Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 298, Section 55. The test that Lothar must undergo to inherit the imperial throne is...
Aegwynn is very busy.

She needs to locate all the Titan facilities in Azeroth as soon as possible to mark them for the subsequent cleanup plan.

After banishing the Fel Well in Dalaran, the Star Soul Guardian teleported herself to an unknown location to continue locating the traces left by the Titans. Six hours later, she returned precisely on time, ready to single-handedly complete the teleportation of the entire Dalaran.

She intends to send the city ruins, along with the magic network nodes below, to Stormwind Kingdom, allowing Dalaran to undergo a "rebirth from the ashes" in its new location. This is clearly because the Kirin Tor, who have always been looked down upon by Aegwynn, have acted quite decisively this time, which has helped them regain some goodwill with Aegwynn.

So the guardians decided to lend them a hand.

Theoretically speaking, such an absurd operation is impossible. Even the Blue Dragon cannot freely move the Magic Network nodes, but the Guardians who possess the power of the Star Soul have special privileges.

In essence, the Magic Nodes are the convergence of energy veins beneath the Earth from celestial bodies, much like the blood vessels of Azeroth. The Heart of Azeroth in Aegwynn's possession can alter and seal these things.

If she hadn't been given a heavier mission by the Star Soul Lord, allowing Aegwynn to act freely, she alone would have been able to suppress the chaos currently unfolding in the Northern Frontier. Unfortunately, from a planetary perspective, what is happening in the Northern Frontier doesn't even qualify as "chaos."

However, when Aegwynn landed on the ruins of Dalaran in her Guardian "ancestral" raven form, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

"That number must be over 150,000, right?"

Aegwynn gazed at the bustling crowd thronging the ruins, then turned and stared intently at Antonidas. The archmage, somewhat embarrassed, muttered:

"King Terenas was determined to send all the civilians from Lordaeron to safety, and for this reason, the king even made a plea, 'We...'"

"A mysterious lady!"

Bishop Benedictus, who was protecting the civilians, stepped forward and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. His voice was hoarse as he said:

"I beg you to take these innocents with you to Stormwind Kingdom. The warriors of Lordaeron will remain in their homeland to fight off the demons, but the innocents cannot survive in this cruel land. Although Kul Tiran warships will come to pick them up, they will suffer torture every day they are stranded in the Northlands."

Please have mercy.

The bishop almost knelt down before Aegwynn.

If the Guardian had spoken, Benedict would probably have knelt down without hesitation, but someone was faster than him.

Princess Galiya, holding her younger brother, stepped forward to say something, when the crowd around her suddenly knelt down. The children were terrified and cried out, making the already desolate ruins of Dalaran even more filled with indelible sorrow.

"Ms. Aegwynn, please help them!"

Kael'thas, a kind-hearted elven prince, now weary, stepped forward, supported by his fiancée Lana'thel, and pleaded with Aegwynn:

“We just used the Eye of Dalaran to reinforce the entire city’s structure. This might reduce the stress you’ll experience during teleportation, and perhaps allow us to take more people with us. We who wield power must protect these innocents; otherwise, what is the point of pursuing power?”

"This isn't about numbers, you bunch of idiots."

Iger originally intended to use the adjective "idiot," but ultimately opted for a milder term.

She shook her head and called out loudly to the surrounding mages:
"Then I will only be responsible for teleportation, using this more subtle manipulation to suppress any potential damage to the continental shelf. You will be scattered throughout the ruins, and throughout the entire teleportation process, you must maintain a sufficiently thick barrier to protect civilians from being affected by the chaotic space."

Tell them to stay in the ruins and not wander around!

Especially during teleportation, in the chaotic spatial structure, the displacement of any individual can cause unpredictable and serious consequences.

"Let's get moving, quick!"

Under her reprimand, the council of six immediately dispatched their mages to different areas of the city ruins.

Aegwynn remained in the city square, planting Sargeras' Scepter into the ground. As she cast her spell, the earth around the city began to tremble irregularly, as if a small earthquake was tearing apart the connection between the city and the northern frontier.

This commotion was immediately noticed by a certain "big shot" in Lordaeron.

In a royal alchemy chamber, Lord Davar paused his mixing of black dragon blood with other medicines. As Azeroth's most famous "biologist," he was, of course, performing a highly sophisticated operation.

After all, to bestow the power of the Black Dragon upon humanity, it is necessary to ensure that those who drink the potion do not undergo "excessive dragonification," are not corrupted by the void and have their minds affected in the short term, and do not become uncontrollably frenzied with their power.

