Chapter 6
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Chapter 006: Similarities Between Dwarves and Ales
The next morning, sunlight shone through the dusty windows into the room. Jesse felt very strange in this room, a strange thought crossed his mind.
Did he time travel again?
He pushed open the window and looked outside. It was full of lush trees and green grass. Blue and yellow birds chirped and hopped on the branches.
The rhythmic sounds of the forging hammer hitting the anvil and the bellows of the forge mixed together. The distant noises of the town centre morning market were loud.
Jesse looked towards the eaves, where a group of people were gathering at the blacksmith’s shop, queuing to receive something.
This was Goldshire. Having been in Stormwind for two years, this was Jesse’s first visit to the town.
He noticed that he had bandages wrapped around several places on his body. Without these bandages, he wouldn’t even remember being injured.
But now, moving those parts again did cause some pain. However, based on how it felt, it didn’t seem like a serious injury.
Thinking about what happened last night felt like a dream, with Hogger, Gnolls, a terrifying attack on a rainy night, a fierce dwarf warrior, and an archmage appearing from the dark forest with a glowing light to defeat evil, just like stepping into “The Lord of the Rings.”
Oh, I haven’t received my reward yet.
As I stepped out of the door, I could already hear the sound of a lute playing in the stairwell, along with a powerful woman’s singing voice coming up the stairs.
Jesse smelled the scent of beer and bread – was this the Lion’s Pride Inn?
In the tavern hall, a lady around thirty years old was surrounded by a group of patrons, accompanied by a musician against the wall, singing:
“He has arrived,
Before the Blackrock Spire.
The hammer of destruction,
Once made people tremble.
Lothar, you can rest now,
No one remembers his name anymore, but your sword’s legacy will live on forever.
Thunder roared, lightning flashed,
In front of Blackrock Spire.
The beast’s roar,
Once echoed through the clouds.
Lothar, you can rest now,
No one remembers his name anymore, your child has grown strong.
The darkest night is about to pass,
Dawn is just around the corner.”
The melody of the background music in the Lion’s Proud Inn is quite different from what Jesse remembered, but the style is very similar.
This song tells the story of a battle a year ago, where the human commander Anduin Lothar faced Orc Great Chief Orgrim Doomhammer before reaching Blackrock Spire.
Despite Lothar’s death in that duel, the Orcs suffered a irreversible defeat. Lothar’s lieutenant, Turalyon, took Lothar’s broken sword and defeated Orgrim, signaling the Alliance’s counterattack.
Dawn is indeed approaching, but it would be better if there were fewer troublesome monsters in Elwynn Forest.
Stepping outside onto the street, there was a post-rain dampness in the air. A group of veterans gathered around a table, the same group Jesse had seen from the second floor.
Jesse approached them and introduced himself.
The logistics officer selected 2 silver coins and some copper coins from the pile, saying, “Many have died, unexpected to us. Some came from Lordaeron and Alterac, and there’s a hired mercenary from Menethil Harbor. They have no family or friends here, so we’re not sure who to give this money to.”
Jesse felt the weight of the small pouch of coins in his hand.
Back at the inn, Greed was sitting in a quiet corner, staring at a large glass of ale.
He sat across from a dwarf and casually said, “Drinking alcohol is not good for injuries.”
“The dwarf’s body structure is different from humans,” the dwarf said with narrowed eyes. “Let me explain to you, our ancestors were ancient earth spirits, coming from underground, created by the earth. Can you guess what else the earth created? Grains, fruits.”
“Look.” He picked up the glass, swirled the bubbly liquid inside, and continued, “The fermentation process of these things is like the ancient, sturdy earth spirits transforming into us lively, beautiful dwarfs. See these bubbles? They’re just like the beards of old dwarfs, that’s the evidence. In other words, we are completely similar to fine wines. When the wine slides down my throat, it feels like going back home, my wounds see this wine and cry out happily, calling their good brothers have arrived and applying the wine on themselves, my muscles are eager to grow back. This is not just wine, it’s like a magical potion that can revive people on the spot, something even the most experienced alchemists in Dalaran can’t make, without a doubt.”
“Of course, only for dwarfs.” With that, he gulped down the whole glass of wine.
Jesse watched him and licked his lips, waving his hand, “I want a glass of ale too.”
Greed pointed to the bandages on Jesse’s body and said sarcastically, “Drinking alcohol is not good for injuries, human.”
“Mind your own business.” Jesse took the cup handed by the sommelier, took a sip, choked, and coughed. With that cough, his muscles and wounds all throbbed with pain.
“Ha, weakling!” Greed shouted, “Bring me another drink, a true dwarven brew, at least brewed in the dainty way of Ironforge brewmasters!”
Not long after, the sommelier handed him a big cup with a look of impatience on his face. The liquid inside was a light coffee color with dark bubbles, resembling cola.
“Almost there!”
Greed grinned, took a deep sniff, and then let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Jesse asked, taking a sip.
“I miss home, I want to go back to Aerie Peak,” the dwarf said.
Jesse drew a long diagonal line on the table, passing by Durnholde Keep and stretching all the way into the northern valley, as he said, “But to get from Southshore to Hinterlands, we must pass through Hillsbrad Foothills, where it’s still not safe. I heard there are Orcs wandering there.”
