Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 744, Section 22: The Collapse of a Self-Deceiving Person Only Requires One Lie
Elisande has been sidelined.

Ten thousand years of power ultimately couldn't withstand the deadly threat right before her eyes. She actually knew from the beginning what those "troll spies" who appeared in large numbers in the city were, but she chose the wrong way to deal with them.

This directly ignited various conflicts that had been accumulating in the city of Suramar for ten thousand years.

The elves hate trolls more than anything else, yet even the most ruthless elves need absolute courage to wield their swords and magic when they witness their family and friends being tormented by the plague and transformed into trolls.

Moreover, in such matters, the problem is always "not scarcity but inequality."

If one family on a street is affected by the plague, others might help them "respectably." But now, with every family on the street infected by the plague, whoever dares to mention "trolls must die" will be the first to be strangled by those fathers/children/mothers/brothers who are on the verge of madness.

When an individual's problem evolves into a group's problem, the speed at which a reform of thinking arrives will be beyond imagination.

On the very night Elisande ordered the city guards to eliminate the "troll spies" in the market district, within thirty minutes of the order being given, one-third of the city guards "mutinously" defected. The chaos that night terrified all the elves and "trolls" who experienced it.

But the plague doesn't care about this or that.

Since it's a magical infectious disease, it naturally has to follow the logic of both metaphysics and pathology, and disease and death are always the two fairest things in the world.

So what if a family has existed for ten thousand years?
The plague won't spare you just because you once served Queen Azshara.

When the two sisters of the Yuejun family also contracted the plague, the Yuejun family, which already had close ties with the common people, became the first noble family to openly defect.

That's why they say that rebellion requires the assistance of clever people.
After the Moonshire family joined, they immediately provided the terrified commoners with a brilliant idea. So the next afternoon, a large group of Nightborne broke through the blockade and ran to the bridge across the sea where Queen Azshara slept. They knelt there, weeping and crying out for the queen to save them.

This situation was immediately noticed by Vashj, the Queen's Royal Guard spymaster who was well-prepared.

She knew the plague was raging, but her current absurd physical condition made it impossible for her to be infected by the plague spores. Moreover, due to the special nature of the Royal Guard, the members who guarded Queen Azshara did not lack the fruits of the sacred tree Arcandor. Therefore, the high-ranking members and elites of the Royal Guard still maintained the noble appearance of the Highborne elves.

Their addiction to magic was not severe, and they could withstand the plague spores for much longer than the weakened civilians.

In truth, Vashj was quite annoyed that she had to protect the Nightborne who had degenerated into trolls. After all, she was an old imperial citizen who had lived through the Queen's era, and she naturally had a disdain and aversion to trolls.

But when faced with matters of principle, Vashj remained steadfast.

What's wrong with the trolls?
These trolls were once the queen's loyal subjects, not born trolls! Although they have the appearance of trolls, they still possess the heart of elves.

How could the Queen, so noble and benevolent, allow her loyal subjects to be slaughtered simply because of a change in appearance?
So, very quickly!

When Elisande sent reinforcements for the second time, ordering the city's defense forces to slaughter the "troll spies," they were devastated to discover that the Queen's Royal Guard, who never left the Nighthold, had appeared in the Market District.

The Queen's battle flag, rarely used in ten thousand years, now fluttered in the area where commoners lived. The mighty royal guards rebuked the cowardly city garrison, demanding that they immediately lay down their weapons and abandon the darkness for the light.

Some eloquent court maids, who were sent by Vashj to do political work, enumerated Elisande's sins and boldly declared that the supreme queen would soon awaken and regain control of her empire.

Now is the final moment to surrender, Nightborne! If you don't hurry, you'll be held accountable later!

This standoff has essentially revealed the attitude of the Guardians: they no longer intend to tolerate Elisande's usurpation of the Queen's power and are looking to use this opportunity to help the esteemed Queen regain control of Suramar.

Everything that followed was perfectly logical.

The once all-powerful Archmage was isolated, especially after the Archastrologer Eitaus also declared his allegiance to Queen Azshara. Elisande lost his power, which he had held for ten thousand years, almost overnight.

She was not locked down or detained.

After all, the Archmage was the strongest in Suramar, but no one paid any attention to her or cared about her anymore.

This terrible disparity is enough to drive Elisande insane!

She was alone in the now-empty council chamber.

Her powerful senses allowed her to pick up on conversations taking place at higher levels—the voice of General Varosan, representing Queen Azshara's royal guards, negotiating with the rulers of Suramar, and even the accented Salas and Kaldorei dialects.

"Damn traitor!"

