After the arduous capture of the Krissta Hive, the Allied Forces finally completely cleared out the Qiraji Empire strongholds in northern Silithius, but the price of this battle left Andreas and Jarod far from happy.
The Qiraji Empire's resilience and their terrifying obedience, daring to self-sacrifice at critical moments, made Jarod feel quite troubled.
It was extremely rare for an entire unit to fight until the last man; even the Burning Legion, which could resurrect, wouldn't use such a self-destructive method to inflict casualties on the enemy.
This kind of self-detonating command, which kills 100 enemies at the cost of 1000 of one's own, could only be resolutely executed within a society with an extremely rigid class system like the Qiraji.
Although this tactic was very unconventional, if they continued to employ it in future battles against the Qiraji, even if the war was won, the Azeroth Allied Forces would suffer heavy losses, which clearly did not align with Andreas' expectations.
However, there was no time for him to figure out how to circumvent the Qiraji Empire's suicide tactics for now. With the appearance of Anub'Rekhan, the Qiraji Empire's high officials and generals successively appeared on the Silithius battlefield.
Besides Anub'Rekhan, which was rumored to be an intelligent construct created by the Twin Emperors, Andreas also saw a strange construct through his telescope.
It had a body also made of obsidian, with a humanoid upper body and a quadrupedal lower body resembling a large feline, and a pair of wings on its back that clearly couldn't fly.
This familiar structure made Andreas frown, "Tolvir?"
If Anub'Rekhan could barely be accepted by Andreas as original products of the Qiraji Empire, then these obsidian constructs, so strikingly similar to the Tolvir, were completely unexplainable.
"Does CThun have a twisted sense of humor, playing copycat? Or rather... were these originally Tolvir?"
CThun's prison was very close to the Tolvir's homeland, Uldum. Loken's original station in southern Kalimdor was partly to ensure the normal operation of the Forge of Wills, and partly to guard CThun's prison.
The Tolvir, like the Mogu race, were followers created by Loken, true Titan Constructs through and through.
Considering the various corrupted Titan Constructs in Ulduar, and even the Keepers, Andreas had a bold conjecture in his mind.
The obsidian constructs, including Anub'Rekhan, should have originally been jailers used by the Titan Keepers to guard CThun.
Due to Loken's disappearance, all Titan Constructs, including the Tolvir and Mogu race, were left leaderless, and many changes occurred over the long period that followed.
The part closest to CThun's prison was precisely corrupted and transformed by him into the current Anub'Rekhan and Obsidian Destroyers.
In Andreas' memory, the Tolvir in Uldum had already degenerated into Mortals due to the flesh curse, and their wings had long disappeared. One branch of the Tolvir joined Deathwing's faction precisely to restore their former Titan Construct bodies.
However, these are all things that have not yet happened.
Calculated this way, the legends of the Qiraji Empire actually contained a lot of embellishment.
AnubRekhan and Obsidian Destroyers were not original creations of the Twin Emperors, or even CThun, but rather transformed from their original Titan Construct jailers.
To maintain the combat effectiveness of these jailers, CThun did not weaken them with the flesh curse after corrupting them, but instead completely preserved their stone bodies.
'Titan Constructs are less like living beings and more like intelligent constructs. So, is there a way to reset the corrupted thought circuits of these Anub'Rekhan and Obsidian Destroyers?'
Anub'Rekhan accounted for a significant portion of the Qiraji Empire's combat power. Due to their relatively small numbers, these stone giants, over ten meters tall, were usually used to guard the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj.
The Twin Emperors' willingness to deploy them this time gave Andreas a completely new idea.
Just as the Qiraji Empire's true main force was establishing a foothold before the gates leading to Ahn'Qiraj, Malygos finally activated a large teleportation array, leading a large number of dragons from the Wyrmrest Temple in Northrend to arrive.
Approximately 300 adult dragons followed Malygos to the front line this time. Besides Malygos as the leader, the other four Dragonflights all sent their future hopes.
The Red Dragonflight sent Alexstrasza's most valued son, Kaelestraz. Andreas had some previous contact with this Red Dragon Prince, who enthusiastically asked Andreas to call him Karen.
Representing the Green Dragonflight was Ysera's daughter, Maiev Na Shara. This Green Dragon Princess always gave off a sleepy impression, and her overall demeanor was somewhat languid.
The Bronze Dragon Prince Anachronos was different from his elders; he didn't appear as aloof from the outside. Although his emotional fluctuations were also relatively calm, he at least seemed quite friendly when conversing with his Dragonflight kin.
As the Black Dragonflight had no Dragon Aspect presiding over them, the Dragon Queen Sinestra sent all three of her children.
As soon as Onyxia arrived at Cenarion Stronghold, she was pulled away by Leticia, who had been waiting for a long time. The two whispered and chatted quietly nearby.
Lunara, having escaped Leticia's grasp, joined Maiev Na Shara. The two had been familiar with each other since their time in the Emerald Dream, and the Green Dragon Princess finally perked up a bit while talking with Lunara.
