Stormwind Keep

Having revealed his identity and made his request clear, Varian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yinsen’s request was not difficult to handle, though he was also somewhat worried that this mage might bring invaders from Other Worlds.

Azeroth had suffered too many invasions. As the King of the Stormwind Kingdom, he could not possibly avoid thinking about such a problem.

"Don’t worry. I have absolutely no interest in your world."

Though he was emphasizing that he meant no harm, it somehow felt as if their own possessions had been looked down upon. Both Jaina and Varian felt a strange sense of irritation.

Fortunately, Yinsen then explained why he had no interest in this world.

"A world targeted by the Burning Legion is something I have no interest in getting involved with."

"…"

The Burning Legion was a shadow hanging over the hearts of all Azeroth’s inhabitants. Anyone who knew even a little about this world worried that the Burning Legion might invade at any moment.

Although Azeroth had successfully resisted the Burning Legion’s invasions several times, no one could guarantee they would keep driving them back forever. No one knew when the entire world would be destroyed beneath the Burning Legion’s ravaging.

"You know about the Burning Legion…?"

Yinsen nodded. He did not say much about the Burning Legion, since he did not want to seem overly familiar with them. It would be quite a joke if those two mistook him for a member of the Burning Legion.

"I travel through multiple worlds. Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t know?"

The Burning Legion existed in the void. If each world were compared to an island, then the sea between those islands would be the void. The Burning Legion endlessly wandered that void, searching for the next world they wanted to destroy.

"Come to think of it, the Burning Legion has suffered setback after setback in Azeroth. That really doesn’t live up to such a grand reputation."

What could Yinsen say? Azeroth was the protagonist of this "world," after all.

After reaching a certain consensus with Jaina and Varian, everyone rested. Once they were ready, Jaina would send them all to Stormwind City.

Before launching their assault, Yinsen and his companions discussed in their room how to deal with Onyxia.

"How are you planning to deal with that black dragon?"

From Goldshire to Menethil Harbor, then by ship from Menethil Harbor to Theramore, they had spent a great deal of time on the road. Yinsen had not merely been traveling; he had also been making all kinds of preparations to deal with Onyxia.

"I remember you wanted to capture that black dragon before, didn’t you?"

Perhaps they had traveled together long enough, and Yinsen had spent this time learning Asgard’s Magic Knowledge from him. Loki no longer always acted as if everyone were beneath his notice, and from time to time, he would chat with Yinsen about interesting subjects.

Loki had never been the silent type. One reason he had not spoken much before was the awkwardness of his identity, while the other was that he had matters of his own to attend to.

Now that his cultivation of Ice Power was on track, he could only practice slowly and methodically, relying on accumulated time to improve his control over Ice Power. As a result, cultivation would no longer take up so much of his attention.

"It wouldn’t be bad to kill her either. Dragon Scales, dragon hide, and dragon blood are all useful materials."

As Deathwing’s daughter, Onyxia stood at the absolute pinnacle among dragons. To find better materials, one would have to go kill Deathwing.

"What I mean is, are you confident you can kill that black dragon?"

Yinsen shook his head.

"The key isn’t whether I’m confident I can kill her. The key is whether my magic can restrain that black dragon."

What Onyxia had done had utterly enraged Varian, as well as the entire Stormwind Kingdom. No one liked being toyed with like an idiot. After Onyxia was killed, her head received special treatment and was hung from Stormwind City’s walls as a display.

With such deep hatred, the entire Stormwind Kingdom would do everything in its power to kill that black dragon. As long as Yinsen could keep her from escaping, Varian would naturally use every possible means to kill her.

"But if I lock down that area with Space Confinement, Stormwind City’s reinforcements won’t be able to get in either."

Once the mages of the entire Mage Quarter discovered a black dragon inside the city, they would have to act even if they did not want to. After all, a black dragon bent on destroying everything was practically the common enemy of every race in Azeroth.

The bishop of the Cathedral of Light was also a formidable fighter. Though that fellow would fall from grace in the future, he could not ignore this matter if he wanted to protect himself.

"Other than that?"

Other than that, the strongest force seemed to be Stormwind City’s army and the paladins in the city, led by Stormwind City’s Grand Duke Bolvar Fordragon.

"Seems like there’s no one else."

