Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 512, Section 51. Huh? We're fast-forwarding to the Zaku and the Gundam standing tall on the battlefield?
"Alas, I failed to complete the 'Seven Fiends Trial'."

Old Deerhelm walked through the battlefield of Silverpine Forest with a melancholy expression.

Ahead lies Ambermill Castle, which was originally a "disputed territory" where the three powers of Lordaeron, Gilneas, and Dalaran were entangled, but has now been completely fortified by the Dragonborn.

This is only the first of their three lines of defense in Silverpine Forest.

But Marshal Lothar's Guardians had already surrounded the area, and Gilnean werewolves were also launching attacks from all directions from Pyrewood Village, which had been purified by the druids, completely cutting off all support routes in the surrounding area.

Ambermill Castle has become an isolated fortress; capturing it would mean breaking through the defenses.

The battle is currently in preparation, and the Kaldorei are sharpening their weapons. General Feathermoon will personally oversee the siege.

They came to avenge the Black Raven King, and thus even brought heavy weapons like the bird-winged ballista, determined to burn the Dragonborn city to the wrath of the moon goddess.

"You look terrible, senior brother."

Hamuul Runetotem was crafting herbs at the forward camp and, incidentally, using the flames of the Flame Druids to temporarily enchant the warriors' weapons.

Seeing Staghelm approach, the minotaur rose to greet him and asked:
"I heard you've been honing your character in the Seven Fiends Trials these past few days? Has anyone passed those trials?"

"No, it's too difficult."

Old Deer Helmet stroked his beard and sighed, saying:
"Even with the monkey masks my son collected for me, I only managed to get through three trials: despair, hatred, and doubt. The trial of anger was my nemesis; I tried three times but couldn't break through the demonic barrier."

"That thing is quite difficult."

Hamuer comforted him:

"The Sha have existed in Pandaria for ten thousand years, and the Pandaren monks are known throughout the world for their mental cultivation, but in those ten thousand years, only Emperor Shaohao has passed the Seven Sha Trials."

In reality, Emperor Shaohao ultimately lived to the same age as Ao Zhisha, so he cannot be considered to have passed through life perfectly.

Don't worry about it.

That was practically the most difficult mental trial in the world; compared to that, our dream trials were child's play.

“I have no doubt about the difficulty of the Seven Fiends Trial, nor am I distressed by my inability to pass it; I am aware of my shortcomings.”

Old Deer Helmet sighed and said:

"It's just that I didn't expect that even my mentor Malfurion failed the trial. He can control his other emotions very well, but as long as it involves Nightsworn and Starhunters, Malfurion becomes impulsive and agitated."

He is a sentimental person.

We all know that the relationship between those three is taboo for them. It's a real shame that Malfurion was the Kaldorei who had the best chance of achieving the state of 'oneness with the universe'.

As our future leaders, I truly hope that our mentor can overcome his/her obstacles and thus better guide us.

"Senior brother, these things can't be forced."

Hamuer, however, didn't think it was a big deal.

It's perfectly normal for mortals to have emotions and desires, just like how they wouldn't bother to test their character or torture themselves.

In the legends of the Pandaren, the unity of man and nature is the boundary between "man and god," and it is a great power that not just anyone can obtain. Moreover, this thing does not necessarily have to be obtained through the Seven Fiends Trials; there are other ways to get it.

"woooooo"

The war horns soon sounded, and as the dragon slayer Fordring led the warriors of light to assemble, the dragonborn in the opposite castle also began to move.

Spellcasters began hurling dangerous lava fireballs at the enemy. Hamuul was about to step forward to suppress them when he saw Old Deerhelm transform into a giant antler-covered creature amidst the convergence of natural forces.

In his owl form, Old Deerhelm raised his claws to gather the power of the stars and moon. With a piercing screech, a small-scale "fall of stars" crashed down on Ambermill. Meanwhile, a dazzling "Star Surge" was unleashed by Big Goo in a "Kamehameha" style, sending a group of dragonborn knights rushing out of the castle flying.

This move left Hamuul completely dumbfounded.

It exclaimed:

"Senior brother, aren't you a wild druid? How come you've even mastered the 'Way of Balance'?"

"Do you think my 'Seven Fiends Trial' was for nothing?"

The giant cuckoo, who had transformed into Deer Helmet, turned around, blinked, and spoke in human language to Hamuul:
"The essence of the Seven Killings Trials is to teach oneself to balance one's mind. When positive spirit and negative emotions are in balance, one can grasp the essence of the way of balance without needing to comprehend or practice hard.