Finally, there were the Blue Dragons led by Malygos. The dignified Arygos and the constipated-looking Kalecgos both followed behind the Blue Dragon Aspect. A somewhat unfamiliar female adult Blue Dragon also hovered beside the two, flapping her wings.
The timely arrival of the Dragonflights greatly boosted the morale of the Allied Forces. The Zandalar prophet Gongala couldn't help but grin while watching from afar.
These dragons and Night Elves appeared quite close, especially the enormous Blue Dragon Aspect leading them. At this moment, he had transformed into a High Elf form and was enthusiastically chatting with Andreas.
'Kaldorei, Children of the Stars? Heh~ From this posture, it truly looks like they're surrounded by stars.'
Andreas had a bit of a headache. The once aloof Malygos had developed a tendency to be a chatterbox ever since Senegos returned with a large number of Young Dragons and Whelps.
At this moment, he was pulling Andreas aside and rattling on about the Blue Dragonflight's development in recent years.
With the abundant magical supply from Crystalsong Forest, almost all of the Whelps and Young Dragons that were overage at the time had advanced.
"Oh, right."
Malygos gestured towards the sky behind him. The female dragon hovering mid-air, looking left and right, immediately obediently folded her wings and landed in the Cenarion Stronghold plaza, transforming into a familiar female High Elf under a cover of light and shadow.
"...Sthragosza?"
Little Star had a friendly smile on her face and playfully winked, "Who else did you think it was?"
'I thought it was Malygosa, Tyrygosa, or Tarecgosa...'
Of course, Andreas didn't say that out loud. The Blue Dragonflight seemed to have quite a few well-known female dragons... although their endings didn't seem to be very good, and most were related to being weak.
Malygosa was the unfortunate Blue Dragon in the Sunwell Plateau who was corrupted into Felmyst. She entered the Sunwell to rescue her 'friend' Kalecgos.
Tyrygosa was the former fiancée of a weakling, and later apparently eloped with a human, once again proving the Blue Dragonflight's peculiar mate selection preferences.
Tarecgosa should be the most famous of the three female Blue Dragons. She was killed while accompanying Kalecgos to The Nexus to confront the corrupted Arygos. Andreas had also done her Spirit Staff quest in his previous life.
However, such a tragedy should not happen in this life. Arygos currently shows no signs of corruption. Instead, Kalecgos is sulking behind Malygos, seemingly having been severely disciplined in recent years.
The arrival of the Dragon Legion caused the Qiraji Empire, which was originally imposing and ready to dispatch Anubisath as vanguards for an attack, to hesitate.
The Twin Emperors behind them hadn't expected this mortal war to involve transcendent beings like dragons... but in reality, the obsidian constructs they wielded were also cheating, as they didn't belong to them, nor were they creations of mortals.
The previously restless battlefield suddenly fell silent, allowing Andreas to redeploy his heavily damaged main army from the filled-in Crista Hive.
The two Night Elf legions were stationed on the east and west, guarding the Zora Hive and Regol Hive respectively. These two hives were the only remaining Qiraji Empire strongholds in Silithius.
With Northwall Stronghold as a relay point, the supply route from Eldre'thalas could reach Cenarion Hold unimpeded.
More than half a year had passed, and although the number of troops needing support was much smaller than originally anticipated due to various reasons, the pressure on Eldre'thalas remained significant.
Fortunately, after clearing out the centaurs earlier, the Night Elf Republic's north-south transportation route was thoroughly cleared. Coupled with the continuous supply of materials from Moon Guard City via transport ships, logistics should not be a major problem for at least a year.
Both Anakaris and Moon Guard City's automated puppet workshops were operating at full capacity. Including existing inventory, the arcane puppets lost at the Crista Hive were quickly replenished.
"Tirisfal Glades?"
Malygos looked at Andreas curiously and asked, "With a major war ongoing, why are you suddenly going to the Eastern Kingdoms? Don't you need to discuss strategy with Jarod?"
Andreas shook his head and said, "It's precisely for the sake of the war that I plan to make a trip to Tirisfal Glades. Depending on the situation, I might also have to go to the Badlands afterwards."
Malygos frowned in confusion, "...I don't understand what you mean, but from what I know of you, you wouldn't do anything irrelevant to the big picture at such a critical moment. I'll go with you."
With the brilliant commander Jarod in charge of strategy, Andreas wasn't worried about the situation in Silithius.
As the Kalimdor Tauren established a foothold in Mulgore, their subsequent reinforcements arrived, giving the allied forces a clear advantage in total troop numbers.
As the coordinator, Andreas needed to consider not just the victory of this war. If it was merely a Pyrrhic victory, it would not be good news for either the authority of the Night Elf Republic or the future of Azeroth.
C'Thun was, after all, only one of the three Old Gods, and not even the strongest one. N'Zoth and Yogg-Saron, and even the artificial Old God G'huun, were all lurking in the shadows, watching intently.
As Andreas learned from Xal'atath, the Old Gods did not have good relations with each other.
With the war progressing to this point, apart from G'huun, the artificial Old God, who was kind enough to tie down a significant number of Zandalar troops, Yogg-Saron and N'Zoth still maintained a calm demeanor, showing no intention of lending a hand.
