Shadow Trails in Azeroth

At dawn the next day, on the way from Arom's Terrace to Klein City, in the Pope's carriage, Black was talking to the Pope, and Nasa was listening.

The watchmen had received permission from the Pope to accompany his convoy.

However, the princesses who were said to have come to Drustvar with the Pope before were not able to accompany them this time. It is said that it was because a distinguished guest suddenly came from Dai Lin's side, so he invited them to accompany him.

They will arrive at Waycrest Manor the day before the wedding.

Lord Stormsong is an excellent cleric, and I have to be amazed by his level of understanding of the Tide Codex. To be honest, I don't want to believe that such a lord can be the darkness in your mouth. leader.

The Pope turned the rosary in his hand and flipped through the General History of Drustvar brought by Blake in front of him. While looking at the ancient stories of this land, he said casually:

The first time I met him was at, well, Prince Drake's birth celebration.

The Pope recalled:

At that time, I was invited by King Dailin to bless the prince. During that celebration, my lord and I had a very pleasant conversation. Although our beliefs were different, this did not prevent two sincere souls from forming a friendship.

Blake, you are a local, do you know the development history of the Church of Storms? At what point do you think they dabbled in darkness? Are they attracted to darkness?

Or was he born in darkness?

You have asked the right person about this, Your Majesty.

The pirate leaned back on his chair, looking at the dark forest passing by on both sides and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. He took a sip of wine and said to the Pope and the watchman's adjutant:

The Church of Storms was established very early, and their history can even be compared with that of the Church of Holy Light. It is said that its seeds were born among the first pioneers who arrived in Kul Tiras 2,700 years ago.

This can also be seen in their teachings.

When the pioneers first arrived in Kul Tiras, the situation was very poor. There were savage half-vrykul Drust in Drustvar, and there were quilboars and elemental creatures in Stormsong Valley.

There are leaders like Colonel Arom Waycrest in Drustvar, and there is also the first Lord of Stormsong in Stormsong who is in charge of the overall situation.

They fought against the barbaric creatures on the earth and opened up settlements for the people. At the beginning, they lacked everything, especially food.

But after a certain accident, the sea tide brought abundant catches and resources to the pioneers who were short of food and clothing. They regarded it as a natural grace.

Sacrifice was also held for this purpose.

Then something magical happened. After the sacrifice, every time a tide came, the people of Stormsong Valley would receive the gift of the sea.

Either food, some rusted armor and weapons washed ashore, even some healing seaweed, and magic items hidden deep in the ruins on the seabed.

Relying on these constant 'supports', the pioneers in Stormsong Valley quickly stabilized the situation and began to fight back.

Drive the quilboars back to their ravines and suppress the elementals on the snowy mountains.

So, with the blessing of the sea, they had the rich Stormsong Valley as their territory.

It was at that time that the Church of Storms was established.

As the first person to discover the blessing of the tide, Lord Stormsong was naturally elected as the leader.

At this point, Blake grinned.

He shook the wine bottle in his hand and asked meaningfully:

So, what do you two think is the truth about the so-called 'blessing of the sea'? Are the pioneers just lucky? Or is there something secretly helping?

If you think this example is a bit far-fetched, then let me tell you another thing as a local.

Naga!

Ms. Nasa should be familiar with these vicious deep-sea soft-skinned snakes. Most of the Watcher's missions are related to their evil intentions of coveting the entire world.

The smelly pirate coughed, took out a map of Kul Tiras from his arms, and spread it out in front of the Pope and Nassa. He picked up his quill and swung it on the coast of Tiragarde Strait and Stormsong Valley. Several lines were drawn in a hurry.

He pointed at the areas surrounded by lines and said to the two people in front of him:

Kul Tiras is a wealthy island country. Such a place must be spied on by Nagas. A long time ago, before the Proudmoore family became a royal family, Nagas were invading the long coastline of this country. .

Except for the area of ​​Drustvar that is not suitable for Naga landing operations, there are traces of these soft-skinned snakes raging in other places.

