Alfred Abbendis. (TL/N: I have never played WOW so please help me if I make any mistakes while translating names)
Year 1175 of the Lordaeron calendar.
He is the son of Count Abbendis, ruler of the North Sea Territory in Silverpine Forest. (TL/N: This is AU, as there was no mention of High General Abbendis' father in WoW.)
This was the information Josh had recently gathered from the young boy.
As a long-time fan of World of Warcraft for over fifteen years in his past life, Josh immediately recognized the significance of this name and the world it represented—the world of Azeroth.
Alfred Abbendis was a key figure in the game, the founder and supreme commander of the Scarlet Crusade, a powerful faction.
Before that, he was a high-ranking member of the Knights of the Silver Hand and a trusted aide to Highlord Alexandros Mograine, the legendary wielder of the Ashbringer.
However, it wasn't Alfred himself who was most famous, but rather his daughter, Brigitte Abbendis.
She later became the new leader of the Scarlet Crusade, known as High General Brigitte Abbendis, and was the target of an assassination attempt in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
Upon confirming that this third trading dimension was indeed the world of Warcraft, Josh was beyond excited.
This was a high-fantasy world with limitless potential, no less important than the Marvel Universe.
Powerful Titans, fearsome Demons, majestic Dragons, graceful Elves, fierce Orcs, and resilient Humans.
Mysterious arcane magic, pure and righteous light, and the terrifying power of the Void.
Warriors, mages, paladins, priests, rangers—each with unique abilities.
Legendary weapons like Frostmourne, Ashbringer, and Sulfuras.
Gaining access to any of these powers or artifacts would be an incredible advantage for Josh.
The only downside was that he had connected to this world a little too soon.
Josh wasn't exactly sure what specific events were taking place in Lordaeron in 1175.
In his past life, all timelines in the game were based on the opening of the Dark Portal, which marked the first orc invasion of Azeroth. This was considered Year 1 and the true beginning of Azeroth's legendary era.
Before that, the various races and kingdoms of Azeroth followed their own calendars, most of which were unknown.
So for now, Josh couldn't tie the Lordaeron calendar directly to the Dark Portal timeline.
One thing was certain, however: this was long before Abbendis became a key figure in the story.
Abbendis first appeared on the world stage in Year 6 of the Dark Portal era, during the Second War between Humans and Orcs, when the Old Alliance was formed.
By this time, he was a high-ranking military officer and the adjutant of Alexandros Mograine.
A noble-born officer of that rank would normally be at least in his thirties.
Right now, however, Abbendis was only five years old—just a little older than Josh's own children.
That meant it would be at least 20 to 30 years before the Dark Portal opened.
For Josh, this was good news and bad news.
The bad news was that as a child, even in a high-fantasy world like Azeroth and within a noble family, Abbendis would not yet have access to the truly powerful elements of the world.
This era was still relatively peaceful compared to the turbulent times to come—similar to Josh's own situation. Compared to the 21st century, when superheroes became widespread, the time he lived in had very few extraordinary individuals.
But the good news was that Josh had plenty of time to prepare.
He could raise Abbendis and help him grow quickly, so that when the great events of history unfolded, he would be ready to help Josh secure even greater advantages.
Though Abbendis would naturally rise to a high position in history, the Scarlet Crusade was an extremist faction made up of a mix of forces, and Josh saw little real value in it.
If he had help, Abbendis might have united the seven human kingdoms before the Dark Portal appeared, becoming the second great emperor after the ancient king, Thoradin of the Arathorian Empire.
At that point, Orcs? Ha!
"How was your day, Alfred?" Josh greeted him with a warm smile.
Josh had played with him since he was little, so they had known each other for years. In fact, they were closer than Josh was to his own two children.
"Josh, you're finally here! My Dragon Block ran out of power, and I want some chips and cola!" Abbendis' eyes lit up with excitement when he saw Josh.
How do you win the favor of a child living in a medieval-like world? Simple—games and tasty snacks!
Chips and Coke are simply irresistible to children.
Especially in Azeroth, where civilization isn't very advanced, spices are rare and expensive.
Even nobles have a hard time finding tasty food.
Of course, in the ancient, more advanced elven kingdoms, such things wouldn't be anything special.
As for the dragon block that Abbendis mentioned, it's just Tetris.
In the Marvel Universe, it's still 1948, but with Josh gaining control of the US economy, he has begun to accelerate technological progress.