Otherwise, why would archdruids spend all their time on trials, just like taking an exam?

Even from a purely utilitarian perspective, every druid should give it a try, and so should you. The combination of flames and the Way of Balance might just bring us the amazing 'Sunfire Owlbeast' form.

The balance between the sun and the moon is a precious balance, isn't it?

"Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Hamuel was heartbroken.

These great druids are so wicked! They went to farm "talents" without telling us, and now it feels like we've missed out on a fortune.

It's important to understand that not all Force Walkers can perfectly master multiple career paths, which is equivalent to having "dual talents." Just think about how rare such an opportunity is in the real world.

Hamuer stamped his foot, turned around and rushed a few steps, transforming into a blazing fire eagle and soaring into the air. He flapped his wings and spewed solar fire toward Ambermill's castle. With the volley of fire from the bird-winged ballistae under the personal supervision of General Feathermoon, the castle's gate was quickly breached.

Fordring and the warriors of the Apostolic Guard charged into the fray, shouting the Proverbs of the Holy Light.

Unfortunately, the dragonborn here are very stubborn. They have no intention of surrendering and even want to set the entire castle on fire to perish together with the enemy. If it weren't for Lothar's superior military strength and the high quality of his warriors, it would have been difficult to control these fanatical and brainwashed guys.

But it was impossible to hold back under these circumstances. The fierce assault lasted for several hours, and the brutal siege finally came to an end when the last dragonborn was executed.

After the battle, when the casualties were tallied, even the dragon slayer Fordring looked pale.

There are still two lines of defense ahead, and the capital city of Lordaeron has been fortified into a stronghold for the Dragonborn. If the battles ahead continue at this intensity, then Marshal Lothar should really be prepared to wipe out most of his elite forces.

However, just as Lothar's army passed through the first line of defense, his last reinforcements finally arrived belatedly on the shores of Silverpine Forest.

At the dock in Burnwood Village, several goblin merchant ships with extremely deep drafts were unloading cargo.

Gazlowe, the goblin tinker hired by the Hot Sands Consortium at great expense, rode his unique tinker mechanical arm and wore a strange "Little Red Riding Hood" hat as he shouted and directed orders on the docks.

The goblins even built a simple tower crane to transport the precious cargo out of the ship's hold.

In front of the green armory, Marin Nogfogger, a wealthy businessman who had long since risen to the position of "Commercial Representative of the Hot Sands Consortium in the Empire of Annihilators," rubbed his hands together, opened the armory with a special key, and made an exaggerated "please" gesture to Lothar and several commanders behind him.

"Look! The latest masterpiece from the Ratchet Engineering Laboratory, an all-terrain individual combat weapon... well, never mind, that name is too cumbersome for humans. Anyway, this is the most advanced weapon of war of the Hot Sands Consortium!"
Based on the goblin lumberjack, it was improved and made more durable using a range of Titan technologies!

Furthermore, we obtained a high-frequency lightning generator from the stingy Mogu, enabling it to unleash cool lightning whips.

Its original multi-barreled cannon has been enhanced, and it can also use a thermal axe for brutal melee attacks when necessary. I guarantee that when you are riding it, those laughable dragonborn will have no chance of stopping your army's charge.

Yes!

With the first roar of these weapons of war, the age of knights came to an end!

Noggenfogger, like the best salesman, boasted to the human commanders before him with great enthusiasm:

"The esteemed Saint of Vigilance was also involved in the development of this weapon of war, and he personally named this new type of war mech the 'Tiger' type. Well, the name is a bit ordinary, but the cooler names should be reserved for better products in the future."

This time we've sent twenty prototypes and enough spare parts for replacement. We need human warriors to collect combat data on these things to facilitate future improvements.

These twenty units are a friendly gesture from us, practically a giveaway. If you want more after that, you'll need to pay the full amount upfront.

"tiger?"

Lothar stared at the "steel giant" that was over six meters tall. Even a barbarian lord like him had to look up to see the thing's exaggerated full form.

The goblins used a very "simple" style to design the outer armor of these war weapons, but in order to indicate their faction, the chest armor of these steel contraptions was shaped like a roaring lion, making them look very majestic.

