Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 59: 14. You don't even have a soul beast, and you still dare to call yourself a legendary hunter? [Updated 17/50]

(Additional update for the "Gervis" brothers [2/5])
Dick and his warriors moved very quickly.

He led this small army as if he was in charge of the Hand of Argus Legion and left the deserted village of Amberi at an extremely high speed. In the evening, they took a shortcut under the leadership of Ner'zhul and arrived at the Burial Grounds.

But the situation here is much worse than what Ner'zhul described.

Generally speaking, in a celestial body with stable world rules, mortal eyes cannot see spirits, but now, due to the interference of the void power that has been spread, the burial ground in the entire canyon is full of the suffering souls of orcs.

The disturbed undead let out eerie screams under the torture of this twisted spiritual ritual, and the void power from the Dark Star was infused into their spirits, twisting them into violent ghosts, which were then bound in bones by the Shadowmoon Warlocks to become usable warriors.

As for those weak spirits, they will be made into soul stones by these vicious guys using cruel methods.

That thing is a spell material for warlocks, and can occasionally be used as a "life-saving gadget."

In addition to the disturbed orc ancestors, the Draenei people were also furious to find that the filthy rituals being performed by the orc warlocks had obviously disturbed the creatures around this large area.

Including the dead mammoths, talbu sheep, two-headed flying dragons and even the orcs' wolves, their spirits were contaminated and transformed into brutal ghost creatures.

Moreover, this purple polluted area is spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye. If it is not controlled, it may spread to the vicinity of Anboli Village in a few days. By then, the dead in half of Shadowmoon Valley will not be able to rest in peace.

Ner'zhul knelt on the ground in pain, praying for forgiveness from the spirits of his ancestors, while new recruits like Yrel gnashed their teeth and cursed the orc warlocks for their inhumanity. The more experienced garrisons had already begun praying to prepare holy water.

These holy light-blessed liquids are ineffective offensively, but are very effective when used in conjunction with fire to dispel normal filth and curses.

At the edge of the Soul Burial Ground, Nari, who was already prepared for battle, whispered to Dick:
"This ceremony will not affect our dead. After the Draenei fell on Draenor, we built the sacred tombs of Auchenai in the Talador region and buried our dead according to the ancient traditions of the Eredar.

Archbishop Maladaar is the person in charge there. He also trained many soul binders for us to ensure that the souls of our people will not be homeless when death comes.

But it's not just a burial place, Dick, that's a secret only the archons know.

The Holy Land of Auchindoun is also the place where the fragments of the Star Soul Will within the Draenei clan are inherited and transferred. The fragments of the Star Soul Will that the ancient Eredar carried when they fled will be transferred to the bodies of their new compatriots through the rituals of the Auchenai.

For example, young people like Iriel.

When she comes of age, she needs to participate in a ceremony in Auchenai, and if she passes, she will receive a fragment of the Star Soul Will.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Dick still carries the Heritage Tomahawk.

Although the crystal blade of this weapon had melted in the previous battle, it would be difficult for him to find a weapon more durable than this thing. Anyway, he could use the skill of unsheathing the holy light to reshape the "light blade" of this broken weapon, which would not affect Dick's battle.

He looked at the chaotic burial ground in front of him and whispered to Nari:
"If the traitor is an archbishop, it means that the secrets of the Auchenai have long been known to the Burning Legion! If the Defiler's goal is to recover more fragments of the Star Soul will for the Burning Legion, then the Auchenai will suffer an unimaginable blow when the demons invade.

After we find the traitor, Nari, all members of the Auchindoun Sanctuary, especially those Soul Binders who have direct contact with the fragments of the Star Soul's will must be investigated!

You will carry out this task yourself.”

Nellie's expression was serious. She knew Dick's concern was justified, but she also heard other meanings in Dick's words. She wanted to think about it for a moment, but the intimacy between the two of them had already broken the restraint, so she simply asked directly:

"Dick, I have a feeling you're thinking of something dangerous. What are you going to do?"

"I won't hide my plans from you, Nellie."

Dick said in a deep voice:
"I plan to reorganize the Assassin's Court and the Inquisition. The current Bishops' Council system is quite good, but compared to the system during the Second Co-Government, we seriously lack the ability to gather intelligence externally and maintain internal stability.

