Make Azeroth breathtaking

Naralex laughed and pointed outside.

"It made me realize that my ideas were possible."

9. Trouble, trouble, and more trouble.

"........"

Tanis sat in her laboratory, her hands supporting her chin, looking at a green gemstone that she had secured with several security measures, frowning as she observed the swirling mist inside it.

After returning to Ratchet from Wailing Caverns, in keeping with goblin tradition, Tannis naturally instructed all the goblins to gather their loot and distribute it to the participants according to a certain ratio. Then, she discovered a very interesting item among the loot.

A emerald that looks normal, but inside it is filled with a pale green mist.

'Nightmare fragments... no, these aren't even fragments of a nightmare, just a projection of a corner of it, but even this tiny projection has almost unleashed a massive chaos in the Barrens...'

Having already unearthed the true nature of this 'emerald' from the fragments of memory, Tannis sighed, lowered the protective shield around the observation port, and turned to leave the laboratory.

——————————————Ratchet City Wharf————————————————

At the docks of Ratchet, a merchant ship flying the Horde flag was moored. Several goblins and orcs from Ratchet were unloading cargo from the ship. A human wearing a monocle, dressed in fine clothes, and with the Ratchet emblem on his chest, was diligently recording the unloaded cargo in a notebook.

"...Okay, here is your inventory list. Take it and apply for a warehouse."

After completing the recording of the last shipment, the scribe tore off a piece of paper and handed it to Lockhart Khan. After thanking him, Lockhart Khan carefully put the paper into his personal bag.

"Secretary Michar, have Miss Tanis and Mr. Gazlowe been in Ratchet recently?"

"Ah, Lord Gazlowe recently attended a consortium meeting of the Hot Sands Consortium and is not expected to return to Ratchet for another month. Miss Tanis also left for some business a few days ago and is not in Ratchet either."

"I see..."

Rokhan was slightly disappointed. Besides selling the first batch of goods that the tribe had managed, he had come to Ratchet City with other things he hoped to get help from. After all, the tribe had settled down and he needed to consider other matters.

Just as Lockhan was worrying about the itinerary for the next few days, Tennys' voice came to his ears from afar.

"Yo! Rokhan! What brings you, Chief Vol'jin's favorite, here with me?"

——————————————Reception Hall——————————————————

In the reception hall of Ratchet, Tanya slowly sipped a cup of tea, listening to Thrall's words relayed by Lockhart.

"You want to commission Ratchet City to build a capital city for you... That's no small expense... Even at cost price, plus a small fee for the technicians, the price won't be low."

Rocqhan nodded.

“Miss Tanis, what High Chieftain Thrall means is that money is not a big problem. He believes you will not overcharge. After all, even in a place like Mount Hyjal, you did not make a fortune from the war.”

Hehehe..

Tannis, who was surprised by the compliment, smiled and cupped her face in her hands. Then her expression suddenly turned serious.

"There is one thing I want the Warchief to know: there is a fundamental difference between the cost of commissioning Ratchet to repair the city and my arms expenses. The arms expenses for the Battle of Hyjal are my private income, so I can allow Warchief Thrall to postpone the repayment within my tolerable limit. However, if it is commissioned to Ratchet, the counterparty is Ratchet, and the repayment time must be fixed. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me."

"Well, actually... if the price is reasonable and within the tribe's budget, Warchief Thrall hopes to settle all the costs for the city repairs, along with your arms expenses, in one lump sum."

"........"

Tennyson's expression became subtle, and after a long while, she spoke in a slightly unsteady voice.

"What method did Warchief Thrall use to get rich so quickly? Could you teach me, considering we fought side by side?"

"Ah, Warchief Thrall requested the help of the elements. The water elementals helped Warchief Thrall discover some shipwrecks, from which we salvaged a considerable amount of wealth. The earth elementals helped Warchief Thrall mine gold, saving us a great deal of manpower and resources..."

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say anymore. Your chieftain's skills are beyond the reach of ordinary people..."

Tanis, completely stunned by Thrall's actions, waved her hand helplessly, took out a Ratchet City fixed contract from her backpack, and started writing and drawing on it.

"This is a preliminary agreement. Take this back to your chief and let him take a look. If he finds most of the terms acceptable, we will find a place to discuss and sign the final agreement."

“No problem, Miss Tanis.”

Lockhart took the documents from Tennys's hand, put them away, and left, leaving Tennys alone in the reception hall, lost in thought. Suddenly, the crystal ball in the reception hall lit up.

"Jaina? What's up? Is there a big deal?"

Tanya ran to the crystal ball, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

"No... it's a bit of a hassle..."

Jaina leaned on her staff, a faint sadness on her face.

"What trouble is it? Is it related to the construction of Theramore Island?"

"It's related to my father. Because of my family's affairs, my father has an extreme hatred for orcs. Now, he is leading the main force of Kul Tissra across the sea to Kalimdor, preparing to destroy Thrall's Horde."

"...I'm sorry, I really can't help with this. Goodbye."

Tanis immediately declined three times in a row—"Are you kidding? Ratchet City would never get involved in something like this!"

“I know, I just hope you can pass this message on to Warchief Thrall. After all, my identity… is still too sensitive.”

"Are you sure you want to do this, Jaina? You should know that your choice could kill your father."

“I know, but I have no choice. I know about the blood feud between the Alliance and the Horde, and I have learned about everything they have gone through from books. But Thrall’s Horde is not the same as that bloodthirsty Horde of yesteryear. I… I cannot watch my father commit the same crimes as the Horde of yesteryear.”