The archmage, his eyes blazing with fury, roared:
"How long has it been before you let those lowly elves from outside into my city? This is my Suramar! They have no right to set foot in this imperial city without my permission."

She immediately got up, intending to chase those "country sprites" away.

Elisande was clearly an old-fashioned "bloodline believer." Although his own origins were not necessarily noble, he had ruled for over ten thousand years, so it was normal for him to look down on the nouveau riche of Quel'Thalas and the forest savages living in the trees.

In her view, only high elves like herself, who have been passed down from the time of Queen Azshara, deserve to be called "elves." The rest, such as high elves and night elves, are nothing but monkeys in human clothes. Now they even dare to take advantage of the turmoil in Suramar to come in and "seize power."
No!

She had to do something.

Elisande clenched her fists, driven by her obsession with her own power and her loathing for the other "country elves."

If she were an idiot, it wouldn't be so bad, but she's actually quite clever, which is going to cause a lot of trouble.

"do not go!"

Just as Elisande was about to force his way in and kill those country elves, who were dressed like monkeys in human clothes, in the Hall of Order, a voice suddenly rang out, stopping him:
"You're making yourself a target of everyone's anger! You're too angry. Calm down and use your wisdom."

"Who's talking? Get out!"

The archmage swiftly cast several mental protective spells on herself, then glanced warily at the shadow behind her. She narrowed her eyes and reprimanded:

"Void thieves? How dare you! Do you really think you can take advantage of my emotional fluctuations?"

"Ha, who I am is not important, whether I come from the void is not a big problem, what's important is that you have no one to rely on anymore, madam."

The voice did indeed come from the darkness, and it even swaggered out, creating a blurry human figure in the shadows.

it says:

"No one can help you except yourself."

I will not offer you any help, because we must use our strength for the most important things.

Everything that happens in the material world cannot affect our grand plans, but occasionally giving you mortals some advice can obviously buy us time.

Think about it carefully, Elisande, who is your real enemy?
What is the perfect solution to break the deadlock you are facing right now?
You are a wise person; don't let your brilliant mind replace your foolish muscles.

The archmage remained silent, his face grim.

But this guy in front of her was indeed quite capable. After it appeared, Elisande felt that although her anger was still burning, it could no longer affect her thinking. It was as if a "forced calming spell" had been cast, allowing her to quickly unravel the complexities in her mind.

The situation is chaotic, but for spellcasters, chaos is never a problem; what matters is identifying the real enemy and the most important threads.

As long as these two points are grasped, any crisis can be quickly quelled.

So, who is my enemy now?

The undead that have been besieging the city for more than half a month certainly count, but they are just a minor ailment. Unable to break through the energy barrier of the Dark Well, they can only stay outside the city.

I could easily stay in the city until I die of old age.

These bastards who have already betrayed their country and are planning to jump to Queen Azshara's side are also his enemies, but they are all opportunists. They have no loyalty to Azshara whatsoever, otherwise they would not have enjoyed power under his command for ten thousand years.

They are not the most troublesome enemies either.

The rural elves who have come to Suramar are indeed a problem, but they are not the biggest issue. They are all elite but their numbers are limited, and such a force cannot cause much trouble in Suramar at present. Therefore, the real enemy is...
"It's Azshara!"

Elisande narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself:

“That’s right, my greatest enemy is Azshara. The traitors are eager to awaken the Queen to save the situation, and they firmly believe that Azshara can bring them hope. The common people have been misled by the Royal Guard and also believe that only the Queen can turn the tide.”

The undead outside the city also came for Azshara; they longed for an incomparably powerful lich queen, and even the rural elves were worried that problems with Azshara would affect their rule.

Well, Azshara is the one who caused this situation.

Actually, upon closer reflection, my greatest source of worry over the past ten thousand years has also been the High Queen slumbering in the Well of Night.
I woke up in terror countless nights, terrified that I would hear the news of the Queen's awakening at any moment. If she saw that the former High Elves had been reduced to the Night Children, given her personality, she would surely strangle me with her own hands.

Even if it wasn't my fault at all.

Azshara, you are the key to the problem!

"Very good, it seems you have fully understood who the real threat is."

The shadow in the darkness let out a subtle laugh, and said:

"Now that you've realized where the real enemy is, you should think about who your 'friends' are. If you really think that going to the Dark Well to assassinate the Queen on your own is the only thing you must do, then we will definitely think you've lost your mind."

You, a great archmage, a leader who has ruled for ten thousand years, surely have thought of other, more wonderful methods?

A method that won't get your hands stained with blood.

"The undead! Using someone else to do their dirty work!"

Elisande's eyes lit up.

