The Great Thief

"Don’t you already know the reason why I’m here?" Thermaplugg was relieved. Although this force of nature wouldn’t kill him, it was constantly eroding away at his energy.

"Yes, I saw the ring," Zaetar answered, instantly understanding.

"That child – he took the ring. It seems like you don’t have a chance anymore," Thermaplugg said as he sniffed the cup in front of him and carefully took a sip.

"I don’t have a chance, but neither does he," Zaetar retorted angrily.

The Supreme Ring!

In order to stop Illidan from obtaining the ring, he even tempted him to focus on magic. The two brothers fought for so long, but the ring had fallen into the hands of a nameless little ant. Zaetar thought that he would be angry and upset, but he actually didn’t feel much of anything.

He just told himself that anyone would be ok, as long as it wasn’t Remulos.

"If the ring is here, then Malfurion would be able to receive the coordinates and come out from the Emerald Dream. You’d be able to know the whereabouts of Cenarius," Thermaplugg suggested in anticipation.

"I’ve never guaranteed you this, Thermaplugg, but Malfurion would be the best chance for finding out the location of my father," Zaetar said reluctantly.

In the eyes of his Demigod father, Malfurion was the only one he could trust, besides the Queen of the dream.

Even his brother, the one that his father was impressed by, didn’t know his father’s whereabouts after the war ended. Thinking back, it had been years since they had seen him.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the Emerald Dream still seemed calm, Zaetar would have suspected that he had died.

"I’ve been waiting for this day for too long," Thermaplugg said as he pulled his mask back on. Even with the healing from Zaetar, his face was still unbearable.

Leper Gnomes!

This was one of the greatest prices the Gnomes had ever paid.

At least half of the Gnomes were affected by the bomb and had been constantly dealing with the torture of leprosy. No one could save them, not even the Moon Priestess, but Thermaplugg believed that Cenarius could.

If Cenarius couldn’t, then perhaps they would have to find Elune.

"That adventurer, Lu Li...Were you the one who took him into Ravenholdt Manor?" Zaetar asked after a short silence between the two.

"It was purely an accident. He only just recently knew about this new person. This little one is very lucky, but unfortunately, he’s an adventurer," Thermugg’s answered, his face filled with remorse.

"Don’t look down on adventurers. The little team of adventurers that you sent cleared out Maraudon and killed my wife," Zaetar replied coldly.

"It’s only an illusion. Regards to Nozdormu," Thermugg said as he raised his glass and almost finished the wine in one gulp. Luckily, he reacted in time and spat the golden liquid back out. Then, he pulled out a wine bottle and poured all the wine back in.

Zaetar pushed the cup of golden liquid in front of him aside.

"You should take it back; I have no use for these things. If I receive any news about father, I’ll inform you immediately."

"Thank-you Zaetar. You were the one who saved my life."

This golden liquid was very effective for his leprosy, and was probably the only effective thing too.

"It’s been so many years. This is the first time I’ve heard you express your gratitude," Zaetar said as he waved his branch like arm and drew a magic circle on the floor. Vine-like plants spawned from the magic circle and wrapped themselves around him as they dragged him back underground. The plants that were left quickly withered and turned into ashes.

Thermaplugg – once The Great Tinkerer – rested himself on the stone table as soon as Zaetar left. It didn’t take long until he began to moan in pain.

Then, he called for a waitress.

"Sir."

The waitress didn’t dare look at Thermaplugg, although his position wasn’t particularly high and he never displayed his angry side.

"Good work this time, and thank-you," Thermaplugg said as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

Perhaps it was because the disease never stopped torturing him, but even someone as powerful as himself couldn’t refrain from expressing weakness.

"It’s a part of my duty. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?"

The waitress didn’t look down on Thermaplugg for his actions; she knew that everyone in Ravenholdt Manor wasn’t as ordinary as they looked.

Many people thought that Thermaplugg betrayed his own kin and allowed the invasion to occur.

Thermaplugg had once stated that Gnomes didn’t need to bother the outside world with their problems. Most of them thought that he wanted to ruin the reputation of Mekkatorque so that he could become the first true king in four hundred years to rule over the Gnomes.

It was Thermaplugg who used the bomb to destroy the halls of Gnomeregan and kill the Rockjaw. If any Gnomes were to die in the process, it would be a sacrifice for saving their race. Afterwards, he trapped himself in the ruins of Gnomeregan with a bunch of crazy Leper Gnomes and fulfilled his sweet dreams of being a king.

In reality, he had already become a long-serving member of the Ravenholdt Manor.

Ravenholdt Manor supplied him with precious engineering recipes, which allowed him to become The Great Tinker so quickly. This was an organization that had survived through the passing of time and had such a vast, yet unapparent influence over Azeroth.

Everything in the game continued in silence; no one knew anything that had happened. Lu Li had already brought his sister back to Jiangnan city, which was his real hometown.

This was the place where he was born and where he grew up, regardless if the memories were good or bad.

They still stayed in their original place, as there was a hospital nearby which was one of the best in Jiangnan City. If any emergency was to occur, they could sort it out immediately.

The hospital from Jinglin also introduced them to a specialist.

Lu Li would take his sister for checkups every week. He also hired a nurse with experience, one who was particularly experienced with these kinds of patients.

Lu Li had already been considering to buy a house, but this wasn’t something that he could rush.

His energy had to be focused on his first professional match. This was the foundation for his career and was also his way of ensuring that he and his sister could improve their living standards.