I traveled through time and space and became the Archbishop of Stormwind!

Chapter 694 Insects Emerging from the Ground

The name of the bar, "Whirling Sands," is quite goblin-esque—it hints at the dangers of the quicksands in Tanaris and also alludes to the possibility that drinking here might quickly deplete your wallet, like being caught in a whirlpool.

The bar was more spacious than I expected, but the ambiance was really disappointing.

Several chandeliers, powered by an unknown energy source, hung from the low ceiling, their light dim and flickering intermittently.

The air was filled with cheap tobacco, ale, engine oil, and the stench of sweat.

The walls were made of rough wood and metal panels, covered with all sorts of exaggerated advertising posters, ranging from "Rocket fuel that will make your ride run faster" to "Seven-day tour of Hot Sands Harbour, guaranteed to satisfy you," and so on.

Several crooked wooden tables and benches were scattered around, and some still-shaken goblin drinkers hid in a corner, secretly observing the newcomers.

As soon as Northumberga entered the bar, he yelled at a goblin bartender who was cowering behind the counter, "Quick! Bring out the best food! Serve our honored guest!"

The goblin bartender cried out with a mournful face, "Sir... Chef, the chef hid in the bunker and hasn't come back yet! There's no one in the kitchen!"

Northumberga was furious, jumping up and down: "Then go and drag him out of the bunker right now! If you can't find him, just grab a few people on the street who can cook! Humans, orcs, even ogres will do! Hurry up! If we neglect these lords, we'll all turn into roasted lizards!"

As he spoke, he glanced warily at Akalitassa, who was curiously taking in the bar's surroundings.

After a chaotic scene, several cooks who looked like they had been temporarily conscripted started working in the back kitchen. One of them was even a desert troll wearing a tall white hat, and it was unclear where the goblin had found him.

Not long after, the food was served one after another.

Although the goblins were terrified, they were surprisingly efficient.

First, there's a huge pile of all kinds of grilled meat.

There were skewers of rugged desert lizard meat, each piece bigger than a fist; whole roasted vulture wings with golden, glistening skin; and a large plate of sliced ​​ribs that appeared to be some kind of kodo, coated with a spicy red sauce.

The meat portions were generous, clearly taking Akalitasa's dragon appetite into account.

The main dish is a type of pastry called "sandworm pie," which consists of a golden, flaky crust filled with chopped sandworm meat that has a texture somewhat like chicken, mixed with spicy spices native to the desert.

Alvin forced himself to take a bite despite feeling nauseous, and found it surprisingly delicious.

As for beverages, in addition to the standard goblin ale brewed from a local drought-resistant grain, there were also several large glasses of foamy, golden beer, and several jugs of brightly colored fruit juice—supposedly made from cactus fruit and berries from several drought-resistant shrubs.

Alvin picked up a glass of golden beer, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Hmm? This beer tastes pretty good, very mellow, much better than your sour ale."

Seeing this, Northumberg quickly forced a fawning smile and explained, "Sir, you have excellent taste! This is dwarven beer that we brought from the Eastern Continent, after a long sea voyage! It's the 'Ironforge Spirits' brand! This is a rare commodity; we usually can't bear to sell it!"

Akalitha couldn't wait any longer. Ignoring all etiquette, she grabbed a kodo rib thicker than her arm and took a huge bite, smearing grease all over her face. But she ate with a beaming smile, mumbling, "Delicious! This is delicious! Much better than eating lamb straight away!"

She grabbed another sandworm pie, swallowed it in a few bites, then gulped down a large mouthful of dwarf beer, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Her unrestrained eating left the goblins around her speechless.

Green Shadow, on the other hand, was much more elegant. She simply sipped her beautifully colored cactus juice, refusing to eat the greasy roast meat, and occasionally breaking off a small piece of pastry from a pie to eat slowly.

Alvin watched Akalitas devour her food, smiled helplessly, and picked up a skewer of lizard meat to try. It was indeed quite good, with plenty of spices. As he ate, he glanced at the restless Bigwigs and Northumberga, and began to get down to business.

