Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 458, Section 67: The Cruel Female Imperial Guard Vashj's Operational Guidelines - Bonus Chapter [35]

(Bonus chapter for "konstanzzz" [3/5])
Vashj woke up.

She felt like she was having a hazy, dreamlike experience.

In her dream, she met a doctor who made her feel very "safe". He was not only willing to listen to the bitterness that had been building up in her heart for ten thousand years, but also gave her spiritual guidance and then performed brain surgery on her.

wrong!

The spy master instantly regained his senses.

She jumped up with a start, looking around warily, and found herself lying in a grove of trees outside the city of Suramar.

His own armor was placed to the side, along with a Mogu-style halberd and bow.

But I should be on the Exodar, so what happened?
How did I get back to the Broken Isles?
Who sent me down here?

A flood of questions arose in her mind, and then she found a letter inside her clothes.

Upon opening it, it was found to be written by Archbishop Saloras. This Eredar lieutenant's calligraphy was superb, befitting his status as an outstanding graduate of the Arcane Academy. It stood in stark contrast to the Vigilant's calligraphy, which, while not bad, was certainly not excellent.

In the letter, Saloras briefly told her that the surgery was a success!
Vashj has recovered her health, but because the Exodar had to return to Stormwind for a special mission, she had to be dropped off near Suramar en route.

Her armor had been cleaned and reinforced by the Lightforged craftsmen. The "Lightning" halberd was a divine artifact that Commander Diakum had personally compensated her with as an apology for the "illegal detention" she had suffered these past few days.

At the end of the letter, Saloras reminded her to protect Queen Azshara's body, because if Azshara's soul returned to the material world from the Shadowlands in the future, without a body, she would only be able to wander the world as a spirit.

This loyal master spy, you wouldn't want your empress to become a "wandering ghost," would you?

How can this be!

After reading the letter, Vashj immediately made up her mind. She would never allow Her Majesty the Queen's sacred body to be desecrated in the slightest!

So she quickly changed into her armor, then wielded the powerful Mogu halberd a few times. Terrifying surges of electricity enveloped the halberd, which was decorated with lightning orbs, making it look incredibly majestic.

Vashj was very satisfied with the thing's combat power.

Although she seemed to have overlooked the fact that the heavy halberd in her hand was Thor's personal weapon, something that would be difficult for even a strong Mogu to lift with both hands, it felt as light as a needle in Vashj's hands.

However, none of this matters!

The spy master easily convinced herself to ignore these details. Eager to return to the Nighthold to protect her beloved Queen, she turned and leaped into the shadows, launching herself into the forest at more than five times the speed of sound as she sped toward Suramar.

The sonic waves that roared in then engulfed the poor forest.

Even though Vashj wasn't planning to waste time on trivial details, she noticed the change in herself.

She stopped as she accelerated, looking back at the scene behind her that resembled a tornado destroying a parking lot. She touched her hand, feeling that the unreliable vigilant must have given her some extra "enhancements".

"Are these powers meant to enable me to better protect Queen Azshara?"

The spy master curled his lip.

She complained:

"That guy is actually a pretty nice person. No wonder the Queen trusted him so much when they first met. In that case, let's take some time to get used to this 'blessing'."

But the most urgent task is to return to the Night Fortress.

It's been half a year since I was captured while tracking the anomalies at the Tomb of Sargeras. General Varosan is loyal enough, but he lacks political acumen. It's hard to say whether he can withstand Elisande's endless probing.

However, the supreme empress has awakened!

She has not yet returned to her loyal Suramar only because Her Majesty has launched a punitive expedition against the traitors of the Shadowlands. Yes, Her Majesty will eventually return to her throne and lead her Highborne people to rise again.

Vashj squinted.

She realized that her duty at this moment was to ensure that Elisande did not learn of the "Queen's Awakening," otherwise the archmage who had already committed acts of rebellion might take a risky step.

Her Majesty is indeed invincible in Azeroth, but with her will no longer in her body, if the Nightwell is destroyed, her holy body will be unable to retaliate against that vicious assassination attempt.

"I also need to win over some loyal ministers for the Queen, ready to respond to Her Majesty's call at any time. Once Her Majesty returns to the throne, she must immediately execute Elisande and those treacherous ministers around her!"

On the way to Suramar, Vashj's deep thinking as a master spy quickly came into play, allowing her to formulate a series of plans.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that after receiving the "treatment" from the vigilant, her thinking had become much more flexible, and she hadn't felt this kind of "speechless inspiration and wildly imaginative thinking" for many years.

My mind seemed to be ruthlessly expanded by an invisible hand.

My closed heart and eyes seem to have accepted all possible paths, and are no longer blind or foolish.

