Of course not. The Hall of Valor isn't on a mountain at all.
Gale looked up at the empty sky, where only a large white cloud floated, its shape constantly changing but its position unmoving.
"This is it!"
Gale raised his eternal spear, and the Rainbow Bridge struck.
The white cloud instantly dispersed, revealing a magnificent golden palace within. It was held aloft by a barrier, and the white cloud was merely a disguise.
Gale once again activated the Rainbow Bridge, arriving outside the barrier. In mid-air, he raised the hammer of Kaz'goroth and shattered the barrier with a single blow.
The Hall of Valor trembled. A tall Vrykul warrior rushed out of the main gate, exclaiming, "The barrier is gone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Hall of Valor plummeted downwards.
At that moment, a powerful force emanated from within the Hall of Valor, holding it aloft once more. Under this force, the Hall of Valor slowly descended, finally landing on top of the mountain.
The Vrykul warrior, holding a longsword, watched Gale warily: "Outsider, who are you?"
Gale did not answer. Instead, he looked at how the Hall of Valor and the mountain had seamlessly merged, realizing this must be its original location. Looking back at the path leading down the mountain, it indeed corresponded with the Vrykul legends. There were two ways to enter the Hall of Valor: either a brave warrior died in battle, or one journeyed to the Hall of Valor to undergo the warrior's trial.
However, given the current state of the Vrykul, were they still worthy of the warrior's trial?
"Answer me, outsider!"
Gale put away the hammer of Kaz'goroth, then calmly said, "My name is Gale Morninglight, the monarch of the Kaldorei Empire. I have come to pay my respects to the master of the Hall of Valor, Lord Odyn!"
"Pay respects?" The Vrykul warrior looked at the eternal spear, still maintaining his vigilance.
Gale chuckled, "Of course! If I didn't come with good intentions, why would I have removed the Hall of Valor's barrier?"
The Vrykul warrior paused. Indeed, when the barrier disappeared, only this outsider was present.
Thinking of this, he put away his longsword, "Please wait, I will report to Odyn."
"No need!"
A giant with a fiery beard walked out of the Hall of Valor. "Heimdall, go notify everyone. From today onwards, the Hall of Valor shall return to the mortal realm!"
Heimdall knelt on one knee, excitedly saying, "As you command!"
Then he quickly stood up and rushed into the Hall of Valor.
This giant with the fiery beard was Odyn. He looked at Gale, "I know you, Gale."
"Am I that famous?" Gale was surprised. The Hall of Valor had been sealed in the sky, so how could Odyn have known about the outside world?
Furthermore, what puzzled Gale even more was that the Hall of Valor had been in the sky before the War of the Ancients. Aggramar's Shield had always been stored within Aggramar's Shield. If the Trolls hadn't breached it, Gale wouldn't have obtained Aggramar's Shield.
But in the game, Aggramar's Shield was inside the Hall of Valor. Was this due to a deviation in a parallel timeline?
Odyn said, "You are indeed very famous, the wielder of Aggramar's Shield."
Gale's confusion grew, "Lord Odyn, can you receive information from the outside world even in the Hall of Valor?"
Odyn laughed, "The Hall of Valor, of course, cannot receive information from the outside world. However, Helya's barrier cannot confine me. I often transform into an old Vrykul man to search for Vrykul warriors. It's a pity, though, that there aren't many warriors left among the current Vrykul; they've been scared witless by the Trolls and Elves."
Gale shrugged. The Vrykul, caught between the Kaldorei and the Trolls, facing two powerful empires, it would be strange if they could remain strong. Later, when the Kaldorei defeated the Trolls, the Vrykul became even less daring to assert themselves.
"But it doesn't matter. Now that the Hall of Valor has returned, I will restore the Vrykul to their former glory."
Gale's expression was odd. Saying that to my face, it sounds a bit like a provocation!
Odyn didn't care about Gale's thoughts. He said condescendingly, "Gale, as a reward for your help in returning the Hall of Valor to the mortal realm, the Vrykul will not actively wage war against the Elves. However, the lands of Stormheim must belong to the Vrykul."
"I have a better suggestion!" Gale said, "The Kaldorei and the Vrykul can form an alliance. We share common enemies…"
Odyn interrupted him, "The Vrykul do not need allies!"
"Only courage is what the Vrykul need. No matter what enemy they face, the Vrykul must have the courage to confront them to be worthy of joining the Hall of Valor after death."
Gale laughed, "What if all the Vrykul die out?"
"As long as they die honorably in battle, the Hall of Valor will grant them eternal life."
"What if all the warriors of the Hall of Valor die out then?"
Odyn was stunned. He had never considered that question.
Gale shook his head, speechless. This Odyn was a warmonger. He would stop at nothing to enhance the strength of the Hall of Valor. To usher in the souls of the fallen, he created the Valkyries and forcibly transformed Helya into a Valkyrie, which caused Helya to resent him deeply. Finally, instigated by Loken, Helya betrayed Odyn and sealed the Hall of Valor.
Now, it seemed Odyn had learned no lesson from that incident. Thinking of this, Gale immediately abandoned the idea of allying with the Vrykul. Moreover, Stormheim could not be entirely left to the Vrykul. Otherwise, if the Vrykul were all wiped out by Helya, Helya could easily threaten Nordrassil from Heda'shal.
"Lord Odyn, I respect you greatly, but I do not agree with your decision. I can acknowledge that Stormheim and the eastern side of the canyon are within the Vrykul's sphere of influence, and I promise that without your and the Vrykul's permission, the Kaldorei Empire will not set foot there. However, the western side of Stormheim, the area around Heda'shal, Claw's Rest, Aggramar's Shield, and Na'shal, I will not concede to the Vrykul."
"Your decision is very dangerous. Once the Vrykul are defeated, the enemy will threaten Nordrassil, the capital of the Kaldorei, and Thunder Totem, the home of the Kaldorei's allies, the Tauren. Therefore, I must create buffer zones in these areas to prevent any mishaps."
Odyn shook his head and said, "That won't do. The western side of the canyon is also the inherent territory of the Vrykul."
"But they failed to protect them!" Gale retorted, "Now they are all territories of the Kaldorei Empire, and I will not give up a single inch of land."
Odyn also stated firmly, "The Vrykul will not give up their territory either!"
Ultimately, the area west of the canyon became a buffer zone between the two sides. The Kaldorei could establish garrisons in Heda'shal and Weeping Wind Cliff, and the Vrykul could garrison Aggramar's Shield. Without war, the armies of both sides were not allowed to enter other areas in large numbers, and, apart from these three locations, resources in other places were to be shared by both sides.
Playing an adventurer game?
Gale chuckled. Odyn was still too naive. Had he ever witnessed the terror of the Fourth Cataclysm?
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