The unpainted silver-gray metal gives them a chilling sense of power. The assembled legs show some exposed mechanical joints, while the rest is completely covered by heavy armor. The shoulders are designed as simple but practical spherical spiked shoulder armor, and each hand has mechanical fingers for gripping.

The control cockpit is located on the chest armor, a design feature similar to that of light-cast mechs.

However, the goblins' war machine also has a very abstract head, like an upside-down iron pot, with the mechanical monocular inside the observation window turned off.

"This battlefield observation and aiming system is worth mentioning. It's genuine Titan technology, inspired by Uldaman's surveillance system. With this, the pilot can perfectly observe the surrounding situation."

Engineer Gazlowe also designed a simple 'fire control system' for this thing—well, that concept might be a bit hard for you to grasp. Just think of it as this war machine assisting you in locating and aiming when using long-range weapons.

Noggenfogger handed a silver key to Lothar and said:

"You have experience piloting a Lightforged War Machine to kill a dragon, why don't you give this thing a try?"

"Okay."

Lothar was quite interested in this, so he jumped into the cockpit of the behemoth in front of him.

His size made the cockpit very cramped; he had to hunch over. The cockpit was designed for people of average build.

The goblins' war mechs shamelessly copied the Eredar's lightforged war mechs completely, including joysticks, pedals, and a sight for long-range attacks.

Lothar floored the accelerator, causing the thing's Mogu energy engine to roar mechanically. Then, with a rattling sound and a slight mechanical sluggishness, it shot forward, landing on the ground with a nimble flip and jump.

When Lothar drew the thermal axe from his war machine, the extravagant weapon, crafted with Titan technology, glowed with a scorching "blade of light," and with a single blow, chopped down a giant tree at the edge of the dock.

The cut is smooth and the force is strong.

This destructive power caught the attention of the observing commanders.

Not bad, it already has the destructive power of a legendary being, and its defense looks pretty good too.

What's most remarkable is that this thing was originally designed for ordinary soldiers; experts don't need this iron shell to unleash the same destructive power.

However, Losa was very dissatisfied.

After taking over the piloting duties, he struggled to climb out of the cockpit and said to the goblin:
"This thing's output is less than a third of that of a light-forged war machine! It can't fly, and its operation is delayed. How can its outer armor, made of ordinary alloy, withstand dragon fire?"

The demons already have the powerful and dangerous Felsteel Annihilators, and the Void forces have Faceless Men and K'Sir who can pierce steel and strike souls. So, are you kidding me? You want my warriors to fight against the demons' weapons of war in these crappy cannon fodder mechs?

I think you really need to go to a military court.

"I already said they were experimental subjects."

The goblin tinkerer Gazlowe ran over, and in response to Lothar's complaints, the goblin engineer shrieked:

"This batch of prototypes is only here for you to test its combat system. We have already recovered those Felsteel Annihilators that you captured in Stromgarde Keep, and the dismantling and research of the Fel Energy Engine has also been put on the agenda."

Although imitation is still difficult, don't worry, we will soon have a more advanced product, and we have also conducted a combat capability assessment.

While the Tiger-type war mech is indeed ineffective against heavy units, it is perfectly capable of slaughtering lower-ranking demons. The Northern Frontier Dragonborn is unlikely to be more dangerous than demons, making it sufficient for use in mortal warfare.

Most importantly, your insistence on purchasing those 'specially equipped' units with enhanced combat capabilities is very detrimental to your imperial finances.

We can use the Titan technology we have to build a powerful machine, but that thing won't be enough to affect a major war.

"It's too shabby, in every aspect. This thing isn't even a poor imitation of the Lightforged mech; it's an extremely basic, unfinished version."

Losa sighed and said:
"The demons will definitely return. The appearance of the Felsteel Annihilator is a bad omen. Engineering Master, I'm not trying to put pressure on you, but you need to speed up your work. I can accept that the weapons given to the warriors are slightly inferior to the demons' heavy armor units, but they must be roughly at the same level."

Otherwise, how are we supposed to face the war instigated by the devil?

"Well, perhaps it's time to talk about the orders."

Noggenfogger rubbed his hands together and said:
"Only with orders can we receive payments. Sufficient funds are needed to keep Master Gazlowe and his engineers enthusiastic. I think we should order 200 units for the first batch."

The war in Kul Tiras involves confronting the Abyss Cultists head-on; you can't expect your warriors to go and fight the Faceless Ones with swords in hand.

That's so heartless!

And I've already inquired about it!

