klisemfg Chapter 226 A Tranquil Place
Chapter 226 A Tranquil Place
The loss of Dalaran left behind a large crater in the Alterac Valleys...
Many buildings still remain in the surrounding area, though most are insignificant outbuildings or illegal structures. When war and plague broke out, the nearby farmers and manor owners all sought refuge in Dalaran.
However, the monks were not as compassionate as they claimed.
Only those of high status or value can reside in the magical holy city. A few clever individuals have spent large sums of money to contact nearby Syndicate bandits and gladiator guilds, successfully infiltrating the sewers, but even they have little chance of joining the true Dalaran society.
Citizenship of Dalaran is not something that just anyone can obtain...
Now Dalaran flies into the sky, or even disappears altogether. From this point on, there will be virtually no safe territory left in the northern part of the Eastern Kingdoms, separated from the human homeland by the dwarven Thaldor Bridge.
The dwarven defenses are still being strengthened, and Stormwind Kingdom is now the legitimate human kingdom.
The era of Blue Stormwind has truly begun...
In a sense, the human Arathor Empire, which once developed from the Arathi Highlands, and the seven kingdoms that were divided... slowly reunited and once again honored House Wrynn as the true king.
The so-called Menethil family and the former Righteous Lords Anduin & Lothar of Arathor both appear to have no descendants.
Duke Lothar's son died in battle during the first orcish invasion, killed by Blackhand, the orc chieftain of the primitive tribes. From then on, the last of the Arathor bloodline was almost extinguished. Only Lothar's sister remained, having married King Llane & Wrynn...
It's equivalent to a combination of Arathor's bloodline and the Wrynn family's...
Stormwind has acquired the true royal bloodline of Arathor, namely the now-vanished current king of Stormwind, Varian Wrynn.
The Menethil family of the Kingdom of Lordaeron once had a young princess named Calia. After her brother, the current Lich King Arthas Menethil, returned from the north, murdered their father, and destroyed the kingdom, she disappeared.
Back then, the old King Tyrese and Menethil wanted to marry their young princess to a young nobleman from a mountain kingdom.
That man was none other than the so-called leader of the Putrish family, who was currently enjoying great power in Stormwind, Duke Davar Putrish... Davar claimed to be of royal blood from the extinct Alterac Mountains Kingdom... although the Syndicate had never acknowledged this.
Members of the Council of Tirisfal had learned that Daval & Putrish's identities were questionable. Back then, the Kirin Tor were not yet qualified to assume the responsibility of overseeing magic; they were mostly a group of mage apprentices who followed the members of Tirisfal Glades.
The magical kingdom of Dalaran claims to be a sacred guardian, overseeing all lawbreakers and acting with an air of superiority...
In the past, only Lordaeron and Stormwind could be considered truly powerful nations... followed by the wavering Dalaran and Kul Tiras, which had already aligned itself with Lordaeron... Jaina was not only a genius magical apprentice of Dalaran, the city lord's personal disciple, but also the princess of the Kul Tiras maritime kingdom, and Arthas's fiancée...
Aside from Gilneas, which occupies a remote corner of the Eastern Kingdoms, and the already destroyed Alterac Mountains, only the Thorbaine family, who claim to be the true human lineage, remain, holding sway over Stromgarde in the Arathi Highlands...
When the Scourge swept through Dalaran and marched straight towards Arathi Highlands, the last remaining so-called orthodox humans of Stromgarde were almost entirely wiped out. The remaining inhabitants followed Jaina across the sea to Kalimdor, settling in the harsh environment of Theramore Peninsula...
Today, Dalaran is far from the foot of Alterac Mountains...
Of the so-called seven human kingdoms, only Stormwind City remains as the leader of the legitimate alliance. Gilneas is filled with anxiety, and they retreated with the Stormpike Expedition, attempting to establish an alliance with Stormwind City.
With Dalaran gone, the Seven Kingdoms were effectively reduced to only two: the intact Kingdom of Stormwind, the crippled Kul Tiras, the precarious Gilneas, the warlords of Stromgarde with only a fortress remaining, the ruins of Lordaeron, and the desolate Alterac Valley, now the territory of the Frostwolf Clan and the battlefield of Stormpike...
Jaina is still persisting... She originally wanted to win over Dalaran and use Dalaran's influence to shoulder the glory of the Northern Kingdoms alone.
Now, she can only acquiesce...
From now on, the alliance will consist only of the true Eastern Kingdoms, and the Wrynn family, who inherit the bloodline of Arathor...