She glanced at the entropy energy emanating from her fingertips.

She had seen the "Rondorei" active in Pandaria, and considering that Lord Diakum had used the secrets of the Curse of Flesh to reshape his body, she must have some Void power remaining after experiencing "Void Healing".

Therefore, I can currently be considered a "Rondoray".

In the past, the Highborne Elf idealist Vashj would have scoffed at this "impure" form, but now she finds herself accepting it all with equanimity.

This power was obtained to protect the Queen, but all power is merely a means to an end; ensuring Her Majesty Azshara is not harmed is the ultimate goal.

I should be more "pragmatic" in order to better serve the Empress.

"He who comes is stopped!"

When Vashj arrived outside the Great Proclamation in Suramar, she was immediately stopped by the patrolling city guards. Half a year had passed, and the plague crisis had subsided in the outside world, but Elisande was still maintaining the barrier around the Nightwell.

How afraid of death is that rebellious insect?

The spymaster scoffed at this, but expressionlessly tossed his identification to the Nightborne city guard in front of him. The guard was shocked upon seeing Vashj's identity and immediately reported it.

A few minutes later, Lord Eitaus, the city's great astrologer and close ally of Elisande, personally appeared through the portal in his magical palanquin.

He was there to welcome Vashj back to the city.

Although Lady Vashj belongs to the Queen's Guard and has always considered herself a loyal subject, she does not have much contact with the ruling faction of Elisande. However, the Highborne elves in the city respect, or rather fear, Lady Vashj.

This is all because this master spy is very good at digging up "dirt".

The fact that she was able to rise to the position of a highly trusted head lady-in-waiting in Queen Azshara's court is enough to demonstrate that Vashj's political acumen is far from ordinary.

Moreover, the assassins in the Queen's formidable Royal Guard are all under Lady Vashj's command. If you anger this ruthless master spy, your entire family could perish, and you could die a violent death with just a gesture from her.

The arrogant nobles of the Highborne are very reluctant to reason; if they start to speak politely and rationally, it means they are truly afraid.

“Your ‘journey’ has been quite long.”

The great astrologer Eitaus maintained the decorum expected of the High Elf nobility.

Unlike his servants who had become "African elves" from years of absorbing the magic of the Dark Well, the great astrologer, who had long since cleansed himself of his magic addiction with the fruit of the Sacred Tree of Arcandor, had fair skin and an elegant demeanor.

Leaning on his astrological staff, he personally opened a "path" to the city for Ms. Vashj.

In the path where the heavy magic of the Dark Well spread, he asked, seemingly casually:
"Moreover, your sudden departure was not reported to any department in the city. The plague is rampant outside. Madam, it is really dangerous for you to go out alone without a guard."

"What if?"

Vashj asked in a cold tone:
"Instead of going out to explore the world, are you just like me, confined to this narrow world of Suramar? You'd be like a frog in a well, looking at the sky from the bottom of a well. Hmm, this is the wisdom of the Pandaren that I gleaned from my travels in Pandaria."

Don't take the idiom to heart, Lord Eitaus; it's not a compliment.

"Pandaria?"

The great astrologer, who had lived through the era of the Elven Empire, immediately became serious and asked:
“I recently observed the stars and indeed discovered that the positions of Draco and Leviathan in the starry sky have changed, indicating that the material world has undergone some unexpected shifts. And the ‘Pandaren’ you mentioned, are they ancient allies who had clear diplomatic relations with my Elven Empire back then?”

"Ah, you haven't forgotten the pride of the empire, that's good."

Vashj's gloved fingers flicked, and a delicate jade amulet with a blue dragon leaped into her palm. She said:
"The current leader of the Pandaren has inquired about the state of the Elven Empire, which fills me with deep shame for our decline and weakness. Go, Lord Etaus, and deliver this jade talisman to Elisande, so that she may be prepared!"

Soon, the Pandaren delegation from Pandaria will arrive at the Broken Isles to pay homage to the Queen and reshape the ancient diplomacy between them and us.

It is said that their Emperor Shaohao even had a handwritten letter to deliver to Her Majesty the Empress.

That was a letter from an emperor to another leader. If Elisande had even the slightest sense of honor as a High Elf, she should have given this decaying city a good cleaning up recently!

To avoid leaving a bad impression on foreign guests.

The great astrologer's expression was very serious.

Regardless of how Archmage Elisande viewed the matter, as a high elf noble, he had to maintain his pitiful dignity, so he didn't say much and hurriedly boarded his magical palanquin to leave.

Vashj then boarded the magical palanquin that the Archastrologer had brought for her. After the thing floated up, she gave directions and had it carry her toward the city docks.