These demanding requirements clearly required an extremely high level of alchemy to fulfill properly, and fortunately, the members of the Presto family were all very skillful.

Although his useless daughter had mysteriously disappeared, he still had his trustworthy eldest son to rely on.

"Father, the earth's veins near Dalaran are being severed."

Sir Victor Nefarian Presto, holding the alchemical reagent in his hand, whispered to his father:

“That is your power domain.”

"Yes, the Earth Guardians rule over every inch of the world's mountains and rivers, but why should I get involved in this heart-wrenching rescue operation?"

Lord Daval walked to the window and gazed in the direction of Dalaran. The somber lord stroked his chin and said with interest:
"Not only will I not stop them, but I will also help them leave better and faster!"

We need to take advantage of the current situation to get rid of all those troublesome guys, leaving the most fanatical and loyal warriors to fight on the battlefield in the northern frontier.

My son, people in war will pay any price for victory, let alone drink potions that make them stronger. This demonic war will not destroy the order of the North Frontier; on the contrary, a new order will be formed.

And it will be shaped by our will!
The tragedy that befell the Green Dragon Legion foreshadows the future of the other Guardian Dragons. Those troublesome fellows will soon be unable to interfere with us, Victor. The Black Dragon Legion will control this continent in a different way, and our kin will forge a true 'Dragon Empire' for us.

That was just the prelude to the twilight hour!

As the Earth Warden, Deathwing can actually sense more details.

For example, there was a familiar power emanating from Aegwynn, who was currently presiding over this "Ultimate Teleportation"—a power from the Heart of the World, a power that the Titans had been suppressing and binding.

The Soul of the World has awakened!
He has chosen His representatives, which means it's only a matter of time before the Titans' prison is dismantled.

Although the Unified Field of All Things is already shattered, it is still preventing the void from corroding the Star Soul. Once it is destroyed, the path to the Star Soul will be fully revealed.

Of course, the most ferocious ancient gods will also be eliminated one by one in this process.

Deathwing grinned strangely, raising his fingers and trembling slightly to manipulate the earth's power and help Aegwynn better sever the link between Dalaran and the earth's veins beneath it.

Star Soul Spokesperson, you'd better hurry up and deal with the prison left behind by the Titans and those mad Old Gods.

I will lurk in the shadows of the mortal empire, and when you finally unleash all the shackles upon the Star Soul, when you triumph, I will plunge the most deadly thorn into the heart of the world.

"Ha, your victory will also become my victory! The twilight hour will surely come!"

Lord Davar was in a really good mood.

As it watched the "Floating City of Dalaran" rise into the air amidst flying rocks and crumbling earth, its heart was filled with joy and blessings. The troublesome fellows had all been sent away, which meant that no one could interfere with its next act of recklessness.

"My son, gather more of our people to the capital of Lordaeron!"

The lord waved his hand and said:

"We must 'arm' King Terenas's warriors as soon as possible. After you finish making this batch of potions, I will personally go to Stormwind Kingdom and infiltrate the army of greenskin orcs. After Zul'hild completes his mission with the Dragon Soul, bring back my artifact."

"Hmph, the pathetic insect has no idea how to use it properly."

"As you command, Father."

Nefarian, the black dragon prince, hesitated for a moment, then whispered:
"Would you like to stop by and look for my sister? She's been missing for over a month."

"Whatever, just don't let it interfere with important matters. Sigh, I've been so wise all my life, how could I have given birth to such a useless daughter?"

------

"What do you mean by 'Dalaran is about to arrive in Stormwind Kingdom'?"

When Marshal Lothar and King Ryan received the news, both leaders who were plotting to reclaim the Western Fertiles were stunned.

The sentence itself is not difficult to understand, it's just that the subject seems a bit problematic, but the Royal Archmage wouldn't lie, judging from the Archmage Andomas's nervous appearance, this must be an unexpected event.

The two hurried to the dock area, and after climbing the watchtower, they found Saint Diakum and Archbishop Alonsos there as well.

Khadgar is explaining the principles of this spell to others in the simplest possible way.

But before Khadgar's "teleportation mini-lesson" could end, a violent roar exploded over the endless sea between Stormwind and Westfall. Like the most ear-piercing howl, it made people cover their ears and look up to clearly see a black vortex being torn open in the space beneath the sky.

The spatial structure, violently torn apart, transformed into black lightning that echoed continuously around the vortex, while a city completely "pulled" from beneath the earth was slowly emerging from the spatial vortex, covered by a violet magical barrier.