The ranger group under your command must be reorganized into a more powerful and effective organization. I will recommend this to Velen and Hatton. You will be the perfect commander of the Draenei Assassin's Court. You were once an elite commander of the Assassin's Court. No one knows better than you how a strong security department should operate. "

"Arch Archon Hatton might agree, but Velen and the other archbishops will certainly have concerns."

Naili twitched her tail nervously and said:

"That organization has been extinct for over 20,000 years."

"Their dissatisfaction cannot be based on endangering the safety of their people and disrupting the world's oath!"

Dick snorted and said:
"Vellen will understand the necessity of this action. As for other people's opinions, I don't care! Their suspicion has not been eliminated yet. Besides, look at what you have raised your people into over the past two hundred years.

Do you think that if the Eredar from the Second Coalition were here, the orcs' mere level of civilization could pose even the slightest threat to us?
Don't say there are few people. There are 200,000 Draenei here! Nairi, that's already half the population of Krokuun Governorate. But have you ever seen a Governorate on Argus with a military as weak as ours?

"Dick, God! Argus was 25,000 years ago. You can't keep living in the past."

Nali felt helpless for a moment.

She took Dick's fingers in her archery-gloved hand and whispered:
"I know you're trying to protect people, but this isn't the past. You're not in that war anymore."

"There's no difference between now and the past. That war has never ended for me. The Battle of Argus hasn't concluded, it's just halftime. Nari, years of exile have weakened you.

But it’s okay, just stay with me and I will make you strong again.”

Dick showed a gentle smile, pinched Nellie's cheek affectionately, and said:
"Just as I will make our people brave again, it only takes one or two wars. It's not that I like disputes, but we must rearm ourselves. Otherwise, facing the incoming demons, we can only close our eyes and wait for death."

"The soldiers are watching!"

Nellie slapped Dick's fingers away and scolded him, then heard Dick drawl and say:

"However, can you explain to me why, over the past 25,000 years, your and my 'love story' has almost become the Bible of the Draenei clan for describing 'love' and praising loyalty?

You and I both know that the real breakthrough in our relationship happened only last night, but among those outrageous stories, we have even had at least one child. Do you dare to say that you didn't contribute to this?

When you have free time, you write erotic stories in which you are the protagonist, right?

How come I didn’t realize you had this hobby before?”

"Holy Light! Let's think about how to deal with these enraged undead."

Nellie changed the subject abruptly.

After all, it's not her fault for what happened in the past.

As she said, there was a time when she herself had despaired of Dick's awakening. In that situation, writing some girls' literature to reminisce about her youthful days was just a form of entertainment. She didn't know which troublemaker had spread those words out.

As a result, it became what it is today.

Well, which troublemaker did these things?

At this moment, the high-ranking ranger commander Yura, who was escorting the villagers of Ambori Village into the area near the Karabor Temple, suddenly sneezed. She looked around suspiciously, suspecting that someone was talking about her behind her back, perhaps it was her boyfriend who she had not contacted for more than three hundred years.

At this moment, Yura, who was looking down from above, quickly noticed that a patrol knight from the Karabor Temple was approaching.

Her eyes lit up and she flew down on the spirit dragon.

"Maraad Vindicator!"

When approaching the ground, Captain Yura called out to the captain of the Thunder Elephant Knights in front of him. The tall garrison officer who was called pushed his helmet and looked at Yura in confusion. He had no friendship with the rangers of Elodor before.

Of course, Archbishop Nari was affectionately regarded as an "elder" by him and his sister because of some enduring rumors.

"Come here, I have a message for you."

Jura jumped off the spirit dragon and made a gesture to Maraad for a secret conversation. The garrison commander instructed his subordinates to stay where they were and then followed Jura to an area dozens of steps away.

He has been in a bad mood these past two days, and his face has become cold and serious.

The reason must be related to the desecration of the Holy Vigilante's Coffin by the orcs, and this matter has spread to the Karabor Temple. The people are very angry, especially the garrison officers who regard the Vigilante Saint as a symbol of their class. They are all filled with righteous indignation.

