The cold wind howled, and wisps of snowflakes stung people's faces like knives.
Before me lay a massive mine pit, littered with mined ore that gleamed with a bluish-black sheen.
A light gray mist shrouded the mine, and countless figures could be vaguely seen working inside, while mine carts loaded with ore slid along the tracks.
There were also many patrolling Undead guards, with ferocious faces, tall statures, wearing thick black armor, carrying all kinds of terrifying weapons, and blue light flowing from their eye sockets.
Jaina led five thousand Alliance soldiers, splitting into three groups, and appeared around the mine. Jaina stood at the forefront, raised her staff, and shouted:
"For Azeroth, kill!"
Five thousand soldiers charged down the mountain like tigers descending a mountain, heading towards the bottom of the mine.
Jaina charged ahead, her face Steadfast and her bearing heroic. With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a torrent of magic, reducing countless Undead creatures to ashes.
Although the soldiers were ragged and their weapons were just wooden sticks and shovels, each soldier had a spirit of fearlessness and charged forward without hesitation.
Countless Undead creatures roamed the mist, their Undead guards letting out terrifying roars as they raised their weapons to fight. Smoke billowed and shouts of battle echoed throughout the mine.
These Undead guards were over three meters tall, and their weapons were larger than human bodies, but unfortunately, they were met with valiant Alliance soldiers and were overwhelmed with almost no resistance.
The Alliance soldiers fought bravely and swiftly annihilated countless Undead guards.
Jaina's magic is the most deadly; Jaina can easily kill Undead who are over ten meters tall. No general can resist a single spell from Jaina.
The battle lasted for more than an hour, and after suffering around a thousand casualties, victory was finally achieved, and the soldiers cheered enthusiastically.
Sylvanas appeared above the mine, gazing at the Battlefield below, and said to the Big Candle Gagg, beside her:
"So, have you recorded everything?"
Large Goblins Kobolds gathered around the mine, while countless Gnome cameras flashed, recording the entire battle.
The Kobold with golden fur, Gagg, bowed and scraped, saying, "It's all been recorded. As you instructed, we took hundreds of close-up photos of Queen Jaina for the two queens to choose from."
Not long after, the photos, which had been magically developed, were delivered.
Jaina, sweating profusely, admired the photos with Sylvanas, preparing to select a few particularly outstanding ones to be featured in newspapers across Azeroth.
But Jaina wasn't satisfied, so she deliberately posed for hundreds more photos, taking most of the day to finish.
Before long, news of Jaina leading the Alliance army to conquer Pit of Saron will spread throughout Azeroth, earning praise from countless people.
Sylvanas glanced at the time and slowly said:
"Judging by the time, the Alliance soldiers should be turning into Undead creatures by now, Gagg. The next part is exactly the same: the Forsaken launch their attack at night. Watch out for the lights."
The Big Candle Gagg, said obsequiously, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we have specially invited Goblin lighting technician to ensure that every photograph captures your magnificent appearance."
Since becoming Undead, Sylvanas has been most attached to photographs; the interplay of light and shadow under the night sky, appearing and disappearing, is when she is at her most beautiful.
The beauty of the Undead exists only at night.
These were the conditions for Sylvanas's cooperation with Jaina. Sylvanas was well aware of the Scourge's power; sending five thousand cannon fodder to their deaths meant that even though the two queens were in the rear, they were still in danger.
To minimize the risk, Sylvanas found an abandoned mine and brought in a large number of low-level Undead from Undercity.
These low-level Undead are failed attempts at training the Forsaken; they are weak in combat and mentally unstable.
Sylvanas dressed them in paper armor, gave them paper weapons, and used special magic to grow them to over three meters tall, impersonating the Scourge.
Thus, this staged photo shoot took place. By sacrificing only five thousand Alliance soldiers and the Forsaken eliminated, they gained the illustrious reputation of the two queens and were able to report back to Elune. It was a very worthwhile deal.
Of course, this is not Sylvanas's whole plan.
As night fell, Sylvanas spent the entire night posing for photos. The next day, as soon as Jaina woke up, she saw Sylvanas waiting for her.
"Little girl, the real battle has only just begun."
Jaina, busy with her makeup, asked anxiously, "Sylvanas, is your plan really feasible?"
Sylvanas smiled faintly and comforted her:
"Don't worry, our staged photos might fool the people of Azeroth, but they definitely won't fool the Scourge. When they know we have no intention of attacking Pit of Saron, they'll instinctively lower their guard, which will be our perfect opportunity to infiltrate. I've found a route from Pit of Saron into the Forge of Souls, and through the Forge of Souls is the Halls of Reflections, where you'll find Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination. We'll each have one, and with the Alliance Galleon and Horde zeppelins providing support, we'll be absolutely safe."
Jaina glanced at Sylvanas with a puzzled look, then continued applying makeup to her face.
"I don't doubt you, but where did you get this information? Don't tell me you bribed the Scourge."
Sylvanas hesitated for a moment, knowing that Jaina wouldn't believe her if she didn't tell the truth, so she explained:
"I traded a bottle of good wine for it from Tirion Fordring. Tirion Fordring's son, Taelan, is currently in the Pit of Saron, a minor leader, and can help us infiltrate the Pit of Saron."
Relieved, Jaina and the two women made preparations and disguised themselves with magic before arriving at the Scourge's base.
The Pit of Saron are under the tight protection of the Scourge Army, not only shrouded in a Magic Shield, but also patrolled by large groups of Gargoyles in the sky. Without an inside agent, it would be impossible to sneak in.
Jaina's magic proved very useful; she used invisibility spells to conceal their presence, fooling the Gargoyles in the sky, and they hid under a rock near Pit of Saron.
Not long after, a worker from the Scourge was seen leading a dozen or so Ghouls, pushing several heavy mine carts.
This worker, caught in the Scourge, was none other than Taelan. He carefully surveyed his surroundings.
"Your Majesties, please come with me. Please make yourselves stay inside the minecart. These Ghouls have no intelligence and won't betray us."
Sylvanas hid in an empty minecart, and Jaina hesitated for a moment before crawling into the same minecart, worried that the Dark Lady might betray her.
Fortunately, Sylvanas used enough preservatives, so there wasn't much of an unpleasant smell. Taelan placed wooden planks above the two women's heads and then covered them with a layer of ore for camouflage.
Taelan led the way, Ghouls pushed the minecarts into Pit of Saron. With Taelan's help, they successfully passed through the Magic Shield and overcame one obstacle after another.
Everything went smoothly after entering Pit of Saron. Jaina peered out through the gaps in the minecarts and saw countless Ghouls mining ore. The minecarts had already reached the depths of Pit of Saron.
"Stop, stop! This isn't a place for you."
A majestic voice suddenly rang out, startling Jaina. Even more strangely, she heard Sylvanas's heartbeat.