Chapter 21: Blackwater Corporation

"You should temporarily suppress your anger; it serves no purpose other than pushing the nobles to commit extreme acts," Queen Tiffin said, clearly feeling helpless. "Our kingdom has just been reborn; it cannot withstand such turbulence."

"Your Queen is right. If the nobles unite to withhold payment, drastic actions will only lead to more severe consequences," Arthas added.

In truth, the Stonemasons Guild failing to receive their due compensation was inextricably linked to Onyxia. It was this Black Dragon princess who, working from behind the scenes, manipulated many of the nobles who sided with her to refuse to pay for the reconstruction of Stormwind.

Without the support of the nobility, Varian would naturally find himself at odds with them. When the time was right, she only needed to give it a little push to ignite a conflict between the three tiers of society: the King, the nobles, and the common citizens represented by the stonemasons. If her plan succeeded, Stormwind would immediately become precarious, as the mutual distrust and hatred between the classes would soon escalate into a great upheaval that would shake the entire Kingdom of Stormwind.

Onyxia’s series of overt and covert schemes left Varian with almost no place to start and no way to break the deadlock. Should he go after the nobles? The kingdom was filled with deep-rooted aristocratic families. For Varian to target them now offered no chance of success; it would only result in either self-immolation or mutual destruction. Should he go after the Stonemasons Guild? Not to mention that they deserved payment for rebuilding Stormwind, a significant portion of the guild consisted of veterans from the Second War. Refusing to pay them would be equivalent to chilling the hearts of all the people.

Neither party was easy to deal with. As King, Varian could only mediate with extreme caution. Yet, unpaid wages would eventually have to be settled. One day, the balance would be broken, and the entire kingdom risked collapse. This was the Countess’s masterstroke, the most critical link in her entire plan.

Because Stormwind lacked the capital to settle such a massive debt—and was already burdened by foreign debts to other human kingdoms—Varian’s treasury had long been empty. He could find no funds to fill this terrifying void. To break this impasse, he had to wrest the scales of balance from Onyxia’s hands. That required finding someone with wealth rivaling a nation who was also willing to help Stormwind pay this enormous sum.

Regrettably, across the entire Eastern Kingdoms, one could hardly find a handful of humans with such wealth. Even if they had the money, why would they use it to help a kingdom as poor as a church mouse?

"That is the situation. I truly have no other options."

The House of Nobles had collectively decided to withhold wages. Although Varian and Tiffin had strongly opposed it, their efforts yielded little. There was no way around it; Stormwind was simply too poor now, and all the wealth was in the hands of the nobles. Even if Varian emptied his own pockets, he could not produce that many gold coins.

Arthas pondered for a moment and asked, "How much does Stormwind still owe the Stonemasons Guild?"

"About one million gold coins."

This was indeed a staggering sum. One must realize that the annual tax revenue of Lordaeron, the wealthiest of the human kingdoms, was only about that much. An average family’s annual expenses would not exceed five gold coins. Varian had already lost hope of ever paying this debt, but Arthas’s next sentence made him wonder if he had misheard.

"Then, let me pay off all the compensation owed to the Stonemasons Guild for you."

"How can that be?! King Terenas will not agree! And I will not allow you to do this for me!" Varian assumed Arthas intended to use Lordaeron’s treasury to cover his massive debt.

Queen Tiffin, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "Prince Arthas, we appreciate your kindness, but we already owe Lordaeron too much."

Arthas immediately realized the couple had misunderstood. "Do not get the wrong idea. I am not using Lordaeron’s treasury; I am using my own money."

"Your own?!" Varian’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit a tallstrider egg. Since when had his brother become a super-wealthy tycoon? One million gold coins—a sum equal to a kingdom’s yearly taxes—mentioned so casually?

"You must have heard of the Blackwater Traders, haven't you?"

"Of course. They are the largest merchant guild in the entire Eastern Kingdoms. It is said that even the elves trade with them." Varian nodded without hesitation, then seemed to realize something. "Wait, don't tell me... you’re the one behind this?"

Arthas smiled and nodded. "That is correct. The Blackwater Traders are actually a department under the Privy Council, responsible for providing financial support for the entire organization."

Varian’s expression could only be described as blank. He knew Arthas as a prince, but not as a merchant. "When did you learn commerce? Was Uncle Terenas supporting you from the shadows?"

"Not at all. My father has never intervened in the operations of the merchant guild. In truth, I don't know much about it either; I just barely manage to provide for the living expenses of my subordinates."