This scene stunned everyone on the docks, leaving the stonemasons who were busy repairing the city speechless. It's no wonder they were so unsophisticated; even the twins beside Diakum stared wide-eyed.

They had fought the Burning Legion among the stars for over 20,000 years and had seen enough of the world, but these "magical barbarians" of Azeroth always managed to pull off some ruthless feats that left people speechless.

“That’s not a floating city at all! It doesn’t have any levitation spells or anti-gravity devices in operation.”

Saloras sighed and said:
"It's a complete 'big brick flying' tactic, it's so reckless."

Orestes nodded frantically. However, Archbishop Nelly found the scene quite familiar. Upon closer inspection, wasn't this the scene when Medivh sent an entire orc city to Azeroth?

Hey, no wonder they're mother and son, look at how their problem-solving approaches are cut from the same cloth.

"They're about to land."

Diakum pointed to the sea ahead and said:

"From now on, there will be a new 'city island' between Stormwind and the Western Wilderness. Lady Aegwynn has calculated the location precisely. After Dalaran lands, it will be integrated into the local underwater magic network. There is no need to worry about this having any impact on the Kingdom of Stormwind."

However, the island is home to over two hundred thousand civilians from Lordaeron and Dalaran, including Princess Calia Menethil and Prince Arthas Menethil, who require His Majesty Llane's personal reception.

"They fled from the war-torn northern frontier."

Losamo stroked his chin and said:

"They are living in fear and need reassurance and order most right now. The infection from the demonic plague is also a problem that needs to be solved. First, send them supplies and mobilize the Forest Spirit Sage to treat them. Then we will make more detailed arrangements."

I'll handle this.

"Let His Majesty Ryan take charge; you have your own matters to attend to."

Diakum said:
"Lord Meri Winterwind and my two children have brought you what you need most. Prepare yourselves, Lothar, for your ancestral relics are about to return."

Marshal Losa was surprised for a moment, then nodded.

After the massive island city took root in the endless sea, King Llane, along with his queen and Archbishop Alonsus, approached by ship. Upon landing on the island, they were immediately shocked by the devastated ruins of Dalaran and the haggard, fearful civilians.

The battle reports kept describing how bad the situation was in the North Frontier, but only when he saw it with his own eyes could the Lightforged King truly understand the pressure his human brethren were under at that moment.

“Your Majesty, I am here on the orders of King Terenas to escort the Prince and Princess to the Kingdom of Stormwind for refuge.”

Sir Uther stepped forward and bowed.

Ryan quickly helped the loyal soldier, whose armor still bore the marks of battle, to his feet.

He looked at Galia, whose eyes still bore traces of tears, and Prince Arthas beside her, who was wiping his eyes. At that moment, King Llane had a subtle sense of déjà vu. He thought that if Stormwind had not resisted the Greenskins' invasion, his son would have ended up in the North Frontier just like he is now.

Fate was indeed changed.

"Don't be afraid, children."

Ryan stepped forward and patted the two children on the shoulder. He said in a deep voice:
"Treat this place as your home. The Storm Kingdom will never stand idly by while our compatriots in the North Frontier suffer. We will do everything we can to help you return to your homeland in the future."

"But Father...oh, Father..."

Seeing the warm holy light emanating from King Llane, Arthas finally couldn't hold back his suppressed grief and sobbed, wiping his eyes. This reminded Llane of his son in another world. He knelt down, embraced Arthas, and patted his shoulder, saying:
"It's alright. Your father is the most outstanding leader. He will surely be victorious in every battle."

It seems that he has finally found someone he can rely on, so that the little prince no longer has to suppress his grief.

His cries touched the knights and commoners around him, and even Princess Calia wept silently in Queen Talia's arms.

In this somber atmosphere, Archbishop Fao, who was constantly drawing a triangular emblem on his chest, found his disciple.

He saw Benedictus surrounded by believers who regarded him as their leader, and he also saw the man's weary posture as he held a longsword and scriptures. The archbishop stepped forward with relief, knowing that the lost souls of Lordaeron also had their own guardians.

This is a miracle of the Holy Light, without a doubt.

"Mentor, it's me."

Benedictus had barely opened his mouth when he felt a wave of dizziness and weakness, and was then supported in Fao's arms.

Seeing the holy light that had enveloped him for so many days quickly dissipate and transform into the phantom of a seraph flying into the city ahead, he realized that the Guardian Saint who had granted him the power of protection was in the city ahead.

"He sheltered us."

