Rhodes was momentarily speechless at the sight of the Trade Prince's outfit—he looked exactly like a nouveau riche parvenu. However, it made sense; it perfectly suited the image of a Goblin. If they didn't dress themselves up flashily, it wouldn't feel right.
"Aha! Welcome, everyone! Welcome to Kalimdor, my dear partners! My dear friend."
"This must be the famous Regent Rhodes, renowned throughout the Eastern Kingdoms and favored by the Titans! I have heard so much about you. I am the helmsman of the Steamwheedle Cartel! I am delighted to see you safely arrive in this beautiful land full of—er—opportunity!" the Trade Prince said with a smile.
He noted that these humans were quite good at picking territory. This area was indeed a no-man's land, not part of the territory of those "purple-skins" (Night Elves). There were some Centaurs around, but given the combat power of these humans, sweeping them aside wouldn't be much of a problem.
However, they likely didn't know that there was a dragon's lair nearby, where a Black Dragon lay slumbering. He wasn't sure if it was currently home. The Trade Prince wondered if he could trade this information for something good—he was very interested in the special anti-magic metal these humans brought. If forged into weapons, they would sell for a fortune. He began calculating how to establish a long-term partnership with Rhodes.
"I have long heard of the Trade Prince's fame. May I ask your name, Excellency?" Rhodes reached out his hand with a smile. The Trade Prince extended his small green hand and shook it.
"You can just call me Steamwheedle. My cartel is named after me," the Trade Prince replied.
"Greetings, Trade Prince Steamwheedle. Thank you for your cartel's timely and efficient service. Mr. Grizby has already conveyed your sincerity for cooperation and our preliminary trade details to me."
"We are also very grateful for your care along the way. We successfully reached Kalimdor, and your company's airship service was perfect and excellent," Calia stepped forward and extended a hand with a smile.
"It is my honor to serve you, Princess," the Trade Prince politely removed his hat and kissed the back of Calia's hand.
Calia smiled politely, retracted her hand, and then secretly wiped it hard behind her back. she had never been particularly fond of Goblins.
"Time is money, friend! Efficiency is life! That old boy Grizby did a good job. So, shall we get straight to the point?"
"No more pleasantries. This time, I've brought enough food for three months, a large amount of construction materials, and even an engineering team. And the final payment you promised—those two magical space-ships, and... well, that precious anti-magic metal?" The Trade Prince grinned, revealing his large gold tooth.
"Of course, Trade Prince. I have seen your sincerity."
Rhodes didn't waste words and signaled several Paladins to bring over a dozen heavy crates. When opened, they revealed neatly stacked metal ingots with a special luster—the anti-magic metal from the Golden Man.
The Trade Prince immediately stepped forward to inspect the goods and had several Goblins weigh them carefully. It turned out Rhodes had given a full twenty tons—ten tons more than agreed—along with six tons of diamonds. Rhodes then pointed to two "blank" magic ships newly summoned from the town and docked at the shore.
"This is truly surprising, Mr. Rhodes. Your final payment seems to be double what we agreed on. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" the Trade Prince asked, turning to Rhodes.
This was far more than stipulated. Rhodes had already paid a deposit; it seemed this deal was even easier to negotiate than expected.
"There's no mistake. Cooperating with you has been a pleasure. Since you delivered everything on time, I naturally won't be stingy."
"Furthermore, I hope to use this surplus to hire some of your group's people to help us build the city, and perhaps even hire a new batch of bodyguards," Rhodes said with a smile. He planned to head to the Night Elves to participate in the core events of the Third War soon, so he wanted to bolster the camp's defenses before leaving.
"Oh! You are truly generous, Excellency! So it's a new order. No problem! I can organize an engineering team immediately to help you build the town as quickly as possible. It might take a few months or even a year, but if your people help, it will be faster," the Trade Prince said, beaming.
"No problem, Prince. Our people will also help build their own home," Rhodes said.
"That's wonderful! Cooperative success, Mr. Rhodes! As for mercenaries, we can send some Trolls, Ogres, and Goblins. The races might be mixed, so please don't mind. Also, because of your generosity, I'll throw in a bit of gossip for free. There is something very dangerous nearby that you might not know about!" The Trade Prince suddenly lowered his voice and whispered.
"What kind of news is it, Trade Prince?" Princess Calia asked curiously.
"About two hundred kilometers from where you are staying, there is a very hidden cave. Some unique creatures live there... Dragons. Real dragons have been entrenched there for hundreds of years." The Trade Prince gave this information away for free. Since Rhodes was generous, he couldn't be stingy; as a big businessman, he knew not to give up long-term interests for petty gains.
"What? Trade Prince, you... you aren't joking? There's a dragon here?" Princess Calia looked shocked.
"Oh, this is great! I haven't hunted a dragon in ages. Boys, get ready, we've got work to do!" Unlike the Princess, the Dwarves around the camp were instantly excited. Dwarf Riflemen loved one sport above all: dragon hunting.
"Ahem, I must remind you all that this dragon is massive. It's a true Great Dragon. Unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to go near there. The good news is, it shouldn't bother you; in recent years, I've noticed it doesn't seem to be home," said the Trade Prince.
"No, no, absolutely not! Excellency Dwarves, do not go to that cave. I am warning you," Calia said. The Dwarves looked disappointed, as the Princess had just given them a look that clearly forbade dragon hunting.
Rhodes, of course, knew whose lair it was: the famous Black Dragon Princess, Onyxia. Her lair was in this area. After all, every time he used to run the Onyxia's Lair raid, he had to come here. He was very familiar with the place.
The good news was that she was currently in Stormwind, leaving only some whelps and dragonkin guards in the cave. Dragons are known for hoarding treasure; he wondered if she had any good collectibles. Should he take the chance to rob her while she was out?
"Thank you for the warning. Those two magic ships are yours, Prince. As agreed, each can carry twenty thousand people or an equivalent weight in cargo."
"The hull structure is solid, and the core is driven by Titan technology. The operation method is unique; ordinary people can't pilot them, but you can find ways to refit them. Here is how..." Rhodes explained the use of the magic ships in detail.
The team of Goblin engineers brought by the Trade Prince couldn't wait any longer. After receiving a nod from the Prince, they swarmed the ships like sharks smelling blood, using strange instruments to record data and shouting technical jargon. Others pounced on the metal ingots, checking their quality with magnifying glasses, hammers, and even by licking them.
"Perfect! Too perfect! The Titan's creations truly live up to their name!"
"This metal... tsk tsk, its energy and anti-magic properties are treasures for engineering and defense!" He turned to Rhodes, his tone becoming even warmer. "Mr. Rhodes, you are truly the Steamwheedle Cartel's most distinguished friend."
"Yes, cooperative success, Prince," Rhodes reached out his hand again.
"Success, Regent Rhodes!" The Trade Prince shook Rhodes's hand vigorously. "Believe me, choosing Steamwheedle is your wisest decision! We will surely become long-term, stable, and mutually beneficial partners! Whatever you need in Kalimdor—building materials, arms, luxury goods, or... other special services—Steamwheedle can provide!"
Amidst a "harmonious" atmosphere, Goblins began directing laborers to unload mountains of timber, bags of cement, stones, food, dried vegetables, and salted fish from the cargo ships into the human settlement.
Against the backdrop of these towering resources, the group walked toward the site of the future city. The cooperation was highly successful, and the Trade Prince stayed for two days before taking his leave.