Before leaving, the Vigilant made it clear to me that I need not worry about vicious mental and pyromancy attacks, and that he and the Lightforged priests were developing a series of consecration rituals for war mechs called 'Soothing the Soul'.

Once those rituals are performed, these steel giants can resist mental weakening for a period of time!

If all else fails, why don't you just have the priest drive this thing?

This is such a simple procedure, even priests can learn it!
Using scriptures to purify the minds of wicked people is too inefficient; it's much more efficient to purify their bodies using the 'Holy Tiger' combat mech.

"Yes Yes."

Gazlowe pushed his little red hat up and winked, saying:
"Instead of thinking about how to improve the all-round adaptability of combat mechs, we should start with the pilots. We will design spellcasting combat mechs in the future, and then find mages or shamans to pilot them."

They are both pilots and combat energy pods for the mechs. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?

I got this inspiration from the Vigilant piloting the Naaru spaceship.

Ultimately, this thing is just a tool, just like the sword in your hand. Its destructive power depends on how the user wields it, and Prince Hot Sand has already given the highest instructions.

If we can't match the quality of our weapons in a short time, then forget about quality! We'll crush them with sheer, brute force!

"You guys are insane, trying to outnumber the Burning Legion?"

Lothar scratched his head and sighed, saying:

"But we don't seem to have any better options right now. Something is better than nothing. With this, ordinary soldiers and even civilians can be qualified to step onto the battlefield to fight against demons."

That's it.

Let's start with two hundred units.

I need to select some new recruits from the Iron Horse Knights' retinue to drive them.

"Hey, you don't actually need to worry about how fast this thing is being updated."

Gazlowe comforted him:
"It is said that the Titan city of Ulduar contains various technologies of the Titan Guardians. They already have similar combat behemoths. When we learn from them, we will naturally usher in a technological explosion."

This kind of "technology relying on archaeology" evolutionary approach sounds terrible, but it works well, so that's all that matters.

In life, one should always be a bit pragmatic.

Just as a group of people were receiving these tiger-shaped cannon fodder mechs at the dock, the dwarf tank crews on the dwarf side also gathered together to secretly observe the weapons the goblins had taken out.

They had intended to mock the goblins' rags, but after witnessing the creature's exaggerated mobility and destructive power, no dwarf with a shred of shame could still lie through his teeth.

"We're doomed. Gnome engineering is going to be overtaken by goblin engineering. The Gnomeregan Craftsmen's Guild has only just started these projects. We can't possibly overtake them by taking a shortcut."

A dwarf engineer sat dejectedly on the steam tank and said to the others:

"The goblins have already produced a highly complete product, and their first-mover advantage is too great."

"Heh, you stupid bipedal robot!"

But another engineer pushed up his goggles and said in a shrill voice:
"But in terms of mechanical efficiency, bipedal robots are far inferior. Even if the goblins equip these war machines with gyroscopes, it doesn't change the fact that they are unbalanced. We don't need to follow their technological path at all; we have our own advantages."

He patted the steam tank beneath him and said:
"We'll use this thing as the chassis!"

Abandoning flashy mobility and melee capabilities, focusing instead on firepower projection and precision strikes, the goblin's useless robots still have to rush in for hand-to-hand combat, but our 'steel tanks' can eliminate all invading demons from a distance.

Didn't we capture some destroyed Felsteel Annihilators at Stromgarde before?

fast!
Bring those things over here.

We'll modify it on-site and mount its upper body directly onto a steam tank. There's no time to design a new power unit, so we'll just use a magic-powered engine! We'll crush the goblins' junk first.

We will prove that only dwarf engineering represents the future!

Ps:

The "steel tank" in this chapter is not just a simple homage. Mimiron in Ulduar designed a similar abstract thing. In fact, if you look closely at the various abstract and powerful engineering systems in World of Warcraft, they are quite impressive.

Moreover, this system has a very high ceiling.

Whether it's Mimiron's airplane head, the doomsday mech of the Apocalypse Engineer King Gariellos, or the latest Gariellos' Chrome King Gariellos and "Garivil" Gariellos, they are all classic examples of fantasy engineering.

I even think that the "King of Chrome Weapons," whose combat power is off the charts, might not necessarily lose even if he were sent to fight Archimonde.
After I finish writing the stories for all the professions, I'll open an "Engineering Dungeon," which will definitely be a lot of fun.

(End of this chapter)