Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 305, Section 62: Brian Bronzebeard's Re-education in Archaeology - The Titan Trap
Udaman's investigation has now come to an end.

As Diakum had promised the dwarven explorers, they would only take away the dangerous forces within this ancient dungeon that should not be touched by mortals, leaving the remaining artifacts and historical records untouched.

But to be honest, Brian Bronzebeard, who had followed and witnessed everything, was currently in the difficult process of rebuilding his worldview after it was shattered, and the old dwarf simply didn't have time to pay attention to these trivial details.

He learned and saw so much today.

Not only did they learn the mystery of the birth and transformation of dwarves and gnomes from the ancient giants, but they also heard about the grudges and affections between the "gods" and the terrible conspiracy of the ancient gods.

This incredibly informative secret challenges the old dwarf's fundamental understanding of the world.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have come into contact with "forbidden knowledge," to the point that the "real world" in his eyes became unreal.

He was sitting on a rock outside the forging hall, discussing some details with Lyran while frantically recording what he had seen and heard that day in his notebook.

"You can't take these things out and blab about them."

Lyran was an extremely experienced explorer. Although she had never experienced such a major exploration of the origins of the world before, she could understand the terrible shock that the disclosure of this information would bring to the entire mortal world, which would almost completely reshape mortals' understanding of the origins of the world of Azeroth.

Most importantly, these things are dangerous for ordinary people.

It is a danger in a physical sense.

"For beings like the Old Gods, even the ignorant mortals who call out their names in strange places will attract the gaze of the Void. They should not know this forbidden knowledge. Therefore, I think that apart from the origin of dwarves and gnomes, which you can appropriately reveal to your king brother and the king of the gnomes, you should keep the rest of the knowledge hidden."

Lyran solemnly reminded his dwarf friend:

"Lock them in the strongest and most secretive cabinet you can find, and decrypt them fifty or even a hundred years later. By then, mortals' understanding of the world will have certainly improved."

"I understand. The fact that humans, dwarves, and gnomes are all from the same family is enough to shock the world."

The old dwarf, pipe in mouth, spoke with alternating excitement and dejection:
"This is much more exciting than the archaeological truth that 'elves evolved from trolls,' but just like the 'elf-troll theory,' this is the kind of thing where anyone who dares to speak out should be prepared to be assassinated by the elves."

Ugh, it feels awful to have to keep such a big secret to myself.

On the bright side, knowing these major prehistoric events allows me to piece together a timeline and then lead the Explorers' Guild to investigate and verify their development, confirming their authenticity. Hmm, I'll have something to do for the rest of my life.

This task might not be finished even when I pass away.

"Be confident, you definitely can't finish it."

Leilan snorted and said:
"Although there has been no precedent of any dwarf dying of natural causes since the first group of flesh-and-blood dwarves broke out of Uldaman with King Anvilmar of the Mountains, I estimate that you will live for at most a few thousand years."

This amount of time is definitely not enough to verify all the truths of prehistoric times, but as long as your Explorers' Guild continues to operate, there will always be successors who will unravel everything you know.

"Hmm, that makes sense. Individual efforts are insignificant compared to the unity of the group. I will follow your advice. But why is it keeping an eye on me?"

Brian Bronzebeard, exhaling a smoke ring, stretched uncomfortably, pointed to the strange stone statue staring at them in the distance, and said to Lyran beside him:

"That statue is so strange! It keeps following us but doesn't attack. It just stares at us with its eyes fixed on us, as if it has ill intentions."

“You dwarf, you have no knowledge! That’s ‘Lefti,’ one of the true Titan creations. You should call him ‘Ancestor.’”

Chromie, who was also furiously scribbling down everything she had seen that day, explained in a low voice:

"You haven't been to the Dragon Islands, so you haven't seen these strange stone statues. Ten thousand years ago, during the Harmonious Age, they had a good relationship with our guardian dragons. They maintained our home cities. These beautiful rock creatures in dragon-human form were followers of Tyr and some of the lower guardians."

However, I've heard that some islands in the South China Sea have derivatives of their Blood Curse. These creatures have changed appearance and even call themselves 'Snake People'.

