After a full two-day journey, the carriage, escorted by four Royal Guards, finally delivered Wayne back to Goldshire just after the clock struck noon.
Why a carriage? Partly because Wayne's injuries hadn't fully healed, and partly because he simply didn't know how to ride a horse. Horsemanship was a skill that required training, and the tuition wasn't cheap.
Goldshire was a town of nearly seven hundred households, with a combined resident and transient population exceeding three thousand. While a mere speck compared to Stormwind City, it was by no means a small cluster of houses.
As the group entered the outskirts of town, they immediately drew the attention of the populace. Not only were the four guards heavily armored, but their warhorses were also draped in full blue-and-white plate mail. One look was enough to identify them as elite warriors from Stormwind.
People began to speculate which high-ranking dignitary had traveled from the city to Goldshire. It wasn't until the convoy passed through the bustling crowds and stopped at the town center that someone realized the truth.
"Could that be Wayne returning?"
"Look! Look! It seems Wayne is back!"
"What? Wayne is back? I have to see!"
"Wayne is back! Wayne is back!"
Slowly, the small plaza in front of the Lion's Pride Inn filled with several layers of people, all gathered to catch a glimpse of him. The four guards hadn't expected the young man they were escorting to have such immense influence in Goldshire.
By this time, Wayne had already hopped down from the carriage and slipped into his net cafe.
The door had been repaired. It appeared someone had reinforced the wooden planks with iron plating around the edges, making the door thicker and sturdier. The lock had been changed too, but with a gentle push, the door swung open—it wasn't locked.
The glasses were arranged neatly, and the screens, chairs, and windows were spotless. The floor had clearly been swept and mopped. The whole place could be described in one word: clean.
Just as he was wondering who had done this, a familiar voice sounded from behind. "Kid, put your keys away."
Wayne didn't need to turn around to recognize that voice. It was his old friend, Andrew. A set of keys was tossed through the air, and Wayne turned to catch them.
By now, the crowd outside realized Wayne was inside and began to swarm around the entrance. A cacophony of whispers filled the air, mostly praising Wayne's prowess and bravery.
"Make way! Make way!"
Dughan had received the news and rushed over with several guards. He forced a path through the crowd while squeezing his way inside. Once he entered, he had the guards gently disperse the onlookers. To a Marshal, order was always the priority.
"Are you all right, kid?"
Squeezing into the net cafe, Dughan immediately grabbed Wayne by the shoulders and looked him up and down.
Wayne grinned. "I'm fine. But Uncle Duhan, shouldn't you salute when you see a Knight?"
Dughan paused. "I..."
The announcement of Wayne being dubbed a Knight had been posted on the town's bulletin board two days ago. The authorities never dragged their feet when it came to morale-boosting news that cost them nothing.
Hearing Wayne's words, the guards behind Dughan beat him to it. They snapped their right hands to their foreheads in a salute. "Sir Wayne, we salute you."
Dughan sighed. According to the law, even as a Marshal, he was indeed required to salute a noble in official settings. Furthermore, if not for Wayne, the losses that night would have been immeasurable. He raised his right hand and performed the salute as well.
Wayne chuckled inwardly. Damn, this feels good.
He gave a brief wave to the crowd outside as a gesture of thanks. With the help of the guards, the crowd gradually dispersed. Wayne and Dughan then shut the door and began to talk.
It turned out that the enemies who raided Goldshire that night included not only Gnolls but also members of the Defias Brotherhood, who had crossed the Nazferiti River from the southwest. The Gnolls attacked the southern entrance of the town, while the Defias hit the west.
This had stretched the understaffed Goldshire guard thin. They were forced to hold the crossroads on both the west and south, trying their best to prevent the enemies from flooding into the town center.
In hindsight, the Defias Brotherhood's move seemed more like a diversion. They tied down the majority of the town's defense on the west, allowing the faster Gnolls to break through the southern line and circle into the town from the southeast.
Dughan updated Wayne on the recovery of the wounded and asked about Wayne's experience that night. His questions were clearly born of concern, unlike the probing nature of Duke Gregor.
Wayne gave his mechanical repetition of the story, still crediting the victory to Willem and the others.
Just as the crowd outside had vanished, the door was pushed open once more. Wayne and Dughan looked over to see the low-level trainers mentioned earlier: Priestess Jyssetta, Mage Zaldimar , and Warrior Lyria.
Lyria shouted, "Mil! We want to play!"
Wayne laughed. "Joining fee is 5 gold, and it's 1 gold per hour."
"No problem! Haha!" The three of them each pulled out 13 gold coins. This was training funding they had applied for from their professional guilds after the battle, intended to help them better protect Goldshire in the future.
Jyssetta added, "He's 'Sir Wayne' now."
To be honest, although the 50 gold reward wasn't a small sum, Wayne still felt the rulers in Stormwind were a bit stingy considering he had almost lost his life. However, being addressed as a "Sir" did make him feel a bit light-headed.
Sir Wayne... Sir Wayne... Lord Wayne!
The title reminded him of the famous "Lord Wei" from fiction. Thinking that he had now become a "Lord Wei" himself, he immediately began daydreaming about having seven wives.
However, once the three trainers sat down to play, Dughan brought him back to reality with a ruthless blow.
Wayne asked, "Didn't the Regent forbid sending troops to attack?"
Dughan explained, "The Gnoll camps are within Elwynn Forest, which is Stormwind's territory. Therefore, this strike is essentially a defensive action. I heard General Marcus has already approved their application."
"That's great news!" Wayne said. "But why wait a month? A week of preparation should be enough, right?"
"Because," Dughan looked at him, "they are waiting for you."
"Waiting for me? For what?!"
"You just got back, so I haven't had a chance to tell you yet," Dughan said. "The Regent's order is for you to lead a strike team in one month to wipe out Hogger and the Gnoll camps in the forest."
Wayne's face was a map of question marks. "WTF???"
He was about to say, "I'm packing my bags and leaving right now," but then Lyria and the others took off their headsets and turned to look at him.
Jyssetta said, "If you give the word, we are willing to march with you."
Zaldimar and Lyria nodded in agreement.
Wayne felt the strength drain out of him. He managed to force a very awkward smile onto his face.