The undead outside the city were rushing towards Azshara, led by none other than Tosedrin, the "Loyal One," the governor of Azsuna whom Azshara had fought against for ten thousand years. It was that guy who brought the undead here!

Once they enter the city, they will inevitably clash with the Imperial Guard, and can also take the opportunity to eliminate the increasing number of "troll spies" in the city. I only need to wait until these undead storm into the Nighthold and pierce Azshara's body with the Soul Eater Sword before I can step in and turn the tide.

Azshara has been asleep for ten thousand years. If she wanted to wake up, she would have done so long ago!

The supreme queen has no ability to protect herself. As long as the undead storm the Nightwell, the matter will be more than half accomplished. What's more, after years of training in the Nightwell, she has achieved perfect coordination in controlling the Eye of Aman'thul.

Just one small "mistake" is all it takes to accomplish great things.

But the biggest problem is that other people aren't stupid.

"They know it originated from my work."

The archmage hesitated.

She upheld the honor of the High Elves and naturally cared about her reputation. If she abandoned even her last shred of dignity, how would she be any different from those shameless country elves who had betrayed the empire?
"So what if they know?"

The shadow in the darkness seemed to have guessed Elisande's biggest worry; it let out an eerie laugh and mocked:

"They know you did all this, so why would they abandon you just because you saved the day in the most critical moment? They dare to leave you at this time because they have another option."

But what if you're the only option left for them?

Don't worry, Archmage. Once you've reduced one of their options, they might even help you shut up the skeptics.

They're even more afraid of things being exposed than you are!
The most ingenious part is that once again, when you turn the tide and save your city, which you've ruled for ten thousand years, from a desperate situation, thus preventing those poor souls from facing certain death, I suspect your rule can then extend for another ten thousand years.
Even a hundred thousand years!

You can eliminate your competitors and become a hero in this city once again.

As long as the Dark Well remains in your possession, you are invincible.

Therefore, we truly do not understand, with such advantages, having already glimpsed opportunities within the crisis, what is there for you to fear?

"This is betrayal after all!"

The archmage felt humiliated and shouted:

"How could a monster like you possibly understand the dignity of the Highborne? This is, after all..."

"Hmm, you mean that for the past ten thousand years, you have actually perceived yourself as a 'loyal subject' of Queen Azshara? You mean that everything you have done in this city is to maintain Queen Azshara's rule?"
"Do you Nightborne all hypnotize yourselves like this?"

The shadowy figure said in a playful tone:
"Ah, the strange thinking of mortals is really interesting, and you, you are the best of the mad! You have never been loyal, and at this critical moment, what is finally stopping you is the name of 'loyal subject'?"

So, what kind of spell did Azshara cast on you?

Why would a soul like yours be so hesitant and timid at this crucial moment?

Fine.

Then continue to be your 'loyal subject'.

Hopefully, when the Queen awakens, she will bestow upon you sufficient respect and reward for your astonishing 'loyalty.' Don't look so glum, Archmage. Try to think positively; perhaps Queen Azshara has changed her ways over these ten thousand years?
Maybe she'll actually listen to your excuses?

"Shut up! Shut up!!!"

Elisande rubbed his forehead and scolded her, then was grabbed by the shoulder by the arch astrologer Eitaus, who came out of the house. The astrologer looked at the disheveled archmage with a subtle expression.

He whispered:

"Who are you talking to? There's no one else here. Are you under too much pressure? Ah, never mind, be dignified! Elisande, there are guests here."

"guest?"

The archmage glanced blankly into the room.

She saw the Kaldorei in their Warden's Armor, the Quel'dorei carrying their warbler, and the spellcasters of the Highborne of Azsuna, whom she loathed most.

All the elves have arrived, and the prominent elven leaders have all sent messengers.

She was the only one missing.
She is no longer a member of this social class.

She was no longer qualified to stand with these country elves who each represented different factions.

The sharp, needle-like pain made Elisande clench her fists. She took a deep breath and said to the great astrologer:
“You should represent Suramar in the negotiations. Don’t embarrass us. I need to rest! I need to rest so I can defend myself when the Queen wakes up.”

"Don't be afraid."

Seeing the Archmage's pale face, Eitaus assumed it was due to fear of seeing Azshara. He fully understood such fear, and thus, the Archastrologer comforted her:
"We have received definitive information that the Queen's spirit is in the Shadowlands. The Watchers have brought moon magic, which can use the moonlight at midnight to send the Queen back. The Queen has changed; she is no longer the same person she once was!"
As long as we uphold the principles of right and wrong, she will forgive us.

"is it?"

Elisande gave a pale smile.

She glanced at the sky, which was nearing dusk, and whispered:

"That would be great."

(End of this chapter)