Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

The news of the player being publicly hanged caused an uproar outside the game.

The forums were in complete chaos, with some cursing the official team for being insane, others applauding, and still others threatening to quit the game in protest. But within Azeroth, the world never stopped moving forward.

Elune's updates are still progressing silently.

This update was announced without warning; it simply and quietly brought a class long buried in the ruins of Lordaeron back into the sunlight.

The morning chill still lingered over the city, and William, as usual, began his daily patrol with his soldiers.

The new city had only been built for a little over a month, yet the streets were still bustling with activity. Vendors pushed wooden carts and hawked their wares, while ordinary people hurried along carrying timber. Occasionally, groups of out-of-town players would take photos of the street scenes with their cameras. Everything was just as it had always been.

But as the patrols continued, near the city's outskirts, layers upon layers of makeshift shacks, piled up by the poor themselves, resembled sores on a multitude. These makeshift shacks were even worse than those in the city's slums.

They are like lesions in the city, continuously spreading and fermenting, giving rise to things that no one can explain.

A wide avenue cut through the chaotic area. Poverty-stricken people, dressed only in short shirts, walked along both sides of the street; they had no shoes, only tattered cloths tied to their feet. Some didn't even have a cloth, walking barefoot on the cobblestones.

In the middle of the road, where William himself was walking, everyone was dressed in clean clothes, and most of them had a pair of clean boots.

The two groups of people, one inside the road and the other outside, were clearly separated into propertied and propertyless groups. They walked quietly on their own paths, neither interfering with nor subordinate to the other, nor exchanging words. It was as if the two groups did not live in the same world.

William initially didn't know why this was happening; he had no prior knowledge of it. It wasn't until one of his new recruits was among them that William realized the reason.

"Those who walk in the middle, they can afford to pay, so they can walk in the middle of the road." The recruit saw the puzzled look on William's face. "Those who can't walk on the main road are washerwomen, maids, porters, scavengers, prostitutes, apprentices, and so on. Just like I used to be."

"They are all free immigrants, and there are no suitable jobs for them in the city anymore. They are not allowed to walk on the main road because they didn't have the money to donate when the road was built."

William was somewhat confused by the recruits' remarks. It seemed that they thought the world was like that, which was completely different from the information he had received from strangers.

The poor people in front of him were all emaciated and sallow, and they reeked of foul odors. Their eyes darted around furtively at him, making William feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Just then, the sound of orderly hooves came from afar.

A dozen horses trotted the ground simultaneously, their heavy, orderly rhythm carrying an oppressive aura that drew nearer from afar, gradually silencing the sounds on the street.

William looked up and saw a long line slowly entering the city at the end of the street.

At the forefront were two rows of armored warriors, dressed in bright silver armor with gold emblems tattooed on their chests, holding long spears and pointing them diagonally at the ground, their expressions cold and hard.

In the center of the procession were seven or eight ornately decorated carriages, their carriages painted dark brown and gilded. The wheels were covered in rubber, so there wasn't a single bump when they rolled over the stone road. The curtains were made of thick velvet, with gold thread embroidered on the edges, swaying gently in the wind.

Along both sides of the convoy, servants dressed in uniform and carrying short sticks at their waists would immediately glare at and shove away any civilians who got too close.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way! Don't you have eyes?"

"You lowly wretch in front, get to the side of the road!"

The common people turned pale with fright. Whether they were vendors carrying loads or women holding children, they all scurried to the wall in a panic, heads bowed and barely daring to breathe. Some even knelt down by the roadside, their hands pressed to the ground, their backs bent like bows.

In the presence of nobles, commoners did not even have the right to look them in the eye.

William stood in the middle of the street, his brows slightly furrowed.

He was a regular soldier with a rank in the Scarlet Crusade, responsible for maintaining order, not a vassal of any nobleman. According to military regulations, he only needed to stand at attention and salute, and did not need to kneel and prostrate like a commoner.

He gripped the long sword at his waist, stood still, and prepared to give the standard salute as the caravan passed by.

But just as the caravan reached him, the central, ornately decorated carriage suddenly stopped.

The carriage curtain was lifted by a hand adorned with jeweled rings, and a pale-faced, arrogant middle-aged man peeked out. He wore an expensive silk coat with lace trim at the collar, his hair was meticulously combed, and his expression carried an innate contempt, as if everything he saw was filthy.

He glanced at William, who was standing alone in the middle of the road, and his eyes instantly turned cold.

"Who are you?" A servant immediately rushed over, acting arrogantly, and said, "Why don't you bow to the Earl?"

William didn't reply. He stepped forward half a step and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I am Sergeant William, the sheriff of this area. I am responsible for patrolling this region. As is customary, a glance at you is sufficient."

"Military regulations? What military regulations? The Royal Army of Lordaeron is long gone," the man scoffed, as if he'd heard a joke, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "Or are you referring to the private armies of the Church of the Holy Light?"

"In Lordaeron, the will of the nobles is the rule. What gives you, a lowly commoner with no status, the audacity to refuse me?"

"I'm giving you a chance to pledge your allegiance to me, otherwise..."

A nearby armored warrior immediately stepped forward, his hand on his sword hilt, and shouted sternly, "Kneel! This is Lord Karen, the hereditary Earl of Lordaeron! How dare you, a mere sergeant, disobey the Earl? Kneel down now!"