Under such circumstances, the calls for an all-out war with the orcs have become a trend of public opinion that cannot be ignored by the top leaders.

But the problem is that the Sentinel only woke up yesterday. Even if the holy coffin was really desecrated, the speed at which the news spread could not have allowed the bad news to spread throughout the entire Karabor Temple within a day. Therefore, this public opinion storm was a bit too "coincidental".

"Your 'elders' asked me to bring you a message."

Yura whispered:

"But this is a secret order. He asked me to tell you that this is your qualification test for joining the Hand of Argus Legion."

"What? My elder? Are you kidding me?"

Maraad inherited his father's character and was not a serious vindicator who liked to joke.

After hearing Yura's description, he immediately frowned.

But then, with a subtle look from Yura, Maraad immediately realized what was happening. His face changed, and when he was about to ask, he saw Yura secretly taking something out of his protective gear and stuffing it into his hand.

The thing was still warm, but that wasn't the point. Maraad's eyes widened as it fell into his hand.

A pinky ring!
A Heart of Argus pinky ring.

As far as he knew, of the 129,826 Heart of Argus artifacts forged during the Thirty Days' War when the Eredar fled their homeland, only one had been crafted into the elaborate pinky ring style.

This is the first Heart of Argus in history, held by a hero who will be remembered in history. He is regarded as the first Oathkeeper and occupies a very important position in the history of the Eredar.

This thing is impossible to imitate!
Not only because of the craftsmanship and materials, but also because of the meaning it represents, no jeweler in the current Draenei clan dares to imitate this thing, unless he is tired of living and wants to provoke the thousand-year-old veteran of the Hand of Argus to smash his shop, and by the way, tie him to the stake in the name of "blasphemy against the saint", and experience the beautiful story of "burning the immortal" amid the cheers of a group of fanatical believers.

Maraad clutched the pinky ring tightly, his body trembling.

He forced himself to calm down, and after taking several deep breaths, he looked at Yura with eyes that could not hide his joy and shock. He did not ask any questions, but Yura understood his look, nodded to him, and said:
"Anyway, I'm just a messenger!

'That lord' has his own plan for doing this, and in his plan, you are obviously a very important ambush, helping him capture the clues of the traitor hidden among our people.

Are you ready to take your orders?

I have to state in advance that if you accept the order, you must obey my command, because this is also my "return to the team" mission, and I don't want that adult to look down on me."

"Of course!"

Maraad stood up straight and said in a deep voice:
"Before my mother died, she told my sister and me to always believe in miracles. I knew what she meant. He was my father's battle brother! Growing up, my sister and I always considered him a family member, like a 'foster father'.

Tell me, what does my uncle need me to do?"

"Haha, you're lucky to have such an 'uncle'. His temper is much worse now than it was over 20,000 years ago. Perhaps it's because the situation is really dire."

Yura teased, then whispered something serious.

Maraad nodded, accepted the order, and returned to his team. He ordered his companions, "Follow me! We need to personally escort the people of Ambor Village to the Aldor Sanctuary for temporary refuge. These villagers have clues about the movements of the Shadowmoon Orcs and the desecration of the Vigilante's Sacred Casket. They must be closely protected."

Don't alert anyone else, we're going to do this in stealth."

------

"The Holy Light will cleanse all evil! Repent!"

With a low roar, the heritage battle axe covered with double-sided shining blades chopped down, burning a Voidwalker and the Shadowmoon Warlock it protected to ashes. Against the backdrop of the evil man being crushed to ashes, Dick, expressionless, held the battle axe and strolled around the battlefield leisurely, looking for the next "victim".

Under the leadership of the two legends, him and Naili, it took the garrison and hunters less than ten minutes to break through the blockade of the Soul Burial Ground.

Gul'dan is not here, and the Shadow Council has not deployed heavy troops here. Perhaps because this place is close to the Shaz'gul Fortress where the Shadowmoon Clan is stationed, the orcs do not think that they will be raided here and therefore relax their vigilance.

The brave garrisons hunted down the collapsed necromancers and warlocks while sprinkling holy water on the filthy burial ground. Ner'zhul himself held a torch and ignited the screaming filth in the energy conflict caused by the sprinkling of holy water.