If second-generation fighter jets from the '60s and '70s are here, why not handheld consoles?
Many people think that handheld gaming started with Nintendo's Game & Watch.
But in fact, the first handheld console was developed by Mattel in 1976.
So with Josh pushing modern technology, it's no big deal to release such devices 20 years early.
In fact, not only handhelds but also personal computers and the Internet are in Josh's plans.
Unless something unexpected happens, the age of information will arrive at least 20 years ahead of schedule.
Without this advancement, Josh wouldn't be able to introduce NS robots, a high-tech product that requires expertise in many fields.
One of the main reasons Josh wants to introduce NS Robots is that he sees an opportunity to change the future of American and global society.
In July 1948, President Truman will sign an order ending segregation in the military.
Even though it's only within the military, it marks the beginning of the end of segregation in the U.S.
As head of the CIA, Josh learned of Truman's plans early on.
The cause? After winning World War II, America's economy grew rapidly, creating a labor shortage in the lower class.
Because America industrialized earlier than other countries, most of the white people had received a good education. As the economy boomed, they sought better jobs and working conditions, often moving to the cities.
As a result, fewer white people were willing to do hard labor.
No one wanted to work in factories or on construction sites when they could sit in an office, even for less pay.
This opened the door for other ethnic groups to take those jobs which was not possible before due to racial segregation.
Now, Josh's plan is to flood the American market with robots—cheaper and more efficient workers—to take over low-end jobs and gradually take over the American and global economy.
With this goal in mind, American and Austrian technology was already at least ten years ahead of the rest of the world.
And among the many high-tech products, the first handheld game console was quietly released.
Like the first-generation handhelds of the original timeline, this one—named "Game One" by Josh—could only run a single game.
And its first title? The classic block-stacking game that would become world famous in later years.
Of course, he wouldn't call it by its original name.
Instead, Josh called it "Dragon Blocks," inspired by the dragons from the world of Game of Thrones, one of his trading dimensions.
He even designed the bottom of the console to show a dragon with its mouth open, making it look like the dragon was "eating" the blocks as they disappeared.
Even though it was a very simple device, it was the world's first gaming console and game, making it incredibly expensive—$20.
That may seem expensive, but at this time it was cutting edge technology.
When it was released, it became an instant best-seller, not only with children, but with adults as well.
Entertainment was scarce in this time period, so a fun gadget like this easily captivated people.
And it wasn't just Josh's world that embraced it.
Even someone like Daenerys, living in a medieval society, found it fascinating.
And little Abbendis? He was hooked the moment he played it.
But Josh's goal wasn't to turn Abbendis into a spoiled, pleasure-seeking noble. He needed him to be a competent trading partner.
In a normal medieval world, a lazy noble who cared only about food and entertainment might be easy to manipulate.
In those worlds, social hierarchies were rigid, and unless they committed a serious crime, nobles were generally safe.
But the World of Warcraft was different. A useless noble wouldn't last long.
Unless Josh was going to micromanage Abbendis' every move, he had to guide him into becoming a strong leader.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve what Josh wanted, no matter how many lifetimes passed.
So while Josh used games and snacks to win Abbendis' favor, he strictly controlled the amount.
For example, the console's battery only lasted an hour.
If Abbendis wanted to continue playing, he had to trade something to Josh for a recharge.
Chips, cola and other snacks were also rationed.
Coke in particular—Josh had already modified the formula to remove harmful ingredients, but Abbendis was still only allowed a few sips at a time.
In some ways, Josh cared more about Abbendis' development than he did about his own two children. (TL/N: Bro is a businessman to the core)
"Oh, of course. But chips and cola should be eaten in moderation, and don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards!" Josh reminded him as he handed over the prearranged trade items.
"I know, you don't have to say it every time. By the way, Josh, are we continuing Romance of the Three Kingdoms today?" Abbendis happily confirmed the trade, but instead of eating right away, he put the snacks away.
Like many children, he liked to save his favorite treats for later.
After receiving the food, Abbendis immediately asked for a story.
He wanted to hear The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Josh had chosen this story on purpose.
Despite his young age, Abbendis was far more mentally mature than the children of Earth.
After all, humans from Azeroth and Earth weren't the same species, even if they looked alike.
On top of that, having received a noble's education from a young age—and following Josh's guidance—Abbendis had learned to keep secrets.
He had never told anyone, not even his parents, about the system.
So when Josh confirmed that Abbendis could understand Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it became part of their daily routine.
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