Chapter 649: Little Sister Pamela (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

For many players, they found their own unique ways to play in World of Warcraft.

Exploration, casual play, or even maniacally grinding for gear, challenging raid first kills—guilds both domestic and international tirelessly researched dungeons day and night, striving to achieve the world's first clear of unvanquished raids.

As for dungeons that had already been cleared, these guilds would then challenge the corresponding speedrun times.

Moreover, the battlegrounds and arenas in PvP attracted many players who favored fair competition. And, of course, there were countless skirmishes in the wilderness, such as Stranglethorn Vale, Southshore... and other territories where the Horde and Alliance clashed, which were veritable hotspots for war.

PvP and PvE were both core experiences of World of Warcraft, and Chen Xu and Nebula Games intentionally maintained them.

The official 'Azeroth Hall of Fame' website was dedicated to updating the various achievements and deeds of both domestic and international players in World of Warcraft, fostering a positive community environment.

And it wasn't just the player base; the impact of World of Warcraft on the gaming industry was also far-reaching.

Active users and registered users continued to climb.

However, Chen Xu knew very well that this was just the beginning.

Because, currently, players had only experienced about a third of the game's content.

Although many hardcore players had already reached max level, a saying had long circulated among World of Warcraft players:

That reaching max level was truly the beginning. There were countless quests across various maps, and as players' levels increased, the quests they encountered became richer and more exciting.

There were also level 60 dungeons like Stratholme and Blackrock Depths, which dropped valuable gear sets, and the constant demand for gold. Even at level 60, a thousand-gold mount remained a significant luxury for many players.

However, compared to the players immersed in World of Warcraft, Chen Xu, besides making subsequent arrangements for World of Warcraft and communicating with the operations team to determine future operational directions, felt it was time to initiate the next new project. After all, the joy and excitement brought by World of Warcraft had made players' mindsets quite peaceful.

In Nebula Games' lounge, during their lunch break, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and Qin Yi had just finished a run through Maraudon, experiencing the World of Warcraft-exclusive Princess Theradras.

"So, Xiaoxue, you really didn't design a prettier princess in World of Warcraft?" Yang Xin couldn't help but complain after emerging from her gaming pod.

Can that even be called a princess?

Thinking back to her recent game experience, Yang Xin shivered. What gave her intense psychological trauma wasn't the dungeon's difficulty, but the BOSS's appearance. Green-faced with tusks, arms thicker than legs, and a ridiculously fat belly.

"Ahem... I can't be blamed for this. All these monster and character designs were made exactly according to Mr. Chen's requirements," Ruan Ningxue stated, refusing to take the blame.

"Alright, stop complaining. I heard you from afar. There are ugly princesses and pretty princesses. It's not like all princesses have to be beauties, right? Isn't Onyxia's human form beautiful?" Chen Xu said, clearing his throat lightly as he approached.

Listening to Chen Xu's words, everyone was speechless. The disparity between the beautiful and ugly proportions was far too great!

"Okay, pack up. We have a meeting in the conference room this afternoon." Chen Xu changed the topic.

Hearing Chen Xu, Qin Yi asked curiously, "Mr. Chen, is it about the arrangements for the next new version?"

Although development for World of Warcraft's subsequent new versions hadn't started, they had been mentioned before. But starting now, wasn't it too early?

"New project," Chen Xu said simply and clearly.

"New project?"

"What type, Mr. Chen?"

Everyone was surprised.

"It's another heartwarming story about a father and daughter," Chen Xu smiled meaningfully.

---

Meanwhile, in contrast to Chen Xu's team preparing to launch a new project,

Most players in World of Warcraft were still immersed in the world of Azeroth.

Located in a ruined small town south of the Eastern Plaguelands, Song Ren glanced at the map and asked his companions behind him, "This should be the quest destination, right?"

"That's right, this area," Zhang Yi also quickly checked his map and quest log, nodding.

Earlier in Chillwind Point, at Everlook, a neutral goblin-established town, they encountered Jesper Redpath, a member of the Silver Hand, who gave them a quest: to investigate his sister in Darrowshire, a town in the southern mountains of the Eastern Plaguelands.

Currently, they were leveling in the Plaguelands, aiming to reach max level, so they decided to clear the quests in this area along the way to improve their leveling efficiency.

Like most areas of the Plaguelands, the target town was in ruins, completely devoid of life. According to Jesper's description in Everlook, he had fled Lordaeron when the Scourge attacked and didn't know what had become of his hometown. But upon arriving in Darrowshire and seeing the desolate surroundings, Song Ren and his companions' hearts sank.

In such a scene, they clearly understood that Jesper's sister, Pamela, and the rest of her family, as described in the quest, had likely already perished.

At the entrance to the town, two tattered Scourge banners fluttered in the wind. The barren farmlands were strewn with the bleached bones of various animals, and from a high vantage point, one could see abandoned meat wagons at the foot of the distant mountains.

Clearly, a devastating battle had once taken place here; all the houses were in disrepair. Some were reduced to mere wreckage, and the scorched earth made the area extremely desolate.

In the central well of Darrowshire, a lonely skeleton lay clutching a ceramic pot.

As they ventured deeper into Darrowshire, the mindless Undead soon attacked them. These were once the residents of Darrowshire.

In the ruins of a house, they found their quest objective: Pamela.

Just as they had expected,

Pamela was long dead, but her soul still lingered in this world. However, unlike other insane Undead, Pamela wore a pretty dress and had lovely twin pigtails. When they found her, she was still happily skipping and playing alone.

When they approached and spoke to her, she only spoke sadly of things that had happened long ago:

'Aunt Marlene told me to stay home because my daddy went off to fight.'

'Daddy is the bravest man in the world! But I've been waiting here for a long time, and he hasn't come back.'

'Sometimes bad people come and talk to me. I want Daddy to chase them away, but he's not here!'

'When it gets dark, I can only play with my doll, but I left it in town. Can you help me find my doll?'

Through their conversation with the little girl, she seemed to have no idea that she was actually dead. She still happily recalled those beautiful moments from the past.

Looking at Pamela, Song Ren and his companions felt a pang of sadness. Pamela's series of quests wasn't difficult, just a bit tedious, at least in their opinion.

But the most crucial part wasn't the difficulty; it was the psychological and emotional impact it delivered. (End of Chapter) <>