Andreas was not interested in the infighting among the Old Gods. Yogg-Saron and N'Zoth playing dumb suited his intentions perfectly.
From beginning to end, Andreas had no intention of forging a Scarab Wall. If he could resolve everything at once, why wait years later to fight a second War of the Shifting Sands?
Entrusting the Silithius battlefield entirely to Jarod, Andreas, led by Malygos, instantly traversed vast distances to Tirisfal Glades.
When the man and dragon arrived in this vast forest, they happened to catch a good show... King Constantine Menethil, who was personally leading the expedition, stared blankly at the flashing lightning in the sky. This familiar scene filled him with a deep sense of powerlessness.
"...Court mages, didn't you say that lightning of that scale would be enough to exhaust and knock out Brunnhilde?"
Constantine looked expressionlessly at the court mages, whose foreheads were dripping with cold sweat, "What's happening now?"
Under various pressures, Constantine had stubbornly set out, determined this time to conquer the Hyldnir and reclaim Stromkar from Brunnhilde.
As one of the seven human kingdoms that splintered from the Arathor Empire, the Menethil family understood perfectly the political significance of Stromkar.
While the news of the Hyldnir possessing Stromkar had not yet been confirmed, Constantine risked falling out with other kingdoms by sending troops, precisely to obtain this Sword of Kings that represented the righteousness of the Arathor Empire.
Constantine had a dream: to transform Lordaeron from a kingdom into an empire under his rule, and to spread the glory of Menethil across the world. Stromkar was an important piece of his dream's puzzle.
Before the battle, Constantine had repeatedly confirmed with the court mages, and these mages, who had been heavily recruited from Dalaran, unanimously agreed.
The celestial anomaly of that scale was absolutely beyond human endurance. Although it was unknown how Brunnhilde summoned the lightning, even with the aid of an artifact, Brunnhilde, as the caster, could not fully withstand the terrifying power of the thunder.
Constantine was well aware of Alterac and Gilneas' opportunism, but he did not recall his troops to repel the invaders. Instead, he stubbornly continued his fierce assault on the Hyldnir's valley fortress.
Just as they were about to breach the crumbling pass, a very familiar scene reappeared, and this time the lightning seemed even more powerful than before.
"Rumble!"
Thick bolts of lightning descended from the sky, like a thunderstorm hitting the ground, exploding within the Lordaeron positions.
A giant over 10 meters tall, with eyes blazing with fury, appeared behind the dilapidated valley fortress. His eyes flickered with dazzling lightning.
"Mortals, since you dare to disregard Andreas's warning and attack my kin time and again, then don't blame me for acting despite my status!"
Under the horrified gaze of Constantine, and the King of Gilneas who was stationed in the southern border region of Tirisfal Glades, the giant's deep voice made the entire area hum.
"I am Thorim, the Storm King! The master revered by the Hyldnir for generations! Mortals, accept my punishment!"
"Crack!"
The sky near the fortress was completely illuminated by lightning. Countless bolts of lightning seemed to connect heaven and earth directly, and the two thousand Lordaeron vanguard troops were almost instantly struck down, each trembling and convulsing on the ground.
"Monst... monster!"
Constantine's dream shattered like fragile glass. He frantically ordered the herald beside him, "Retreat! Retreat immediately! The Hyldnir have an evil spirit guarding..."
"How dare you!"
"Boom!"
Thorim, hearing Constantine's disrespectful slander, angrily summoned lightning and struck it in front of him.
"Insignificant and ignorant mortal, a mighty Titan Watcher slandered by you as an evil spirit, you..."
"Storm Watcher, there's no need to argue with him. Please withdraw your thunderous wrath."
Andreas, riding on Malygos' back, teleported into the battlefield at this moment. The sky full of lightning was blocked by Malygos' protective magic.
Thorim paused when he saw the giant blue dragon suddenly appear, and the violent rage in his heart finally began to subside.
"Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect, and... Andreas?"
Thorim scratched his head in confusion, "Aren't you supposed to be fighting the Qiraji in Silithius? Why are you here?"
Storm Guardian Thorim is extremely protective of his own and has a temper as volatile as his power.
Once enraged, he easily enters a state of paranoia, just like when he learned from Loken's one-sided account that Sif had died at the hands of the Frost Giants; Thorim immediately went and smashed the head of the innocent Frost Giant King without a second thought.
However, having learned from that previous lesson, Thorim had at least gained some experience and growth.
While many Lordaeron soldiers were injured on the battlefield, not a single one died directly from Thorim's lightning strike.
There were indeed some unlucky individuals whose heads hit rocks after being blown away by the thunder, but that was due to their own bad luck; Thorim's lightning wasn't so precise as to be wielded with such control.
Andreas said with a wry smile, "Although I guessed you would move against Lordaeron, I didn't expect the impact to be so widespread."
As soon as Andreas learned that Lordaeron was dispatching troops again, he calculated Thorim's itinerary.
After the Scouts sent by Prisim informed Thorim that Brunhilde had overexerted herself and fainted, the king of storms would definitely head north for his Relatives.
