Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

Chapter 34 The Little Liar

"Let's go, you forty-year-old girl." William closed the paper on the table, casually put away the pen and ink, and turned to look at Elaine beside him. "Let's go get something to eat."

Elena was perceptive; her years of wandering had honed her keen observation skills to an exceptional level. In just a few hours, she had completely grasped William's character.

Last night, she curled up in the corner of the tent and slept comfortably all night. She knew very well that she hadn't misjudged him.

This man wasn't just kind-hearted on the surface; he genuinely was that kind of person. In him, Elena saw a quality she had only ever seen in her father—the noble virtues of a knight.

Elena couldn't explain it, but this man, like his father, didn't bully the weak like the others in town did.

After figuring out her boss's background, the lively spirit that a sixteen-year-old girl should have emerged from under layers of disguise.

Simply put, it means we've become familiar with each other.

She no longer lowered her head and shrank back; her eyes became lively, she quickly followed William's steps, and her little mouth gradually became more talkative.

"Boss, let's go to that old tavern at the street corner!" Elena led the way, carefully wrapping her cloak around her as she walked, afraid of touching any dirt. "That place has the most reasonable prices and the biggest portions. All the day laborers in town love to go there; they don't rip off outsiders."

William let her lead the way, following her through the narrow streets and alleys.

As soon as I approached the tavern door, a cacophony of voices assaulted my senses.

The tavern was packed, filled with laborers who had finished their morning's work. There were lumberjacks covered in sawdust and sweat, miners in matching overalls with stone dust on their fingertips, and a few young apprentice mages sitting in small groups, drinking, eating, and laughing loudly, their noise almost lifting the roof off.

The atmosphere at the tables furthest inside the tavern was completely different.

Several adventurers carrying swords and shields sat there. The surrounding workers instinctively avoided that area, and even if there were empty seats nearby, no one went forward to sit down, their aloofness undisguised.

Ordinary people earn a living by physical labor, while these adventurers live off commissions; they are from completely different worlds.

The two found an empty corner seat by the window, avoiding the noisiest crowd, so they could clearly observe the activity throughout the tavern.

"Mr. Ali Khan, I'll have a cup of hot milk and two flatbreads, that'll do." Elena rattled off her order with practiced ease, resting her chin on her hands and looking at the tavern waiter with sparkling eyes.

"Oh, it's you. Found another job?" the tavern waiter said, glancing at William. "And you, sir?"

William glanced at Elaine and said to the tavern waiter, "Two cups of hot milk, four flatbreads, and a roasted pork leg."

Elena was taken aback for a moment, then quickly looked up to dissuade them: "That's too much, boss! We can't finish it all! Besides, roasted pork leg is very expensive; it'll cost several dozen copper coins more..."

"I'll eat what you can't finish," William interrupted her casually, his gaze falling on her petite figure. He couldn't help but say, "You're too thin. You only reach my chest when you stand in front of me. Eat more meat to help you grow taller."

"Okay, boss. You insisted on this, so don't dock my pay." Elaine rested her chin on her hand and smiled at William. "Boss, why don't you ever smile? You're so young, why do you always have such a long face?"

"..." William glanced at her, then turned his gaze to the diverse group of people in the tavern. "All your new clothes were bought with an advance on your salary. You don't actually think I'm a good person, so kind as to buy you clothes for free, do you?"

"No, boss. I'm an honest person, I know these things. I'll pay you back later, but I'm short of money right now, so please don't deduct any from my pay." As he spoke, the half-elf looked at his boss's profile and made small talk.

"Boss, you look very young. Are you older than me? I'm..." Elena said, sounding a little deflated, "...forty..."

"Yes," William nodded in agreement, glancing at the adventurers in the distance, "Half-elves are really something. They look only sixteen, but they're already forty. You wouldn't believe it, you really wouldn't..."

Elena looked miserable, paying the price for concealing her age.

Before long, the steaming hot food was served.

The sizzling roasted pork leg, its skin crispy and the fat dripping slowly from the muscle fibers, filled the air with an intense, meaty aroma. Hot milk, steaming in a clear glass, wafted out, while a soft wheat tortilla, broken open, released its enticing fragrance.

Elaine was starving, but she still looked up at her boss. William nodded, then grabbed a pork leg and started gnawing on it.

After a few bites, she wasn't so hungry anymore. The girl's eating became more docile. She stopped wolfing down her food and consciously controlled herself so the owner wouldn't see her looking disheveled. After chewing a few bites of grilled meat, she ignored William's cold gaze, moved closer to him, lowered her voice, and carefully complained about the tavern.

