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"Why not? You've always wanted to prove you're better than me, but unfortunately, your strength, like your plans, is like a beautiful glass bottle—dazzling yet utterly vulnerable."

After saying this, Nefarian ignored his sister's face, which was turning a deep shade of purple with anger, and hung up the call.

"Please help me honestly afterwards, my little sister..."

——————————————Stormwind Underground————————————————

"asshole......"

Onyxia kicked the chair in front of her away, her chest heaving violently with rage. The other dragonkin around her didn't dare to breathe.

"Madam, what should we do next?"

A dragonman, disguised as a guard and receiving training with Duke Fortagan, asked cautiously.

"Continue according to the original plan! Meanwhile, assign people to keep an eye on the Redridge Mountains checkpoints! If Windsor is spotted..."

Onyxia made a downward chopping gesture.

"Kill without mercy."

23. Logos, with Windsor

Blackrock Depths, the Arena of Order.

Unlike the arenas outside, the main function of the Order Arena in Darkforge City is not gladiatorial games, but to execute criminals. Therefore, countless ferocious beasts are raised beneath this arena, including monsters that can even annihilate a small squad of soldiers. Thus, even though the Order Arena has a tradition of 'killing all enemies and being released without charge', since the establishment of Darkforge City, no one has been released without charge for this reason.

However, it seems an exception is about to occur...

With Moira and Tannis's coordination, the invitation to the champion team of the first Ratchet Arena to perform in Darkforge was finalized within two days. Lo'Gosh's team, aided by a series of spells, arrived in Darkforge in less than ten days and received a secret audience with Moira. After receiving Moira's approval, Lo'Gosh immediately went to the Blackrock Depths prison to see the Stormwind Marshal imprisoned there, hoping the marshal could answer several questions for him…

———————————————Prison Area——————————————————

Just like yesterday, Marshal Windsor was awakened by the sound of the Dark Iron dwarves hammering away.

"Another day has passed..."

Yawning, he sat up from the straw bed, lifted the sheet that was washed white but had no odor, put on his boots, walked to the prison gate, and took two pieces of black bread and a small cup of water from the plate next to the guard's feet to start his breakfast.

Just as Windsor Elemental was squatting by the wall, struggling with the black bread, the sound of chains reached his ears. He swallowed what was in his mouth and looked up to find a human warrior with a familiar figure standing at the door, wearing a wolf mask with a very orcish style.

"As Queen Moira wishes, you have half an hour to speak with him."

"clear."

Logos pushed open the prison door, walked up to Marshal Windsor who was unaware of what had happened, squatted down, and removed the mask from his face.

"You...you are..."

Upon seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar face before him, Marshal Windsor's hand trembled, and the remaining half of the black bread tumbled onto the straw on the ground. His mind was in turmoil. Why was His Majesty the King here? Why did His Majesty look older? Why was His Majesty dressed in warrior's gear?

“I am Varian Wrynn, and the one in Stormwind is also Varian Wrynn.”

Lo'Gosh's voice almost confirmed to Windsor that the person before him was indeed His Majesty the King. But what did His Majesty mean by what he said? Was the one in Stormwind also him? Did His Majesty possess the ability to create clones?

"Your Majesty, I do not understand your meaning..."

Subconsciously, Windsor had already changed his address for Logos to a more respectful one.

“I already know what the Dark Iron dwarves found among your personal guards.”

"You mean, Black Dragon?"

“That’s right, Marshal Windsor. I already know that there is a black dragon lurking in Stormwind. The reason I am the way I am now is also thanks to that black dragon. I came to you hoping to use the information we have to deduce who the black dragon is.”

"...I understand, Your Majesty."

Although the idea of ​​one person becoming two is somewhat absurd, Windsor chose to trust his king, after all, he already knew his destiny back in Karazhan.

—————————————————The two are discussing———————————————————

After exchanging some intelligence with Marshal Windsor, the two realized at the same time that the most suspicious person was Countess Presto—the nobleman they trusted most besides the Duke of Fordragon!