Stormwind City had plenty of Combat Power, but there were surprisingly few top-tier fighters. Yinsen did not know whether he had failed to understand the game back then or whether his standards had simply become too high.

After thinking it over, he decided it did not matter if reinforcements could not enter under these circumstances. As long as Bolvar did not foolishly keep helping Onyxia, with the enraged Varian at the forefront and Jaina now added to the mix, Onyxia was basically doomed.

They rested well through the night. However, because Jaina had shown hostility toward him several times, Yinsen did not truly rest. Instead, he sat quietly with his eyes closed all night.

As soon as dawn broke, he stood and stretched, then led Logan and the others to join Varian, Jaina, and the rest.

This time, they did not waste any more time. Varian no longer wished to remain here. After a good night’s rest, he had sorted out his equipment. Even if he were told to charge at the black dragon now, there would be no problem.

"Let’s go straight to Stormwind City." Varian looked at Jaina. "Where can you send us?"

"Though I would like to send you directly inside Stormwind Keep, that would be difficult. Most likely, we’ll appear outside Stormwind Keep."

Powerful Arcane Energy swirled around Jaina as she used magic to lock onto their destination.

Entering the interior of a building was not impossible, but directly teleporting inside during group teleportation could produce unpredictable complications. For example, some unlucky person might end up embedded in a wall, so it was best to choose an open area as the destination.

"Outside the keep gates is perfect. That way, I can gather some soldiers to deal with that black dragon."

Seeing that Varian had no objections, Jaina nodded and gestured for everyone to stand within the range of her Arcane Energy. Once everyone had stepped inside, Jaina activated her Teleportation Magic.

Her Teleportation Spell had no name, but it was extremely powerful and stable. Those being teleported felt no discomfort at all. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, when they could see the scene before them clearly again, everyone was already standing before the gates of Stormwind Keep.

Stormwind City’s guards had already been alarmed. The first soldiers to spot them kept raising the alarm, and Yinsen could hear soldiers constantly rushing over. The sound of people running in heavy armor could be heard clearly even from far away.

However, when Varian stepped forward, the Stormwind Kingdom soldiers who had surrounded them first froze in place.

As guards of Stormwind Keep, the most central area of Stormwind City, they were the elite of the Stormwind Kingdom and people who could truly come into contact with its upper ranks. Naturally, they recognized the King of the Stormwind Kingdom. Thus, when they saw their King, who had been missing for some time, suddenly appear, they were all stunned.

"Is Grand Duke Bolvar Fordragon here?"

"Grand Duke Bolvar is handling official business, Your Majesty."

Almost instinctively, the guards all saluted their King. As soldiers on guard duty, they only needed to give a military salute.

With Varian leading the way, the group encountered no obstruction. Still, out of a soldier’s caution, the guards subtly surrounded them and even separated them from Varian.

It was entirely spontaneous. No one directed them or gave secret orders, yet every soldier knew what to do and where to stand. Even Yinsen, who had never truly received military training, could tell that these soldiers were elite among elites.

Yinsen, blending into the crowd, kept a low profile as he followed everyone into the keep’s core area. At last, he met Bolvar Fordragon, whom he had complained about so many times.

Bolvar was not standing in the keep’s grand hall with Prince Anduin Wrynn and Katrana Prestor as he had in the game. Upon learning that the long-missing Your Majesty had appeared, he had hurried out and met Varian head-on as Varian strode urgently inward.

"Your Majesty?"

The one before him truly was Varian. Bolvar believed he could never mistake him, but he felt that this Your Majesty seemed somehow different.

"Bolvar, where is Anduin?"

"Your Highness is learning how to handle government affairs from Countess Prestor."

At Bolvar’s answer, Varian’s brow furrowed tightly. This was bad news. He had come to settle matters with Katrana Prestor, but before that, he wanted to ensure his son’s safety.

Yet his son was with that black dragon. This was simply the worst possible situation. Moreover, he believed someone must have already informed the black dragon that he had returned. His son was in tremendous danger.

"Valeera!"

The Blood Elf Valeera darted out from the crowd. Not one of the soldiers surrounding them noticed what had happened, and by the time they came to their senses, the Blood Elf had vanished without a trace.

Bolvar Fordragon was still somewhat bewildered. He had no idea what had just happened, and only now did he notice the large group of people following behind Varian.