"Win, we win! The kingdom's armies defeated the green-skinned monsters and drove them all back into the dark swamp! ”

Rainy night, hotel outside Karazan.

The traveler's good news from afar detonated the emotions of the guests, and the poor people who had taken refuge here rejoiced and praised King Ryan Ureon for his wisdom.

A year ago, the green-skinned monsters emerged from the depths of the Dark Swamp, the original form of the Swamp of Sorrow and the Cursed Lands, part of which the Cursed Lands were reduced to barren lands due to the effects of the Dark Gate.

At first, it didn't make much of a difference, and the kingdom didn't pay much attention to it, because the swamp was vast and sparsely populated, full of dangerous beasts, and although it was within the territory of the Stormwind Kingdom, few people would go there. Only a few criminals who have been exiled by the kingdom but do not want to go to the chaotic Treasure Bay as outlaws will take refuge there.

Everyone thought of the monsters as something troll-like, but not humanoid at all, but they had never been discovered because they lived deep in the swamps.

However, it didn't take long for the green-skinned monsters known as orcs to grow and start cutting down trees and building camps in swamps, showing great aggression and gradually posing a great threat to the southern Elwyn Forest (later known as the Twilight Forest), the northern Elwyn Forest, and the Red Ridge Mountain region.

The Stormwind Kingdom reacted immediately and began to deploy heavy troops to the border in preparation for the inevitable war.

During that time, the neighboring villages were often plundered, and countless people were killed and wounded.

Most of the evacuees who have now gathered outside Karazhan are villagers from nearby villages that are often harassed by orcs, as well as many wanted criminals and poor people who used to live in isolation in the dark swamps.

Unbeknownst to them, the tower of Karazan is inhabited by the "Last Guardian", the last Guardian in the true sense of the word, Magna Egwen, who, under the dark influence of a wisp of Sargeras's soul, was tasked with hunting down his son from Neras Elam. She took it upon herself to infuse her son's power of Tirisfa, making him an unauthorized, independent guardian of the "rotten" Council of Tirisfa.

In their eyes, there lived only one powerful mage, who had an odd temper but could protect himself. Orcs never come here to plunder, and if you flee to the country, you may run into orcs and be killed on the way, which is still the safest place.

In the early days, there were only a few commercial buildings outside of Karazhan, most of which were industries run by villagers from near and far villages, mainly to receive caravans from the southern Elwyn Forest to supply the Karazan Tower.

Slowly, more and more evacuees were evacuated, and there were not enough houses, so they had to build more houses on the flat land in the north of the tower. Today, it has begun to take shape, like a small village.

Strangely, since the Orc invasion, caravans carrying supplies to Karazhan have not stopped, even if there is a high risk of Orc attacks along the way, rain or shine. There are also more griffon riders coming and going, and many of them are wearing royal flags, and people have different opinions, but they generally believe that the mage master in the tower is a big man with a deep connection with the royal family. The riders had not come to ask him to go out of the mountain, or to seek guidance from wisdom.

Otherwise, how could he be so favored?

But speculation about the identity of Karazan's owner is only a matter of after-dinner chatter, and what really makes them happy is that the supply team will also sell certain supplies in the village. The tower's stewards and servants often assisted them, providing them with simple tasks such as cleaning the room and carrying hay so that they could earn money to feed their stomachs.

Anyway, they settled down here.

As for the things that made them happy in the inn, it was outdated news half a month ago - the orcs had a bad start and were beaten back into the dark swamp by Anduin Lothar, the commander of the kingdom's army under proper command. It took half a month for the news to be brought here by the travelers.

Everyone was happy, because as soon as the war was over, they would be able to go home.

It's safe, but I don't know if it's because of the light, or because the wind is howling like a ghost crying wolf, it always reminds me of the wind blowing through the canyon, and it always makes people feel that something is not good, as if something ominous is hidden.

"Don't rejoice too soon, I have heard that the king is preparing to appeal to the northern kingdoms for help! If you can defeat those orcs, how can that? ”

"Who did you listen to?"

"I have a distant cousin who is a guard in Stormwind."

"Impossible, those orcs can't even defeat the second-line garrison on the border, and as soon as Lord Lothar's regular army comes out, they will definitely be able to directly overturn their lair."

"Do you really believe it, what good news, if you want me to say, I'm afraid there is no big victory at all, it's all nonsense made up by the nobles and lords to stabilize people's hearts."

"Those northerners have always looked down on us, and they don't think of us as part of the Seven Kingdoms at all. When I was younger, I went to Hillsbrad with a boat, and the people laughed at my accent and told me to beat the brutes from the south. There's no way they're going to help us. ”

Outside the inn was stormy, the inn was brightly lit, and the fireplace was blazing, and the room was warm. By the insignificant amount of alcohol in the inferior ale, the drinkers grew louder and louder, and they were about to quarrel about the war.

The boss stood behind the bar and kept wiping the mottled wooden cups with the dirty rag in his hand, and occasionally cast a glance at the corner by the window.

