Reforged Chapter 33: Care for a Bet?
The dock before them was narrow and cluttered.
The area was filled with noise and a strong fishy smell, making Windsor frown involuntarily. If it wasn't for the occasional fish in his meals, Windsor wouldn't have even known that Stormwind had a dock specifically for fishermen.
The not-so-wide wooden dock extended from the sandy shore to just under forty steps from the water's edge. Small fishing boats were all that could be seen. Many of the dock's wooden planks were rotten, with numerous holes. Stepping on them produced dangerous creaking sounds, and one could easily twist an ankle if not careful.
Only in the distance was there a slightly larger stone dock, which served as the exclusive military harbor for the Stormwind royal navy. The scale of the royal navy was just slightly better than that of the Great Mongolian navy, but both were the kind of forces that would be ridiculed if they dared to claim, "My conquest is the stars and the sea."
Three medium-sized armed sailing ships, that was the entirety of the Stormwind Kingdom's navy. Although well-maintained, Duke could see that the paint on the ships was freshly applied, with new recruits currently scrubbing the deck under an officer's supervision.
Still, Duke's impression was that the navy was weak—far too weak!
In Duke's mind, an image involuntarily emerged.
Countless orcs, like a massive, swift green wave, swept through every street in Stormwind. The Stormwind guards bravely fought back in the middle of the road, but against the absolute strength of the orc infantry, every line of defense was like paper mâché. If they didn't retreat in time, they'd be swept up in the orcish tide, crushed into dust.
The tall, incredibly strong orcs caused a series of terrifying earthquakes. The Trade District, Mage Quarter, and Stormwind Keep... all the buildings were easily destroyed and collapsed like dominoes. All humans either became orc prisoners or were buried along with Stormwind as sacrifices.
All land routes were heavily blocked by the orc army, leaving the ocean as the only lifeline for the Stormwind Kingdom's escape.
One of the seven human kingdoms, the maritime kingdom of Kul Tiras, sent a massive fleet to assist Stormwind in evacuating its citizens and military. However, the small size of the dock hindered the speed of the retreat.
This was the first great disaster in the thousand-year history of the human world of Azeroth— all because of a lousy dock.
That's why, after the second rebuilding of Stormwind, the city had a huge dual-use port for both military and civilians—Stormwind Harbor!
But at this moment, this place was merely a fisherman's dock that wouldn't even be marked on the city map.
Duke was disappointed.
It wasn't just that he couldn't get a boat for a while; even if he did, there wouldn't be any use for it because the dock was too small. And having too many boats would also be a problem.
What did a small mage want with a fleet more extravagant than the royal navy?
A suitable reason was needed!
In his mind, Duke quickly adjusted his plans.
"Let's go! First, to the shipyard."
With a puzzled Windsor, Duke arrived at the small shipyard next to Stormwind's dock.
The shipyard wasn't big.
A hunchbacked old man, bare-chested and revealing a muscular body showing no signs of aging, saw Duke approaching. It took him several seconds to react, and he bowed respectfully.
...
After all, the combination of a young mage in a mage's robe with an official mage emblem and a young knight candidate in full military attire was exceptionally rare in this area.
"Good morning, respected mage. What can Jackson do for you?"
"How big of a ship can you build? I mean the biggest one." Duke pointed directly at the royal fleet docked in the military harbor. "Can you build one that big?"
Old Jackson hesitated for a moment, then bitterly smiled. "That's impossible. Even Stormwind's warships are ordered from Kul Tiras. We can only build small fishing or cargo ships of a few dozen tons for nearshore use."
"Alright! I'll take ten!" Duke decided on the spot.
At this remark, everyone stared in disbelief, not just Old Jackson, but even the accompanying Windsor.
"Wait!" Windsor practically dragged Duke out of the shipyard and pulled him to a deserted area.
"Sir Marcus, the money is yours, and I have no intention of questioning how you spend it. But if you're planning to build ships as an investment, even as a knight candidate dedicated to honing my martial skills, I must warn you that you're doomed to lose!"
"Oh?!" Duke wore an intriguing expression. "Why do you say that?"
"For the sake of wise King Llane, abandon this terrible idea. I know your mage studies require a lot of money, and I know that most of the existing money-making industries in Stormwind City have been occupied by the nobles. But you can't waste your money on ships." Windsor exaggeratedly waved his arms, using his most expressive body language to convey the seriousness of the matter.
"Go on."
"Only the poor are willing to eat fish that are both fishy and smelly; the nobles don't eat them. Similarly, building small cargo ships of a few dozen tons is pointless. In the nearshore waters where such small ships can go, there isn't even a decent town. To whom will you sell your cargo? As soon as you leave these nearshore waters, you'll be swarmed by the cursed naga and murlocs."
Duke remained silent with a smile.
Growing more anxious, Windsor continued, "It's not like there are no merchant ships coming. In fact, only the Kul Tiras merchant fleet comes once a year, and they dock at the military harbor. They come to dump the goods from Lordaeron that couldn't be sold locally to the Stormwind City nobles."
Upon hearing this, Duke had a moment of enlightenment.
At this moment, Stormwind Kingdom was still seen as a remote and impoverished place in the eyes of the nobles from the major human kingdoms on the continent. In fact, if it weren't for the various invasions in the future, and the Scourge turning the human kingdoms north of Stormwind City into undead wastelands, who would have predicted that Stormwind Kingdom would become the safest and most powerful haven for humanity?
"Duke! Listen to me, unless you can make money from those nobles, no side business you engage in can possibly satisfy the gold needed for your magical training. That's why so many mages become court mages or exclusive mages to nobles..."
Duke suddenly laughed, his smile radiant. "Windsor, how about we make a bet?"
"Another bet? You're already on the verge of losing everything."
"Indeed, whether it's for my personal training or for expansion, I need a lot of money. So let's bet that I can make 500 gold coins within three months. If I can't, then it just proves that this is the extent of my abilities, and I'll let you return to Lothar as a knight candidate under his tutelage."
Windsor suddenly had an ominous premonition. "And if you win?"
"First of all, I'll call you Reggie from now on; your name is too long and troublesome."
"..."
"Then, you'll follow me from now on. I'll show you who the real hope and future of Stormwind Kingdom are."
...