In Lordaeron, Terenas was receiving a tall, dark-haired lord who claimed to be a mage apprentice, but Terenas thought he looked more like a warrior.
"Thank you for your suggestion, Lord Prestor. The Alliance and Lordaeron will be more united because of your advice."
Terenas's tone was filled with admiration for this Lord Prestor.
"The one who should be grateful is me, Your Majesty, for your wisdom in taking the time to meet with me amidst your busy schedule."
Although he spoke words of gratitude, Prestor's words were full of power and kingly demeanor.
This country lord, who claimed to possess the bloodline of the Alterac royal family, was very young, yet he had won the favor of many in Lordaeron.
Courtiers, kingdom ministers, and even King Genn Greymane of Gilneas, who had a somewhat unpleasant relationship with Lordaeron due to the Alterac kingdom issue, greeted him with a smile.
It was Prestor's suggestion that led Terenas to send Uther to implement military control over the kingdom of Alterac, controlling their royal family and nobles, effectively seizing the power of this mountainous kingdom.
It was also Prestor who went to Gilneas and Stromgarde, persuading the two kings to temporarily accept the situation, waiting until after the war to decide how to deal with Alterac.
At this time, Thoras seemed to have forgotten Galen's instructions, but fortunately, this warrior king still remembered to protect the Alterac tiger general, Haas.
Whether it was personal charm or some unspeakable means, it was enough to prove this person's excellence.
"No need to be modest, Prestor. Your merits will be rewarded, believe me!"
Terenas solemnly guaranteed.
"I will remember your grace, Your Majesty."
Prestor gave Terenas a noble salute and slowly withdrew.
When he quickly returned to his residence and closed the door tightly, his eyes became sharp, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his whole body exuded an evil aura.
He felt a powerful force invading the detection magic he had set up in Grim Batol, and among the orcs, no one but the warlock who called himself Gul'dan possessed this ability.
And Prestor had personally watched Gul'dan set sail!
"Heh heh heh, it seems the insects are coming to die!"
Lord Prestor laughed wildly, his fingers beginning to lengthen incredibly, resembling the claws of some creature!
Grim Batol, a massive dwarven fortress, its internal space no less than Ironforge of the Bronzebeard dwarves.
As for why it was abandoned, it was because it was contaminated by the curse of the Dark Iron dwarves.
Logically speaking, the Witch Queen of the Dark Iron dwarves was at most a legendary figure.
Let alone whether her dying curse could contaminate an entire city, at least a curse of this power level could be dispelled by a spellcaster of the same rank.
But in reality, the mages and shamans of the Wildhammer dwarves were powerless.
No one knew why the Witch Queen's curse was so powerful, forcing the Wildhammers to leave their home.
And Galen was one of the few who knew the truth.
The Dark Iron dwarves had some innate advantages in spellcasting, and their Witch Kings and Witch Queens were among the best.
When searching for magical artifacts, the Witch Queen obtained a blade filled with dark energy.
Witch Queen Modgud was immediately attracted to it.
She spent a lot of time studying documents, trying to explore the mysteries of this dagger.
Sometimes people could even see her talking to this weapon.
In the War of the Three Hammers, the Witch Queen was defeated, and Modgud used a foul ritual to imbue the shadows of Grim Batol with life.
They emerged from the dark corners of the city, wielding blades forged from the night, assassinating the Wildhammer dwarves.
The Dragonmaw clan is now also suffering from this dark curse, but the orc race is not afraid of these shadows in the night.
Some warriors even patrol the entire city in the middle of the night, making fun of the shadows.
One or two thousand Dragonmaw warriors, plus tens of thousands of orcish laborers, are all the residents inside Grim Batol now, including some red dragons, of course.
At this time, in the depths of Grim Batol's grotto, several braziers were burning, illuminating the entire room.
The adult red dragons returned one after another, and until the last adult red dragon, Palthiasstraz, arrived late, Nekros, who remained behind, realized that his direct superior, the Dragonmaw Chieftain, had been killed.
With the support of the clan, he took over as chieftain.
At this moment, Nekros was torturing the Red Dragon Queen and her mate in the grotto.