"Alright, you've eaten. Now tell me what you've said."

Alvin pointed outside with the kebabs.

"What's going on with those bandits? Who are they? Why did they dare to directly attack Gadgetzan?"

Bigewitz and Northumbergaard exchanged a glance, and finally Bigewitz spoke.

He rubbed his little green hands together cautiously and said, "Sir, those guys are just a bunch of peasants! They're all refugees and fugitives gathered from all over the desert, they're not very capable. A few days ago, our guards drove them to an abandoned cave on the southern coast, but I didn't expect them to be so bold as to rush in and rob us today!"

Why do they have to become robbers?

Erwin pressed on,

"Although Tanaris has a harsh environment, it's near the coast. Fishing or working as a guard for caravans is better than risking your life to rob, right?"

"this....."

Bigewiz's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "We...we don't know either. Maybe he's just lazy? Doesn't want to work?"

Green Shadow, who had been quietly sipping her juice, suddenly raised her eyes. Her emerald-like eyes calmly looked at Bigwigs, her voice gentle yet incisive: "Mr. Goblin, I'm afraid it's not because you're lazy, is it?"

She gently put down the cup.

"As far as I know, Gadgetzan Water Ltd. controls the development and sale of almost all known freshwater sources in Tanaris. For the desert inhabitants who have lived here for generations, losing the right to access water is tantamount to having their survival strangled. They are already poor, so where do they get the money to buy your expensive 'pure drinking water'? Do they have any other choice but to take the risk?"

Green Shadow's words were like tearing off the last fig leaf.

Bigewitz and Northumbergaard's faces instantly turned incredibly awkward, and they stammered, unable to utter a word.

Upon hearing this, Alvin immediately flew into a rage. He slammed his wine glass heavily on the table with a loud "bang," startling the two goblins.

"After all this time, the root of the problem lies with yourselves!"

Alvin roared,

"You monopolize the water supply, drive prices sky-high, making it impossible for people to survive, and then you blame others for stealing it?! Isn't this all because you goblins have gone too far?!"

He finally understood why the goblins were even more afraid of him after the bandits ran away at the sight of the dragon—the goblins were guilty of their own crimes!

Bigewitz was so frightened he almost slipped off his stool, pleading in a tearful voice, "Sir, this...this is a business transaction! We invested in equipment and maintained the pipelines; there has to be a return, right..."

"Reward? I think it's retribution!"

Alvin snorted coldly, too lazy to argue with them about this ethical issue anymore.

He had more important questions to ask.

He forcibly suppressed his anger and changed the subject: "Alright, let's put the bandit matter aside for now. I'm asking you, how do we get to Un'Goro Crater from Gadgetzan?"

Upon hearing the name "Angolo Crater," both Bigewitz and Northumbergaard showed obvious fear on their faces.

"A ring, a crater?"

Bigewiz's voice was trembling.

"Sir, where are you going? No, you mustn't!"

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me the route!" Erwin slammed his fist on the table impatiently.

"Yes Yes Yes."

Bigewitz wiped away his cold sweat.

“Go south from Gadgetzan, about a day’s journey, and there is a small oasis.”

From there, heading southwest, there's a very hidden path that cuts through the mountains surrounding the crater and into its interior. That's the only relatively 'safe' route we know of.

"Safety?"

Alvin noticed the unnaturalness in his tone.

"So you're saying that road isn't safe anymore?"

Northumbergaard picked up the conversation, his face showing lingering fear: "It's more than just unsafe, sir! You have no idea! Recently, a lot of terrifying insects have appeared out of nowhere in that area! Huge insects! They've dug tunnels out from underground and left the oasis area and the path around it riddled with holes! Several of the teams we sent to explore water sources and try to establish trade haven't returned! Those who managed to escape say that the area is now practically an insect's nest, with tunnels dug everywhere and patrolling engineers! Nobody dares to go near there now!"

Insects... a huge number of insects... coming from underground...

The new information brought by Big Foz and Northrend made Elwin, Green Shadow, and even Akalitha, who was engrossed in her food, look up.