The weakened Benedictus grasped Archbishop Fao's hand and said haltingly:
"He is our Savior, the embodiment of holy light."

"Yes, my child, He has saved more than just you! He has also shaped the hope we need most. Rest now, rest in the holy light of the Watcher, your arduous journey through war and shadows has come to an end."

The archbishop looked after his disciples, while outside the crowd, Old Chen, who had also lost the blessing of the Holy Light, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The wanderer glanced helplessly at his jade bamboo, which had been damaged in the fierce battle, then shrugged with a nonchalant air, put on his bamboo hat, and picked up the small wine barrel full of fine wine.

He took one last look at Stormwind, then turned and left without a second thought.

Wandering without settling in one place is the fate of a traveler. He has completed his journey in the northern frontier, and it is time to set off again.

Although he still longed for the path to Pandaria that the Vigilantes had mentioned, the demon invasion of the world showed that Saint Diakum certainly didn't have time to complete that long journey that all the Pandaren yearned for.

He wanted to use this time to return to Lost Island and tell the news to the residents of his hometown.

Although Lord Shinji no longer wished to return to his homeland due to the passing of the sage Liu Lang, the panda people of Misty Island longed to return to their true homeland to pay homage to their ancestors and convey their sorrow after being away from home for hundreds of years.

Besides, with demons invading the world, Lost Island might also be in danger. As the chief martial monk of the Five Dawn Temple, I have already helped other races, so how can I turn a blind eye to my own people?

"But how do I get back?"

Looking at the boundless sea before him, Old Chen felt somewhat helpless. In the current chaos, all ocean-going ships had probably stopped. Lord Shenzhenzi had been wandering all over the Endless Sea, and finding them in time would not be an easy task.

"Ow"

Just as Old Chen was scratching his head in frustration, a beautiful fear raven with blue feathers and huge wings flapped its wings and landed in front of him amidst a strange screech.

A nimble little raven is perched on the huge raven saddle, as if it were "hitching a ride".

"Hey, you black and white fat bear."

Old Ansu's voice rang out from the little crow's beak, flapping its wings and calling out:
"Diacom said you're going home and asked old Ansu to give you a ride. Why don't you hurry up and get on? He told me that your home is being carried around by the world's largest tortoise, and that the tortoise is as tall as a mountain."

Pshaw, I don't believe it.

You Azerothians are the biggest braggarts!

That day, I heard those Sunwalker Tauren boasting that their ancestors blocked the demon portal and slaughtered the Burning Legion. Hmph, that's something mortals can do.

I think you're all just big talkers!

At Old Ansu's invitation, Old Chen climbed onto the saddle of the Fear Raven. As the giant bird soared into the sky, the monk noticed a full case of fine wine in the saddlebag next to the saddle.

This made the wine-loving monk beam with joy.

He took out a bottle, twisted it open, and sniffed it. Hmm, it smelled like starlight mixed with sunlight.

This is the victory wine enjoyed by the warriors of the Holy Light Legion. A whole case is a reward from Diakum to Old Chen. For a dashing hero like him, no reward of a thousand pieces of gold can compare to the satisfaction of such a pot of wine.

“There’s another stick over there.”

Standing atop Old Chen's straw hat, An Su, seemingly "riding the waves," chirped incessantly, offering reminders:

"That was a wondrous object crafted by the Watcher from a branch he plucked from the World Tree of the Forest Spirits, polished it, and infused it with holy power. He said it was a gift and reward for his 'old friend'."

"Haha, thanks then."

Old Chen, who was drinking the holy wine, laughed heartily. He was just missing a bamboo staff for fighting and carrying the wine.

This guard is actually a pretty nice guy.

Just as Old Chen was comfortably returning home, in a newly repaired mage tower in Stormwind's mage district, Marshal Lothar stared blankly at the barbarian war sword lying in its weapon case.

The sword is not the problem; it is exactly as described in his family's legend as "Stormka the War Destroyer."

The real problem is the spirit floating beside the war sword.
"So, you are Anduin Lothar, and you are my last bloodline on the Eastern Continent?"

Emperor Thoradin's spirit floated in the air, hands on hips, scrutinizing Lothar from head to toe, finally shaking his head with a disdainful yet nonchalant expression and saying:

"No, no! You seem rather unambitious; you cannot inherit my sword, unless..."

The barbarian king revealed a bloodthirsty and fierce smile, and shouted:

"Unless you can personally behead 999 demons in this demon war, I will not allow someone who can't even fight on his own to inherit my throne."

(End of this chapter)