Chapter 158: Burning Elwynn Forest

With the affirmation from Llane and Duke, VanCleef took a deep breath: "To be honest, Duke, we're running low on 'cement.' One of the essential ingredients comes from the Un'Goro Crater. We used your funds to collect it and managed to buy only about 100 tons from the goblin venture capital company in Stranglethorn Vale. We've exhausted their entire stock. The remaining material is only enough to make 30 catapult towers or 80 arrow towers, and it'll take at least 10 days." Don't assume all nobles are well-educated, cultured, refined, and of noble character. Except for their strict etiquette training and literacy skills, the nobles of this era aren't much different from ordinary people. Their geographic knowledge is limited, and they're unaware that the Un'Goro Crater lies on the other side of the sea, on a distant continent. "What a waste! In 10 days, the warriors of Stormwind City will be wiped out!" A Duke slammed the table, his angry voice nearly frightening VanCleef. VanCleef isn't the fearless, daring man he would become in the future. At this moment, he's merely a stone mason who follows Duke, unsure of the extent of Duke's trust and support for him. The Duke couldn't imagine that Duke would stand up for VanCleef, a man of low birth, against him. He slammed the table, and Duke's slam was even louder. With a "bang," nearly all the royal guards thought they were under attack, and every guard reached for their sword hilts. They relaxed only when they realized it was Duke who had slammed the table. "You're the waste! You don't even know that Un'Goro Crater is on the other side of the sea, yet you dare insult my people. If there were that much 'cement,' I would've already raised Stormwind City's walls to 200 feet, so no orc could climb or fly in." Duke spoke the truth. In this world without modern industry, producing proper cement is challenging. Duke could only make cement from volcanic ash, which led him to target the Un'Goro Crater and have VanCleef collect materials through various channels. Truth hurts the most! Duke's retort made many people laugh, embarrassing the Duke further. Another Duke stood up: "Fine, may I ask Sir Lothar, if you have these arrow towers, how long can you hold?" Lothar held up a finger: "A month at most, but I must reiterate, the troops responsible for covering our retreat won't survive." "Fine, then we're back to square one..." "No, not square one," Duke interrupted: "It's just 10 days. I'll buy us that time." Duke patted VanCleef's shoulder: "You just focus on your work." For some reason, VanCleef felt like crying. In his mind, nobles were always conniving and colluding. 'Nothing can't be solved with a trade of interests,' a popular saying among the nobility. VanCleef had thought Duke wouldn't stand up for a lowborn like him against a Duke. Duke didn't seem to feel anything, but VanCleef did. Born and raised in Stormwind City, he had a natural fear of high-ranking nobles. Who knew Duke would not only speak up but also put the other Duke in his place. Suddenly, VanCleef felt a surge of loyalty to Duke. Duke not only took the matter into his own hands but also protected him. Tears welled up in VanCleef's eyes. Not many people paid attention to VanCleef's emotions; everyone's focus was on Duke's words. "Ten days? Are you really sure? The sands of the hourglass are more valuable than gold now. We're racing against the Grim Reaper!" King Llane kindly reminded Duke. "Oh, thank the heavens. If you can manage it, Duke, that would be a huge help." Lothar, who had worked more closely with Duke, had an almost blind optimism. He didn't know how Duke would accomplish it, but he believed Duke wouldn't speak without reason based on his understanding of him. King Llane frowned, looking at the agitated nobles. "What do you plan to do?" The second Lord seemed to be targeting Duke now. "Before His Majesty, lies are meaningless, whether they are for comfort or any other reason. We're discussing the lives of nearly half of Stormwind's citizens. We can't afford to have a youngster like you bragging." As the king, he could unilaterally approve Duke's proposal when necessary, but it would be better if he could convince everyone beforehand. Duke leaned back in his comfortable chair, his fingers interlocked and resting on his abdomen. "It seems your people and your thoughts aren't the same. Just last night, your steward sought out my subordinate Marco, requesting two more ships to transport treasures for your family. Heh, if you don't trust me that much, why would you seek out my people?" Everyone knew that Duke was forcibly connecting the two issues. Trusting Duke to hold off the orcs for ten days and trusting Duke's fleet were completely separate matters. However, Duke's political intelligence was either zero or he was doing this intentionally. Telling Llane at this time that these parasites were disregarding the lives of the citizens he cherished most, and instead wanted to empty precious cabin space to transport treasures. Almost simultaneously, Llane, Lothar, and Bolvar, the upright higher-ups, all wore solemn expressions. "Uh, oh, that's impossible!" The Duke denied it immediately, but it was clear that he soon realized he couldn't fool them. "I've been busy with military affairs recently, and perhaps this really did happen. If it did, I will definitely punish that steward for doing such despicable things under our noble name. Uh, Duke Marcus, don't change the subject. Whether you can delay for ten days or not concerns the survival of the entire kingdom." That poor steward would most likely become the scapegoat. In any case, beating him was like slapping the Duke's face. Duke didn't care; he had his own thoughts about Stormwind's nobility. Of course, the topic returned to the most pressing matter of the ten days. "It's simple. Since the orcs have already occupied Elwynn Forest, I'll just burn half of the forest down." The moment Duke's words fell, the room fell silent, and everyone gasped. Duke really dared to do it! (To be continued...)