His arrival time almost perfectly coincided with Lordaeron's second offensive, and Andreas speculated that Thorim would act from behind the scenes, creating the impression that Gilneas was protected by lightning power to force the Lordaeron army to retreat.
But he didn't expect Thorim to brazenly appear directly before the Lordaeron army, nor did he expect Constantine to be so foul-mouthed and defiant as to call Thorim an evil spirit.
At this moment, the King of Lordaeron was lying on a supply cart, looking utterly bewildered, staring at the gradually calming sky with an expression of questioning his entire existence.
If the Court Mages hadn't hastily set up multiple defensive shields around his body, coupled with Thorim holding back significantly, this contemporary Menethil king would certainly not have survived.
"Hmph!"
Thorim, still fuming, glared at the Lordaeron army ahead, then, at Andreas' persuasion, transformed back to the size of a normal human.
As the intimidating Thunder Giant vanished, the already demoralized Lordaeron soldiers and generals let out a sigh of relief.
Constantine had already issued a retreat order, and the soldiers, still twitching from the effects of the lightning, helped each other off the battlefield, once again fleeing from this sorrowful place in disarray.
As Constantine was carried away by his subordinates, he was still muttering, "Am I too ignorant? What are Titans, and what are Keepers? Why do the Gilneas people have such incomprehensible figures behind them?"
This unexpected and crushing defeat did not result in significant troop losses for Lordaeron, but it severely dampened the pioneering ambitions of the Lordaeron people, including the king.
King Greymane, who witnessed this scene firsthand, also felt a pang of sympathy, but this would not deter him from seeking benefits for Gilneas.
Driven by the idea of striking an opponent while they are down, King Greymane issued an ultimatum to the Lordaeron royal family, demanding that Menethil explicitly account for this unjust war.
Alterac, on the other hand, quietly profited; King Perenolde's army captured Andorhal, the most important transit trade city in the Western Wilds, firmly embedding themselves like a nail in the heart of Lordaeron's eastern granary.
The Kul Tiras Marine Corps, temporarily stationed at Helveir Port, hadn't even had time to arrive as reinforcements before the war ended anticlimactically.
However, their demonstrated attitude was greatly appreciated by the Gilneas people, and cooperation and exchanges between the two sides should strengthen in the future... Upon returning to Helude, Andreas quickly informed Thorim of his purpose, and his speculation made the king of storms frown in thought.
"CThun's jailers?"
Thorim stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Kalimdor's south is entirely under Loken's responsibility. I have indeed heard of the Titan Constructs Loken liked to use; the Tol'vir and Mogu are the most well-known."
"As for Anub'Rekhan, I truly have no impression. Let's go back to Uldaman first and check the records on norgannons disc."
While Andreas and Thorim were exchanging information, Malygos was glaring at Viranus, Thorim's mount partner, with wide eyes.
This intelligent Proto-Dragon mother had blue scales, a color that made Malygos feel a sense of kinship.
"Hey~ can you talk?"
Viranus lazily glanced at Malygos, then closed her eyes again to rest.
Thorim and Andreas happened to walk out of the quiet room arranged by Gelower at that moment, and upon hearing Malygos' bored attempt at conversation, a humorous expression appeared on his face.
"Malygos, Viranus doesn't speak, but she can understand what you're saying."
"Viranus has been with me for tens of thousands of years. In terms of age... she's probably older than you."
"Huh?" Malygos was a little unconvinced. "Why have I never heard that name? Even before receiving the Titan's blessing, I was the chieftain of the Blue Proto-Dragons."
Andreas patted his scales and explained, "Not all Blue Proto-Dragons followed you to be transformed into Aspects, right? And Viranus has always lived with Thorim in the Storm Peaks, so it's normal that you wouldn't know her."
"Oh..."
Malygos still couldn't quite let it go. While Thorim and Andreas went together to visit the unconscious Brunhilde, he kept trying to communicate with Viranus, but it seemed to have little effect.
Thorim asked Andreas with a somewhat strange expression, "Malygos isn't interested in Viranus, is he? Should I support it or oppose it?"
"Uh..."
Andreas' mouth twitched, 'Don't ask me...'
The Blue Dragons' mating preferences are notoriously strange; some like Sunwells, others like Spirit Healers.
Viranus is at least a Proto-Dragon; from a bloodline perspective, she might even have some connection to Malygos before his blessing.
Brunhilde's condition was not difficult to diagnose; it was simply the body's automatic protection mechanism triggered by extreme physical exhaustion.
Thorim intervened and absorbed the excess lightning power still lingering in Brunhilde's body; when she would awaken depended on her own physical recovery ability.
After personally appointing Warrior Chief Gelower to temporarily manage Gilneas' affairs, Andreas and his group arrived in The Barrens via Malygos' teleportation spell, quietly slipping into the Uldaman catacombs through the back entrance.
"Hmm... Anub'Rekhan? I think I've heard of it, and then again, maybe not."
Andreas' question also stumped Hodir and Eonar. Ultimately, they decided to consult norgannons disc, which contained a vast amount of data on Azeroth, and finally received definitive confirmation.
"Anub'Rekhan, a Titan Construct created by Great Guardian Loken through the power of the Forge of Wills, possessing extremely strong dual magical and physical resistance and immense strength, widely used to guard the prison of the Old God CThun."
