"You've helped Azeroth before, haven't you?" Lothar said that without you, Azeroth would have been dead for a long time......

"Lothar is a fool," muttered Medivan, "an old hen who sees everything dangerously. Ryan was slightly better, knowing that no one could breach his walls. As for the council, those so-called powerful mages now know that the argument is full of slap and slap, and even a bunch of scumbag intruders can't deal with it when the matter comes. No, young trust, it's just a minor annoyance. Even if the Orcs do take Azeroth, they'll need Guardians, so I'll stay here and continue to be their Guardian. ”

"Teacher, that's ......"

"Blasphemy, betrayal?" the Astral Mage sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "Maybe." But I'm a much older person than I actually lived, and I paid a huge price for the power I simply didn't want. Please let me rebel against the gears of fate for a little longer than the rest of my life. Let's go down. I'll listen to your sad stories again tomorrow. ”

Before he closed the door, Khadgar heard him add: "I'm so tired of worrying about the world every day." When will I be able to be myself?"

"The orcs have attacked Stormwind," and three days later, Khadgar threw this grim reality in front of Garona.

The orc stared at the red letter in front of him as if he had seen a poisonous snake. "I'm really sorry," she said at last, "it's unlikely that they'll all obey the order for a truce." ”

"The Orc Army's attack has been held back," Khadgar said, "and was driven back by Ryan's forces at the gates. According to the letter, they appear to be the two clans of Twilight's Hammer and Kilrog's Blood Cave. It seems that there is no good coordination of actions between the main forces of the offensive. ”

Garona's nose snorted like a dog's and said, "Twilight's hammer never uses a strong attack in sieges. Kilrog's move was clearly an attempt to get rid of a competitor, and it was nothing more than using Stormwind to kill people with a knife. ”

"That is, even in the middle of the attack, they were still arguing with each other," Khadgar thought to himself, and Lothar might have read his report. The plan to dismantle the attack was devastated.

Garona shrugged, "Humans aren't much better. "Your history is full of statements defending all sorts of inhumane crimes. The so-called nobility, bloodline, and glory conceal every killing, plot, and genocide. At least the tribe makes no secret of their naked lust for domination and power. She was silent for a moment. He added, "I don't think I can help them. ”

"Orcs, or Stormwind?" Khadgar asked.

"Both," Garona said, "I didn't know they attacked Stormwind beforehand, if you're trying to imply that to me. But anyone with a modicum of judgment should know it. The strategy of the tribe has always been to defeat the biggest target in the first place. You should know this from our previous conversations. You also know that they will definitely make a comeback, reorganize the team, kill a few ineffective leaders, and bring more people with them the next time they come. ”

"Yes, I can imagine that. Khadgar Road.

Garona added, "And you've written to spread the news to the warriors in Stormwind. ”

Khadgar didn't think he looked out of the orc, but the orc envoy laughed and said, "Sure enough, you did." ”

Khadgar now felt his face a little red, but continued his topic, "Actually, I have a question. Why haven't you sent a report to your master?"

The green-skinned lady sat in a chair and looked up to the sky: "Who said I didn't have hair?"

"I said," Khadgar said, "unless you're a stronger mage than me. ”

A slight twitch at the corner of Garona's mouth betrayed her. "You haven't reported anything to the people behind you, have you?" Khadgar asked.

Garona was silent, Khadgar was silent, and there was a sudden silence in the library. It was a long time before she spoke, "Well, to put it simply, I'm hesitant about which side I'm loyal to right now. ”

"I thought you didn't have any concept of loyalty. Khadgar Road.

Garona ignored him: "I was sent here by my master, or ordered to come here. The man behind that was a warlock named Guldan. He's an orc who knows magic. He is also the leader of the plunder. It has a lot of influence in the tribe. He is interested in the mages of your world. ”

"And the strategy of the orcs always tends to be the first to attack the biggest target. Medivan. Khadgar Road.

Gul'dan said Medivan was a special case. Perhaps it was some secret prophecy or meditation in front of his usual incense burner, but somehow he came to this conclusion. She avoided Khadgar's gaze, "I met Medivan a few times in the wilderness, and then he allowed me to come here as an envoy. I was going to find out here. And try his best to find a way to report to Gul'dan the strength of Medivan. So you're right from the beginning - I'm a spy. ”

Khadgar sat down in the chair across from her. "You're not the first," he said, "and why didn't you report it to him again?"

Garona fell silent again. "Medivan—" she said at last, and then paused, "Old man—" paused again, "he saw through it from the beginning." Yes, but he still unreservedly sued me for a qiē I wanted to know. Well, at least the vast majority. ”

"I know," Khadgar said, "I have had exactly the same experiences and feelings. ”

Garona nodded, "At first I thought it was just that he was too self-righteous and too confident in his own powers, like many orc chieftains I know. But that's not the case at all. It was as if he felt that by imparting that knowledge to me, he decided that I would change because of it, and that he would not fail his trust. ”

"Trust," Khadgar said, "is such an important word to Medivan. He seemed to be exuding that feeling. Standing next to him, you get a sense of how he understands what he's doing. ”

"Yes," Garona said, "and orcs are naturally obsessed with power. So I thought I could lie to Gul'dan that I was locked up and couldn't get back to him. And then I was able to stay here and learn from him day by day, and eventually—"

"You don't want him to get hurt in any way. Khadgar concluded.