I have seen snake people.

Those guys do look a lot like Levitt.

"mistake!"

Holding a rock spear, Talondas, the "sentinel" who had been following these guys, spoke:

"The birth of the Serpent People has no direct connection with Lefti. They are descendants of the Loa god Setaris and only share a physical resemblance to us. Because of their unique structure, the Lefti have extremely high resistance to the Curse of Flesh, which is why Lord Azadas appointed me as the guardian of the Treasury of Tyr."

My mission is to look after these two platinum discs.

You insolent intruders should be executed by my own hand, but Lord Azadas has granted you passage. However, a mission is a mission, and I must guard the Platinum Disc, so I must follow you wherever you go.

Don't even think about running away!
The earth and mountains are my eyes; I can track you at any time.

"what!"

Chromie's eyes widened, and she said curiously:

"But you've been in the secluded Uldaman for 30,000 years, how would you know about the Volton serpent people?"

"Uldaman is only internally closed off, and its connection with other Titan facilities is intermittent. After the ancient war caused the world to collapse 10,000 years ago, Uldaman was able to receive communication records from the special facility Uldir."

I learned about the snake man's story while reviewing the records.

The majestic rock creature, with a shrunken dragon head, eyes made of perfect rubies, a humanoid body, and a long, slender dragon tail, answered methodically:
"Although I haven't discussed it with my other Lefti companions, I don't think the snake people are related to us. They lack the beautiful dragon horns and have ugly snake scales. There's no doubt that the snake people still have a lot of room for evolution."

"But a normal Titan creation wouldn't have any thoughts other than its mission and duty, yet you're interested in this, which means you're not serious either!"

Chromie squinted at the rock sentinel and said:

"So, you were actually affected by the Curse of Flesh and Blood, right? Although your body is still a pure stone, your mind has been freed."

"I refuse to answer that question!"

Sentinel Talondas said:
“I am a loyal Tyr’s Guardian, and that’s enough for me.”

"But the core facilities of Uldaman will soon be dismantled, and Tyr's Platinum Disc will be sent to the Dragon King. Your mission is over."

Brian Bronzebeard exhaled a smoke ring, looked at the imposing ancient sentinel captain before him, and asked in a low voice:

"Um... Ms. Elonaya said before that my ancestor Anwimar was the security captain of Uldaman, so he must have been your colleague, right?"

“Yes, Modimus Anvimar is my repairman. He made the rock spear in my hand for me, and he is also my friend.”

Talondas sighed and said:
"Unfortunately, he was infected with the Curse of Flesh. Not only him, but all the earth elves and mechanical gnomes in Uldaman were followers of Tyr. We survived because of Tyr's sacrifice, but the Curse of Flesh is spreading."

To combat this malevolent force, Anvemar and the other earth spirits and mechanical gnomes fell into slumber.

Lady Elonaya was once a proud Iron Guardian, but tormented by the Curse of Flesh, she was reduced to fragile flesh, and she sensed her aging and impending death. Unable to bear seeing her followers trapped and dying in the dungeon, she broke the Guardian's rules for the first time in her life and released you.

The flesh-and-blood dwarfs were the first to awaken.

They were terrified, but escaped through the fissure that Lady Elonaya had created, and Anvemar and the other dwarves awoke afterward.

The curse of flesh and blood robbed them of their memories, and I could only watch them depart from the shadows and offer my blessings.

Although Lady Elonaya was reprimanded by Lord Azadas for her actions and given a new rock body to fight death, we all know in our hearts that the era of the Titan Guardians had ended the moment even orthodox earth spirits like Anvimar turned into flesh and blood and forgot their duties and missions.

They left Uldaman more than 2,500 years ago, but before that, on the day Lord Tyr died in battle, the outside world...
It no longer belongs to us.

"But what if I told you that my ancestor, the King of the Mountains, had not actually forgotten you?"

Old Brian chuckled.

He opened his thick notebook and, on the first few pages, pointed to a badge he had made a rubbing of and showed it to Captain Lefti.

