Shadow Trails in Azeroth

That evening, in the large dining room on the third floor of the stern of the Nagfar ship, Blake, as the captain, warmly invited the guests to have dinner.

In addition to Blake's hospitality, it was more because these dwarfs spent a lot of money to buy VIP services, so they naturally had to feel that the money was worth it.

Then look forward to making a fortune from them next time.

In order to achieve this goal, the ghost chefs on the Nagfar showed their true skills tonight.

From the candied moss as an appetizer, to the dragon's breath red pepper as an appetizer, then to the Celsama blood sausage as the main course and the accompanying sweet potato bread, and finally the cream ice cream as dessert.

There are also delicious vulture meat cakes and Gnomeregan gummy candies with the style of the dwarf hometown as complimentary snacks, as well as cherry wine and so on.

These rare delicacies from various places make all the dwarfs mouth-watering and hooked. These little guys are born with a happy heart.

While they were having a good time, they even sang songs and clinked glasses with each other, looking like they were enjoying themselves and the host and guest were enjoying themselves.

Of course, there are also people who focus on more than just the delicious dishes.

For example, Kelsey Steelspark, the dashing Gnomeregan agent, ate delicious blood sausage while crying and said to Black next to her:

Wow, the performances of those ghost actors are so superb. I admit, this is the best scene in The Wizard of Oz I have ever seen, especially the little actor Dorothy, she is simply the little girl in the story.

Woohoo, I almost cried.

Well, Miss Agent was too immersed in the wonderful opera performed by the Karazhan Opera Troupe that she just watched before the meal. To be honest, the opera troupe on Black's ship is definitely a group of the most professional performers in the entire Azeroth. .

The most wonderful thing is that these performers not only perform perfectly on the stage, but when foreign enemies invade the Naqfar, they can also transform into the enemy's worst nightmare.

Eat first, don't think too much about it.

Blake held a glass of South Sea Golden Rum, handed the tissue to the crying Kelsey, and said:

After you finish your meal, you can go and watch. There is a performance of Romeo and Juliet in the evening. The play that will be performed tomorrow is my favorite Into Scoundrel Harbor.

It was a war opera based on the actual experience of the Immortal Fleet, which was very interesting.

Especially myself, played by my opera master, Mr. Barnes himself. It was a very impressive portrayal of my wise command and handsomeness at that time, and everyone who saw it said it was good.

Well, I highly recommend it.

Can I play a role in that?

Kelsey wiped her eyes, blinked her big eyes and said:

Actually, I wanted to be an actor when I was a child, and then I became a secret agent out of nowhere. But I have always had a dream of being an actor, if I can.

Of course, you are honored guests.

Blake smiled and said:

During the next month's trip, you can try to join my opera troupe. As long as Mr. Barnes thinks you are qualified, you can become a non-staff member of the opera troupe.

For those of you who don’t like opera, there is a ‘Rapid Snail Grand Prix’ held by the murlocs in the lower cabin of the Nagfar two hours before midnight.

That is the reserved program of our Nagfar, and the prizes for the top three are very generous.

If you are not interested in this, then there is a chess and card room and a small dance hall on the second floor of the stern for entertainment. Huh? Is Master Overback at work?

He has been writing and drawing. Is the food on the ship not to your taste?

No, Captain Black, the food is wonderful, the accommodation is very comfortable, and the underwater scenery is amazing! I have begun to like this kind of underwater travel. The quiet environment it brings helps me think.

Oversback, who was wearing gear goggles, raised his head and said to Black in the shrill voice of a dwarf:

I just suddenly had some fantastic ideas and am designing the next 'hit product' of my laboratory. I believe it will spread the reputation of dwarf engineering to the whole world.

Well, now that I've said that, I have to ask again.

The master craftsman flipped open his goggles, revealing his dazzling eyes. He stuck a piece of vulture meat cake with a fork, ate it, and said:

“The last time we met at the Grand Army Camp in the Valley of the Kings, you told me that there has always been a legend about the ‘mechanical thief’ in your Boralus Port in Kul Tiras.

