Chapter 169: Docking Space

At the Stormwind Harbor, the enormous ship, Sea God, was anchored silently in the bay. A large sign was posted on the dock that read "Stonemason's Guild Exclusive," and Count Duke's private soldiers personally stood guard. Seeing this, the eyes of VanCleef, a robust man, reddened once more.

Count Duke Marcus' fame had seeped into the hearts of every citizen of the Kingdom of Stormwind. His courage, wisdom, fairness, benevolence, and greatness were nearly considered sacred. People began to mention his name alongside King Llane and Anduin Lothar.

Everywhere they went, Count Marcus' private soldiers, bearing the emblem of the Hundred-Handed Death God, were treated with the utmost respect, equal to that of knights.

All chaotic scenes would become orderly with the arrival of Duke's private soldiers.

This was the power of fame, and this was the spontaneous worship of the Duke by the citizens.

When VanCleef and the other stonemasons were left behind to work, many thought they had pledged their lives to the Kingdom of Stormwind, as their families had been sent away in advance... Who would have thought that Duke would send them away as well?

There was no possibility of abandoning them after using their services. Before their departure, the construction plan for the Southshore refugee camp, personally delivered by Duke's steward Marco, let VanCleef and his brothers know that there were many places where they would still be needed.

"Here's the funding for building houses," said one of Marco's men, bringing over fifty boxes of gold coins. "If this isn't enough, you can also use your signature to withdraw no more than 300,000 gold coins for construction from the Sea King Trading Company's branches in Kul Tiras and Menethil Harbor."

"My lord... Does he trust me so much?"

Marco chuckled, "Master Marcus once said he's looked into your eyes. Those eyes told him that you are the kind of person who would spare no effort, even sacrifice yourself, for the people and your brothers. He believes in your character."

Before he knew it, VanCleef was weeping, sobbing like a child.

Marco patted VanCleef's shoulder, "Do your best. The master said, 'The reconstruction of the new Stormwind City will depend on you.'"

VanCleef looked up, bewildered, "Will we take back Stormwind City?"

"Yes, because the Master himself said, 'Stormwind City will be destroyed, but the Kingdom of Stormwind is destined to be reborn.' Duke Marcus is synonymous with miracles; if he can't do it, who can?"

Yes!

If Duke can't do it, who can?

At the age of 14, he made a bold statement surpassing the then-Guardian Medivh.

Before 15, he became one of the most powerful merchants in the entire Kingdom of Stormwind and the seven human kingdoms.

That same year, he risked his life to join Anduin Lothar in a raid on Karazhan, driving the leader of the Burning Legion, Sargeras, into the bottomless abyss.

Not long ago, he single-handedly rode a gryphon, summoning endless skyfire with magic, burning a hundred thousand orcs to death. (Well, for propaganda's sake, poor Daniel was ignored, and the orc casualties were inflated tenfold. Anyway, when the orcs hastily retreated, Lothar had thousands of charred orc corpses collected and displayed to the public, who firmly believed it.)

Who is a miracle? Duke himself is a miracle!

In that moment, VanCleef's eyes grew red once again, his heart filled with determination.

"Would you like to become a professional?" Duke's words still echoed in VanCleef's ears.

VanCleef clenched his fists tightly, making a decision: to become a professional!

Not just a stonemason, but also as a strong guardian by his lord's side!

Suddenly, a commotion arose from outside the cabin.

Given the current situation, both Marco and VanCleef immediately turned their attention to the source of the noise.

It came from the direction of the Stormwind military harbor.

Due to the demands of war, the docks had been continuously expanding. The civilian dock's northernmost berth was now very close to the military harbor, so events happening only a few dozen meters away in the military harbor were clearly visible.

"Get off the ship, all of you! There's no room for you filthy lot on board."

Seeing the "filthy lot" referred to by the noble, Marco, VanCleef, and the others couldn't believe their eyes—those were the soldiers of the Stormwind Navy!

How did the naval officers, who were supposed to own the ship, end up being kicked off?

"This is a royal navy ship!" The first mate on the ship waved his fists in anger.

"Not at the moment!" The noble with the count's badge on his chest arrogantly raised his hand, and immediately a steward-like figure stepped forward.

Marco recognized him—it was none other than Count Crispin Farren, who had been rescued by Windsor from Karazhan not long ago.

Damn! They really brought back a troublemaker. And these scum were treated like kings.

In that moment, Marco cursed the "meddlesome" Windsor in his heart.

"By order of King Llane Wrynn, the Jacob shall, as of the 8th day of this month, be responsible for transporting Duke Farren's family and their belongings to Southshore..."

There was nothing inherently wrong with the order itself. In fact, allowing naval ships to be used to transport nobles was already a great favor from King Llane. However, the royal decree had been deliberately expanded.

In order to carry more of their own people, as well as their heirlooms and valuable possessions, the nobles had driven off all the naval officers. The cabins originally intended for the naval officers were now packed with treasures, guards, servants, and maidservants.

A navy officer suppressed his rage: "Your safety will not be guaranteed!"

"We don't need you amateurs; my people can handle this ship just fine. They are all experienced sailors," the arrogant noble said, his arrogance on full display in Count Crispin Farren.

What nonsense!

Could civilian ships be compared to naval vessels?!

The naval officers were furious.

But they dared not lash out. The man standing before them was Count Crispin Farren, and his father was the illustrious Duke Farren. At the height of the Farren family's power, they held a fifth of the Elwynn Forest as their territory, making them one of the oldest and most powerful families in Stormwind.

"How will the ship return then?! The Jacob has another mission to evacuate civilians from Stormwind in five days."

Count Crispin raised his chin arrogantly, not even bothering to look at them: "When we reach Southshore, I'll order the soldiers there to sail the ship back." With that, he disappeared into the cabin, leaving eight fearsome guards lined up in a row, blocking the entrance.

Arrogant, disdainful, and born with a sense of entitlement.

Why are there heroes like Anduin Lothar and Turalyon among the nobles?

And why are there so many scum like Kristoff Fernand among them?