Everyone fell silent, contemplating the information. Thorim was the first to break the silence. "Andreas, what are your thoughts on these Anub'Rekhan?"
Andreas, with his hand on his chin, asked suggestively, "I remember, Titan Constructs in their original form, before suffering the flesh curse, all had a mind-resetting function, didn't they?"
Hodir was the first to realize, slapping his palm. "I understand! You want to incite the Anub'Rekhan to revolt on the battlefield!"
While a general idea had formed, the key lay in its implementation.
Each Titan Watcher had different preferences for the constructs they used. For example, Aza'daz preferred the excellent architectural and forging abilities of the Earthen, Mimiron favored the intelligent and clever Mechagnomes, and Loken liked the big, bulky Iron Vrykul and Iron Dwarves.
As for Thorim, his preferences were evident from Sif's race.
Aza'daz and Thorim lacked understanding of the Mogu and Tol'vir, whom Raiden preferred to use, not to mention the even rarer Anubisath. They also didn't know how to restart the minds of the Anubisath and Tol'vir.
Aelonna suggested, "In that case, why not ask the people involved directly?"
"Anyway, we originally planned for Thorim to go to Uldum soon. The flesh-and-blood Tol'vir there should have inherited a lot of knowledge from their ancestors, and perhaps there will be information related to the Anubisath among it."
Actually, the true person involved should have been Raiden, but no one except Andreas knew the whereabouts of this Great Watcher. In this era, before the Wandering Isle appeared, finding Pandaria was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Aelonna's suggestion was probably the most suitable among the fallback options, but no one present could be sure how long it would take to unseal Uldum and make contact with the Tol'vir.
The Qiraji Empire's hesitation shouldn't last too long. Under C'Thun's urging and the pressure of the situation, they would sooner or later resume their advance.
"There's no time to lose."
Now that the next step was decided, Andreas intended to act quickly.
"While the Qiraji Empire is temporarily inactive, we will immediately head to the border between the Tanaris Desert and Uldum."
"Thorim, as the only Watcher currently able to move freely outside, I'll have to trouble you to accompany me and unseal Uldum."
Thorim nodded without hesitation. "No problem, this was part of the plan anyway. Let's set off now."
...The war on the front lines could break out at any moment, and as the most important financial backer for the Alliance, Malygos could not stay away from the Silithius battlefield for long.
After casting a teleportation spell to send Andreas, Thorim, and Veranastrasz to Tanaris, Malygos immediately returned to the Cenarion Hold to take command.
Silithius and Uldum were right next to each other. If the operations in Uldum went smoothly, it might even bring a new force to the Alliance in the War of the Shifting Sands.
There were two main gates from Tanaris to Uldum. After discussing with Aza'daz, Thorim, and others, Malygos chose the Gate of the Endless Cycle in southwestern Tanaris as the teleportation point.
The tightly closed gate was covered with flowing blue arcane energy. The entire Uldum region was enveloped by a magical barrier, making it impossible for unauthorized individuals to enter this long-sealed area.
"Andreas, step back a few paces first."
Thorim strode to the Gate of the Endless Cycle and cautiously placed his hand on the gate.
"Beep!"
A mechanical, inorganic voice came from the gate, "Titan Watcher authority detected. Welcome, Storm Watcher Thorim. Do you wish to terminate Uldum's confinement state and open the Gate of the Endless Cycle?"
"Open."
"Command received. Opening gate."
"Rumble!"
As the barrier shrouding Uldum gradually faded, the heavy gate, over 20 meters high, slowly swung inward.
A desert scent, slightly different from Tanaris, blew out from the gate, and Uldum, sealed for tens of thousands of years, finally reopened its doors to the world.
What first appeared before Andreas and Thorim was the long passage behind the Gate of the Endless Cycle, with several colossal statues lining both sides of the passage.
"It seems we came to the right place."
Andreas' gaze lingered on the two statues on the right. Their characteristic jackal heads clearly indicated the identity they represented.
"Anubisath."
Riding Veranastrasz, they flew into Uldum, and the Titan ruins, buried by yellow sand, successively appeared before their eyes.
In this part of the ruins near the Gate of the Endless Cycle, stood a Tol'vir stone statue over a hundred meters tall. To the south of the statue was an equally towering spire.
Thorim hadn't been idly sitting in Uldaman all these years; he had already prepared himself by studying the situation within Uldum.
"This is the Obelisk of the Stars, one of the three control towers for the Forge of Origination."
As they flew past the spire, Thorim reminded, "Let's make a mark here; we might visit this place again later."
After the disaster of the Forge of Origination's low-power eruption, Uldum, which once had lush jungles, turned into a vast desert. Only a small area in the center with flowing fresh water formed a very narrow oasis.
From the Obelisk of the Stars, they headed west to the vicinity of the oasis, and Andreas and Thorim soon spotted the first Tol'vir settlement.
This town, built along the oasis, looked quite prosperous, but at this moment, the atmosphere within the town was somewhat panicked.