Can you elaborate more?

The dwarf engineers who were drinking and singing nearby also fell silent.

They all held their wine glasses and looked at Blake.

Those who can join this adventure are craftsmen who are very interested in the legend of mechanical gnomes, otherwise they would not leave the noisy and comfortable mechanical city and come to the sea to join in the fun.

Even Kelsey Steelspark, who had never believed in the existence of mechanical gnomes, looked up at Blake while chewing the surprisingly spicy dragon's breath red pepper.

This cute little dwarf really has a lot of taste.

Well, there's nothing that can't be said.

Black put down the wine glass and picked up the dwarf pipe. The first mate standing beside him lit the captain's tobacco with a hint of insight. As the ghost ship moved slowly and comfortably on the seabed, the smelly pirate entered the kind of old man telling stories. In posture.

He coughed and said:

I was born in Port Boralus and grew up on Mariner Street, which is a relatively chaotic or lively area in the city. The residents there are all a bunch of old seals.

They are very superstitious, full of awe of the sea, and talk about things like storms.

However, Port Boralus is a typical seaside city and is close to the tropical currents of the South China Sea, so storms are not uncommon throughout the year, with one or two heavy rains falling every month.

At that time, people throughout the city would hide in their homes and enjoy their leisure time by the warm fireplace.

But the legend also started at this time.

Blake's voice suddenly became sinister, causing the dwarfs beside him to move their shoulders uncomfortably. They heard the smelly pirate say in a mysterious tone:

Actually, there have been rumors for a long time, in my grandfather's generation.

It is said that in every storm that sweeps through Boralus, there will be small mechanical thieves active in Mariner Street or other corners of the city.

They will take advantage of the cover of the storm and use some miraculous means to sneak into warehouses and shops in the city to plunder all kinds of supplies they need.

After every storm, multiple stores are broken into.

It is said that some people have seen some strange mechanical creations flying under the clouds during the storm that blocked the sky. Those things had wings like gyroplanes and sharp grappling hooks below.

They will carry various boxed supplies and even live animals, fly away from Boralus in the rain, and head towards the northwest quickly.

Hmm, this sounds a lot like some kind of self-directed mechanical transportation device!

Overback frowned and discussed with several other dwarf craftsmen beside him:

“If they can take off and land in a storm without getting lost, it proves that those transport devices have advanced power systems and technology that far exceeds the gyroscope technology we currently have.

There are also those 'mechanical thieves' who only operate in storms. According to Mr. Black's description, they should be the forerunners sent by the mechanical gnomes to collect supplies!

This is very similar to the 'sentinel tactics' used by our dwarf ancestors before Gnomeregan was established!

Send the bravest and sharpest tribesmen as sentries to protect the base camp in the rear.

You are preconceived!

Kelsey picked up a piece of sweet potato bread with a fork with some disdain, broke it open in her hand, and ate it with dragon's breath red pepper. While sucking her mouth, which was stinging because of the spicy taste, she said to her fellow dwarfs:

Those mechanical thieves are most likely the cavemen native to Kul Tiras. Their larvae are about the same size as us, and they are just as agile and have rough intelligence.

As for the devices that took off during the storm, they may also be some garbage that was swept up into the sky.

Blake said that these are just legends!

You can't be so optimistic that mechanical gnomes must exist.

Well, Kelsey is right.

Blake also nodded and poured cold water on the dwarfs, but then he smiled and said:

But what I am sure of is that those little thieves operating in the city are definitely not cavemen. Because every time they steal supplies, they will leave the same amount of money where they are, and sometimes even give more.

It is precisely because of this 'fair trade' that their theft can continue for hundreds of years.

In fact, many people in Port Boralus now believe that those thieves are actually 'sea elves', and they believe that places visited by those guys are places that can bring good luck.

There are even some extreme superstitious people who will take the initiative to leave supplies outside the warehouse and let thieves take them.

But even so, there will still be an equivalent amount of money left every time.

