"What?!"
As the number "1,000 gold" left his mouth, the three Goblins gasped, and the mouths of Raymond and the other four people in the room fell wide open. This wasn't a negotiation; this was a robbery.
Jyssetta, the priestess, had been listening to the conversation. She had initially thought Wayne was too young and had been lured in by the cunning Goblin's words, naively preparing to sell the glasses. However, once that 1,000 gold figure was quoted, she realized she was the naive one.
1,000 gold was enough to maintain an entire battalion of soldiers at Westbrook Garrison for over half a year, buy a dozen houses in central Goldshire, or purchase the lowest rank of Baron in Stormwind to acquire a small fiefdom.
Noggenfogger was stunned. For a moment, he suspected that the human male—whose chin he had to crane his neck to see—was actually a Goblin disguised by an illusion spell. Only a Goblin would quote such an absurd price.
"What could possibly make you utter such a ridiculous price?" he screamed. "1,000 gold is enough to buy a small transport ship that can cross the ocean!"
Wayne sat down and spoke at a leisurely pace. "Let me do the math for you."
He picked up the glasses Noggenfogger had taken off. "My shop is open eight hours a day. This one pair of glasses earns me 8 gold a day. In a 30-day month, that's 240 gold. In just over four months, that's 1,000 gold in profit. In other words, over 365 days, it's 2,920 gold. The remaining 80 gold is the initiation fee for 16 new customers—meaning you only need to recruit 1.3 new customers per month to hit a total annual revenue of 3,000 gold. For a 1,000 gold investment, that's a 200% annual return. Most importantly, it's safe and risk-free. You get a 200% return without worrying about having your 'kidneys harvested.' Where else are you going to find a deal like that?"
Though they didn't understand what "kidney harvesting" meant, Wayne's logical analysis had Raymond and the others nodding. Everyone had seen that the net cafe's business was booming every single day.
Noggenfogger continued to argue. "You think your words will make me believe this shabby shop is full every day?"
Wayne shrugged. "If you don't believe me, go find anyone in town and ask if this shop is full every day."
Wayne leaned back confidently in his chair. Raymond felt that his teacher's movement was stylish and timed perfectly.
Noggenfogger scanned everyone in the room. Seeing no doubt on their faces—only a sense of pride—combined with what he'd heard at the inn at noon and his own experience, he knew Wayne wasn't bragging. He was using his words to test if this game truly had market appeal, and the answer increased his determination to get the glasses.
But 1,000 gold was too expensive. Even a Goblin wouldn't want to bleed that much at once.
"300! Not a copper more! And you're selling this without a warranty! If there's a quality issue, do I have to sail all the way back from Tanaris to find you?!"
Wayne waved Raymond and the others off. "Stop watching. He's not serious about buying. I'm done talking to him." He put his glasses back on and returned to the game, muttering under his breath, "No loss if I don't sell it."
Raymond's respect for Wayne grew. That was 300 gold—money many people couldn't earn in a lifetime—and Wayne was unmoved. Raymond felt that during his years as a bouncer at the inn, he'd been blind not to see that the lad from the blacksmith shop was a hidden rich heir.
Noggenfogger realized the person he was negotiating with was no ordinary man. An average human would have eyes shining at 30 gold, let alone 300. Yet this cafe owner sneered at the offer.
"400! Not a single coin more! If you don't agree to this price, the deal is over!"
There was no response. Wayne had already charged into a volcano with his new water-element greatsword to face a Black Gravios.
When the in-game Wayne entered the volcano and encountered the giant dragon covered in black scales with lava-like patterns, Noggenfogger and his two attendants gasped and recoiled in terror.
"A... a Black Dragon!"
Wayne tilted his head slightly. "You've seen one?"
Noggenfogger remembered a time he was on a Goblin zeppelin flying from the north of the continent to the south. Passing over the Burning Steppes, he had seen a massive black dragon circling the peak of Blackrock Mountain. The draft from its wings had blown the zeppelin off course, nearly causing it to crash. That was the most vivid life-or-death moment in Noggenfogger's memory.
He looked closer at the screen and noticed something was off. The black dragon he had seen had two large curved horns on the sides of its head, with many sharp spikes on the top of its head and down its neck. The dragon on the screen only had one thick horn. Furthermore, the black dragon he'd seen had four claws in addition to its wings, while the one on the screen only had two hind legs.
Wayne charged in. After dodging the flames the Black Gravios breathed, he placed two Large Barrel Bombs under its belly and rolled back to safety. Two explosions followed, and the Black Gravios let out a cry of pain.
Taking advantage of the gap, Wayne saw Noggenfogger watching closely. "You can tell they aren't the same thing, right? Look closer—even the tails are different."
Before he crossed over, the Blackwing Lair raid in Blackrock Mountain was one of the raids he'd played most. He'd spent six months speed-running it with his guild. Speed-running required the 40 people in the raid to follow the leader's commands and understand every boss detail. Wayne knew exactly what the black dragons inside Blackrock Mountain looked like.
Raymond and the others were in a multiplayer match and didn't hear the conversation, but the casual remark Wayne made surprised Noggenfogger as much as the sight of the Black Gravios.