"First," Wayne began, "I will teach you how to power it on and run it now. Once you've learned it and operated it yourself, that counts as you having mastered it. If you forget how to use it or can't turn it on after you take it back to Gadgetzan, that's your problem and has nothing to do with me. Don't come back claiming my product is defective."
"Any problem with that?"
Noggenfogger thought for a moment and replied, "No problem, but you must ensure I actually learn it."
Wayne nodded. "I'll make sure of it."
Then he stated the second rule: "This device is cutting-edge technology. Excessive cold, heat, humidity, or dryness will damage it. So, while transporting it back, not only must you keep it safe, but you also cannot open it in the middle of nowhere. Once you reach Gadgetzan, you must find a room just like this one—sheltered from wind and rain with a suitable temperature—before you can turn it on."
"If you can't help yourself and open it halfway, and it gets damaged by moisture or sand, that's on you. It has nothing to do with me."
"Any problem with that?"
Noggenfogger clearly hesitated, but thinking of the wonder of these goggles and how hard it was to get Wayne to agree, he endured it. "You must ensure the goggles you give me are in perfect condition!"
Wayne nodded again. "No problem. You can test it several times later to guarantee there are no quality issues."
Finally, he stated the third condition:
"Lastly, these goggles cost 1,000 gold. No haggling. And that only includes the goggles—no screen."
"However, I can take 500 gold now. The next time you come to Goldshire for trade, you pay me the remaining 500 gold."
"Of course, you can choose not to pay the remaining 500 gold balance. But if you don't, I won't be responsible for any damages regardless of the cause. No returns, no exchanges. I won't be responsible for anything."
"Any problem with that?"
To a normal person—like the other four humans in the room—Wayne's third requirement would seem like a huge deterrent. Most people spending heavy gold on an item would value after-sales maintenance and warranty, and would even be willing to pay high fees for it.
In Wayne's previous world, this was common; whether it was luxury cars, famous watches, or top-tier luxury goods, the high purchase price was just the beginning—the real cost lay in daily maintenance. Wayne's "sell it and forget it" approach would make most normal buyers feel uneasy.
But Goblins did not belong in the category of "normal."
In commercial negotiations, they always had hundreds of hidden agendas compared to others, and they were used to over-analyzing simple appearances.
In this world, whether it was explosives, zeppelins, motorcycles, or gliders, Goblin inventions were endless. The only ones who could rival their technological level were the Gnome engineers of Ironforge.
And invention was only part of it; cracking and imitating were also their specialties.
Noggenfogger's ambition wasn't just to buy a pair of goggles at a high price. It was to take them back to his base in Gadgetzan and have his top engineers perform reverse engineering to figure out the manufacturing method, eventually achieving mass replication.
By then, with Goblin production capacity, they could open many shops more luxurious and cooler than this net cafe to attract customers from all over the world. They had done this many times with Gnomish inventions.
As for maintenance? To Goblin engineers with the most cutting-edge technology and powerful craftsmanship, they were the ultimate maintenance. Why buy a service?
This 500 gold was a saving handed to him on a silver platter.
As long as he verified the goods carefully during delivery and confirmed they worked, even if there were minor quality issues, he could create a sturdier, upgraded version once he reverse-engineered it. By then, these goggles would be obsolete anyway. Who cared if they still worked?
As for the screen Wayne mentioned, in his eyes, it was just a mirror that displayed images. He believed that if they cracked the goggles, the mirror would naturally be cracked as well. If he needed one later, he'd just come back and buy it.
Therefore, Noggenfogger, who had been hesitant a moment ago, was practically overjoyed upon hearing Wayne's third condition.
"Deal! I want to inspect the goods first!"
Wayne picked up the goggles and demonstrated to Noggenfogger how to turn them on and enter the game. As for adjusting volume, pain levels, and brightness, these—like entering the game—were all operated directly through consciousness, making them incredibly easy to learn.
Noggenfogger operated them smoothly twice. Although everything was so simple it was "idiot-proof," he was still afraid of forgetting. He had his two attendants watch and write down every step of the process.
After testing, he tried to shove the goggles into his bag. Wayne immediately stopped him. "What are you doing? Moving from profiteer to straight-up bandit? Where's the money?!"
With that, he snatched the goggles back.
Noggenfogger pretended to remember. "Oh right, right, the money hasn't been given yet." He gave a look to the attendant behind him.
The other four people in the room were stunned, watching with wide eyes as the two reached such an incredible deal. At this point, they had no heart left for their own games.
500 gold...
Shining gold coins that could fill a small chest, equivalent to the total output of a medium-sized farm with a dozen farmers working for years—and the deal was closed just like that?!
What happened next exceeded their expectations even further. The Goblin attendant carefully pulled out a small stack of papers from his waist pouch, drew five sheets, and counted them repeatedly before handing them to Noggenfogger.
Noggenfogger took the papers, licked his finger, and counted them over and over as if they were a life-long contract before reluctantly handing them to Wayne.
Wayne had never seen such a thing. He looked at them; they were Stormwind Bank redemption vouchers. He realized these were what his previous world called "banknotes."
The banknotes were exquisitely made. In the center was a bust of King Varian Wrynn. To the left was the text "Stormwind Bank," and to the right was the Eastern Kingdoms continent and the number "100," representing a denomination of 100 gold coins.
On the back was the Royal Emblem of Stormwind, identical to the pattern carved on gold, silver, and copper coins.
Wayne had never seen these before, so he cast a pleading look for help toward Raymond and the others.
Raymond walked over, carefully took a note, looked it over, and handed it to Jyssetta. Zaldimar and Lyria also leaned in to examine it.
They had seen these things before, but very, very rarely. Seeing a single gold coin in the inn was usually a noteworthy event, let alone a piece of paper representing a hundred gold.
Furthermore, these weren't exactly "currency" in the common sense. Their circulation was very low; they were primarily redemption vouchers used to provide convenience and safety for merchants, so they didn't have to carry chests of gold coins during their travels.
Therefore, no one dared to say for certain that this one was real, especially coming from the hands of a cunning Goblin.
Noggenfogger wore a proud expression due to his wealth but felt somewhat annoyed by the humans' lack of trust. "The Gadgetzan Cartel only haggles; we never give fakes."
Wayne knew this was likely true. Commercial reputation was vital to these Goblins. While they were treacherous, he didn't recall them being outright fraudsters—at least not in the game he remembered.
However, he still needed to verify these notes—not their authenticity, but whether the vending machine would accept them as valid transaction units.
"I need to go back to my bedroom to verify this. This isn't a small amount. It won't take long—about five minutes."