The barrier that had enveloped Uldum for ten thousand years suddenly vanished, and the Tol'vir, who had lived within it for so long, were the first to sense that something was wrong.
Veranastrasz's massive body approaching the town drew a series of terrified screams. Tol'vir, with the lower bodies of large felines and humanoid cat-like upper bodies, ran around frantically, clutching their heads.
Some warriors, armed and armored, maintained order while vigilantly watching Veranastrasz, who was hovering in the air.
Thorim leaped from the proto-dragon's back, landing with a large thud that created a huge pit in the town's clean floor.
Andreas slapped his forehead and grumbled, "Are you uncomfortable if you don't show off? You even deliberately jumped down from the air to damage someone else's floor..."
Patting Veranastrasz's back, the proto-dragon obediently descended next to Thorim.
A Tol'vir with a tawny, furry body and a strange animal helmet on his head stepped forward through the crowd. He looked Thorim up and down and asked with a hint of surprise in his tone, "Sir, are you perhaps a Titan Watcher?"
"Oh?"
Thorim looked unexpectedly at this Tol'vir, who seemed to be the leader. "I didn't expect your tribe to still remember the Titan Watchers. That's right, I am Thorim, the Storm King. Are you the leader of this town?"
The Tol'vir quickly removed his helmet, revealing a cat-like face filled with excitement.
This highest-ranking cat-person respectfully bowed to Thorim.
"Yes, esteemed Storm Watcher, I am Vizier Causins of the Ramkahen tribe. It is an honor to witness the arrival of a Watcher in Uldum again after ten thousand years."
"Ramkahen... Alright."
Thorim uttered the name of the tribe. This tribe had been mentioned in his pre-study materials.
"Causins, tell us about the current situation in Uldum. I've come this time to regain control of the Forge of Origination."
"Yes, Lord Thorim, please follow me."
Although Thorim had made many preparations beforehand, the records left on the norgannons disc were from a long time ago. Many changes had occurred in Uldum after Loken's invasion, and it was more intuitive to hear the current situation in Uldum directly from the locals.
"After Lord Loken left, Uldum maintained a trend of peaceful development."
"Under the influence of the flesh curse, the Tol'vir's obsidian bodies gradually degenerated, transforming into their current appearance."
"The flesh-and-blood Tol'vir, due to differences in their dwelling regions and missions, gradually split into three major tribes: Ramkahen, Neferset, and Ossirian."
"The period of peaceful development continued until more than twelve thousand years ago, when an arrogant Mogu race emperor named Loken invaded."
"He claimed to have defeated Lord Loken and usurped his power. He himself was indeed powerful enough to be unbeatable, and his army was invincible."
Andreas was already familiar with this piece of history, but it was the first time Thorim had heard of it.
Hearing that Loken's power had been usurped by the Mogu race, his expression suddenly darkened, and an astonishing aura enveloped the reception room.
Vizier Causins nervously swallowed, and Andreas patted Thorim's arm, who had shrunk to Mortal size, signaling him to restrain himself.
"Vizier Causins, please continue."
"Understood."
Causins composed himself. "Loken demanded that the Tol'vir hand over the Forge of Wills that we had guarded for generations, and he announced that Uldum would be incorporated into his imperial domain. Our ancestors rejected the demands of this traitor without hesitation."
"Loken brought a large army of the Mogu race from Pandaria. Our ancestors could not withstand their fierce offensive and could only retreat to the Hall of Origin in southern Uldum, where they activated the Forge of Wills to eliminate Loken and his army."
Causins sighed, saying, "Since then, Uldum, which was originally like a paradise on earth, has turned into a vast, desolate desert, making even survival extremely difficult."
"Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining. The Virannal River preserved the last vestiges of life for us. This Oasis is the source of life for the Tol'vir."
"Our capital, Tol'vir City, is located where the Virannal River meets the sea. It is a prosperous city built upon a watery Oasis."
Causins respectfully asked Thorim, "Honored Storm Keeper, do we need to inform the Kings of the three major tribes in Tol'vir City of your arrival? I believe the Kings will be overjoyed by your presence."
The small town where Andreas and Thorim currently were was Ramkahen territory. The Kings of the three major tribes gathered in Tol'vir City to govern, leaving their high-ranking officials to manage their respective territories.
Andreas was quite curious about the Tol'vir's unique political system. They had Kings and Viziers, but it sounded like a tripartite council system. He wondered if they followed the principle of minority yielding to the majority... To control potential flooding caused by the Virannal River overflowing, the Tol'vir built a large dam near a lake south of Ramkahen to block the water flow.
Tol'vir City, mentioned by Vizier Causins, was located at the end point downstream of the dam, a scenic water city.
When Thorim and Andreas rode Viranus and arrived outside Tol'vir City, the three major tribes, clearly separated, had already come outside the city to welcome them.
Andreas frowned on Viranus' back. 'Looking at this formation... it seems the relationship between the three tribes isn't very good.'
The formal diplomatic exchanges were handled by Thorim, the Keeper. Although he intensely disliked this verbose method of communication, Thorim suppressed his temper and slowly guided the Kings to reveal the current state of Uldum.
