When the colonel mentioned telling the king about this matter yesterday, he didn't really have a strong sense of it. Although he was thinking that maybe the king would really give him some rewards or something, he didn't expect to actually meet the king in person.
Speaking of which, Varian Wrynn really wants to be a good king.
At the beginning of the 60s version in the game, Varian had been split into two personalities by the dark magic of Onyxia, the black dragon princess who had infiltrated Stormwind. One maintained Varian's original fighting spirit and courage but was abandoned. The other was kind but unconditionally obedient to the noblewoman Katrana Prestor, who was actually Onyxia in disguise, and became a puppet for the black dragon to control Stormwind's politics.
In the end, the black dragon didn't even want this puppet anymore.
So, until the early stage of the 80s version when Varian regained his throne and his complete personality and killed the black dragon princess, he actually had no sense of presence. People would default that before he recovered, he was an incompetent puppet king.
But after actually living in Stormwind for a while, Jes found that he had overlooked Varian Wrynn before Onyxia's arrival.
At this time, he was still a good king, at least he wanted to be a good king. Not only was he constantly thinking of ways to solve problems such as refugees, bandits, and insufficient food supply left over from the war, but after the border stronghold was attacked, he even took the risk to come here in person to stabilize the morale of the troops and boost morale. This was enough to show that he still wanted to do something. However, when that female black dragon really arrives, Stormwind and this king may enter the tragic stage that is familiar to game players and has no sense of presence.
That night, when Jes was practicing sword with the soldiers in the yard, a noble-looking man in his thirties was led to him by a guard.
"Mr. Jes Seso?"
"It's me. And you are?"
"Baron Gray Allian. Secretary to King Varian. We don't have much time. I still have to return to Lakeshire as soon as possible. So let's skip those boring formalities and get straight to the point. Do you know that you will meet the king tomorrow?"
"I know, Your Excellency the Baron." Jes replied.
He heard that Varian's wife, Queen Tiffin Wrynn, was from the Allian family. This was a noble family with a small piece of territory in Westfall. He didn't know what relationship this person had with the queen.
"Since the king will rush here from Lakeshire early tomorrow morning, I must tell you some precautions for meeting the king in advance... Because the king will have some exchanges with you then. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand."
Hearing what the baron said, Jes was relieved a bit.
After all, he didn't know any etiquette for meeting the king at all. He didn't even know the etiquette for meeting nobles. He treated everyone with whatever etiquette he could think of. But when dealing with ordinary people, such as shopkeepers or even mages, everyone could just muddle through. But if it was a real noble, such as the king, it might cause trouble.
The baron led Jes into a small room in a corner inside the fortress. He looked at Jes's clothes and said, "Were you wearing these clothes when you were fighting the gnolls?"
"Yes."
"Very good. Meet the king in these clothes. It doesn't matter if they are a bit old and torn."
After the baron finished speaking, he began to look Jes up and down. Jes thought that this new clothes he had just bought not long ago, why are they a bit old and torn?
He didn't damage these clothes when fighting the gnolls, did he?
However, when he fought the orc shaman a few days ago, his lightning magic did burn a hole in the back. But in Azeroth, is a hole in clothes still a big deal?
A hole in the face is not even a big deal!
"Is the injury on your hand better?" the baron asked again.
"It's much better. Thank you for your concern, baron."
"I'm not concerned about your hand. I mean your bandage."
"Eh, do I need to take it off?"
"No need. Don't take it off. Keep it on. Meet the king like this. Very good." The baron held Jes's wrist and said softly, "The burn is not light. It's very effective. Good." Looking at his eyes, Jes really wanted to punch him in the face.
"By the way." The baron suddenly turned around and said, "Don't shake hands with the king. Don't wave to the king. Before the king comes to you, don't say anything or do any actions on your own initiative. Keep silent. When the king comes to you, bow. Just a slight bow. Don't bump into the king's chest. Then address him as Your Majesty. The king will ask you actively, what's your name? Or, are you the civilian hero who saved Stone Fort? Only then say your name or say that you are that person."
"I almost remember."
