"One hundred thousand souls!"
Thrall was taken aback by what he heard.
One hundred thousand souls equal one hundred thousand lives. Since its founding, Orgrimmar Durotar been a barren land, Orcs have never engaged in production, resulting in a heavy daily food consumption.
Tauren have been eaten to near extinction, and if they continue to be eaten, they will become an endangered species.
The Pandaren of Pandaria suffered heavy losses, and the survivors retreated into the deep mountains.
Now that Orgrimmar has suffered a recent defeat, it is incapable of waging a large-scale war.
How can Thrall gather 100,000 souls?
However, Undercity's geographical location is extremely important. If it is left unattended, the Eastern Kingdoms will be left with only the Blood Elves, who will soon fall due to isolation and lack of support.
Thrall, having no other options, could only consult with Sylvanas.
Since entering Orgrimmar, Sylvanas has shown no awareness of being a queen of a fallen kingdom. Instead, she acts like a master, constantly interfering with the Orcs' lifestyle.
For example, Orcs have a habit of urinating and defecating anywhere and littering. Orgrimmar is like a huge cesspool, stinking to high heaven. This is a tradition that Orcs are proud of, and even Thrall couldn't change it.
But Sylvanas possessed a natural regal charm, reprimanding the Orcs for their filth and unsanitary conditions, and directing a large group of Orcs to clean up the excrement and garbage in the streets every day.
For some reason, the Orcs all fell for it and worked tirelessly. Within a few days, Orgrimmar's filth and disorder were somewhat rectified.
Sylvanas went even further, spreading the benefits of vegetarianism to the Orcs. As a result, many Orcs changed their centuries-old eating habits, saving the meat for the Forsaken.
Thrall was incredibly annoyed after hearing about Sylvanas's actions.
With the support of more and more Orcs, it probably won't be long before Horde position of Warchief rightfully falls into Sylvanas's hands.
This damned woman must be removed.
Thrall invited Sylvanas, knowing that Sylvanas and Varimathras were in cahoots and he couldn't easily offend her, so he politely said:
"Your Majesty, Varimathras requires 100,000 souls to return Undercity. You are aware of the Horde's current difficulties; they simply cannot provide 100,000 souls. I implore Your Majesty to intervene and reduce the number of souls required."
Sylvanas smiled slightly:
"Giving 100,000 souls is indeed a challenge, but it's not like the Horde has to provide them. We can encourage the Alliance to send troops to reclaim Undercity and contribute 100,000 souls in return."
Thrall stared blankly at Sylvanas, thinking to himself, "The Dark Lady is a rare and outstanding person, how could she make such a foolish move?" He grinned and said:
"Your Majesty, that's absolutely impossible! The loss of Undercity is a tragedy for the Horde, King Varian is probably celebrating! Unless his brain has been trampled by a hundred Kodos."
Sylvanas pursed her lips and remained silent, only raising her right hand and pointing her index finger to the sky.
Thrall understood immediately and shook his head, saying, "You mean to have the Emissary put pressure on Varian? No, no, this involves 100,000 lives; the Emissary cannot act in this way."
Sylvanas sighed softly:
"It seems we still have to work hard ourselves, Thrall. I think you should know that Stormwind City has a monarchy succession system. As long as we get King Varian on board, he can go against the will of the people and help us reclaim Undercity."
Thrall glanced at Sylvanas suspiciously. "Your Majesty, that's true, but King Varian couldn't possibly be that foolish."
"Man proposes, God disposes!"
Sylvanas smoothed her beautiful hair and said calmly:
"I've heard that Agna once won over the Night Watch King. Surely my charm isn't inferior to hers? Rest assured, if I personally intervene, Varian will willingly offer ten thousand lives for us. There's an old saying among humans: 'For a beauty's smile, millions will die, cities will fall, and kingdoms will perish.'"
Thrall was an Orcs and couldn't appreciate Sylvanas's beauty.
Thrall knew that Sylvanas was just a rotting undead, so how could she possibly bewitch a living person? Thrall had his doubts, but he was willing to cooperate with Sylvanas's actions.
In the battle at the Wrathgate, King Varian was arguably the biggest winner.
Compared to the complete annihilation of 50,000 Orcs, Varian preserved the Alliance's 50,000-strong army and safely withdrew to Stormwind City.
The Kingdom of Stormwind officially called it a great victory, and the people spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate King Varian's great achievements.
While in Dalaran, the Moon Goddess Emissary personally escorted Varian back to Stormwind City. Along the way, the Emissary subtly conveyed that the Moon Goddess was very disappointed in Thrall and held Varian in high regard.
This greatly excited King Varian. If he gained the support of the Moon Goddess, he might soon be able to surpass Thrall, the Savior, and become a great King.
Back in Stormwind City, overjoyed by the people's praise, Varian resolved to work diligently to govern the country well and become a good King who would be remembered in history.
The fall of Undercity is fantastic news for the Alliance.
Varian actively prepared supplies to support the 50,000 Alliance soldiers exiled to Southshore, planning to eliminate the Horde in Hillsbrad Foothills and Arathi Highlands, reclaim Alterac Mountains from the Frostwolf Clan, and take the opportunity to expand the Alliance's territory.
Southshore launched a probing attack on the Horde and achieved an initial victory.
Without the support of Undercity, the Horde's forces remaining in the Eastern Kingdoms lost their logistical support, their morale plummeted, and they lost the will to fight. Things were starting to look up.
At this crucial moment, Thrall's letter arrived in Stormwind City.
In the letter, Thrall first reviewed the history of the Alliance and the Horde joining forces to fight against the Burning Legion, praised the great contributions of the Night Elf race, and commended Jaina for her courage and determination in leading Theramore to fight against the Burning Legion.
Thrall then pointed out that the Dreadlord Varimathras had occupied Undercity, marking yet another invasion by the Burning Legion.
Azeroth faces a life-or-death crisis. The Alliance and the Horde should join hands once again to resist the Burning Legion's invasion and fight for Azeroth.
Varian almost burst out laughing when he read Thrall's letter.
Varimathras only had the Royal Apothecary Society and a small number of Forsaken; how could he possibly threaten the safety of Azeroth? That's utter nonsense.
Varian tossed the letter aside and ignored it.
When one plan failed, Thrall devised another. This time, he sent Jaina to Stormwind City to personally explain the advantages and disadvantages to King Varian.
Jaina, with a sorrowful expression, delivered a passionate speech:
"The Alliance and the Horde joined forces to resist the Evil Scourge Army, but Varimathras took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on us. King Varian, you are the leader of the Alliance, how can you allow such an evil deed to go unpunished?"
Varian at Jaina and smiled:
"Lady Jaina, Varimathras is merely a Dreadlord. His methods may not be as effective as yours. If you wish to reclaim Undercity, you only need to send a small number of soldiers from Theramore. Why bother consulting me?"
Jaina was speechless, stamping her feet in anger, and threatened fiercely:
"How dare you offend the great Savior Thrall! You will surely die a horrible death!"
On this day, King Varian received an invitation from Grand Duke Alpha to attend a grand ball.