He pointed to the stone emblem and said:
"This is an ornament that our ancestor Anvemar made himself in his old age. He would always hold it in his hand in a half-dreaming state. The dwarves' obsession with their mission was passed down from that time. The King of the Mountains firmly believed that we dwarves bear a sacred responsibility."

Even in his old age, he would personally go to the vicinity of the desolate land to dig, and no one could dissuade him, to the point that everyone thought the King of the Mountains had lived too long and had become senile.

Only today do I realize what my ancestors were looking for.

He's looking for his way home!

Sadly, his tireless search exhausted his remaining life force, and he died without ever returning here. Clutching the emblem he had always worn in his old age, he breathed his last in Ironforge. Afterwards, the three dwarven races began a pathetic civil war over shameful power, directly causing the kingdom's division. But speaking of which, don't you think the pattern on this emblem looks a lot like you?
This thing is now kept in the Ironforge museum. It was researching its history that led me down this irreversible path of archaeology.

Talondas wagged her tail and examined it carefully, then shook her head and said:

"No, this isn't me, I'm not that ugly, but okay."

I understand what you mean. Perhaps Anvemar remembered something, perhaps he saw my face in the shadows when he fled Uldaman, but that means nothing. We are destined to be forgotten by the world.

"You should come back to Ironforge with me, along with your companions here."

Brian shouted:

"That is the city founded by the King of the Mountains, the homeland your friends chose for themselves, and it is also your new home. All the Bronzebeard dwarves will welcome you unconditionally, and my brother will certainly appoint you as the 'Ancestor Guardians' of Ironforge."

We dwarves have this tradition.

"Yes, you all need to find something to do."

Chromie also advised:
"It's their business whether Elonaya and Azadas decide to face the judgment of the Star Soul Lord. You are just low-ranking soldiers in the Guardian system. What wrong could you have done? You and your warriors can stay in Ironforge in peace!"

"Once the Dragon Islands reappear, we can take you back to Tyre Fortress, the place where you were truly born, right?"

"I need to get approval for this."

Talondas pondered for a moment and said:
"I can't give you an answer right now, and I think it's fine for me to stay here. I've been here for tens of thousands of years, I already have..."

"Do not be silly."

Lyran interrupted its explanation, shook his head, and said incisively:

"If you were truly uninterested in the outside world, you wouldn't have bothered reading that Odil record. You guys are really stubborn, just like your creator."

Just then, the door to the forging hall opened.

Diakum and the twins emerged from among them, and Lyran keenly noticed that Uncle Diakum had a new ring on his left hand. She went over to take a look.

The ring was made of rock.

Apart from the blue gemstones, the ring's shape is almost identical to the Heart of Argus, and even the surrounding runes are very similar, but the aura it exudes is much heavier than that of the Heart of Argus.

"This is... the Heart of Azeroth?"

Leilan stared wide-eyed and said:
"Lady Aegwynn entrusted you with the first replica of the Heart of Azeroth?"

"No, it's not a copy."

Saloras explained:
"This is a ring that the Azerothian Star Soul Lord made for Commander Diakum, and it is as unique as the Heart of Argus pinky ring on his hand."

"Although not the representative of the Star Soul Lord, the Vigilant has also been granted the title of 'Honorary Guardian of Azeroth'."

Aurecis remarked with emotion:

"Only an outstanding warrior like Commander Diakum could be so highly regarded by two Star Soul Lords at the same time. This means that he has also gained extremely high power in Azeroth, and the 'Saviors' summoned by Lady Aegwynn also have to take him as their leader."

"Don't just say the good things. This is not just a reward, but also a heavy responsibility."

Diakum stroked the second ring and said:

"Aegwynn has also shared the responsibility of recruiting saviors with me. Clearly, the Star Soul Lord hopes to use my experience in this area to help Aegwynn build up her forces as quickly as possible. Are you willing to become the saviors of Azeroth?"

He looked at the Eredar warriors around him and explained:

"If you are willing to take on an additional oath beyond the oath you took in your homeland, you will also receive the powerful 'Heart of Azeroth' as ​​a reward, which means that you will be able to draw upon the power of the world at any time in this world."