William stood straight, keeping his gaze level with the Earl's neck and below, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, I am on military duty and cannot leave my post, much less perform any etiquette that would be beneath a soldier's dignity. Please forgive me."

William had been trained by Herod, and he clearly remembered Herod's words: "When encountering troublesome nobles, it's one thing if you're not carrying out military duties. But if you kneel down while carrying out military duties, it's tantamount to surrendering your arms, causing dereliction of duty, and ultimately violating the rules of our Scarlet Crusade."

"I cannot forgive you," Count Karen said indifferently, his tone equally cold. "A lowly commoner who knows no respect is unworthy to guard this divinely bestowed city."

He raised a finger and casually ordered, "Whip him. Let him remember what status is."

The knights beside him immediately obeyed, strode forward, and surrounded William.

William's eyes flashed with anger, and he instinctively tried to resist. But he was quickly pinned to the ground by the elite warriors around him, whose average level was 65 or higher.

Amid the indifferent gazes of the surrounding poor, and as the warriors were about to remove his armor, a commotion suddenly arose on the outskirts of the crowd.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"What right do you have to hit someone?!"

A dozen or so strangers pushed through the crowd and rushed over.

Just kidding. As players from out of town, what are we? We were just quietly watching a cutscene, a live drama.

Who would have thought that you, a damn nobleman, would actually try to hit our internet celebrity?!

What makes you think you're some kind of noble? Huh? You dare to pull this on us!

Having long been disgusted by the arrogant attitude of the nobles, he couldn't hold back any longer when he saw William being publicly humiliated.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere in Lord Karen's affairs?" the guards beside Earl Karen shouted sternly.

"We are outsiders! We are not afraid of you!" A warrior player stepped forward, blocking William's path. "He's a soldier, why should he kneel before you? Who do you think you are?"

"Guards! Move!" Count Cullen, his face pale with rage, pointed at the crowd. "Take down these madmen! Kill them without mercy!"

The surrounding noble guards immediately drew their swords, their blades flashing coldly.

The players were equally determined, drawing their weapons one after another. Mages began chanting, and hunters drew their bows and aimed, and the scene was about to erupt into battle.

William gritted his teeth and abruptly broke free from the noble guards who were about to let go. He immediately stepped forward, standing between the two sides, and shouted in a deep voice, "Stop!"

Count Cullen's guards are all elites level 65 or higher, while the stranger is only level 60. If a fight breaks out, the situation will be one-sided.

A stranger will lose a level if they die, while a member of the guard will permanently lose their life.

On one side are hereditary nobles, and on the other are emotionally charged outsiders, all fighting for themselves. Once war breaks out, neither side will back down easily. Ultimately, the newly established order in this new city will collapse completely in an instant.

The number of strangers is countless, endless, and extremely united. They will wreak havoc on the city in retaliation for the arrogance of the nobles.

As the city's administrators, the nobles will undoubtedly have the Scarlet Crusade label outsiders as unwelcome in the city, thus completely severing the relationship between the city and the outsiders.

William obtained the complete historical story of the Scarlet Crusade from people in other lands.

It's entirely possible that the two sides could engage in a great war, just like in history. In the end, the Scarlet Crusade would continue its isolation, cutting off all communication with the outside world, and gradually disappearing, just like the history of the Strangers' world.

Neither side should resort to violence.

Thinking of this, he looked at Count Cullen. William suppressed his anger and bowed his head, saying, "My lord, this is a new city established by our Scarlet Crusade, and it is under our jurisdiction. We have not received any support from any forces in Lordaeron. On the contrary, as you have seen, those who support us are... the lowly people you speak of."

"It was they who built this city brick by brick. It was they who kept this city running with their own hands. They made their small contribution to restoring the glory of Lordaeron."

"We may not be of noble birth as you, but we also have the right to live on this land." He paused, lowering his voice further, yet still clearly audible, "Right now, this city has no nobles, yet it functions perfectly..."

Earl Cullen looked at William with a terrifyingly sinister gaze.

In his eyes, soldiers like William, who came from humble backgrounds, were no different from roadside weeds; he could trample on them or pull them out whenever he wanted.

He hadn't been talked back to like that in a long time.

The surrounding civilians all kept their heads down, but secretly watched this scene out of the corner of their eyes.

Count Cullen took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

He had just rushed back from Stormwind, and his immediate priority wasn't to waste time here. Instead, he needed to quickly communicate with the Crusader leadership and seize more power.

As for the person in front of me, and these lawless strangers... there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with them later.

He stared coldly at William and said, word by word:

"Okay. Very good."

"I'll remember you."

"You will pay the price for your arrogance."

After saying that, he abruptly pulled down the carriage curtain, his voice coming coldly from inside the carriage:

"Walk!"

The sound of hooves rang out again, and the caravan moved slowly forward. As they passed William, Earl Cullen's eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were fixed on him through a gap in the curtain.

Only after the convoy had driven far away did the civilians on the street dare to slowly straighten up, stealing glances at William as they walked away into the distance.

The players who had just stepped forward surrounded them.

"William, are you alright?"

"It's 2026 already, and there are still these feudal old-fashioned things!"

"Why did Elune update these things too? Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

"Hmm, logically speaking, wouldn't this fit the medieval setting better?"