Nighthold is located outside the bay of Suramar City. It is a magnificent palace that is isolated on an island and connected to the city only by a white bridge across the sea.

Civilians are not allowed to approach that area under normal circumstances.

Only during the Highborne festivals are the dark, shadowy Nightborne children of Shaldore allowed to approach the Queen's sleeping palace.

That was the busiest time at Nighthold Keep, when countless weary and vulnerable Nightborne civilians would kneel on the steps, wailing and pleading as they prayed to the Queen.

They cried out for their beloved queen to awaken, desiring that Her Majesty Azshara, the "Light of Light," would rule them personally.

Although no mention is ever made of Elisande's "eternal benevolence," every sentence is a satire of the Archmage. As a result, after each festival, some of the most heartbroken commoners would "disappear."

The archmage clearly disliked the people he had "protected" for ten thousand years going to offer their loyalty to an elven queen who had slept for ten thousand years and had done nothing.

She and her lords probably thought the elves in the city were all heartless.

Actually, Vashj didn't think there was anything wrong with this before, after all, she and General Varosan could only try their best to keep Her Majesty Azshara's reputation in the city from being damaged in the current situation.

She was truly powerless to help the Nightborne.

Suramar was a major city during the Elven Empire era, home to millions of Nightborne. The Royal Guard was limited in number and had to protect the Emperor; even if she witnessed a tragedy, she simply couldn't manage it all. But things are different now.

The Queen will return to rule her empire, and the Nightborne, who have long suffered under Elisande, will become tools that can be used legitimately.

The people longed for the return of the Queen's glory, and they had long harbored resentment towards the Archmage's inhumane rule.

Perhaps all it takes is for her to secretly instigate a "great uprising" to break out in Suramar. When Her Majesty awakens from the Dark Well, she will be greeted by a group of loyal empire members with tears in their eyes, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Hmm, what a perfect script! His Majesty will be very happy.

As for Elisande
This kind of scoundrel from the roadside isn't worth Your Majesty getting your hands dirty!
As loyal subjects of the Queen, he and Varosen had a responsibility to get rid of this rebellious fool who was harsh on the people.

Even if Her Majesty Azshara has a thousand faults, during the years of her reign, the High Elves never suffered such humiliation as they are now, having to count the number of people to replenish their mana every day.
Horse riding!
How did the Elf Empire become like this?!
As she thought about it, Vashj even put herself in his shoes, and she suddenly felt that Elisande really deserved to die!
The Dark Night Well clearly has enough magic to distribute to the common people. As long as she and the higher-ups waste less, the Night Children in the city can get a sufficient supply of magic wine.

But those "white-skinned" Highborne elves simply refused to stop their damned, worthless banquets and balls.

How can the glory of the empire be restored when surrounded by such a bunch of insects?

"what!"

Just as the spymaster was planning the details of the "Suramar Uprising" in her mind, she suddenly heard a scream from the street. Vashj looked up and saw a ragged Nightborne girl falling from the top of the Hall of Order not far away.

The poor little girl danced wildly, but nothing could save her from her impending death.

Vashj knew that the reason these children appeared above the Hall of Order was because they were hired by the mages under Elisande to clear the magic circle.

The magic arrays were built in the mezzanine of the building, inaccessible to adults; only children could move around freely.

Although mages can use magic to clear it, that would cause unnecessary interference to the magic circle.

There are many such "child laborers" in the city. They are hired to clean up magic circles and receive extra magic liquor rations, making it a very good job opportunity among the Nightborne commoners.

But it's also dangerous.

Just like now, the main body of the magic circle is so delicate that it cannot be tied with ropes to avoid wear and tear. If the children do not hold on tightly, they will fall from a great height.

Similar incidents have occurred before, and the families of the victims have received ten times the amount of Magic Wine as compensation.

Hmm, fifteen bottles of magic wine.

This is the compensation that Azshara's empire's citizens would receive if they lost a child ten thousand years later.
"Fortunately, Saint Diakum wasn't here."

This was the first thought that came to Vashj's mind. Otherwise, given the saint's moral standards, he would probably have immediately ordered the Exodar to launch an orbital bombardment of Elisande's residence after learning all this.

"How come I never noticed before that this city is like a man-eating monster?"

This was Vashj's second thought.

She suddenly realized that in addition to strengthening her body, Saint Diakum seemed to have also brought back something she had forgotten for too long.

conscience
Horse riding!
Don't the city's upper elves feel any pangs of conscience when they hear about these things?
She then got up to catch the falling little girl, but there was an artificial lake between them and where she was going to fall, and even using Shadow Step wouldn't have been enough to catch her in time.

But Vashj knew she could.

She didn't know where her confidence came from, but she just could do it!

