Spellcasting Gods

Regardless of who is behind this, the Stormwind leadership will first blame Warchief Thrall.

For Jaina, who dedicated her life to promoting peaceful coexistence between the two factions in Azeroth, this was like pouring a bucket of ice water on a hot summer day—utterly refreshing.

Her mind was in complete turmoil, and she kept wondering if she had done something wrong. Was it possible that her father, Admiral Dalynn, was right in his actions?

The Alliance and the Horde are destined to fight until one side eliminates the other.

Sensing the other's inner turmoil, Zhang Cheng said nothing, only bowing out of respect for Jaina's magical prowess.

Shortly after Jaina left, Matthias Shaw also walked out of the conference room.

Unlike the former, he didn't seem preoccupied. Instead, he stopped and looked the young mage up and down at the door. After a full minute, he suddenly laughed and said out of the blue, "I like you!"

"Huh?!" Zhang Cheng was clearly taken aback for a moment, then quickly took two steps back to maintain a safe distance.

Although he didn't think the legendary assassin would be a gay man with bad intentions, as a male with a normal sexual orientation, it was still hard not to feel uncomfortable and upset when another man said he liked him.

"Heh, you seem a little nervous? Relax. I heard about your contribution to solving the magical plague, so I couldn't help but ask what you think about the special cargo being transported by the goblins in Booty Bay this time?" Matthias Shaw asked with a half-smile.

Staring into the other man's terrifying eyes, Zhang Cheng suddenly understood the "big shot's" intention in approaching him. Without making a sound, he pulled a small vial of liquid emitting an eerie green glow from his pocket and lowered his voice to reply, "As far as I know, there are generally only two routes to transport so many dangerous items to Undercity. One is by sea, but due to the proliferation of pirates and murlocs, it's not exactly safe. The second route, of course, is across Alterac Valley. My suggestion is to create an accident and completely ruin the Forsaken's reputation."

"An accident?" Matthias Shore's lips curled up slightly, revealing an interested expression, while he stared intently at the small bottle of unidentified liquid that made him feel dangerous.

“Yes! An accident!” Zhang Cheng nodded without hesitation. “I believe you know that the Frostwolf Clan lives in the Oak Valley, and this clan has always held a very special position among the orcs. Even Warchief Thrallna is from the Frostwolf Clan. Imagine if the plague researched by the Royal Apothecaries of the Forsaken caused heavy casualties among the Frostwolf Clan, how would the orcs, who dominate the Horde, react?”

“Interesting, very interesting.” Matthias Shore took the bottle, a joyful smile spreading across his face.

Even if he were completely naive at that moment, he would understand the sinister intentions hidden behind this plan.

First, once the magical plague spreads among the Frostwolf Clan, it will inevitably weaken the Horde's strength in the Eastern Continent.

Secondly, given the orcs' nature, after suffering such a great loss, they would naturally investigate who the culprit was. Once they discover that the Forsaken are the ones responsible for all this disaster, a fierce conflict between the two sides is inevitable. It's not impossible that the alliance will break down and the Forsaken will be expelled from the Horde.

Finally, and most importantly, the Forsaken's joining the Horde was the result of Warchief Thrall's strong opposition. If the Forsaken do anything to harm the Horde's interests, his personal prestige will be damaged, and many orc clans that already disliked him will start to make underhanded moves.

For the beleaguered Alliance, any plan that throws the Horde into disarray is a good plan, especially since this time only a few elite assassin squads are needed, and even if they fail, there won't be much loss.

"Please note that the bottle contains something far more dangerous than natural disasters or plagues. I'm not even sure what unpredictable changes might occur if it comes into contact with the cargo being transported by the goblins," Zhang Cheng warned cautiously.

Because the plague he took out was no longer the rudimentary version researched by the Forsaken, but a version obtained after a series of killings and mutations in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. Its infection speed was dozens or even hundreds of times faster than when Kel'Thuzad was still human and spread the plague. It wouldn't take more than a few days; it could turn all the residents of a city into undead in about half an hour.

Matthias Shaw shrugged nonchalantly: "Great! That's exactly what I wanted. To thank you for your contributions to the league, I'll have someone send you a small gift later; I'm sure you'll like it."

