Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 462, Part 1: The Hero's Journey is Always Encountered by Malicious Merchant Ladies and Mysterious, Alluring Witches

Aiger Culture depicts ravens soaring high above the frozen sea.

Her sharp eyes surveyed the strange islands that appeared and disappeared amidst the vast waves below. Beyond those islands, the sea was shrouded in mist, much like the landscape of Pandaria before its seal was broken.

Due to its climate, the Misty Zone in the North Sea is not as famous as the Misty Lands in the South Sea, but it is still a "legendary place" in the mouths of sailors and pirates. When the continent of Pandaria in the South Sea became the most popular topic, those particularly clever guys naturally noticed the area in the North Sea that was also shrouded in mist.

Many explorers and pirates roamed the area.

They believed they could replicate Prince Gadgetzan's great adventures in Pandaria, where he was said to be the first to set foot in the Pandaren kingdom and make a fortune.

This news must have been deliberately leaked by Hot Sand.

Unfortunately, Azeroth is never short of people who chase fame and fortune.

Even more regrettably, the dissipation of the fog over the North Sea is far less "peaceful" than in Pandaria.

As Aegwynn folded her wings and landed on a rock, she keenly noticed several shipwrecks drifting pitifully on the sea.

This is the seventh ship destroyed in the past few days.

The corpses on the sea were mostly dressed as pirates, some even Vrykul pirates, but without exception, they were all burned to a crisp, proving that there were some formidable "natives" on this island that had just emerged from the mist.

Aegwynn did not venture deeper into the seemingly desolate island.

Although she may have been the first "explorer" to discover it, she kept in mind Diakum's warning that there were dangerous things on the island.

So, Aegwynn, as graceful as a real raven, preened her feathers with her beak while sending another message to her companions using the Heart of Azeroth hanging around her neck.

They urged Diakum to hurry over and come here to check on the situation on the island.

But like the previous five messages, this one disappeared without a trace.

Diakum didn't reply at all.

This made Aegwynn frown.

She knew that Dick had been in "seclusion" since returning to Stormwind from Pandaria. She thought it was just an excuse for the Vigilant to take a few days off because he was tired of the fighting. But it seemed that the guy was serious!
It's been over two months, and Diakum has maintained a low profile, never showing his face. As a result, no one has mentioned him for over two months, leaving no trace of his involvement in the turbulent situation on the Eastern Continent.

"What a bastard!"

Aegwynn, in her raven form, hopped around and cursed.

"It was his instruction to monitor the islands and the Dragon Islands. Now that the main body has appeared, he has hidden himself away. I don't know what profound secrets he has that require someone like him to spend two months studying them."

After a brief moment of thought, Aegwynn decided to go to Northshire Abbey in person to see what was going on in Diakum.

However, before leaving, to prevent any fools from coming here to "deliver themselves to death," Aegwynn used Sargeras' Scepter to cast a spatial seal on the island before her, temporarily transferring it from the material world to a special phase.

A moment later, with the help of Sargeras's Scepter's incredibly convenient teleportation, Aegwynn traversed most of the continent in one step and entered the vineyards of Northshire Abbey.

Miss Millie, who was picking grapes, was terrified.

After Aegwynn revealed her identity, the cheerful young woman who owned the most famous winery in Stormwind Kingdom and even the entire Southern Frontier laughed heartily. She put on her straw hat and volunteered to lead Ms. Aegwynn to visit the Vigilant Saint who was living in seclusion there.

“You must be an admirer of Saint Diakum.”

Miss Millie was a very talkative person, after all, she was a merchant who often sold wine. She handed a bunch of purple grapes to Aegwynn to quench his thirst while driving her own carriage toward Echo Valley.

On the way, he explained to Aegwynn, who was eating grapes without spitting out the skins:
“In the past two months, many people have come to visit the Vigilant. They have all been kept in the monastery. I delivered a truckload of communion wine there a few days ago, and I happened to see the Vigilant Saint praying with many believers.”

The scene was incredibly sacred.

Even just listening in, I felt my heart, filled with the stench of money and materialism, was purified. Sigh, if it weren't for the need to maintain the family business, I would definitely stay in the monastery to follow the Vigilantes and become a devout servant of the Holy Light.

Miss Millie looked on with longing, but Aegwynn sensed something was wrong.

She gazed at the estate nestled in the valley ahead, popped a juicy grape into her mouth, and whispered:

"You mean, many visitors there saw Mr. Diakum with their own eyes?"