However, another thorny issue arose. As the two knew, Countess Prestor was 'dead,' and her funeral had already been held. In other words, for King Varian in Stormwind, Countess Prestor had become the embodiment of a loyal subject who had sacrificed himself for him. In this situation, let alone exposing the true nature of an aloof black dragon, simply saying a few bad things about the Countess could get them thrown into Stormwind Prison.

"Unless we can force Countess Presto to show herself, this situation will never be resolved."

Marshal Windsor told Logos this, and Logos agreed. The most crucial element in restoring order to Stormwind was exposing Countess Prestor's true identity. To do this, they needed to find the black dragon who was still remotely controlling Stormwind, though her whereabouts were unknown. However, given the black dragon's power, if she didn't want to be found, ordinary people wouldn't be able to do anything to her...

After a long discussion, Logos proposed a solution that even Marshal Windsor lost his composure slightly: attack Stormwind!

"Your Majesty! That's your city! The city you painstakingly rebuilt!!"

Marshal Windsor immediately objected, knowing full well that even a feint attack would cause Stormwind to suffer a series of irreversible destructions.

"My city has been rotten since the day it was rebuilt, Marshal Windsor. It has been rotten since the day the Council of Nobles tried to embezzle the money we should have paid to the Stonemasons' Guild. What the Black Dragon wants is a rotten Stormwind. If we want to force her out, burning down the rotten Stormwind is the simplest way."

“But we have no soldiers, Your Majesty—I can persuade some of Stormwind’s guards not to fight us, but you and I alone cannot take Stormwind from the front.”

Marshal Windsor frowned in thought. He had to admit that Varian's idea, though a bit reckless, was very effective—and even if the black dragon did not return, if King Varian in front of him conquered Stormwind and reached an agreement with another Varian, the black dragon's conspiracy would be thwarted.

“We will have soldiers, Windsor. I know where to find my soldiers.”

As he said this, Varian patted Windsor on the shoulder and stood up.

"You request a gladiator trial from the guards, and I will fight as your proxy gladiator. After I win, you will be legally free."

"But! Your Majesty!"

“That’s an order, Windsor.”

24. Arena of Order

The entire Darkforge was abuzz with excitement upon learning that the captain of the first Ratchet Arena Champion, invited to participate in an exhibition match, would fight as the proxy gladiator for the human marshal imprisoned in jail, using a gladiatorial trial to secure his freedom. Good heavens! While the Darkforge Arena of Order occasionally hosts battles, they're always one-sided massacres, leaving the Dark Iron dwarves rather unexciting. Now, perhaps, they'll finally have a truly thrilling match to watch!

As a result, the Arena of Order was unusually packed on the second day. The residents of Darkforge City waved scraps of paper, wine cups, or even stranger things, shouting rude slogans as they eagerly awaited the start of the Arena Trials. You see, according to the rules, the Arena Trials weren't just about killing one or two burrowing worms; the ultimate challenge was the great beasts imprisoned underground! And they hadn't stepped onto the Arena of Order for almost ten years!

In a corner of the stands, Marshal Windsor, sandwiched between two Dark Iron dwarves, watched the arena with deep concern. He wasn't worried about his own safety; Logos had subtly hinted yesterday that the Dark Iron dwarves didn't intend to harm him. However, he couldn't understand why His Majesty the King would so rashly use such a life-risking method to rescue him! Undoubtedly, if he were free, regardless of whether Countess Prestor, who was hiding somewhere, learned of the situation, it would disrupt her plans. But all of this hinged on His Majesty the King being able to kill all the enemies! If His Majesty were to perish in battle…

"Queen Moira has arrived!"

The Dark Iron dwarves' announcement snapped Marshal Windsor out of his reverie. He saw Moira, dressed in formal attire, walking to the most prestigious stand. He knew that anything he said was meaningless now. There was only one thing he could do:

Raise your fists and cheer for the King!

——————————————Backcourt——————————————————

“This is our first time in this arena, isn’t it, Logosh?”

Hearing the overwhelming cheers outside, Valera's expression visibly stiffened.

"Yes, Valera."

Logos calmly inspected his equipment, confirming that his weapons and spare weapons were intact, that there were no problems with the joints of his armor, and that the two bottles of alchemical potions he was carrying were properly sealed.

"Then why are they all calling our names?"

"Didn't you come here yesterday?"