"Thank you very much. If there's nothing else, I'll go in to see the Grand Master." With that, Zhang Cheng turned to push open the door.

Before he could take any action, Matthias Shore stretched out his arm to stop him, while probing in a polar voice, "Have you ever heard of an organization called the Syndicate?"

"What?!" Zhang Cheng felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but pretended to know nothing.

"Ah, nothing, just asking." Matthias Shore seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted, and turned away nonchalantly, disappearing around the corner at the stairwell.

Gazing at the other person's elusive back, Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all the jumbled thoughts. He then went directly into the room, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed to the Grand Master.

"Your Excellency, I have encountered some difficulties and hope to receive your guidance."

Ansrem Ruinvivor stood by the window, looking down at the rebuilt Dalaran, and asked without turning his head, "Tell me, what problem could possibly stump you?"

"Look, this is a meteorite I found in a mysterious place not long ago. It seems to contain some kind of extremely powerful magical energy." As he spoke, Zhang Cheng took out a meteorite fragment about the size of a fingertip.

Given that the world of Azeroth possesses abundant arcane energy, he was not worried at all about attracting the attention of the archmage; on the contrary, he hoped to gain some advice or inspiration from the other party.

Using this thing simply as a bomb or an energy source would be a huge waste; he believed there must be a better way to utilize it…

Chapter 0292 Amplifier

"Magical energy?" Ansrem Ruinvivor took the stone that emitted a faint red glow, a hint of curiosity and excitement quickly flashing in his eyes.

As a high mage, there are very few things in this world that can arouse his desire to study, but this little stone did.

The reason is simple: the energy contained within the stone is completely different from the known arcane, natural, holy light, shadow, fel energy, and death energy. It is a mixture that is close to elemental energy but not entirely elemental energy.

Most importantly, this thing is a solid crystal with highly condensed energy. Although he has only seen the water of the Sunwell and not the water of the Well of Eternity, judging from its shape, the water of the Well of Eternity of the same volume probably does not contain as much magical energy as this small piece of meteorite.

Of course, quantity is one thing, but purity and utilization rate are another.

Seeing that the meteorite fragments had successfully piqued the archmage's research interest, Zhang Cheng immediately pressed on, saying, "Your Excellency, I have conducted some tests and found that the energy contained within is very active. In particular, constructing elemental magic often only requires half the amount of arcane energy, but it would be much more difficult to construct other types of spells, and could even lead to serious errors."

“That sounds interesting. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already started to extract and store this energy in your body, haven’t you?” As he spoke, Ansrem Ruinvivor looked up from the stone and sized up the young man standing in front of him.

Without a doubt, with his exceptional sensitivity to magic, how could he not notice the extremely discordant flow of magical energy on Zhang Cheng's body, as if it were splitting his body in two, with the left half storing arcane energy and the right half storing the energy from the meteorite?

“Yes, Master. This energy allows elemental magic to be cast faster, less strenuously, and more powerfully. I believe it can greatly enhance one’s combat strength.” Zhang Cheng didn’t try to hide anything and readily admitted it.

After all, the well water in the basement of his house has a limited output. As the mage's level increases and the number of research topics increases, the consumption will also increase. In addition, it is not very convenient to carry, and it cannot meet his needs at all. Therefore, he urgently needs a substitute.

The Grand Master nodded slightly: "No need to explain, I understand. However, I think your way of using this energy is still a bit too crude."

"Rough?" Zhang Cheng frowned subconsciously.

"Yes! I really don't know how to describe you. Too smart? If you weren't smart, you definitely wouldn't have found the trick to using another kind of energy to release magic. Too stupid? If you weren't stupid, how could you have overlooked the fact that every spell relies on a small amount of your own magic power, which then resonates with the ubiquitous magical energy in the air, triggering a chain reaction?" The archmage gave a hint with a series of self-questioning and self-answering.

“Resonance?! Damn it! I actually forgot about that!” Zhang Cheng seemed to suddenly realize something and slapped his forehead in frustration.

Clearly, during A Song of Ice and Fire, he fell into a misconception: he was too eager to break the limitations and forgot that while his own magical power was very important, it was not the only factor determining a mage's strength.