"Yes."

Millie said in surprise:

"If we don't see them, how can we recite the scriptures with the saints?"

"Well, here's the question, little girl."

Aegwynn narrowed her eyes, stared at Millie, and asked:
"You just met the Watchers a few days ago, so please tell me, what image do you have of them?"

"Uh, of course it's like the legend says, he has it, that saint has it."

Miss Millie wanted to describe the saint in her mind, but she couldn't speak properly.

No matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't come up with a specific image of the vigilant.

But she was absolutely certain that she had indeed delivered communion wine and had actually witnessed the sacred scene of the saint leading the believers in prayer, and that she had even confessed!
How could this be fake?

"As far as I know, Diakum hasn't seen anyone else in the past two months. Perhaps Archbishop Nelly, with whom he has an improper relationship, can see him, but no one else has the honor of reading the scriptures with the Watchers."

Aegwynn drawled out:
"So, who did you and those pilgrims see? Was what you saw real? Or was it just a sacred ritual that you imagined in some kind of mental illusion out of your worship of the holy light and saints?"

It's a good thing you didn't stay, Miss Millie.

Otherwise, I'll have to find a way to rescue you from that vast mental illusion unintentionally woven by a demigod of holy light.

"This"

Millie was terrified.

She gripped the holy emblem hanging on her chest with some unease.

That was a sacred relic blessed by His Majesty Naruvolos, a reward from Archbishop Neli, who loved the taste of her family's wines so much that she specially ordered several batches of fine wines for the Draenor Embassy.

"Don't be afraid. The truth is not as terrible as you think. Diakum did not mean to hurt anyone. He deliberately chose to live in seclusion in this valley to avoid this situation."

But that guy underestimated the fanaticism of human believers.

Furthermore, Lothar's constant boasting of his achievements led many devout followers to regard Diakum as the embodiment of the Holy Light. Their pilgrimage should have ended at protecting Naruvolos, but they went too far on their path of faith.
stop!

Don't go any further; the entire valley before you is the domain of Diakum's illusion of faith.

That's an outrageous range of effectiveness.

I know that guy is a powerful priest, but just how inhuman has his mastery of mind and spiritual power reached?

Aegwynn made Miss Millie stop the carriage, and under Miss Millie's somewhat uneasy gaze, Aegwynn stepped forward and waved the Elune's staff, shouting "My Lord Vigilant, please forgive my intrusion," and cast an arcane dispel spell.

The once peaceful, sun-drenched valley suddenly rippled like water. Miss Millie's exclamation dispelled the illusions in her mind, revealing its true nature.

At least several hundred pilgrims wandered aimlessly through the valley.

Most of them had been trapped here for at least a month, so they all looked haggard, and some were covered in dirt. But strangely, they did not die of thirst or starvation after more than a month without food or water; at most, they were just weak.

Most people were muttering to themselves, seemingly immersed in their own world, completely isolated from the outside world.

"Come!"

Aegwynn waved and said:

"Don't be afraid, this illusion is not malicious and will not harm you. Use your carriage to take these people to Northshire Abbey; they desperately need rest."

"What happened to them?"

Millie asked in horror:
"What did the Vigilant Saint do to them?"

"repent."

In short:
"Those who have sinned in their hearts will repent for their sins after entering this illusion, just as they are trapped in some kind of mental punishment from which they cannot extricate themselves. But I have never heard of Diakum possessing any similar profound mystery."
If I had to put it into words, it's very similar to the sinful and punitive mysteries unleashed by that demonic sword.

"But I clearly went in and came out safely."

Miss Millie asked, puzzled:

Why wasn't I punished?

"Because you have no sins, at least no sins that need to be punished, you do not need to repent. But you yourself said that when you are watching a 'sacred ceremony,' you feel uneasy because of the materialism and greed in your heart."

congratulations.

"You passed through Saint Diakum's 'Confession Ritual' unscathed; for a mortal, that's a small miracle, if not a great one."

Aegwynn joked:

"It's truly rare that I've encountered such a pure 'white flower' like you in this chaotic era. You're wasting your talents as a businesswoman, Millie. You should become a priestess in a convent."

Believe me.

You will surely become one of the most famous nuns in human history.

She waved her hand, using her magic to roll up the pilgrims wandering aimlessly through the valley and put them into Millie's cargo wagon. These people were barefoot, and some of their feet were already bloody and mangled.

This shows that their sins were quite serious, and they deserved to suffer physical pain.

