"Squeak squeak!"
The moment Varimathras finished his question, before the two leaders could respond, he took advantage of the split second Jakra and Zul'antz were stunned to transform into a large swarm of small bats and flee the royal palace.
A distant voice continued to echo from outside the doors: "I have provided the intelligence to you. How you choose to act is your own affair. I sincerely look forward to the chance for us to collaborate in the future."
"Hmph!"
Jakra snorted in anger, sliding his golden scimitar back into its sheath. "Disgusting wretch!"
Prophet Zul'antz thoughtfully rubbed the tusks protruding from his lips, which were adorned with numerous golden ornaments.
The Zandalari had always revered gold; the more gold ornaments one wore, the more noble their status. Both Jakra and Zul'antz were covered in shimmering gold decorations, extending even to their weapons and armor.
"God-King, although the demon's entrance and his clumsy instigation were quite juvenile, if there truly is a Night Elf diplomatic mission passing through Zandalar to seek aid from Pandaria in the south..."
Jakra returned to his magnificent golden throne and sat down, nodding in agreement toward Zul'antz. "I know what you mean. Including myself, all Zandalari—and indeed all trolls—would love nothing more than to skin the Night Elves alive."
The previously irritable God-King Jakra now appeared exceptionally calm. "The problem lies in whether helping the demons ambush this mission would be a benefit or a detriment to us."
"We cannot consider only the immediate interests."
Jakra's eyes flashed with a glimmer of wisdom. Resting his left hand on the throne's armrest and cupping his chin, he pondered, "If the Night Elf Resistance mission successfully reaches Pandaria and obtains reinforcements, their chances of defeating the demons will increase significantly."
The Zandalari had once fought a war against the Pandaren; they knew the combat capabilities of their old rivals all too well. Those round, stout Pandaren might look harmless and jolly, but once they started fighting, they were anything but weak.
Prophet Zul'antz agreed, "Indeed. This choice might concern the future of all Kalimdor."
"If the demons and the Highborne achieve victory in this war, what benefit would we gain from this single act of assistance?"
Jakra shook his head. "I do not believe the arrogant Highborne would thank us for it. Moreover, I harbor an instinctive aversion to the existence of demons."
"As do I."
Zul'antz extended three fingers of his right hand and waved them in the air; a miniature phantom of an armored Devilsaur flashed from his hand. God-King Jakra saw the angry posture the Devilsaur displayed.
"Rezan, the Loa of Kings, similarly feels a heartfelt loathing for the life-draining, twisted energy that is Fel. Most of the other Loa also oppose collaborating with the Burning Legion."
"Hmm..."
Jakra tapped his forehead with a finger. "Then, let's think the other way. If the Resistance, composed mainly of commoners, achieves victory, can we profit from it?"
"I believe so," Zul'antz touched his chin and explained with a smile. "If the Highborne, who wield powerful arcane magic, are defeated, the strength of the Night Empire will undoubtedly be severely weakened. This would absolutely be a good thing for us."
"Azshara possesses the Well of Eternity. For many years, relying on this almost inexhaustible energy source, the Night Empire has compressed, compressed, and further compressed the living space of us trolls."
Jakra looked up to meet Zul'antz's gaze, and both nodded simultaneously.
"It is time to end Azshara's reign. The Well of Eternity, if it cannot be used by us, must be destroyed."
"Exactly. We shall continue to wait and see in this war. If necessary, we can even provide some material aid to the Resistance."
"For Zandalar."
"Zandalar Forever."
...
"Glug, glug, glug... Phew~"
On the route taken by the Resistance's special diplomatic mission, a sweat-drenched Shandris picked up a waterskin and poured several large gulps of cold water into her mouth.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Shandris looked out at the surrounding primeval jungle.
With the massive energy source of the Well of Eternity as a backdrop, the Highborne had woven numerous spells around the capital region, including wide-area temperature-regulation spells. The regions within the Night Empire near the capital always maintained a spring-like climate; Val'sharah, where Shandris and Andreas were born and raised, was naturally no exception.
Leaving the borders of the Night Empire for the first time, Shandris appeared somewhat unaccustomed to the hot and humid climate of the southern rainforest, and her situation was by no means an isolated case. Many of the physically weaker Highborne in the mission had already suffered heatstroke due to their inability to adapt to the climate change.
Shandris, having undergone rigorous training since childhood, possessed an excellent constitution and could at least maintain normal combat effectiveness.
The leader of the mission, Volta Moonscar, wore a set of enchanted light armor. However, due to the constant climate within the Night Empire, this armor did not include additional temperature-regulating spells, simply because they had never been needed...
"This cursed weather."
Temperature-regulation spells couldn't be maintained indefinitely. Once they were dispelled, large beads of sweat immediately began to form on Volta's forehead.
In the main tent of the temporary camp, a group of mission leaders, all smelling of sweat, gathered around a table to study their route. There were no roads to speak of in the primeval jungle. Not only did they frequently encounter ferocious beasts, but the bites of mosquitoes and insects were also a significant headache for the mission.
Volta wiped the sweat running down his cheek. "We are currently south of the Zuldazar mountains. According to the map, if we continue south, we should be able to leave this humid rainforest in about three days and enter Kun-Lai Summit in northern Pandaria."
"Due to the high altitude, the temperature at Kun-Lai Summit is much lower than in this rainforest. To achieve our goal of seeking aid, please endure for a few more days."
As an apprentice priestess, Shandris was not qualified to enter the main tent to participate in the discussions. At this moment, she sat leaning against a large rock in the temporary camp, silently looking at the locket pendant she had taken from within her leather chest armor.
The locket was set with a cyan stone the size of a quail's egg, but in reality, this stone was not a true gemstone; it was a beautiful pebble accidentally found by Shandris' mother, nurtured by the uncanny workmanship of nature.
"Mother..."
Gripping the pendant, Shandris' fingers turned white from the force.
Burning Legion, I will definitely make you pay!
Just then, a playful female voice came from behind her: "Shandris? You're looking at that pendant again. Is it a gift from a boyfriend?"
Startled, Shandris hurriedly tucked the pendant back inside her clothes. "No, Lainera. Is there something you need?"
"Can't I just come to chat with you? Heave-ho~"
The woman called Lainera was a Druid dressed in simple clothing. She sat down beside Shandris without the slightest reservation.
Shandris pushed away this overly familiar new friend she had met on the road with a look of annoyance. "It's scorching hot, go away."
Lainera nonchalantly pulled out her waterskin and took a large gulp. "Ha~ If it wasn't from a boyfriend, why do you take it out to look at every few days, and always with that dazed expression?"
"Sigh..."
Shandris felt quite helpless against this overly enthusiastic Druid. She rubbed her temples and explained, "It was left to me by my mother, but..."
Thinking of the ambiguous expression on her mother's face when she gave her the pendant, Shandris' expression became somewhat uneasy. This pebble pendant wasn't unique to Shandris; Andreas also had an identical locket wrapped around his left hand, though the color of the stone inside was different.
Lainera sensed something from Shandris' suddenly strange expression and immediately began to ask with great interest, "But what? As I thought, there's a story behind this locket..."
"Enemy attack! Everyone on high alert!"