Valera shook her head. Because she didn't like underground cities like Darkforge, she went straight to bed at the inn after arriving yesterday, so she had no idea what happened at the Arena of Order yesterday.

"Tannis the Great Tinker played highlights of our Ratchet match at the Arena of Order yesterday and boosted our morale with a rather inspiring speech."

Bloor helped Logos answer the question.

"...I have to admit, Tennys the Great Tinker is quite considerate at times."

Knowing full well that such cheers would subtly create a false home-field advantage, Valera coated the dagger with the prepared poison and carefully inserted it into its sheath.

"You'll know what 'thoughtful' really means when she asks for money."

Remembering the money-grubbing look on Tannis's face when she gave him the advice, even though Logosh knew it would benefit his squad, he couldn't help but clench his fist. He rested his two-handed sword on his shoulder, pressed the mechanism, and opened the gate. As the steel gate opened, a deafening cheer erupted.

"It's starting, everyone."

————————————VIP Seating——————————————————

Tanis sat on a soft chair, munching on snacks, while Moira sat beside her, observing the Logos squad as they entered amidst cheers.

"I have to admit... they look pretty good, but are you sure they can really defeat those things underground? You know, even elite units like the Eredar Dragon Riders wouldn't want to face some of the monsters in the Arena of Order."

“I’ve placed a huge bet and I’m not worried, so what are you afraid of, Moira?”

"I......"

Moira hesitated for a few seconds before revealing her concerns.

“My father will not acknowledge my marriage to Dagran, and Dagran is not the type to grovel before my father and beg him to let me marry him. Although you have reported to Ironforge that I am safe and sound, if I am not mistaken, my father will surely believe that I am under the control of Dagran’s evil magic, and he will definitely try to find a way to rescue me from Darkforge—which will inevitably threaten Dagran’s life.”

"You want Stormwind to step in and mediate on your behalf?"

"Well, although my father is as stubborn as granite, if Stormwind puts pressure on him, he will probably reconsider my situation. Although I don't know how Stormwind will view Darkforge after the Black Dragonflight is over, we still need to show some goodwill."

"...Sure enough, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl; your mind is already conjuring up three hundred ways to screw over your father."

Tannis's words gave Moira an urge to grab the etiquette lady next to her and hit her with a hammer. What did she mean by "betraying her husband"? She was just thinking about her husband! But in the end, she nodded and admitted her mistake.

"Yes, I was 'betraying' my father, but I have a clear conscience! My father, my people, and even I before all thought that the Dark Iron Dwarves were inherently evil, but after meeting Dagran, I realized that they are dwarves just like us. Maybe their skin is a bit darker, maybe their personality is a bit cunning, but they are our fellow dwarves with the same ancestors!"

"The War of the Three Hammers... well, that's a mess. I doubt whether Bronzebeard, Wildhammer, or Dark Iron could say for sure who was right and who was wrong... but the fact remains that the Dark Iron dwarves caused a lot of trouble."

“We will take responsibility for this,” Dagran told me. “He said that if the Dark Iron Dwarves want to rise again, they must first take care of that thing underground, completely and neatly.”

Moira paused for a moment.

"Not hesitating to give his life."

Twenty-five. The Wolf Returning Home

Logos gripped his two-handed greatsword with moderate strength, breathing softly as he calmly gazed at the enormous spider known as the Crawler Hridum before him. At its feet lay a jumble of beetles and earthworm corpses, along with some objects that were clearly parts of Hridum.

Despite the commentators in Darkforge describing this enormous beast as a killing machine, a walking scourge, and the ultimate creature capable of devouring half of the orcs in Blackrock Spire with a single spider, this did not enhance its combat prowess. Within two minutes of its appearance, the unfortunate spider was decimated by the perfect coordination of Lo'gosh, Broll, and Valeera, losing two legs, having one fang broken, and suffering two holes in its abdomen from which foul blood continuously oozed.

"This thing doesn't seem as powerful as that Dark Iron dwarf said."

Logosh easily dodged the venom spewed by the berserk Hridum with a sidestep, then threw a knife at it, shattering one of its compound eyes. He then pushed off the ground and moved to the side of the giant spider.