"Pay attention to your attitude. Don't just almost remember. Remember firmly." The baron said, "Since you are the hero who saved Stone Fort, I am willing to tell you some words that should not be told to outsiders from the bottom of my heart, Mr. Jes Seso. The king is a young man about your age. He can even be said to be a child. He has just returned to Stormwind not long ago and is determined to build His Majesty Ryan's great legacy as powerful as Lordaeron. And an important prerequisite for all this is that everyone must believe that he can do it. So, he doesn't want any mistakes. You should understand how sensitive a boy of this age is. He just returned from Lordaeron. He has met King Terenas II and also seen the one who is loved and blessed by the seven kingdoms."
Is this the image of Varian Wrynn in the eyes of others when he was young?
Jes nodded obediently.
"Now let's get to the point." The baron's expression became serious. He sat on a wooden chair beside him and looked up at this side.
Haven't we gotten to the point yet? What else is there? Could it be that Varian Wrynn will think that Jes is extremely heroic for defeating a large group of gnolls, so he plans to have a live duel with him?
"Don't daydream. Concentrate and listen to me, Mr. Jes Seso." The baron said seriously, "In the end, King Varian will ask you what reward you want or what wish you want to fulfill. As a hero of the Stormwind Kingdom... He will try his best to meet your request."
So it's this!
Goodness. A lot of ideas have already popped up in Jes's mind.
"Is it possible to have a house?" he blurted out.
"By the Holy Light. Look at the trouble you've brought me." The baron raised his eyebrows and said, "Duke Bolvar sent me here to talk to you first. It really fully reflects the acumen of an old politician. Otherwise, there will really be a big mistake."
"If you say it like this, can the king refuse you? He is a young man under twenty years old. He is full of passion for everything but knows nothing about everything. At that time, he will agree happily. Then I will have to find a house for you to live in a place as expensive as Stormwind. I will have to haggle and quarrel with those nobles. Until I annoy all the nobles who own properties, I may not be able to find an ideal place for you. If I really take a small piece of house from a minor noble and give it to you, do you think you can live in peace? Can you still live in Stormwind? Those guys are all damn vampires. They will never let go of any interests. Even if the kingdom is in danger!"
Jes had a feeling that this guy didn't seem to be complaining because of his own affairs.
The baron said helplessly, "Make some more realistic requests. Or you can mention something else. I'll discuss the possibilities with you. I think you should set your request within the range that can be fulfilled with 10 gold coins."
"Then 10..."
"10 gold coins won't do." He said resolutely, "Vulgar gold should not be the wish that a hero of the kingdom should make. More realistically, the royal family can't afford to give you 10 gold coins for free anymore, sir. Now we may not even be able to pay the wages of the Stonemasons' Brotherhood."
At this point, the baron suddenly felt that he had said too much. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and said, "It should be affordable. In short, don't cause trouble for the royal family."
Jes thought for a while and said, "Then, I want to enter the Wizard's Sanctum."
"What do you mean? Aren't you already an assistant to that what's-his-name, Marin?" the baron asked.
"An assistant is not an apprentice. I want to become a mage apprentice and learn magic." Jes explained.
"I don't understand." The baron frowned and asked, "Isn't an assistant an apprentice? Does it mean that those young people recruited by the wizards in the Wizard's Sanctum to run errands and work for the mages actually don't even have the right to learn magic? What's the logic?!"
Jes explained, "An assistant is just someone who works. To become an apprentice, either you have to be recruited when you are a little over ten years old, or you must have undiscovered talent. I am much older and don't have any special talent. But my yearning for magic..."
"I think this should be fine. Isn't it just an apprentice quota? Can't such a large mage district accommodate an apprentice?" Gray Allian stood up from the stool with a smile and said, "I will report to Duke Bolvar Fordragon. This is a good request. A hero who has defeated the despicable gnoll invasion attempt is diligent and seeking knowledge. He wants to become a mage and continue to serve the kingdom. Ah, this can almost be written into a story."
"But, I think for those scholars in the Wizard's Sanctum, if you don't achieve any results inside and fail their assessment, even if you enter there by the king's grace, you won't be promoted to a full-fledged mage through connections. You still have to rely on your own efforts to continue."
"I understand, baron." Jes said.
"Very good. Then that's almost it."
The baron taught him some necessary lines again. Finally, he patted his clothes and walked out of the room. Looking back, he added, "No need to see me off. I'm still in a hurry to return to Lakeshire to report the situation."