Unfortunately, Diakum doesn't offer "indulgences," so these guys, upon regaining their senses, will choose to atone for their sins through action, or even commit suicide. But just as Millie was about to leave, she suddenly heard the neighing of horses. She and Aegwynn looked up and saw a young man riding a gleaming golden warhorse charging out of the valley.

The guy yelled at Aegwynn:

"Evil witch! What do you intend to do to the pilgrims? This is the sacred territory of the Vigilant, and you are not allowed to harm people here! I, a righteous person, cannot turn a blind eye to this!"

After saying that, he rode his holy warhorse, grabbed a "spear" made of a wooden stick, and charged towards Aegwynn. He was then struck by the staff of Aluneth and fell to the ground in a sorry state. His holy warhorse also turned into a stream of light and disappeared.

"Oh no!"

The guy screamed in pain:
"The Vigilant Saint bestowed upon me his steed of faith, surely because I was not devout enough; I have disappointed the Vigilant. Kill me, you wicked witch! But you cannot kill justice!"

He spoke loudly and passionately like a stage actor, then knelt on the ground, adopting a heroic posture of offering his neck for execution.

"Who is this fool?"

Aegwynn glanced speechlessly at Miss Millie, who was covering her eyes and couldn't bear to look at him. The latter said awkwardly in a low voice:
"This is Sir Maximilian's youngest son. The old sir is an exile from the northern frontier who has now joined the Guardian Army and escorted Archbishop Fao back to the Stratholme region a few months ago."

But he kept his youngest son, who was said to have been hit on the head by a warhorse when he was a child. Locals all knew him to be somewhat... well, simple and reckless.

He was always immersed in his own world, always saying that a dragon in Echo Mountain had kidnapped an innocent girl, and that he would become a Northshire Knight to rescue the poor girl.

Although everyone knows that there are indeed green dragons in Northshire Valley, they are not evil but rather protect the great Dark Portal.

However, Little Smirnani is not a bad person. He is very kind and will not refuse anyone who needs help. As a result, he was tricked by villains several times and was almost tricked onto a goblin merchant ship and sent to the South China Sea to be a mining slave.

I thought he had gone back to the northern frontier with his father, but I never expected that he would also be trapped in the illusion of the Vigilant.

Moreover, he seemed quite lucid.

"Mental spells are ineffective against fools and madmen, since you can't destroy something that's already broken."

Aegwynn made a very sarcastic comment.

Then she kicked the silly boy who was humming "The Song of Heroes" as he prepared to die, and said sternly:

"You've been here for the past two months? Have you seen Diakum?"

"Of course I have seen the Saint of the Vigilant!"

Little Smirnani, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, answered with a righteous expression:
"While I was tracking the dragon, I stumbled into the valley where the saintly Vigilant was living in seclusion. The generous and great saint invited me to stay at his hermitage for a while."

He saw the fire of my justice; he praised and rewarded me, gifted me the sacred steed of my faith, and showed me the location of the evil dragon! That dragon threatened the pilgrims who came to repent, and I had to protect them!

Yes.

I was well protected before I met you, you wicked witch.

The smug, silly boy grinned and said:
“Every time the evil dragon tries to attack the penitent, I, in my valor, shatter it with thunderous justice! I know this is a test of faith given to me by the vigilant.”

I will definitely finish it!
I will defeat the dragon and rescue the innocent girl it imprisoned.

"It's because he's read too many third-rate fantasy novels. Such a vulgar and clichéd plot, he's probably reading fan fiction by those lousy writers."

Aluneth's Staff retorted:
"What dragon and what girl? This is such a classic plot twist. So, silly boy, after you save the girl, are you going to retire to the countryside with her and have her give you a whole bunch of kids?"

"Uh"

Righteous Maximilian immediately blushed, lowered his head, and stammered, "I'm so embarrassed!"

"If a pure young girl is willing, then I certainly won't refuse. After all, true love is a virtue that even the vigilant would praise."

"Alright, stop teasing the idiot."

Aegwynn snapped at her staff, glanced at the seemingly calm valley, thought for a moment, and said to the foolish boy before her:
"Where is the 'evil dragon' you speak of? Can you lead me to it?"

"But you are an evil witch!"

Maximilian said warily:

“I cannot reveal the sacred location of the Watcher. The Watcher is already exhausted from suppressing the evil dragon. I must protect that venerable saint. If it weren’t for him sealing the evil dragon, this world would have long since fallen into darkness.”