Arthas might indeed possess commercial knowledge that did not belong to this world, but he did not consider himself to have much talent for business. If it came to trade, one had to find the professionals of this world—the goblins. Shortly after the Privy Council was founded, Arthas had sent people to "invite" a goblin tycoon back. Incidentally, he was a former tycoon whose entire fortune had been swindled away by his rivals. It was only his wit that kept him from owing a debt he could never repay in his lifetime.

However, the goblin was a lucky fellow. After receiving initial funding from Arthas and some advanced economic theories, he became utterly devoted to the Prince, eager to grovel at Arthas's feet for more ways to earn lovely gold coins. The merchant guild he managed spanned the entire continent; they even had trading platforms on the continent of Kalimdor across the sea, a land humans were only just beginning to understand. The goblin, having made a comeback, had even attained the highest title of his race—Trade Prince.

The Blackwater Traders, also known to the goblins as the Blackwater Company, possessed enough wealth to crush any human kingdom with money alone. Yet, on the surface, this behemoth had nothing to do with Lordaeron. In reality, Arthas was the secret master of the guild.

One million was, to the Prince, not a particularly large sum. It might make the money-grubbing Trade Prince ache for a decade or two, but Arthas felt that money sitting unused was just a number, and lending this money was a calculated move.

Receiving Arthas’s firm confirmation, Varian hesitated once more. He was unsure if he was worthy of such aid. "My brother, Stormwind cannot repay you this one million. I cannot accept."

"Do not worry, Varian. You are a wise monarch. You think of your people, and the citizens of Stormwind will support you. I trust my judgment, and I trust you."

Arthas took two magic drafts from his spatial bag—one for one million gold coins and the other for five hundred thousand—and pushed them toward Varian. "Take them. You can cash them at the Blackwater Company’s bank in Stormwind. Consider the extra five hundred thousand a gift for Anduin."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Varian, I am not giving you this million for nothing. You can pay me back later, and I have things I need your help with, so you do not owe me anything."

After a fierce internal struggle, Varian accepted the checks from Arthas. He solemnly promised, "Whatever you intend to ask of me, I will do my utmost."

"Do not be so tense, Varian. But I must first meet with the head of the Stonemasons Guild. Hmm... Edwin VanCleef, was it?"

...

VanCleef was uneasy. He did not know why the noble King had suddenly summoned him. Could it be that he really did not want to pay the wages? Was he being summoned to be secretly disposed of?

Despite having a wife and a newborn daughter, the thought of the difficult lives led by his brothers in the guild made him put on his coat without hesitation and rush to the side chamber of Stormwind Keep.

The King of Stormwind, Varian, had been waiting there for some time. The moment VanCleef entered the side chamber, the royal guards closed the heavy doors. Two guards stood like statues, leaning on their halberds.

The dull thud of the doors felt like a blow to VanCleef’s heart. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Looking at the scene, he feared he was in grave danger today. He only hoped the King would not vent his anger on his wife and child.

However, he did not intend to sit idly by. VanCleef decided that no matter what happened next, he had to explain the pros and cons to the young King. Even if he were to die, he would strive for the rights of his brothers in the Stonemasons Guild and protect the Stormwind he loved so dearly.

"Edwin, I heard that before you were an engineer, you worked for SI:7 for a time?" Varian’s voice was steady and unhurried, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

VanCleef’s heart skipped a beat. This was an investigation into his background. Could it be that King Wrynn had listened to slander and believed he was using his former espionage experience to sow chaos in the kingdom?

"Respected Majesty, I did indeed work for SI:7, but now I am just an ordinary engineer."

"Ordinary? You are far from ordinary. Could an ordinary engineer have built Stormwind so well? Your abilities are anything but ordinary!"

Understanding that he was likely doomed, VanCleef remained silent, contemplating how to respond to Varian.

"Come closer, Edwin. Do not be so restrained. Come, sit next to me." Varian patted an empty seat beside him.

VanCleef looked at the longsword leaning against the armrest of Varian’s chair, wondering if he would be cut down the moment he approached. But he dared not disobey the King’s command, so he walked over and sat down obediently.

"Actually, it wasn't I who wanted to see you today; it is someone else who wishes to meet you. I am just chatting with you while we wait."

Would the next words from the King be to send him to meet the late kings? VanCleef felt a chill, fearing he might be executed before he could even finish speaking.

"Here, you have been wronged these past few months." Varian reached out and picked something up.

VanCleef immediately stood up, knelt on one knee before Varian, and spoke with the utmost urgency, "Your Majesty, you may kill me, but you must think of the others in the Stonemasons Guild! They represent the common people of Stormwind. They abandoned their own fields to come and build this city. Without pay, many of their families will starve to death!"

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