Seeing Jaina's pained expression, Tanya nodded helplessly.

"Alright, I promise you. But to be honest, if you really want to stop this war, maybe you could ask the night elves if they have any good ideas? Don't forget, they are the real local bullies."

10. The Admiral's Intent

"Splash, splash."

As the gale raged, the endless sea rippled with wave after wave, crashing against the warships of the Kul Tiras fleet. This caused the massive ships to rock violently, and with each sway, the timbers that made up the ship's planks creaked under the strain, as if they would collapse at any moment.

However, for Admiral Daelin, the King of Kul Tiras, who was sitting firmly in his flagship, such a storm was nothing more than an appetizer.

"Has Jaina not given a clear answer yet?"

Dai Lin put her hands behind her back, looked at the nautical chart hanging on the wall, and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, although Her Highness the Princess welcomed us, she has not yet given a clear answer regarding the siege of the orcs. She has only hinted that she and the orcs have reached an agreement and hopes that we will not be too aggressive."

Dale's chief mage bowed slightly in response to his king's words.

"Ha... my foolish daughter, she actually chose to believe those beasts?"

Dai Lin narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of anger flashing in them.

"After all, Her Highness was forced to fight alongside those beasts once due to reasons she couldn't resist, so it's normal that she was deceived by them."

"snort...."

Dai Lin gave a soft hum and issued the order.

"Turn the rudder, change course!"

"Not going to Theramore Island? But Your Highness..."

"No need to go. Based on my understanding of her, she will definitely tell the orcs about our arrival. Therefore, if we want to eliminate them, we must catch them off guard first!"

——————————————Echo Islands——————————————————

In the troll village of Echo Isles, Tannis and Thrall sat facing each other, looking at the map of Durotar and the surrounding sea charts in front of them. Vol'jin, with some elite trolls, stood guard outside the door.

"...The construction of the capital is settled then. I will arrange for someone to deliver the money to you. Now let's discuss the next issue: Miss Tanis, what do you know about the recent operation of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras?"

The news Tannis brought was so explosive that Thrall didn't even bother to haggle over the construction costs of Orgrimmar for long, and simply signed the contract at the price Tannis offered.

“I don’t know much, but from the intelligence I’ve gathered, Admiral Dalene’s real reason for coming here might not be what Jaina thinks.”

"Is that what Jaina thinks?"

"Well, as far as I know, Jaina's eldest brother, Derek, the eldest son of Admiral Daelin, died in the Battle of Tidefall during the Second War. And because he died from the flames of the red dragon, Daelin couldn't even collect the body of her most beloved child. So, from that time on, Daelin became an absolute enemy of the orcs. Any orc who fought against his army and lost would not survive."

"......"

This caused Sal, who didn't know much about what had happened in the Second War, to fall silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking.

"So, his purpose in coming here is to use our blood to appease his eldest son? Many orcs in the tribe were born after the war; they shouldn't be held responsible for the blood debts of that time!"

“Jaina thinks so too, but I don’t believe Daelin is unaware that the remnants of the Dragonmaw Clan are hiding in the Wetlands. Assuming he really wants to use your orcish blood to appease his son, going to the Wetlands to slaughter the Dragonmaw Clan would be far better than traveling all the way to unfamiliar Kalimdor to fight you, risking being scorned by the remaining Alliance members.”

"Could it be...?"

Sal's expression turned bitter; he understood what Tannis was trying to say.

"It seems you've figured out the main reason General Dale came here—that's right, he's afraid you'll kill his precious daughter too!"

“We have an agreement with Jaina. Didn’t Jaina convey the contents of our peace agreement to her father?”

Tanis rolled her eyes at Sal, annoyed.

"Chief Thrall, do you think someone like Dalene would believe in empty promises? In his eyes, you are a potential threat to his daughter's life. It's a matter of national and personal vendettas. From his perspective, there's absolutely nothing wrong with what he's doing. Rather than regretting it later, eliminating you now is undoubtedly a one-time solution."

"We just want to live and thrive on this land, and keep our descendants away from war, so why does war keep coming after us?"

Sal clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and his muscles trembled slightly.

“Once the wheel of hatred starts turning, as long as one side doesn’t let go of the hand that’s pushing it, as long as one side doesn’t participate in the action to stop it from moving forward, it will crush everything in its path to pieces—whether you want to or not.”

After saying this, Tannis sighed and took out a small crystal ball.

"Jaina, you've been listening in for so long. As a legitimate party involved, why don't you give your opinion?"

"I...I don't know...I don't know what to do..."

Accompanied by the glow of arcane teleportation, Jaina, with tears streaming down her face, appeared in the room and sat blankly on the floor. Tanis's analysis made her realize that her father's reason for coming to Kalimdor was never her dead older brother, but herself!

“I have two ideas. The simplest way is for you to abandon Theramore Island and return to Kul Tiras with your father. Warchief Thrall can lead the orcs to Cenarius for help and hide in the forests of Ashenvale and Azshara for a while. That way, if your father can't find the orcs and can ensure your safety, he will definitely choose to return to Kul Tiras, and the problem will be solved.”

"No! I can't give up Theramore!"

"Impossible! If the orcs choose to run away at this time, we will never be able to stand up straight for the rest of our lives!"

Thrall and Jaina both rejected the plan.

"Phew... As expected, this plan is unlikely to be agreed to by you. So, Jaina, what's your reason for not wanting to give up Theramore? Medivh's task for us has been completed, and Kul Tiras hasn't been swept away by the Scourge. Taking people back isn't a bad choice for you."

"I......"