"Boss, actually the grilled meat at this tavern isn't good at all."

"Wasn't this the person you introduced?"

"But I've never eaten meat here before. I mean, their food is cheap."

"The cooking time was poorly controlled; the meat inside wasn't marinated enough and was a bit tough to chew."

William, noticing her furtive pout and disgusted expression, asked curiously, "So how do you usually survive here?"

"How do we survive? By relying on good people like you, boss." The half-elf tore off a piece of pork leg and chewed on it, then took a sip of milk while eating. "Actually, yesterday, when I was looking for work at the gate, I could tell you were a newbie the moment you walked in."

"Pa huo?" William looked at her in surprise. This was gang slang. This girl wasn't being honest.

"Ah..." Elena laughed awkwardly, "It was a slip of the tongue, boss. You know, someone like me, how could I live here without connections?"

"I just... do some informant work part-time for the local thieves' guild."

Well, he'd been fooled again. William was utterly speechless.

"So what do we do now?" William tapped his fingers on the table, quietly watching the anxious half-elf. "You lied to me. I bought you a whole outfit. I didn't expect you to actually be a street thug."

"No, boss. I'm not lying to you," Elena quickly waved her hand, then said apologetically, "I just feel that staying here is too boring, and I want to go to a big city to see. Since you're going to Stormwind Kingdom anyway, I was thinking if I could go with you."

"Initially, I just wanted to scam some food from you."

William chuckled in exasperation, pointing his index finger at her repeatedly. The half-elf quickly dropped the pork leg she was holding, grabbed William's finger with her lard-covered hand, and pressed it back, saying, "But this time I really, really want to be your assistant."

"You are a good person, you are truly a good person. That's why I chose you and went with you."

William looked at Elaine's pitiful expression and her bright, blinking eyes, and his heart softened again.

"So what you said about your background before, was that also a lie?"

"How could that be, boss?" Elaine released William's hand, sheepishly pulling out a handkerchief from somewhere to wipe the oil off her clothes. "How can anyone believe you if you don't tell the truth?"

Sigh...what a little liar.

Half-elves are indeed teeming with liars!

For a moment, William was so angry that he didn't want to say anything.

"Boss? Don't be angry, boss?" Elaine leaned closer to William, grinning at him. "You're too honest, boss."

"Can you tell me what you're really thinking?" William suddenly sighed. "I'm an honest man, don't lie to me anymore."

"I just want to leave here and go to Stormwind with you," Alaini looked at William innocently. "I don't have a home here anymore, and Lordaeron holds no place for me. I want to go see the capital of Stormwind, the largest city in the Eastern Kingdoms."

"So, do you still stand by what you said before?"

"Of course it counts!" Elena held out her calloused hands. "Look at my hands, do I look like a lazy person?"

"During my five years of wandering, I mostly cooked for myself over a fire. I've dealt with gray bears, forest wolves, wild rabbits, and so on. Whether you want grilled meat, stewed soup, or braised meat, boss, I can make it! My grilled meat is much better than anything in this tavern!"

She spoke earnestly, with a firm tone and an unusually serious expression.

William dared not trust her so easily again. But having been tricked into spending so much money on her, he was really upset if he didn't get it back.

"Alright then, you little liar. I'll believe you for now," William said helplessly, rubbing his forehead and grabbing a glass of hot milk, which he downed in one gulp. "Don't let me down."

"No problem! I'll cook when we go camping in the wild!" Elena patted her chest, taking on the task willingly. "It's my job anyway; I'm your assistant. You just pay for it, I'll handle the rest!"

Seeing her grinning at him, William said, still annoyed, "Fine. But the gray bears and wolves of Silverpine Forest are not to be trifled with. They also want to taste a living person. Bears love to hunt and eat people alive. Since you're small and have delicate skin, they'll definitely eat you first, and then it'll be my turn last."

Upon hearing this, Elena stopped eating her meat, pouted slightly, and muttered in a soft, coquettish tone, "That's fine too."

"If I get eaten by a bear, I won't have to live a life of wandering around and not knowing where my next meal will come from anymore."

"No need to hide from ill-intentioned people, no need to worry about going hungry, and no need to read other people's faces or guess their thoughts. How easy it is."

These words, though seemingly pessimistic, revealed the hardships she had endured during her years of homelessness.

Looking at her seemingly carefree face, William's anger subsided considerably, and he stopped teasing her.