The ten-thousand-year-old fourth child who stayed behind in the fortress was now skin and bones.
This red dragon was overworked and was about to die.
"You abandoned Zuluhed, our chieftain, so your only use left is this!"
Nekros whipped Talanastrasz and Palthiasstraz, venting the anger in his heart.
"Kill me, orc!"
The Red Dragon Queen's figure was much thinner than it had been a few months ago, and the ribs on both sides of her forelegs were faintly visible, but Nekros still made her lay more eggs.
The red dragons that had been trained before should have been completely wiped out, and the Dragonmaw needed to seize the time to replenish more dragon knights.
"You still have value, big lizard!"
"My first mate is dying, if you continue like this, all my mates will die, and you will lose our help."
"Hmph, I don't care, I can find more mates for you, you, the biggest one, it's your turn now, and you, the smaller big lizard, you came back last, you must know Zuluhed's news! Quick, tell me!"
Talanastrasz, the Queen's eldest mate, became the next victim, and Pathiasstraz, who had been sent back by Galen to play the double agent, was targeted by Nekros!
Then there was another round of torture, Nekros venting the pressure in his heart, the roars of the dragons in the cave gradually weakening, Pathiasstraz, the insider, was really bearing the burden of humiliation.
"Chieftain!"
Nekros's confidant called out to the trusted chieftain outside.
Nekros dragged his crippled leg and walked out: "You better have something important!"
"A human legion has been discovered in the east, about twenty thousand strong, and there are also many huge machines!"
The confidant reported the latest news.
"Humans! East! How is that possible, aren't there only some scattered dwarves in the east!"
Nekros was shocked!
Since the Dragonmaw clan occupied Grim Batol, they had been staying here.
They also sent scouts to explore eastward, but they were all driven back by the Wildhammers, and they did not know that there were human cities further east.
"Quick, gather our warriors, and release the remaining dragons to scout!"
Compared to Zuluhed, a leader from a legitimate shaman background, Nekros was chosen as the new chieftain because he possessed the ability to use artifacts.
Knowing that there would be a war to command, he seemed a little flustered.
Nekros, known as Skullcrusher, actually earned that title in his youth. After losing a leg to humans, he withdrew from the front lines. If he hadn't learned some warlock spells and been able to activate the Dragon Soul, he would have been useless.
Now, Nekros stood atop Grim Batol, gazing at the Stromgarde army marching up the mountain path, and he was furious.
He had barely been chieftain for two days when people came knocking to cause trouble, and that soured anyone's mood.
"My dear chieftain, the warriors are ready. With the easily defended fortress, this human army will pay a heavy price. We only need to hold the mountain pass firmly, and we can easily stop them, just like the little dwarves to the south face the Bleeding Hollow clan!"
Hearing the words of his trusted adjutant, Nekros's volatile mood calmed somewhat.
"Well done. We have ample supplies. Once the next batch of whelps hatch, the dragon riders can use flames to wipe out these humans. Orgrim couldn't capture the human capital, but our Dragonmaw clan will break through! I will be the strongest chieftain of the Horde, and I will rule this world!"
"Chieftain, you are mighty!"
… … … …
Gandalf took the river route, leading the Gale Army and the Thunder Army upstream along the Thandol Span, disembarking at the foot of the mountain. This location was only a day's journey from the mountain where Grim Batol was located.
In addition to the two armies, there were also the gryphon knight squadrons of the Wildhammer dwarves from Northeron, who fought alongside them, responsible for the enemies in the air.
The Razorclaw Gryphon Knights of Khaz Modan, the Firebeard Gryphon Brigade of the Firebeard clan, and the war gryphons of Sunderland, the squadrons of the three clans totaled more than three hundred, which was more than enough to deal with the newly trained red dragon whelps in the fortress.
When Gandalf and his men landed, they were discovered by a patrolling red dragon rider. However, Gandalf's main task was to attract the attention of the main force of the Dragonmaw clan, so even if he hadn't been discovered, Gandalf would have created some noise to let the orcs know.