I once read the notes left by a lieutenant commander hundreds of years ago. At that time, the navy of Kul Tiras was far less powerful than it is today. Faced with the attack of the naga, the entire Tiragarde Strait was in shock.

After every storm, those soft-skinned snakes would ride the waves and rush onto the land, plundering wildly. When they were at their craziest, they even rushed into the city of Boralus several times.

Stormsong Valley was also attacked by Nagas, where the coastline was flatter and more suitable for Naga landings.

But the problem is that in the past few hundred years, every time the Nagas harassed Stormsong Valley, they would stop at the coast. The Church of Storms claimed that the sea was protecting them.

This argument simply does not hold water!

Anyone with a little vision knows that the Naga's advantage in the Endless Sea is infinite. They can break through Boralus Port and penetrate deep into Stormsong Valley.

But each time it was just a taste.

Rather than plundering, it is more like a perfunctory co-starring, scaring those unbelievers into quickly converting under the power that can protect them.

The most peculiar thing is that more than a hundred years ago, after the Kul Tiras fleet officially invited the sea sages to join the fleet, the Nagas' attacks on Kul Tiras suddenly stopped.

It's like they are really afraid of Hai Xian.

In this way, with the strength of the Kul Tiras fleet, the influence of the Church of Storms began to rapidly expand to the entire South China Sea, and even the entire Endless Sea.

Sounds like mutual success.

But to be honest, this is more like a premeditated plan.

Blake thought for a while and said with an analogy:

It's like a giant got a weapon that makes itself stronger. It wields the weapon to kill everywhere, but this weapon has its own consciousness.

Its biggest side effect is that it will seize the giant's mind.

Until the end, the giant became the king of the world, lost all his sanity, and became a puppet controlled by weapons.

You see, the navy of Kul Tiras is already the most powerful maritime force in Azeroth. Dailin commands this fleet to travel across the world, and he is about to embark on a journey to conquer the last sea.

The Church of Storms has also extended its tentacles to every sea area in the world.

Doesn't this sound like the metaphor I'm talking about?

The giant is about to become king.

The moment it ascended the throne with a face full of joy, it was also the moment it completely lost itself.

They are only one step away from final victory.

They just need to capture Dai Lin.

They only need to make the stubborn old man one of them, put the crown of the King of the Sea on his head with their own hands, and then they can rule the world by controlling the navy.

Even to recruit the power of the entire world to rebuild a dark empire for their evil god.

After Black's words fell, Nasa shuddered quietly, while the Pope looked serious. Although they were not willing to think about the problem from such a pessimistic perspective, this dark prophecy of the pirates.

To be honest, it's a little too scary.

Okay, don't be afraid, we still have time.

Blake waved his hand, held his chin and said:

Even if we are all about to die, the real 'good people' still need to see tangible evidence before they can take action. I understand, procedural justice.

So I have to think carefully about how to show the most original evil side of the Church of Storms to you two in this wedding.

I have to prove they are evil.

It's not like there's no good news.

Nasa said softly:

During the moonlight prayer last night, I received a reply from the Moon Priests of Mount Hyjal on this matter. The Sisters of Elune have coordinated with the hunters of the Secret Path who are best at hunting and the Cenarion Order. The druids meet.

They will send a capable force to Kul Tiras to help the Warden rescue their companions in distress.

Wait, secret passage?

Blake suddenly stretched out his hand and interrupted Nasa's words. He rubbed his chin and said in a strange tone:

“Can you send me a letter to Lady Emeril Shadowguard?

I know that they have just accepted two 'apprentices'. I want the big 'Batman' to help me, and the little weakling can stay in the marksman camp to continue his studies.

How can I send this news?

Nasa said dissatisfied:

“Besides, they’ve already set off and it’s too late to replace them.

It is said that the druids magically discovered a small exit from the Emerald Dream in the Drustvar Mountains of Kul Tiras in the past two days, which allowed them to travel through the Dreamland in the shortest time.

It should be related to Master Orfa.

