Chapter 422: Chapter 422: Khadgar's Warning
The victory in the war against the orcs held less significance for the overall situation than one might have imagined.
The reason is simple.
Although the Bleeding Hollow clan can be considered the largest among the orc tribes and the Twilight's Hammer is certainly powerful, in comparison to the entire orc army composed of clans from the world of Draenor, their numbers are not remarkable.
Thus, while this great defeat has indeed struck a blow to the orc morale and forced Blackhand to temporarily retreat to the Redridge Mountains, the orcs' strength has not been fundamentally weakened by this loss.
For Blackhand, this defeat was merely a loss of face; it necessitated a rebuilding of power, the gathering of supplies, and a waiting period for the next opportunity for war.
Overall, the orc military force and their war objectives have not changed.
Stormwind has merely alleviated some immediate pressure through this temporary victory.
However, pressure will inevitably return.
Upon realizing that the forces of one or two clans cannot capture Stormwind, the orcs will eventually launch a full-scale assault on the city.
If, by that time, Stormwind does not receive support from all the nations of the Eastern Kingdoms, its fall will be the only outcome.
King Llane is aware of this, so while he continues to prepare for defense, he is also actively making arrangements for future warfare.
On one hand, he has again called for aid from the northern nations, urging them to send reinforcements to save the Kingdom of Stormwind.
On the other hand, he is also preparing for the possibility that the alliance will take too long to establish and that reinforcements will fail to arrive.
He has begun recruiting civilians from Stormwind, arranging for them to construct ships.
This arrangement serves a dual purpose.
It makes full use of the surplus manpower pouring into Stormwind since the orc invasion, alleviating the city's security pressure, while also aiding in the logistical exchanges between Stormwind and the northern nations.
These newly built transport ships will not only increase the efficiency of material support from the northern nations but can also serve as a last resort for the military and civilians of Stormwind to evacuate the city in critical moments.
Just as both humans and orcs were actively preparing for the next war, Stormwind welcomed an unexpected visitor.
This visitor was a young mage—though he did not look as young as Alaric—somewhat rebellious and filled with curiosity. He claimed to be the apprentice of the Guardian Medivh.
His name was Khadgar, the unfortunate soul sent by the Kirin Tor Council to Karazhan.
Now, this unfortunate soul brought shocking news.
Medivh had betrayed humanity, and it was the Guardian himself who brought the orcs to Azeroth.
This news was incredibly astonishing, but Khadgar's status left them little choice but to believe his words—not just anyone could become the magical apprentice of a Guardian.
Ultimately, a meeting was convened overnight in the royal palace of Stormwind regarding this issue. A heated debate ensued between the king and Khadgar.
After all, this was a remarkably shocking piece of news, and only a few participated in the meeting: King Llane, Khadgar, Anduin Lothar, Alaric, and Garona.
King Llane and General Lothar were childhood friends of Medivh, while Alaric participated as a representative of Dalaran.
Garona, having come from Draenor and having personally crossed the Dark Portal, was also part of the meeting.
During the meeting, Khadgar vividly described what he had seen and heard in Karazhan, explaining how he uncovered Medivh's secret through the ever-changing time illusions within the tower.
A brief note here.
Karazhan, located in the Twilight Glade, is Medivh's magical tower. As the Guardian, Medivh built this tower to monitor and expel the demons invading Azeroth.
Karazhan is situated at a weak spatial node in Azeroth, through which one can even enter the Twisting Nether—often referred to as the Shadow Realm.
Through this chaotic realm, one can travel to various worlds, albeit only those belonging to the Warcraft universe.
Such nodes serve as excellent entry points for demon invasions into Azeroth.
Hence, Medivh established his tower here for close monitoring and expulsion of these entities while also studying and exploring the Twisting Nether, earning him the title of the Star Mage.
Due to the spatial node, it is common to encounter fragmented pieces of chaotic time—some from the past, some from the future, and some from parallel worlds.
Through these fragments, many illusions can be seen, revealing events that have occurred, those that will occur, and those that might occur.
Khadgar's intelligence comes from these illusions.
In front of everyone, Khadgar laid everything bare: the visions from Karazhan, Medivh's strange behavior, the appearance of Sargeras, initially mistaken for an illusion, and the evidence of Medivh summoning the orcs to attack Azeroth.
However, when it came to the issue of the Star Mage, Llane's stance remained steadfast.
"Countless people have tried to tell me that Medivh has gone mad," Llane said. "He has his own plans, young man.
That's all there is to it. I've lost count of how many times I've heard such news, claiming he's gone mad again or done something bizarre, only for Lothar to worry about whether he's lost a hair...
And yet, the results show he has always been right; we just couldn't understand at the outset."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Khadgar replied. "Perhaps the Star Mage has some greater plan, but the issue is, does Stormwind and Azeroth truly hold any significance in his plans?"
Alaric added, "In fact, Dalaran has long held doubts about Medivh.
Not long ago, nearly all members of the Tirisfal Council perished due to various 'accidents,' but I do not believe that any dreadful accident could cause so many powerful mages to die in succession.
We have long suspected there is a hidden hand at work, and Medivh is one of the suspects."
In reality, although members of the Tirisfal Council did die, Dalaran did not suspect Medivh for it; those individuals had long been dissatisfied with their subordinate status within the council, wishing for the old fools to die off quickly.
Alaric's mention of this was merely to strengthen the persuasiveness of the argument.
Next to Alaric, Garona also recounted her experiences with the Dark Portal and Gul'dan's certain encounters in Draenor, many of which matched the facts Khadgar spoke of regarding Medivh enticing the orcs to attack Azeroth.
Thus, throughout the night, King Llane continually reiterated his firm stance on the matter—Medivh would never betray; he must be immersed in a grand plan that mere mortals could not comprehend.
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