Andreas used Shadow Power to lower his presence, quietly standing aside and listening. Amidst the clamorous explanations of the three, he gained a general understanding of Uldum's current situation.
Just as he had suspected, the relationship between the three Tol'vir tribes was strained; specifically, Neferset had a poor relationship with Ramkahen and Ossirian.
However, their differences were not based on personal grudges, but purely on incompatible ideologies.
Years passed, and Ramkahen and Ossirian had accepted the reality of their degeneration due to the flesh curse. They continued to carry out the mission Loken had left them—guarding Uldum and the Forge of Wills—in their new forms.
But Neferset disagreed.
Their loyalty to Loken and the Keepers had never faded, but Neferset believed that relying solely on the Mortal flesh body made it difficult to fulfill the duties Loken had entrusted to them. They had been trying to find a way to restore the Tol'vir's obsidian bodies.
Since even Keepers like Hodir could not reverse the flesh curse, it was naturally impossible for Neferset's research alone to succeed.
Gradually becoming radicalized, Neferset began attempting dangerous dark rituals. Ramkahen and Ossirian tried to persuade them multiple times without success, and the ideological differences between the two sides became increasingly irreconcilable.
In recent centuries, Neferset began setting their sights on the Forge of Wills. They believed that this powerful engine, capable of producing Titan Constructs, should be able to solve their flesh curse.
In a way, Neferset was right.
Utilizing the Forge of Wills' preset programs, and given sufficient materials, it was indeed possible to reproduce the original Tol'vir.
However, this method still could not achieve their intended goal: it could not revert the Tol'vir who had already succumbed to the flesh curse back to their original form.
Having personally witnessed the degeneration of the Frost Vrykul, Thorim gained an intuitive understanding of the flesh curse spread by the Old Gods across Azeroth.
However, he believed this wasn't entirely a bad thing.
The original Titan Constructs were aloof and, due to their eternal lifespan, often suffered from severe procrastination and lacked a sense of urgency.
Mortals were different.
Because their lifespans were limited, they would strive with all their might to pursue greater achievements within their finite time.
While not every Mortal possessed such ambition, a so-called hero must accomplish great deeds that others cannot, in order to be celebrated by thousands.
When Thorim resided in the Storm Temple, his Frost Vrykul subordinates, though brave in battle, lived aimless lives due to a lack of purpose.
After relocating to the Tirisfal Glades, the Frost Vrykul, led by Brunhilde, all degenerated into humans. Yet, Thorim felt a vitality and ambition in these newly formed humans that he had never experienced before.
"I generally understand your demands."
After listening to the descriptions from the three major tribes, Thorim spoke earnestly to King Kiljaeden of Neferset, saying, "Regarding the flesh curse, even Keepers like Mimiron and Hodir have not managed to research a so-called antidote."
"Kiljaeden, I hope you can also face this reality. What has happened cannot be reversed. Why not try to look at life from a completely new perspective?"
"I believe that Neferset, like Ramkahen and Ossirian, can find their own pursuits within their brief Mortal lives."
"As for your worries about the mission of guarding the Forge of Wills, Hodir and I are here."
Patting Kiljaeden, whose expression was still conflicted, Thorim smiled and comforted him, "The stone bodies of the Titan Constructs certainly offer many advantages in combat, but I don't believe the flesh bodies of Mortals are entirely useless."
"Uldum is now open to the outside world. I suggest you step out of this isolated region and see the world. Perhaps Azeroth, which is increasingly becoming the domain of Mortals, will give you a different perspective."
Although the Neferset Tol'vir were a bit stubborn, they were also the most accustomed to following orders.
Ever since Loken's departure, the Neferset had struggled through ten thousand years without any commands, a state of disorder that made them deeply uncomfortable.
Now, Thorim had issued new orders, and although the content wasn't entirely to their liking, the Neferset still readily decided to accept the will of the Watcher.
The internal disagreements among the Tol'vir were minor issues. After convincing the Neferset, Thorim revealed the main purpose of his visit.
"How is the Halls of Origination currently? Are the four Keepers inside still active?"
King Phaoris of Ramkahen said with a bitter smile, "Respected Thorim, in truth, we are also unclear about the situation within the Halls of Origination. Ever since Lei Shen's invasion, the Halls of Origination have been completely sealed by our ancestors."
King Augh of Orsis added, "Only by reactivating the three obelisks can the seal on the Halls of Origination be lifted. The three obelisks are guarded by our three tribes."
Thorim nodded, "Then let's get to it. Send people to reactivate the obelisks. I need to enter the Halls of Origination to understand the situation."
"Also..."
Thorim suddenly asked, "Does anyone here know the construction of the Anubisath?"
King Kaelan of Neferset was momentarily stunned, "According to the records left by our ancestors, the Anubisath are ancient and powerful constructs left by Lord Loken, but they haven't been seen in the Uldum region for a long time. There should be Anubisath blueprints within the Halls of Origination."
The problem circled back, ultimately requiring entry into the Halls of Origination to achieve both main objectives.
The Starfall Obelisk was guarded by Ramkahen, Orsis was responsible for the Moonfall Obelisk, and the Neferset managed the Sunstone Obelisk.