If we change our approach and take advantage of the unique energy of the crimson meteorite, we can use less energy to trigger a stronger energy resonance, wouldn't that also make us stronger?

“It seems you’ve figured it out. That’s right, the greatest use of this little stone isn’t to replenish your magic power, but rather as a resonance amplifier. Every elemental spell you cast can be amplified many times over through it. I must say, that alone is enough to drive any spellcaster mad, even this old fellow is a little tempted. Now I’m very curious, where exactly did you get it?” Ansrem Ruinvivor probed meaningfully.

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then replied in an ambiguous tone, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I'm not quite sure where I went either. This red stone is where I found it. If you like it, I'll give it to you as a thank you gift."

"Give it to me? Heh, looks like you have a second, or even a third or fourth one. Fine, since you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. But I don't have the habit of taking advantage of others for no reason. This is my notebook from before I became an archmage, including some special spellcasting techniques, as well as alchemy and enchanting insights. Consider it a return gift." With that, the archmage pulled a slightly yellowed book from the bookshelf behind him and tossed it over.

Just as Zhang Cheng was about to reach out and take it, the notebook, which was originally only the size of a human face, suddenly began to swell, growing larger and larger...

In the end, it was transformed from a harmless notebook into a murder weapon capable of crushing a person to death...

At this point, he dared not catch it. He quickly sidestepped the massive creature, letting it crash heavily to the ground with a loud bang.

"Sir, are you trying to kill me?" Zhang Cheng stared at the notebook, which was only half a meter away from him, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, because it's been so long, I forgot that this notebook was subjected to a shrinking spell." Ansrem Ruinvivor's face showed an embarrassed expression.

There was no way he wouldn't feel awkward. Although there were many cases of apprentices dying every year in Dalaran due to the carelessness of their mentors, if it were an archmage who killed a promising young mage with his notebook, it would inevitably become the subject of a series of rumors and gossip. He didn't want to become the protagonist of countless people's gossip behind his back.

"Sigh, it's nothing, you didn't do it on purpose anyway." Zhang Cheng sighed, resigned to his bad luck, and bent down to pick up the notebook, which was as thick as a box.

The moment his finger touched the cover, the notebook suddenly emitted a purple arcane glow, and then shrank back to its original size in less than a second.

Having experienced the magic of shrinking objects for the first time, he immediately picked up his notebook and cast several detection spells in succession. After several minutes, he couldn't help but exclaim, "It's amazing! By using arcane energy to compress the volume of an object according to a certain ratio, it can reduce the size and weight of the object. When needed, it can be enlarged proportionally to restore it to its normal state."

"Hahaha! That's the wonder of magic, isn't it? Young man, don't just think about studying those powerful destructive spells all day long. Spend your time studying other applications of magic. Believe me, they are the true essence of arcane magic, the key to the highest halls of power," Ansrem Ruinvivor advised in the tone of someone with experience.

Zhang Cheng nodded in deep agreement: "Thank you very much for your guidance. I will make time to go to the library. Oh, by the way, besides that stone, I also got some other interesting things..."

Chapter 0293 The Political Idiot Jaina

There was no concealment or lie...

Zhang Cheng directly shared all the knowledge he had gained from the world of A Song of Ice and Fire and the magical Earth with the Archmage, hoping to draw inspiration and direction from the Archmage's profound magical attainments.

Because he understands that as a traveler, he doesn't need to hide all the knowledge he acquires like a thief, but rather to share it selectively in order to gain more research directions.

Moreover, the meager knowledge he currently possesses is far from enough to attract the attention of a Dalaran archmage, so there's nothing to worry about.

And so, for the next two weeks, Zhang Cheng and Ansrem Ruinvivor stayed in the mage tower, constantly exchanging their understanding and views on magic.

Although Zhang Cheng was a beginner and his theoretical knowledge was far less extensive than that of a grandmaster, he was always able to think from a completely different perspective and even offer suggestions that would make the other party's eyes light up.

As they got to know each other better, Ansrem Ruinvivor was surprised to find that the young man standing before him was not only a sponge of interference, frantically absorbing all kinds of knowledge, but also an explorer with extremely high talent, walking a path that no Dalaran mage had ever taken before.

eagerly!