I cannot trust evil witches.

"Well, to be honest, this lady is a righteous spellcaster from Dalaran!"

Seeing that the conversation had reached a stalemate, Miss Millie suddenly spoke up:

"She foresaw the danger of the dragon breaking free of its seal, so she came here to assist the vigilant."

That's how it's written in those chivalric novels!
A knight always seems to encounter a mysterious, beautiful, and busty erotic witch on the road in some strange way, doesn't he?

Maximilian blinked, realizing that this was indeed the case.

So he looked at Aegwynn suspiciously and said:
"Are you really the righteous wizard of Dalaran?"

"Yes, it's me."

Aegwynn, with a stern face, read in a monotone tone:
“I am righteous, and I am indeed a wizard, so, shall we hurry and set off to find the dragon? If we don’t go soon, the ‘weak’ vigilantes will be eaten by the dragon.”

"My righteous knight, you wouldn't want to see the Watcher eaten because of your negligence, would you?"

"Ah, what a terrible crisis! Righteous witch, please come with me."

Maximilian jumped up.

He chanted the mantra of justice aloud, and his gleaming steed carried him into the valley. Aegwynn glanced at Miss Millie and said:
"Aren't you leaving?"

"Let me see how this fairy tale ends first."

Miss Millie, who was just terrified, now looked enlightened and said:

"Not only was Little Smirnani not harmed, but he also received a shining warhorse, which proves that everything he saw was true and that the Vigilant will not harm the righteous good."

I have absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Then follow along, you'll soon see that 'dragon,' but hopefully you won't be scared."

Aegwynn pursed her lips, transformed into a raven, and chased after it. Miss Millie untied the old horse from the carriage and followed. Led by Maximilian, they soon arrived at the location of the "dragon."

Inside a dark, shrouded mountain cave.

Aegwynn cautiously stepped forward to investigate, and as expected, saw the "Eater of All Realms" "sealed" deep within the cave by six gleaming golden chains.

"Evil dragon! I have brought a powerful witch to challenge you. You will not be able to harm anyone else!"

Maxmiran roared valiantly, grabbed a wooden sword and shield, and charged forward, only to be swatted down by the Devourer of Worlds' claw. He fell to the ground, shouting to Aegwynn:

"Hurry, comrade of justice, quickly use your powerful magic to subdue the evil dragon!"

"Yes, righteous Aegwynn, quickly try your powerful magic to subdue it! Show me what you've got."

Diakum's mocking laughter rang out from the Devourer of Worlds, who was bound by golden chains, prompting Aegwynn to glare at him fiercely. The Star Soul Spokesperson cursed:
"Ignoring the fate of the world! Staying here and playing knight games with this little fool for two months? You really have a lot of free time!"

"Hmm, so even someone as powerful as you think this is just a fantasy from a 'chivalric romance'?"

Diakum stretched out the exaggerated body of the Devourer of Worlds and said:
"You really think I've had a lot of free time these past two months?"

"hiss"

After observing carefully, Aegwynn exclaimed in surprise:
"You've created a third form for yourself? Is this the Lightforged Devourer of All Realms?"

"It's not that exaggerated."

Diakum waved his hand and said:
"This juvenile form of a Chaos Lesser God cannot be lightforged, but to avoid being killed in this form and completely falling into the Void Entropy Demon, I took some 'insurance' measures for myself."

Let's call it a 'three-stage' process.

Hmm, I've gotten a little bit of the next stage of the path of light and shadow, which is also the end of this path, but unfortunately, it's still far from enough.

Forget it.

This retreat has now come to an end.

"Let's go then. Something very interesting has happened on the islands over in the North Sea. You'll definitely be interested."

Aegwynn drew Sargeras's Scepter to open the door, but was stopped by the Devourer of Worlds, bound in golden chains:

“No! You must first awaken from the mental illusion of the Vigilant, Aegwynn.”

"Ok?"

"So, when did you begin to have the illusion that you weren't captured by my 'illusory beauty'?"
Wake up, open your eyes.

You'd better hurry!
Otherwise, the righteous and pure Maximilian would really have to give you, her mysterious, powerful, and sexy 'righteous witch' partner, CPR, at the urging of Miss Milly, who loves to watch the drama unfold.

Haha, I'm going to record this scene and play it on repeat outside the Dalaran bank all day long!

Those archmages you bullied will be happy to pay to see you get humiliated, my friend.

(End of this chapter)