasn’t snoring.

"You didn’t sleep, did you?"

"You didn’t sleep either," the dwarf whispered.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sometimes I really feel like you’re not like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, kid. I admit, I heard what you said to Morgan."

Greed turned over and looked this way with one eye.

"I guess you had a thrilling love story in Lordaeron, ending in a very dramatic and tragic way? I sense that you envy that kid, Morgan Ladimore."

"No way, how can a poor boy have a love story?" Jesse asked.

"Listen to what you’re saying," Greed tsked. "Boys your age should be full of hopes for the future, full of beautiful dreams about love, full of enthusiasm, full of passion. Instead, you act like a cynical person who thinks they have seen through all the hypocrisy of the world, making feeble excuses for your weakness."

Yes, the so-called reluctance to interfere with the pace of this world is actually just a form of cowardice, isn’t it?

Jesse didn’t argue back. Greed felt the atmosphere getting strange and said, "Tell me what you like, and I can introduce you to it when we get back to Stormwind. Young, mature, slim, fat, rich, poor, humans, dwarfs, gnomes."

"I just want an elven sister," Jesse said.

Greed rolled over, snoring loudly with his back facing this way.