Never satisfied!

He simply couldn't imagine how a young boy, who should be enjoying love and material things at that age, would be willing to give up such intoxicating beauty and instead devote his time and energy to endless studying.

According to the experience and patterns summarized by some old mages in Dalaran, young mages always have to go through some setbacks or hardships before they can truly calm down and appreciate the wonders of magical research. The most outstanding example is Jaina Proudmoore.

This woman, hailed as the fastest-growing young woman in history, first sparked a fierce battle among young men, and even Kael'thas Sunstrider, known for his elegance and composure, could not escape her clutches.

She then began a real romance with Arthas, the heir to the Kingdom of Lordaeron, until they finally parted ways when he ordered the massacre of Stratholme, who was infected with the plague.

It can be said that Jaina's strength increased at an incredible speed, starting from this period. By the time the War of Hyjal was nearing its end, she had become a powerful spellcaster who surpassed her mentor Antonidas.

Ansrem Ruinvivor even suspected that Zhang Cheng might have been affected by the tragic death of his mentor, Risen, which was why he ignored the young and beautiful female mages and apprentices around him, let alone any gossip about them.

Of course, despite his suspicions, he didn't voice them. At least in the face of the current perilous situation, nothing was more important than strengthening himself.

When you're fully immersed in a new research project, you often lose track of time.

Just when the two of them had finally figured out the combination pattern of the unknown magical runes, a sudden piece of bad news interrupted their research enthusiasm.

"Your Excellency, the latest news is that Lady Jaina recently joined forces with the Horde to launch an attack on the Scourge, who were entrenched in Razorfen Downs. The lich, Amenábar, and his undead minions have been completely wiped out," a middle-aged mage who looked to be around forty years old reported expressionlessly.

"What?! Has she gone mad?" Ansrem Ruinvivor stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"I don't know if Jaina is crazy or not, but the Alliance is definitely on the verge of going crazy. Some people are even shouting that she doesn't deserve to be a member of the Alliance at all." The middle-aged mage smiled bitterly as he placed a report on the table.

Although Dalaran is not as all-pervasive as Stormwind's SI:7, it still has its own intelligence-gathering system.

Anslem Ruinvivor picked it up and glanced at it briefly before turning to Zhang Cheng and asking, "What do you think about this?"

"What else can I say? I can only say that Miss Proudmoore is too naive in politics. She doesn't understand what her actions mean at all, just like when she joined forces with Thrall to kill her own father, which resulted in her being hated by the entire Kingdom of Kul Tiras." Zhang Cheng shrugged helplessly.

To be honest, he sometimes really didn't understand how a proud young woman who had grown up in the palace could lack even the most basic political common sense.

The Archmage nodded in deep agreement: "A very insightful assessment! Jaina is indeed too naive, and her abilities are not commensurate with her power. But regardless, she is a member of the Kirin Tor Council, and I must deal with her personally."

"You're planning to leave Dalaran?" Zhang Cheng raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Yes, I need to leave for a few days. Don’t worry, Sylvanas may be blinded by hatred, but she is still a ranger-general with considerable strategic vision. She won’t start a war at this time, much less attack Dalaran.” Ansrem Ruinvivol knew what Zhang Cheng meant and waved his hand dismissively.

Today, Dalaran has passed through its fragile reconstruction period. The earth elementals and arcane golems that are no longer seen on the streets are enough to give any intruder a hard time, not to mention the constant stream of returning mages.

"Alright, please come back soon." Zhang Cheng quickly searched his memory but found no record of any attacks on Dalaran during this period, so he quickly lowered his guard.

"Take this opportunity to rest well. Studying and researching are not everything in life. You need to relax properly so you don't lose yourself."

After saying this, Ansrem Ruinvivor quickly followed the unknown middle-aged mage toward the location of the teleportation chamber.

After watching the two walk away, Zhang Cheng smiled and sighed, "As a member of the Alliance, the first thing she did when faced with danger was to unite with the Horde? I doubt anyone other than Jaina would do that! Could it be that she really has some untold story with Thrall?"

"Gossiping about others behind their backs is not a good habit! Especially talking about a lady who saved the world from the Burning Legion."