The flames ignited and burned rapidly as if gasoline was poured on it.

Those filthy undead also screamed in the fire, but after the power of the void was expelled, these quiet undead would express their gratitude to Ner'zhul with gestures of gratitude. They just hugged each other in the fire and let their spirits be burned into elemental particles.

For these suffering spirits, this peace is exactly what they need.

But as the fire burned, Ner'zhul discovered something was wrong. The old shaman found some clues, and after a careful search, he became furious.

"Damn it! How dare the mad Gul'dan desecrate the spirits of the ancestral chieftains of the Shadowmoon clan!"

The old orc jumped to his feet and roared:

"I'm going to strangle that bastard to death with my own hands!"

"what happened?"

Holding the "low-damage" sapphire bow, Nari shot arrows to kill the fleeing warlocks and fallen orcs while asking:
"Why don't you, the Shadowmoon Clan, bury the remains of your ancestors in your own holy land, but instead place them in the burial ground? Your own holy land won't be used by your most prestigious members?"

"Because the Shadowmoon clan's duty is to serve the dead of all orc clans."

Ner'zhul picked up the remains that were carelessly discarded on the ground. His face was filled with sorrow, and he explained in a hoarse voice:

"The Shadowmoon Cemetery obviously cannot bury the remains of all orcs. Only the remains of orcs with status and merit will be sent there. Most ordinary orcs will spend their last days in the Soul Burial Ground, so the Shadowmoon chiefs will never bury their remains in the large cemetery.

Just as we served our fellow men in life, so too will we be here after death to guide the souls of the dead to the sacred mountain of Oshu'gun.

This is the pride, duty and honor of every Shadowmoon Chief.

But Gul'dan desecrated them.
He must be after the astrological knowledge about the Dark Star that the successive Shadowmoon Chiefs possessed, that bastard."

"Condolences."

Nellie said something and then asked:
"Is there anything we can do?"

"Let them rest in peace. They have been tortured to the point of being very weak. They are no different from other spirits."

Ner'zhul whispered:

"I'll do it myself."

As he spoke, he knelt before a huge stone tablet and chanted a spiritual spell.

Although the elements no longer respond to the call of this sinner, Ner'zhul is still an elite spellcaster among the orcs, and he also has a clan-exclusive profession of "Neccentric Master".

At his call, the souls of the tortured Shadowmoon chiefs were awakened from their weakness. They loudly insulted Ner'zhul, scolding him for his poor judgment of people and for bringing Gul'dan, the bastard, into the Shadowmoon clan, which led to all these tragedies.

Ner'zhul turned a deaf ear to this.

He knew that these spirits had been tortured too much and what they needed was not an apology, but rest.

However, among the spirits of these Shadowmoon Chiefs, there was a lady who was very confused. She did not join in the curse, but kept looking for something around her.

Ner'zhul tried several times but failed to appease the spirit of the chieftain.

He asked in a sad tone:

"Mrs. Omra, what kind of obsession makes you so stubborn that you refuse to rest in peace? Please tell your incompetent descendants, and I will definitely help you realize your last wish."

"Well, little Ner'zhul, you have grown up and aged. You must have had a hard time these years."

The female chieftain obviously knew Ner'zhul.

The old orc maintained an awkward silence as she spoke, until the ghost finally told him why she didn't want to rest in peace.

"My hunting companion, the mighty Gora, has been bewitched."

The ghost of the female chief sighed:
"I can't find it, and I can't leave it alone in this dangerous place, little Ner'zhul, help me find it, and leave it if you and the clan need its help.

Gora still has the desire to fight!
It shouldn't have gone with me to the realm of the dead, but it's in pain now, I can feel it, help me find it, help me heal it.

I leave it to you, my child."

After saying this, the chieftain's spirit dissipated before the eyes of Ner'zhul and Nairi, and she entrusted her obsession to her children.

"Who is Gora?"

Nellie asked curiously:
"Don't sound like orcs?"

"That was a powerful dire wolf alpha, Matron Omra's hunting partner and the most powerful alpha the Shadowmoon Clan has ever possessed."