Unless another great war breaks out, and the remnants of Lordaeron, the refugees of Theramore, and the people of Kul Tiras accept her again as their new naval commander...
The truth is that the Scarlet Crusade and Bloodsail Buccaneers are scattered in various places...
Thus, the Northern Kingdoms existed in name only, and the former homeland of the Alliance in Lordaeron had become the home of the Forsaken.
If anyone is still scheming to take over the world, then it's only the Lich King and his mindless army of servants... but at this moment, he seems to still be fighting Ner'zhul for absolute control of his body within the Frozen Throne.
Is the current Lich King Ner'zhul or Arthas?
Or perhaps, like Lorraine and her master, their souls are one?
Soul splitting?
Or perhaps neither of them existed before, and they were merely tools pulled into that other world...
The teacher mentioned that there exists a so-called Shadow Realm, and even Old Gods who often impersonate Game Masters, wantonly brainwashing people...
The Faceless Ones lurk among the crowd, and the Twilight Doomsday Prayer often echoes...
The prophecy of the cataclysmic event is imminent!
Lorraine stared blankly at the empty Dalaran crater, a mixture of emotion and disbelief on his face... The powerful magical energy still managed to maintain a faint purple halo, covering the enormous crater...
He also seemed to see some figures moving around in the surrounding ruins, and occasional flashes of firelight...
Faint shouts of battle could be heard...
"Wait, something's not right, there really is a fight going on!"
Holding his breath and scrutinizing the scene, Lorraine was certain: it was the roar of magical spells and the sparks of clashing swords, along with screams of agony...
A fight is taking place around the giant crater left behind in Dalaran...
Lorraine hesitated, wondering whether to go and see what was happening. Lost in thought, he saw someone running towards him. He was on a slightly higher section of the lakeside embankment...
"It's you! The plague messenger... Lorraine!"
The newcomer was covered in blood and wounds, carrying someone in his arms. He paused upon seeing Lorraine, then shouted:
"Come on!"
The newcomer recognized Lorraine, and in his panic, greeted her before running off...
Lorraine looked again and again; this person was indeed the man bathed in holy light like a miniature sun... General Marcus... As for who he was holding in his arms, it was unclear for the moment... There were quite a few people chasing after him...
Their attire was also different, suggesting there was more than one group.
Inside were knights dressed as Scarlet Crusaders... dwarven musketeers wielding guns and cannons... and a bishop of the Holy Light in magnificent attire, all of whom now wore fierce expressions.
The halo above the head represents the accumulation of holy light magic.
Marcus appears to be being hunted down by his own people...
It wasn't just their own people; there were also many men dressed in black and leather armor, constantly firing crossbow bolts...
While Lorraine was still in a daze, several arrows were stuck in his head.
"Run! What are you standing there for...?"
With a "whoosh," Lorraine felt the sound of gunfire beside his ear... He instantly snapped back to reality and quickly turned around to disappear.
That's when they realized why the mighty Marcus was on the run—there were just too many pursuers... and someone was even throwing grenades. This dwarf technology was simply beyond the logic of a fantasy world.
The mechanical bomb, imbued with magical damage, was so powerful that it nearly collapsed the earthen slope of the embankment where Lorraine was standing.
Now that Dalaran is gone, the entire valley is filled with thunder and lightning that echo through the night.
The defensive lines of Undercity nearby aren't exactly far, but they're still separated by half a lake. This corner of the lake was clearly a space previously vacated for Dalaran; neither the Alliance nor the Horde resides here...
There was only a group of people waiting to ambush the guests sent out by Dalaran...
Not far behind, Lorraine could hear people talking.
"Duke! Didn't your men say it was foolproof? How did he get away? I specifically came looking for you, not Ravenholdt, because you yourself said this was your territory. You know it very well..."
“Your Excellency Speaker, you didn’t say beforehand that Dalaran would suddenly fly away. Many of my men hiding around were crushed to death. I haven’t even asked you for more money yet... This guy is a paladin from the Silver Hand... His Holy Light Protection was active... Our pre-prepared traps were useless.”
A balding hairdresser with a Mediterranean hairstyle, who wore a mask but not a head covering, scoffed:
"This time, nobody's getting away... Dalaran escaped, but kill everyone who came out. Don't let a single one get away; our agreement isn't over yet. News from the Alliance of Salvation says Gilneas is about to flee too... We must quicken our pace and retake the North! Hiding behind those dwarves... is a disgrace!"
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