The indifferent Jingspeaker said he would not help, but actually provided us with much-needed assistance.

You still say that I am indifferent? I saved you, the remnant defeated generals, from a group of dangerous Kesir, you heartless elves.

This is a life-saving gift, so I don't care if I don't reward them, and I even make fun of them secretly.

Blake curled his lips and said something.

Seeing him start routine nonsense, both Nasa and the Pope lost interest in the conversation.

The rest of the journey was very boring. Along the mountain road from Arom's Platform to Klein City, after two or three hours of galloping, the convoy finally entered the largest city in the local area.

Of course, Drustvar is a famous poor place in Kul Tiras. Klein City, the largest and most prosperous city, is even inferior to some of the second-tier cities in the Kingdom of Lordaeron.

Before Arthur's new wife, Miss Meredith, received Black's political donation, the Waycrest family had to suffer from poor financial headaches every year.

According to rumors, a large part of the reason why the old Earl, who has always been rigid, was so quick to agree to the marriage between Arthur and the low-born Miss Meredith was because Miss Meredith not only brought a fortune that was so rich that A dowry that many nobles envied, and she had her own chamber of commerce under her command.

And it’s very profitable.

This allows the Waycrest family's poor financial situation to be greatly improved once Miss Meredith comes through.

This statement is somewhat utilitarian.

But there are even more outrageous rumors. It is said that the old earl has handed over the management of the family finances to his prospective daughter-in-law before they get married.

Some vicious rumors accuse young Arthur Waycrest, who is about to become Earl, of becoming a puppet secretly manipulated by the shrewd Miss Meredith, etc.

But these are just crazy words without any reason.

Because everyone here knows that Arthur and Meredith have a very good relationship, and they can't wait to be together twenty-four hours a day.

No matter where Arthur went to work, he would bring his fiancée with him. Naturally, there were some outrageous rumors about Mrs. Meredith's ability to seduce men.

But again, no one in the Waycrest family, an ancient noble family, expressed dissatisfaction with the wedding.

Everyone is willing to do it internally, but it is not the turn of a group of monsters outside to make irresponsible remarks.

Because Arthur's wedding was coming in a few days, the atmosphere in the city was very lively. When the Pope got off the carriage, he immediately saw the locals swarming on both sides of the street to welcome him.

The believers shouted the Pope's name, and some even shed tears with excitement.

They were so enthusiastic that Blake even had to play a guest role as the Pope's Secret Guard, and together with the paladins, they used their bodies to separate the overly enthusiastic believers, lest they rush to hold the Pope's legs and cry.

Such embarrassing things have happened more than once in the Eastern Continent. Some believers even tried to take off the old Pope's shoes and take them home as holy objects.

But it was during this process that the pirates discovered some strange places in the city.

He noticed that in some inconspicuous corners, in the shadows of those walls and corners, there were some weird graffiti that looked like they were daubed with charcoal.

While walking through the city center, he also smelled some vague smell of blood, and saw several huge scarecrow statues erected in the city's central square.

It was built with willow wood and some beast bones, filled with a large amount of sun-dried straw, and was shaped into the shape of a giant. All kinds of firewood had been placed underneath.

This is a local custom.

In festive and lively scenes, the host personally burns these ominous scarecrows as a ritual to drive away bad luck.

Similar rituals can be found in other parts of Azeroth. For example, during the Midsummer Festival, many places have the custom of burning scarecrows to drive away bad luck.

But as Blake walked along, he became more and more frightened.

After sending the Pope to the Waycrest family manor in the north of the city to rest, he immediately found Dathrohan and said to him:

“There are rebels in the city who are trying to go against the Pope!

I can be sure of this, they have arranged their weird and inferior black magic to the fullest. Damn it, luckily I'm here, otherwise this wedding would be really fun to watch.

I can't even imagine what would happen to the old Pope if he were assassinated here.

With this shit on Dai Lin's head, even if he didn't want to start a war, he would have to be permanently hostile to the Eastern Continent.

Tsk tsk, I don’t know who planned it, this is really cruel.