Anya, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, now had a bit of competence on her face that even Duke was unfamiliar with.
Even though Anya was a person who had seen the world, she still felt a little uneasy when she suddenly saw so many bigwigs in the kingdom. After taking a few deep breaths, she quickly adjusted her mood.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, I am Anya, a follower of Count Edmund Duke. Please allow me to introduce you to Sir Sherlock, a goblin engineering merchant in Stranglethorn Vale."
"Hello, Your Majesty! Hello, gentlemen." The goblin Sherlock performed a very standard noble salute.
Although his movements were standard, every high-ranking official in the kingdom present didn't know what expression to use when facing this goblin, um, the infamous goblin.
Unlike the goblins in the novels Duke read before traveling through time, those goblins were generally dirty, despicable, had low IQs but amazing fertility, and were a scourge to humans all year round.
The goblins in the world of Azeroth are also humanoid creatures, with green skin just like orcs, a height only slightly higher than human knees, matchstick-like skinny limbs, a pointed head and huge eyes.
Well, to be honest, some of the bad qualities have been inherited 100%, such as the tendency to harm others.
But in general, the goblins of Azeroth love money more, are good at various technological inventions, and are better at running businesses.
The goblins have set up many "companies" with structures similar to those of real companies before Duke crossed over. However, these so-called "companies" are also more vampire-like, such as the notorious Venture Capital Company.
There is a joke that reflects the reputation of venture capital firms very well:
Venture Capital Company: "Please join our company, we have investments in every corner of Azeroth"
Someone asked: "What's the cost?"
Venture Capital: "We are being hunted by the whole world."
The actions of the goblins are absolutely abominable to gods and ghosts. Many night elf druids kill one goblin at a time when they see one, or kill a pair when they see two.
Seeing the goblin merchant appear, Lothar pointed at his head without hesitation, meaning, are you crazy? You actually want to cooperate with the goblins?!
Duke smiled and ignored Lothar.
He slightly modified the classic sentence from Capital: "Hey, Sherlock, I heard that if there is a 20% profit, the goblins will be ready to move; if there is a 50% profit, the goblins will dare to take risks; if there is a 100% profit, the goblins dare to risk being hanged; if there is a 300% profit, the goblins dare to trample on all human laws. Is it true?"
Sherlock screamed on the spot: "Slander! This is absolutely slander! We goblins have noble character."
"If I give you 5 million Arathor gold coins and you bring me the head of the Horde's chieftain Blackhand..."
Sherlock's small eyes... I don't know if it was an illusion, but they seemed to have widened ten times in an instant. Sherlock's sharp voice suddenly became extremely sonorous, powerful, resolute and courageous.
"Make sure to complete the mission—"
While speaking, Sherlock rushed over desperately and stretched out his right hand to Duke, rubbing his index and middle fingers together.
But the next second, he felt that Duke was joking.
"Your Excellency Sea King, are you...playing tricks on me?"
"No, I am just trying to prove to His Majesty King Stormwind your supreme courage in the face of money."
Be it Llane, Anduin, or Bolvar, they all looked like they were having a hard time holding back their laughter.
"You..." Sherlock wanted to lose his temper.
Duke's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Sherlock's head: "Don't think I don't know the strength of your so-called death squad. It might be okay to ask you to kill a certain leader of the Horde. Warchief? Humph! If I really give you the deposit, you will just send a group of cannon fodder to die, and then run away with the deposit that is as high as possible!"
Sherlock Belfort's face turned pale, he lowered his head, and stammered: "Uh, that...we goblins are honest and have business ethics. How could we... do such a thing?"
As he spoke, under Duke's sharp gaze, Sherlock felt more and more guilty, and his feet moved towards the door intentionally or unintentionally.
Unexpectedly, a pair of magic hands suddenly appeared behind Sherlock and lifted the short goblin in front of Duke.
"I have no interest in the integrity of the goblins. The only thing I'm interested in is the engineering craftsmen in your venture capital company branch. What do you want? Has Anya already told you?"
With his life in the hands of this terrifying wizard, Sherlock nodded like a wronged young wife.
"Well, I'll add one condition - if anything explodes before it's thrown out, for every person on our side that's injured, I'll kill one of your relatives, chop off one of your fingers, and deduct the money for 100 boxes."
Sherlock was indifferent to the conditions mentioned above, but when Duke said that he would compensate 100 boxes for each broken box, Sherlock suddenly made a sound like a pig being slaughtered.
He waved his limbs fiercely, "No goblin would accept such conditions! Don't even think about it!!"
Duke sneered, "What if I raise the price of the goods by 10% and ask for twice the quantity?"
"The price is 30% higher!" Sherlock immediately calmed down and started bargaining.
"Bullshit, don't think I don't know what materials you used. Heavy stone is made into High Explosives, and then add one part Iron Ingot and one part Silk and it's done. With such a cheap cost, you dare to charge me 30% more?"
Sherlock was stunned. Then, like a defeated general, he nodded and said, "Okay, it's done."
Just like that, Sherlock retreated with a sad face.
Anya was very nervous and apologized quickly: "I didn't know that those things would explode before they were thrown out."
Duke rubbed his brows and thought: The dwarf engineering is unreliable, and the goblin engineering always explodes. If I don't know this, I've played the game for so long.
"You are not in this field. This is not your fault." After comforting Anya, Duke finally turned around and explained to Llane and the others: "Didn't you say that you have tens of thousands of militiamen but don't know how to use them? Aren't you worried about how to withdraw the last few defenders? I will solve all these problems for you at once. Not only that, I will also give you a big gift package."
"What gift package?" Llane was stunned.
Duke smiled mysteriously: "If you tell me now, there will be no mystery anymore."