The dwarf’s eyes followed the line to the other side of the table and said, “So what? Even Orgrim Doomhammer has been captured and thrown into the dungeon. The rest are just a bunch of bandits and thieves.”
Not only that, there is also the Frostwolf Clan settled in Alterac Valley. These terrifying hunters, who can command white-furred Worgs stronger than bulls, are not content with hiding in the snowy mountains; they often come down to Hillsbrad to plunder resources.
Not to mention another tribe many times more terrifying, led by the fearsome warrior Grom Hellscream, who once terrorized Draenor – the Warsong Clan.
The group of thugs, who have drunk demon blood, could probably beat up Hogger easily with their bare hands.
Jesse remembered wandering between the mountains, forests, and hills of Lordaeron for over a decade, but he couldn’t be sure of their exact hiding place now.
In other words, it was relatively safe to depart from Stormwind Harbor to Southshore.
After all, Orc warships were hardly a match for the navies of Gilneas and Lordaeron. When the Dark Portal was under attack and their supply lines were cut off, they immediately disappeared.
But if they departed from Southshore and headed north toward Silverpine, or Durnholde in the Hillsbrad Foothills to the north, it would be a completely different story.
With this in mind, Jesse suddenly realized he couldn’t even afford the fare from Stormwind Harbor to Southshore, let alone the food and supplies along the way. So what was he worrying about?
“Sorry, Jesse,” the dwarf suddenly said, “I told you yesterday that this journey would be an easy way to make money, but I almost ended up not getting up again.”
Jesse shook his head and said, “After all, silver coins aren’t so easy to come by, I learned that lesson very deeply yesterday.”
“Where did you go?” Greed asked curiously.
“Don’t mention it,” Jesse said. “Someone told me about a job for two silver coins, I thought it was easy, but ended up getting beaten up.”
The dwarf listened, then burst into laughter, his beard full of beer bubbles.
“You actually got paid to get beaten up? I thought you were selling your body for money.”
“Sell… sell my body?” Jesse’s mouth twitched.
“Next time you see that guy, let me know, I’ll show him my muscles.” He touched his rock-like shoulder and said, “I can’t let him ruin everything. I owe it to my homeland in Hinterlands for nurturing this body, this strength, this spirit.”
Drinking a few beers with Greed, all the pain and fear from last night disappeared. The singing woman had left the tavern at some point, leaving only the musician playing an unknown melody in front of the extinguished fireplace.
Spent the whole day in Goldshire, then set off with a caravan back to Stormwind in the afternoon, arriving in the trade district by dusk.
The smell of roasted meat wafted from the Golden Rose on the corner of the square. Jesse and his companion, not caring about the cost, rushed in after a day and night of not eating, devouring meat pies and smoked pork they usually wouldn’t buy, drinking until midnight.
Back at home, Jesse spread the money he earned in the past two days on the table, counting each piece.
Remove the ale, pies, and roasted meats, plus yesterday’s expenses, there’s only 4 silver and 60 copper left. By saving on rent a bit, I can probably make it through this month.
But if I want to buy a house for my parents from Lordaeron, just scraping by like this is definitely not possible.
These past few days have been so intense, it’s not realistic to keep earning money this way. Even if I’ve been lucky not to meet my end, Jesse’s body can’t handle it.
Luckily, Eden Malin agreed to let me be their assistant. Maybe in the future, I can live in the Mage Quarter without having to pay rent all the time.
In a better scenario, maybe they’ll even provide meals along with lodging, like how the apprentice mages in Dalaran live and eat at the school in World of Warcraft, right?
Really? Isn’t it? Jesse realized he was starting to forget the specific details in his worldview.
Anyway, being an assistant should come with some income and perks in the Mage Quarter, right? At least it’s a stable job.
Thinking about this, even if Jesse was almost senseless from being tipsy, with things blurry in front of him, he couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly, a strong urge to vomit shot up his throat. Jesse dashed out of the house to the canal, and threw up everything into the river.
Jesse turned over and looked at the night sky. There were two moons shining like reflective glasses, reminding him of the girl he had a crush on in high school who wore glasses.
Is there still hope to go back home? Back to Earth.
Maybe it’s not possible forever.
But there’s nothing bad here either. Every day is thrilling and exciting, more fun than being a work slave.
Perhaps in the future, he could even date a white-haired female elf. The thought made him chuckle, and drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.
“I don’t want any Earth girls! I want an elf girl, I want an elf girl!”
Two old men fishing nearby glanced at the drunk man. One of them asked, “What is he saying?”
The other shook his head and said, “I don’t understand. He might be from Kul Tiras. I heard people there speak in a funny way, like singing.”
Translator: hello, readers. As you can see, this is a fanfiction of War of Warcraft and the best fanfiction of WoW I have ever read. I have done my best to compare the Chinese terms with the English terms, however, there are still some terms I can’t find in the English version. I assume that the author created these terms and I translated them based on my understanding. However, if you can find their accurate translations, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on Discord (https://discord.gg/Rcw4NPsyTb).