Ner'zhul explained:

"When Madam Omra died of old age, the faithful Gora died with her after refusing food or drink for fifteen days at her grave. I witnessed that as a child, and we must find him.

I feel like Gora might be in trouble. It's probably related to the power of the void. Those corrosive dark forces like to parasitize such powerful creatures!"

"But you are a shaman and a psychic, a half-witted warlock, but not a hunter."

Dick's voice came from behind. Having already executed more than a dozen Shadowmoon Warlocks in the name of Holy Light, he had lost interest in bullying weaklings.

He said to the two of them seriously, carrying his battle axe:
"That is a powerful alpha beast. If it senses danger and seeks to hide itself, it will be impossible for all but the most accomplished hunters to detect it. Lord Ner'zhul, you are now faced with an awkward situation."

Dick glanced at Nellie and said:

"Archbishop Nai Li is the best hunter among us Draenei. She should be able to find Gora's trail, but if you ask for her help, you must be prepared to lose Gora.

The beast spirit deeply corroded by the void can only face the end of its soul being torn apart, unless there is a noble-minded hunter willing to deeply bind and support it at the cost of his own soul.

Only in this way can we help the mighty beast defeat the corruption in its heart.

But that is the treasure of your Shadowmoon Clan, and we Draenei have never had the bad habit of robbing other people's treasures at will."

"You've almost got the word 'calculation' written all over your face, Vigilant! But do I have any choice now? I must save Gora! This is the first step in my redemption as a sinner!
Go on!

Anyone can come and save it."

How could the experienced and experienced Ner'zhul not hear the hidden meaning behind Dick's words, especially since this guy had no intention of hiding it.

Naili was confused. She waved her hands and said:

"I can't. After my thirteen consecutive war beasts left me due to time constraints, I no longer plan to tame any war beasts. Such separations always make me feel extremely painful."

"Then you are blessed, because soul beasts cannot die. They are immortal."

Dick quietly pinched Nellie's tail from behind and said:
"As far as I know, even in the entire physical universe, the birth of soul beasts is an extremely rare miracle. Those noble souls who should have gone to the realm of the dead are stranded in the world of the living for various reasons.

Only the luckiest hunters have their own soul beast companion.

Go, Nai'ri, Lord Ner'zhul has agreed that you should rescue the treasure of the Shadowmoon clan.

Orcs respect wolves. With a ghost wolf like this as a companion, your communication with orcs will be much smoother, especially traditional conservatives like the Frostwolf Clan."

“But how can I do that?”

Nari had never tracked a soul beast before. In fact, this was the first time she heard of the concept of "soul beast".

She asked Dick for advice. As a garrison officer, Dick spent several minutes telling his partner the detailed steps on how to capture soul beasts. His posture was as skillful and steady as a twenty-year-old hunter teaching online.

Nai Li and Ner'zhul were stunned by what they heard.

Facing their questioning looks, Dick said calmly:
"This is clearly precious knowledge bestowed upon me by the Holy Light. He would not wish to see such a noble soul harmed by the void. Go, Nari, and don't let that immortal soul down. This is something only you can accomplish; others cannot participate."

While Nari followed Dick's instructions and used her hunter's skills to track the ghost wolf in the Soul Burial Ground, Ner'zhul approached Dick.

He whispered:

"Are you also a prophet? I know you Draenei have a legacy of prophets! Can you see the future just like your leader Velen?"

"Or else?"

Dick glanced at him and said:
"Why else do you think I was determined to find you and save you on the first day of my resurrection? This was all inspired by the Holy Light! Ner'zhul, if you knew what a tragic end my actions saved you from, then if you didn't kowtow to me right now, it would only prove that you have no conscience."

Ner'zhul ignored the Vigilant's "saintly joke" and stared at Dick, asking:
"So, in your view of the future, what will be the fate of the orcs?"

"A horrible future."

Dick said briefly:

"Everything that the Draenei have experienced in the past 25,000 years, you will experience in the next decade or so, but we are exiles, and you are invaders!
What we are doing now is to give the orcs their last breath, or at least to save this poor world that has suffered so much.

destiny!

That is our real enemy!
I will face it again here, and I will defeat it here!"

(End of this chapter)