Although the Azerothian world-soul is severely weakened, its potential is immense. Even in this weakened state, it is far more powerful than the Argus Overlord was in his prime. This means you can rediscover the invincible power you possessed during the great battle against Argus in Azeroth.

“We are willing to help, but the problem is that we cannot accept it, sir.”

Saloras said regretfully:

"The use of Star Soul power is not without its limitations. To wield the power of the world means to transfer one's 'origin' to Azeroth and become a true child of the world. Not every Eredar can be granted the privilege of 'dual Star Origin' by the two Star Soul Lords like you."

Before their homeland of Argus was restored, the Eredar's acceptance of the Heart of Azeroth could almost be considered an act of 'forsaken'.

Of course, this restriction only applies to the ancient Eredar!

Those descendants like Yrel, who did not experience the Battle of Argus, are not included, so you might be able to select some warriors from the Draenei clan to become members of the 'Saviors of Azeroth'.

“Establish a new Eredar Star Clan.”

Orestes added:
“A world like Azeroth is one of the most perfect places to live in the cosmos, and it is an option to leave a clan here, in accordance with our Eredar migration traditions.”

Ultimately, although everyone is thinking about restoring Argus, we must also recognize reality: once our homeland is truly restored, some people will still return to the world they were born and lived in.

The Eredar civilization's spread and flourished throughout the cosmos is an established fact.

"Ah."

Diakum nodded; he thought it was a good idea.

Although in this timeline, the Draenei are unlikely to be unlucky enough to be stranded on Bloodmyst Isle in the Mist Sea and become pitiful refugees in a second exile, the grand stage of Azeroth is still there. If the future changes of this world did not involve immortal beings like the Draenei, the story of Azeroth would likely lose some of its color.

"let's go."

The vigilant called out:

"The rest of the Uldaman affairs will be handled by Ms. Aegwynn and old Merri. The rest of you can retreat now. Brian, you and your archaeologists will need to wait patiently for a while until all the Titan facilities in the Uldaman dungeons have been removed before you can resume your archaeology."

You should be able to understand that those devices cannot be handed over to you for the time being, and it is also difficult for you to understand the operating mode of those complex structures.

But I will store them in a safe place.

If the dwarf engineers who share your origins are willing to come and learn how to use it, I will grant them sufficient privileges.

That is the 'legacy' left to the world by the Titan Guardians. Although it may not be that they voluntarily shared it, I believe that all races of Azeroth are now entitled to benefit from it, as a 'compensation' left to the world after the long imprisonment of the Unifying Field.

The goblin trade prince will figure out a way to use them properly.

After saying that, Diakum led all the Eredar away from Uldaman without any hesitation.

Their work in Stormwind Kingdom is very important, and it's already a struggle for them to squeeze in time to do some archaeology.

"I'm telling you, back in the underground palace, you tried to touch those dangerous-looking things at least seventeen times, old dwarf! If I hadn't stopped you, who knows what trouble you would have caused."

"Your hands really don't seem to be under your own control!"

Archbishop Nelly, leaning on her Red-Throat Fang, reprimanded Brian, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, quite rudely:
“You’d better reflect on this. If you go to such a dangerous place again, we won’t be there to clean up your mess. And you, Lefti the Sentinel! Since Brian is your theoretical ‘junior,’ you should teach him the rules of Titan creation properly, so he doesn’t cause any more trouble in the future.”

After saying that, the archbishop wagged his little tail and turned to leave.

Only an embarrassed Brian Bronzebeard and Sentinel Captain Talondas, who was staring coldly at him, remained in the same spot.

“That blue-skinned hunter is right, some of your actions are really dangerous.”

The sentry captain said:
"Come with me. Considering you'll likely be conducting research at other Titan facilities in the future, I must teach you to distinguish which things you can touch and which things you absolutely must not. You need to understand that the defensive systems the Guardians have installed in the facilities can easily melt a flesh-and-blood being like you in most situations!"

Bring paper and pen, take careful notes; I'll only teach you once.

Ps:

Bonus chapters tomorrow: 3+5!

(End of this chapter)