Therefore, although it is an urban legend, we Kul Tirans do not hate those little thieves, and no one will actively seek them out.

Having said this, the pirate shook his head. He picked up the wine glass, raised it to Oversback, who was deep in thought, and said:

“I’m not sure those are the legendary mechanical gnomes, but I’m sure they have the ability to protect themselves, and when faced with a crisis, they become very dangerous.

In my memory, more than ten years ago, the Admiralty organized a large-scale hunt to find out the protagonists of these urban legends.

As a result, before the team of 300 people even left Sailor Street, they were all knocked to the ground by the mysterious power. The few leading guys who chased diligently even had some kind of light pierce through their armor and bodies.

Afterward, people said it was the punishment of the sea elves.

What I'm saying is that if you're determined to pursue this legend, you'd better be prepared for conflict in advance. Those guys know how to hide, and they're not afraid of a challenge.

But what I’m more curious about is, what if, I mean what if, if mechanical gnomes exist, what are you going to do when you find them?

Win them over? Or take them back to Gnomeregan?

You are both called dwarfs. Is there any connection between you?

There's nothing that can't be said about this. It's all recorded generously in the library of Gnomeregan, but we ourselves rarely pay attention to it, let alone other races.

Overback picked up the cherry wine and took a small sip. He praised and said:

“According to the records of our ancestors, a long time ago, in an unknown era, we dwarves were once a royal society, but it only lasted a short time.

Our last king was named Mechagon.

He is a wise and generous ruler who is committed to leading the dwarves to a more civilized and open future. However, at the end of his reign, His Majesty Mechagon obtained some secret knowledge from unknown sources.

He left a few words and left the mountains of Khaz Modan with a group of his loyal subjects. It was said that he was going to find the true origin and true power of the gnomes.

He also claimed that he would help all life in this world to get rid of a disease called the 'curse of flesh and blood'.

The master craftsman shrugged and said:

“After I found the information, I asked the human priests, the dwarf shamans, and even some time ago the elves’ druids and moon priests.

But no one can tell me what the ‘Curse of Flesh’ is exactly, and there is no way to know where King Mechagon’s worries come from.

But what is certain is that His Majesty Mechagon's adventure was successful.

He must have indeed found the lost power of the gnomes. It is said that a long time ago, messengers from the mechanical gnomes visited Khaz Modan.

But that meeting went terribly wrong.

They professed a dangerous and radical idea, and our ancestors refused their invitation, and since then, the gnomes and the mechagnomes have been completely disconnected.

It should be thousands of years old.

Oversback put down his glass and said to Black:

As for why we have to find them, the reason is very simple, because although all the current scientific research projects in Gnomeregan are still making progress, they have already seen bottlenecks visible to the naked eye.

We cannot break through the existing knowledge to achieve breakthroughs and upgrades in wisdom, so I choose to look for answers from past history.

If King Mechagon and his mechanical gnomes can be found, maybe the gnomes' science and technology will usher in a huge innovation.

understood!

Blake snapped his fingers and said:

Archaeological technology tree!

Well, your statement is a bit strange.

Overback curled his lips and said:

But that's basically what it means, so as long as we can really find traces of King Mechagon, all of Gnomeregan will be grateful to you.

Don't be so sanguine, Overback.

Kelsey Steelspark had a different perspective.

The dwarf agent finished off a whole plate of dragon's breath red peppers by herself. She ate the bread to relieve the spicy taste in her mouth and said vaguely:

“Not to mention whether they really exist or are just the imagination of our ancestors, even if there are really mechanical gnomes, you have to consider their reaction.

We have lost contact with each other for thousands of years, and we are completely two races and two civilizations. And what you get from them is the most precious knowledge.

Why do people share this with you?

If they don't give it, will you still have to fight with them?

Trust me, Mekkatorque wouldn't agree.

Don't be so pessimistic, my friend.

Blake suddenly blew out a smoke ring and said quietly:

Perhaps a tragic disaster has occurred among the mechanical gnomes, and they will ask you for help? Right? In this world, anything can happen.

So, look forward to it.