After taking a deep breath, the world in Vashj's eyes suddenly "slowed down." Everything around her entered a "slow motion" state: the falling leaves, the dust rising from the street, the exclamations of the crowd, and even the wind blowing in her face.

She is entering a state of super-reflexes, and the world before her eyes is playing "frame by frame".

But that's still not enough.

She needed to slow down even more, so the moment Vashj started moving, she sharpened her senses even more. In a near-complete "time stop" at the nanosecond level, she felt as if she were the only one in the world maintaining a "normal speed".

So Vashj quickly crossed the street where time seemed to stand still, past those guys who moved as slowly as lightning, and stood next to the little girl who was only a meter above the ground.

She reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the little one's eyes.

She must have been terrified. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her dirty hands gripped the pendant on her chest. It wasn't anything valuable, but it was perhaps the most precious treasure she had acquired in her short life.

A crystal engraved with the parents' names.

Its quality is not high.

It probably wouldn't even qualify as a consumable in Elisande's laboratory, yet it's the most valuable thing in the hands of the commoners under the Queen's command.

She must be the little darling of the family.

She must be very sensible to have come to do such a dangerous job.

Vashj had never felt so "emotional" before.

But as she reached out and hugged the little girl, and then ended her "nanosecond-level neural response," she truly hoped that something like this would never happen again.

This is not the life the Queen's subjects should live!

The Pandaren will laugh at them to death, and then send all their Black Guards to destroy their corrupt civilization!
In the words of the Panda people, this is called "punishing the guilty and rescuing the people."

"buzz"

The outside world returned to normal in an instant. The little girl in Vashj's arms stared wide-eyed in surprise. The painful death she had imagined did not come. Instead, she was held in the arms of a beautiful older sister.

The older sister appeared beside him as if she had teleported and saved him.

"Your skin is so fair, you must be a nobleman."

The little girl was terrified.

She saw the pale neck beneath Vashj's helmet, trembled, and was about to apologize when the spymaster stopped her.

She put the little girl on the ground and took out a magic gem from her bosom, intending to tell her not to do such dangerous things in the future. But then she thought that the child couldn't protect such a treasure, and giving her money would be like sending her to her death.

Adding to the "great uprising" plan she had in mind, Vashj said to the child:
“I am Queen Azshara’s handmaiden. Have you heard of the Queen?”

"Ah."

The little girl, the Night Child, nodded vigorously and said:

"Mom and Dad said that the Queen is the most benevolent and beautiful leader, and that once she wakes up, everyone will have an endless supply of magic wine."

"Yes, everything will be alright once the Queen awakens."

Vashj patted the little girl's head, wiped the dust off her face, and said:

"Go and gather all the children in the city who are like you. You will go to the Queen's palace this afternoon. Someone will greet you at the entrance of the Dark Night Fortress. The magic array there also needs some maintenance."

So, in my capacity as Queen Azshara's head lady-in-waiting, I appoint you as an 'intern lady-in-waiting' of the Queen's court. Little girl, Her Majesty has not recruited a new lady-in-waiting for ten thousand years.

You should feel honored by this.

"But...but those fierce city guards won't let us run around."

The little girl looked a bit embarrassed and said:

Can my parents take me there?

"Of course, the Queen's palace also needs some servants to tidy up and decorate it."

Vashj handed his identity seal to the little girl and said:

“If anyone tries to stop them, show them this. If they still try to stop them, tell them that the Queen’s Guard will soon ‘visit’ them.”

Go ahead.

You don't need to work here anymore; no one will punish you.

"But my reward is two bottles of magic wine. With them, Mom and Dad won't have to work overtime at Twilight Winery these next few days."

The little girl still wanted to finish her work.

Even though she almost fell to her death from a height, Vashj clenched her fingers. How honest and simple His Majesty's people are! This is all Elisande's fault!

"Give this 'trainee maid' the wages she deserves!"

Vashj looked up and snapped at the spellcaster who had rushed out of the Hall of Order:

"Don't make me say it a second time! The mages under Elisande have really gone too far, daring to owe the Imperial Guard members their dues?"

"Ah? A maid? A member of the Imperial Guard?"

The monk was dumbfounded.

This little girl was just someone I casually hired from the street, so how did she suddenly become the Queen's maid?
But he didn't dare to delve deeper into the matter with Vashj.

He could sense that Ms. Vashj's anger was terrifying, and he felt as ridiculous as a paramecium under the feet of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in front of her.

Wasn't it said that Ms. Vashj was injured back then and her strength could not increase?

This doesn't look like it's injured.

and many more!

The Empress's court has begun recruiting maids again after ten thousand years?

What is this doing?
Are they trying to expand their power?
No!

We must inform the Grand Magister of this!

(End of this chapter)