"Allow me to borrow Moros's mantra, 'belch,'" Garona said. "He put so much trust in me, and he trusts you that way. The last time I saw you using illusion spells to peek into his life**, I told him about it. I also slandered him by saying that you might be casting a curse on us. He said he knew about it and wasn't angry. He also said that curiosity is your good side. He was always on the side of his people. ”

"And you can't go against someone like that. Khadgar Road.

"Bh. He made me feel like a person. I haven't felt that way in a long time. For a long time. The old grandfather, the astral mage Medivan, seems to have dreams far higher than conquering and dominating. He had so much power that he could have easily destroyed all of us orcs, but he didn't. I think he believed in something greater. I really want to believe in his dreams. ”

The two sat silently in the library. There was silence for a long time. Even the sound of Moros or Cook walking down the hall in the distance could be heard clearly.

"But late......ly," said Garona, "has he been like this before?"

The way she spoke was much like Lothar's—always pretending to be indifferent and asking questions that she actually wanted to ask.

"He's always been so mysterious. But I've never seen him like this before...... Depression. ”

"Hibernation," Garona added, "neutral." Until now, I've always thought he would be on the side of the kingdom of Azeroth. But now that Stormwind is under attack, he still hasn't moved......"

"He probably wanted to give the kingdom of Azeroth a test or a workout," Khadgar said carefully. Despite knowing how Garona felt, he didn't want her to know about the council, "He always took a very long-term view of things. Therefore, sometimes others feel that he is completely out of touch with the world. ”

"Maybe that's why he seems distant," Garona said. After a long silence, she continued. "I don't regret the failure of the Horde's invasion of Stormwind at all. You can't break through such a fortress from the outside. You have to start from the inside and slowly dismantle it. ”

"It's a good thing you're not the general on that side. Khadgar Road

"Chief," corrected Garona, "I would like to hear you say that. ”

"Thanks, this information is helpful," Khadgar stopped halfway through his sentence, and Garona looked up at him.

"You're like someone asking for help. She said.

"I never asked you about the power and ...... of your tribe's army"

"Because then your purpose for inquiring about the military will be too obvious. ”

"But," Khadgar said, "they were extremely surprised at the number of orcs that popped up outside. Although Stormwind was kept for the time being. But they believed that it was simply impossible for the Black Swamp to accommodate such a large number of soldiers. They are still doubting the number of troops in the swamp. ”

"I have no idea about the deployment of the army," Garona said. "I've been here since the beginning, scouting you, remember?"

"That's right. "But you've also talked about your hometown. How did you get here?

Garona sat silently for a moment, as if trying to clear her thoughts. Khadgar had thought she was going to confuse the past with a few words, or simply change the subject, or even answer the wrong question. Yet she said, "Our world is called Draenor. A wild world, full of wilderness, cliffs, and barren vegetation. Desolate, stormy ......"

"And the blood-red sky," Khadgar added.

Garona looked at the young mage, "You've spoken to other orcs, are you captives? I didn't know that humans also take orcs as captives." ”

"No, it's an illusion. Khadgar Road. The memory was as distant as a lifetime, "similar to what you saw when we first met." That was the first time I saw an orc. I remember that they were extremely numerous. ”

Garona's nose snorted like a dog's, and she said, "I'm afraid you've seen far more than you say, but you've certainly seen a representative picture." Orcs are fertile and have a high percentage of newborns, as most of them do not survive to adulthood.

"It's a hard life, and only the strongest, the strongest, the most cunning survive. I am a third type of people, and at the same time I am still ostracized, roaming the fringes of the clans to survive. This time it was a plunder, at least they gave the order. ”

"Instructions?"

"We launched a long march, and every soldier and available man went into battle. Both infantry laborers and swordsmen were ordered to take their weapons, tools, and belongings and head to the Hellfire Peninsula. There, there is a massive portal, which Gul'dan and the most powerful warlocks maintain. It's a portal that breaks through the barriers of the worlds. ”

Garona licked one of her fangs. More details came to mind: "It was a massive stone building that was transported there when it was built and served as a framework for that spatial rift. In the fissure was a black whirlpool, like something like oil stains floating on the surface of a filthy lake. I felt that the rift had been torn open by a stronger pair of hands, and that Gul'dan and the Warlocks were merely maintaining it.

"Countless sturdy warriors trembled at the terrible space between the doorposts, while the chiefs and leaders of the clans fanatically preached what was behind the door. A world of abundance, a world of beauty, a world full of weak creatures, a world of great rule. That's how they preach to us.

"There were still people who did not want to listen to the order, some of them were killed, and the rest were forced into the door by the axes they had against their backs. I was also caught in a large army of laborers, forced into the space between the doorposts. ”

Garona fell silent for a while, "That space is called the Warped Void, and it's ephemeral and eternal. I felt as if I had gone through an infinitely long moment, and then with a strange burst of light, I reappeared, and I came to a crazy new world. (To be continued.) )