Upon receiving Thorim's command, the three great tribes immediately sprang into action. The three obelisks were successively activated, and the barrier to the Vault of the Promise, which contained the key to the Halls of Origination, was removed.
After a series of operations by the familiar Tol'vir, the gate to the Halls of Origination was finally opened.
Andreas vaguely remembered that the Halls of Origination seemed to be a five-person dungeon in the game, but he couldn't recall why the players needed to fight these Keepers because too much time had passed.
As soon as the main gate of the Halls of Origination opened, Thorim immediately strode in with his head held high.
Although Andreas was somewhat concerned about the internal defense mechanisms and the situation of the four Keepers, with Thorim, a Titan Watcher, leading the way, he could only shrug and follow.
As expected, perhaps because the Halls of Origination had been sealed for too long, the active Titan constructs inside were a bit disoriented.
Guarding the entrance was a primordial Tol'vir who had not suffered the Curse of Flesh. He introduced himself as Anhuur, but this "self-introduction" was not delivered in a friendly manner.
"Intruders, accept Anhuur's purification! Those with impure hearts cannot enter the temple!"
"Purification my ass!"
Andreas saw the scorching beam of holy light projected at Thorim's chest and muttered with a twitching mouth, "Does your purification use such high-purity, high-energy holy light? This is 'physical' purification, isn't it?"
The short-tempered Thorim was not to be trifled with. He gave Anhuur a full-body lightning baptism, finally making this temple guard, which had been running too long and was in a chaotic state, a little clearer.
Anhuur was somewhat bewildered by Thorim's lightning strike to his head. "Program... error, requesting restart... self-check."
"Granted, begin self-check."
"Self-check initiated, please wait."
"Memory module missing, skipping. Identification system error, restarting... complete."
Anhuur shook his muddled head, and under Thorim's increasingly impatient gaze, he jolted.
"Storm Watcher Thorim, Temple Guardian Anhuur greets you."
"Hmph!"
Thorim raised his chin, "Lead the way, I want to go to the Engine of Nalak'sha."
With Anhuur's guidance, the rest of the journey went much smoother.
The Titan construct Anraphet, who controlled all the internal facilities of the Halls of Origination, was "persuaded" by Thorim. Andreas, following behind and exclaiming in admiration, arrived at the Seats of the Four Gods, guarded by the four Keepers.
These four Titan constructs were lesser Keepers created by Loken, equivalent in status to Aeliana.
But when Thorim and Andreas ascended to the second level of the Halls of Origination, the four Keepers had already fallen into a deep slumber over the long years.
Following the usual procedure, Thorim woke them one by one. After subduing their morning grumpiness, he finally obtained detailed information about the Engine of Nalak'sha from them.
These four Keepers corresponded to the four fundamental forces of the universe, and their role was to guide the Engine of Nalak'sha to operate correctly.
The four forces were Light, Fel, Life, and Arcane.
'Why no Shadow and Death...'
Aside from the Arcane construct Isiset, whose appearance was similar to Aeliana, the Life construct Ammunae, the Destruction construct Setesh, and the Sun construct Rajh were all true Anubisath, differing only slightly in the heads they bore.
As the leader among the four Keepers, the Sun construct Rajh honestly explained the situation of the Engine of Nalak'sha to Thorim.
"More than ten thousand years ago, the ancient Tol'vir modified the program of the Engine of Nalak'sha, allowing it, which was originally responsible for reshaping Azeroth's ecology, to unleash low-power bursts."
"They succeeded, and powerful invaders were annihilated, but the surrounding lands of Uldum were consequently desertified, and the surviving Tol'vir were less than a tenth of their peak numbers."
Thorim nodded, "Can the Engine of Nalak'sha still be used now? It won't lose control due to prolonged dormancy, like you all, will it?"
"No."
Rajh shook his head, "The power of the Engine of Nalak'sha is controlled by the four of us individually. Without gathering the power of all four Keepers, the Engine of Nalak'sha cannot be activated, so there's no question of losing control."
Ammunae interjected, "Lord Thorim, if you wish to activate the Engine of Nalak'sha, it would be best to send someone to reset its activation program. The current configuration is the one retained from when the invaders were annihilated."
The Engine of Nalak'sha and the Engine of Volition in Ulduar could respectively strengthen the form of the World-Soul and shape the World-Soul's perception. The World-Soul is the Azerothian star-soul.
Andreas suddenly realized, "No wonder the Azerothian star-soul hasn't taken shape until today. It turns out the Engine of Nalak'sha has been shut down for a long time."
"Yes."
Rajh explained, "Ever since that incident ten thousand years ago, the Engine of Nalak'sha ceased operation, and no Titan Watchers have come to debug or restart it since."
"Then activate it."
Thorim said decisively, "The Engine of Volition in Ulduar has long been corrupted, and the three prisoners held by the Titans are starting to stir. Outside the planet, the Burning Legion poses a huge looming threat."
"We need the Azerothian star-soul to quickly take on a physical form and mature rapidly under the nourishment of the Engine of Nalak'sha."
"Considering the terrible state of Ulduar, the preparation time left for us... I'm afraid it's not much."