There sat a young man with a hot milkshake in his hand, flipping through a book and taking a sip from time to time, unaffected by the boiling voices.

He looked no more than twenty-one or twelve years old, and he didn't even have a beard on his face, and he was quite handsome, but there was no one around him.

It's not that he has an aura that no one can enter, but everyone knows his identity - inside the Karazhan Tower, judging by the way he dresses, the staff in his hand, and the bag of books he often carries that is so thick that he can flatten people's heads, I am afraid that he is not a person who is engaged in learning, but an apprentice of a certain mage.

There is a barrier between such people and low-level civilians like them that is difficult to break through. So except for him talking, everyone won't bother him.

He would come to the hotel every once in a while to order a milkshake, and sit for an hour or two, during which he would not speak, just read. The boss is very proud that he traveled around the Eastern Continent when he was young, and the milkshake method he learned from Dalaran can win the love of this kind of person.

It's hard to say that this young man is from Dalaran, and he came to exchange some academic things with Karazan's mage master, who is right?

Jingle Bell ......

In the midst of the storm, the crisp sound of bells is clearly recognizable.

The boss looked to the door, and saw a strong man in ragged clothes like a savage walk in, his boots covered with mud, the heavy book tied to his waist in chains, and the wolf skin on his back dripping water, making a mess of the floor he had so hard to wipe clean.

Well, that's a regular customer of his, at least for the past few months.

Anyway, he was a very strange man, who had come here to take refuge, but he did not live in an inn or contact with people, so he built a shack in the forest to the north (at this time, the southern Elwyn Forest had not yet been covered in darkness all day because of Karazhan, and the upwind trail had not become lifeless, it was still covered with vegetation, and there was a lot of wild life) and lived.

At first, the innkeeper thought that this man had no money, but later found out that this man was simply unwilling to contact people. He hunted there every day, tanned the hare skins, wolf skins, and so on, and took them to the inn every other week to exchange supplies—his inn also sold groceries, and sold most of the things available on the market—and then continued to return to the hut and live in seclusion.

The innkeeper thought he might be a wanted criminal, otherwise why would he be so unsightly, as if he was hiding or something.

But even if it's a wanted man, it's not a big deal, there are all kinds of people who have taken refuge here these days, and he's seen a murderer whose portrait is posted on a wanted notice.

It's just that the guy was unlucky, and he happened to run into this strange guy who came to sell fur and buy supplies, and he became interested in the book on his waist, and then ......

Then he was punched out of his mouth full of teeth, and he didn't dare to squeak anymore.

As the strange man stepped forward, the drinkers at the bar consciously gave up their space, their eyes full of fear, no one dared to mess with this strong man, unless they didn't want to have a good time.

"Is it the same?" The innkeeper asked with a smile as he poured him a glass of spirits, "It's free, keep the cold away." ”

"Hmm," nodded the weirdo whose face was obscured by unkempt hair.

"Hmm...... Your tanning technique is getting better and better," said the innkeeper as he examined the hides, the strange man had not been able to use the skins he had first tanned, "and the next time you try it with wolf brains, just break them up and paste them on the skins—animal brains are always the best material for tanning leather." ”

"Okay, I'll try next time."

The innkeeper counted them, there were a total of seventeen skins, and they were all from the most terrifying giant timberwolves in the upwind trail, and he couldn't help but be slightly shocked, this strange man was too fierce. After receiving the wolf skin at the bar, he asked familiarly, "Do you want to change it all for supplies this time?" ”

"Well, just a little less bread, more spirits, and a warm outfit."

"Okay, I'll send someone to you tomorrow...... Next time, I'll send something over, don't rush the rain, the skin is soaked. ”

The strange man nodded again, picked up the free glass of spirits, drank it down, and turned back to walk out of the inn.

The weirdo just accepted the assignment and was sent to Oryx Rivendell by the Book of Time in this timeline.

It's only now that more content appears in the book, and the mission time is actually a whole year! This means that even if he doesn't do anything, he will have to wait a year before he can go back, and he will have to stay within ten kilometers of Karazan or the mission target Khadgar, and meet at least one of them.

That is, the Book of Time has clearly stated that the time here has nothing to do with the timeline he is in, no matter how long it has been here, the time between the beginning of the mission and the end of the mission is only a momentary thing, otherwise he would really scold his mother.

But it's also a valuable opportunity.

In the past few months, in addition to setting up a shack to live in the north of Karazhan and hunting in exchange for necessary survival materials, he has not slackened at all, polishing his skills every day, exercising the casting skills of sacred spells, not to mention the transformation now, at least he is completely familiar with everything in this body, and there is a feeling that the soul has finally become one with the body.

He's going to go on like this.

Live in isolation and avoid contact with anyone as much as possible. Now that you have gotten rid of Nao Aozu's soul cage, you don't want merit but no fault, just wait for a year and go back.

When I walked to the door of the hotel, I suddenly heard a voice come from my ears: "Is Your Excellency a priest?" ”

Oryx turned his head to see the young man sitting in the corner drinking a milkshake.