Twenty steam tanks drove off the transport ships. These tanks were three meters high and golden yellow. The front of the tank was the head of an eagle from the Arathi Highlands, with a huge roller under the pointed beak. Behind the eagle's head was a huge cannon, which was also the tank's primary means of attack besides ramming.
No city gate could not be solved with one shell. If there was one, then a few more would do. Old Li's Italian artillery was not just for show.
Gandalf's army was attacking from the front, and Galen and the others were also preparing to set off. According to the Wildhammer's intelligence, they would infiltrate the fortress through a secret passage in Grim Batol.
The remaining Firebeard dwarves provided five gryphons. According to official sources, the main gryphon force had gone to the front line, leaving only the last five gryphons, which their gryphon brigade leader had specially left for their allies to use.
Galen didn't say much, nor would he transfer five more gryphons from his own gryphon nest. He whispered quietly in the Origin Engine, and then he led the way to the gryphons.
Galen, Aragorn, Medivh, and Durin each perfectly occupied a rider's position.
Then, Galen reached out his left hand to Sylvanas, inviting her to ride with him.
Sylvanas chuckled and walked forward generously, took Galen's hand, and jumped onto the gryphon's back with a pull, then gently clasped Galen's thick waist!
Aurelia's anger brewed directly from her heart, her eyes about to shoot flames. If looks could kill, Galen would have been riddled with holes at this moment.
Garona got on Medivh's gryphon, which made Aegwynn feel puzzled. When did this half-orc woman have such a deep friendship with her son?
Chromie went to Durin, who was about the same size as her. After all, dwarves and gnomes were brother races, although she wasn't really a gnome, but this choice was reasonable to others.
Aegwynn looked around and realized that she used portals to travel, and couldn't control gryphons, so she went to Aragorn's side.
Aurelia looked at Liadrin, bit her lip, glared at Galen and her sister, and took her younger clanswoman to the last gryphon.
It was too hateful. This team was almost the elite of the Eastern Kingdoms. Not to mention the few under Galen's command, the human Guardians Medivh and Aegwynn, as well as that gnome, and Liadrin, who was also a high elf, Sylvanas hugged Galen's waist and rode a gryphon together. It was estimated that the high-level members of the various races would soon know that the second miss of the Windrunner family and the prince of Stromgarde were in love!
Aurelia really couldn't imagine the result of a high elf with a lifespan of more than three thousand years combining with a human who was at most two hundred years old, and the high elves' loyalty to love was well-known. How dark would Sylvanas's future be? She could only live her life alone, immersed in the infinite longing for her lover, every day was a new torment.
Even flying in the air, Galen could feel the uneasy gaze from behind, which made him feel that Sylvanas's embrace could not make him feel at ease and comfortable.
"Don't mind Aurelia, Galen." Sylvanas's chin rested gently on Galen's shoulder, and she spoke in his ear, her breath like orchids.
Both of them were powerful figures, and even if the air was full of whistling wind, they could clearly hear each other's words.
"How can I not care? I think your sister wants to pick up your family heirloom, Thas'dorah, and shoot me to death with an arrow!" Galen complained. The sister-in-law was so fierce, Galen said it was difficult to deal with.
"I will find a chance to tell her that your lifespan can far exceed the limits of humans. This is the main reason why she disagrees with us being together." Sylvanas tightened her grip on Galen.
It was a pity that Galen was wearing a Lightforged set, and the thick armor prevented the spread of touch, causing him to lose an opportunity to take advantage.
"Do you know why I took on the task of attacking Grim Batol, Sylvanas?" Galen told the beauty behind him.
"Why is that?" Sylvanas was also curious. The Alliance had not yet begun its counterattack plan, and Galen had deployed it in advance, which was already ahead of schedule.
Galen was not sick, so why would he choose to liberate Grim Batol in advance? That was a place where the Black Dragon Aspect was involved. How could such a hard bone not be led by several Dragon Aspects? Why bother suffering?
"Sylvanas, you should know why the night elves have endless lifespans. That is the blessing of the Red Dragon Queen and the Bronze Dragon Aspect together, and this time we are leaving the Alliance and taking the credit for rescuing the Red Dragon Queen alone!"
This was Galen's little thought.
Of course, it would be even better if he could get his hands on the Dragon Soul.