Ten thousand years ago, a group of Tauren lived on the land of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
It's important to know that there are currently no settlements for Tauren in the Eastern Kingdoms.
The proprietress was lost in memories of the past, a faint sadness showing on her face.
"Ten thousand years ago, not only the entire Kingdom of Stormwind, but also the vast territory stretching from Stranglethorn Vale in the south to the Alterac Mountains in the north, belonged to the Tauren. They called themselves Marsh Tauren, loved to soak in water, possessed sharp horns, and were much stronger than the Tauren of Mulgore. They used Shaman magic to manipulate mud and built hundreds of large cities, the smallest of which was more magnificent than Stormwind City, and Tauren numbers exceeded ten million."
Robbie gasped in astonishment; what a powerful Tauren empire this was!
"And then what?" Robbie asked, wondering why such a powerful Tauren empire was not recorded in history.
The proprietress's beautiful face twitched slightly.
"Later, the Hunters came. They attacked from the sky, using powerful magic to lift an entire village of Tauren into the air, only to have them crash to the ground unconscious. They relentlessly hunted the Tauren, and within two hundred years, the Tauren were extinct from this land."
Ten thousand years ago, Hunters launched an attack from the sky, using levitation magic.
Robbie quickly thought of the Blue Dragonflight. The Blue Dragonflight had been raising Orcs for ten thousand years, so they must have needed a lot of Blood Food. No wonder the Orcs had such a strong preference for the flesh and blood of the Tauren.
The proprietress continued to recall:
"After the Tauren Empire disappeared, the Kobolds took the opportunity to multiply rapidly, covering the land and mountains. However, the Murloc Empire also rose to prominence. To seize control of the land, the two sides waged a century-long war, but neither could gain the upper hand. Later, the Magnataur unexpectedly appeared on this land, enslaving the Kobolds and hunting the Murloc. Guess how these Magnataur came to be?"
Robbie replied with a bitter expression, "The Hunters!"
The proprietress nodded. "That's right. The Hunters changed the habits of the Northrend Magnataur, sending them to the Eastern Kingdoms to breed. The Magnataur had no natural enemies, and their reproduction rate was too fast. Excessive hunting led to the collapse of the Kobold Murloc Empires."
"Throughout ten thousand years of ancient history, I've witnessed the rise and fall of countless races. After the Magnataur, Furbolg, Centaurs, Harpies, Gnolls, Goblins, and others successively became the Overlord of this land. Unfortunately, this was all orchestrated by the Hunters, who couldn't escape the Destiny of being harvested. The Hunters called it the End Time of the World. 'The Troll race has only existed for a thousand years, while humanity's rise has only been a few hundred. You don't really think Emperor Thoradin wiped out the Trolls, do you?"
Robbie was deeply shocked. "Could this also be the work of Hunters?"
The proprietress nodded dejectedly.
"At that time, the Trolls living on this land, due to their omnivorous nature, outstanding reproductive ability, and tenacious survival ability, especially their excellent limb regeneration ability, still maintained a certain number of people despite being hunted extensively by Hunters. However, the Hunters believed that the Trolls were too ferocious and might cause obstacles if the Orcs entered Azeroth."
"A relatively docile race had to be found to replace the Trolls. Among humans, Gnomes, and Dwarves, the Hunters ultimately chose the relatively weaker, more palatable humans, and thus the slaughter of the Trolls began. The Hunters led the way, slaughtering Troll villages and cities, while Thoradin was allowed to follow behind, helping the Hunters collect the remains, burn away all traces, seize Troll lands, and reap the glory of destroying the Trolls."
The proprietress suddenly smiled and said calmly:
"The reason why humanity was able to rise to power was first and foremost because problems arose within the Hunters themselves. Sindragosa was torn apart and eaten by the Orcs, which severely weakened the Hunters, causing them to gradually lose control of the Eastern Kingdoms. Then, humanity unexpectedly learned magic and received the Holy Light, which led to the situation we have today."
Robbie was filled with emotion. The ten-thousand-year history of the Eastern Kingdoms was nothing more than a large livestock farm controlled by the Blue Dragonflight, solely for the purpose of feeding the Orcs.
No wonder there's not a trace of it in history books.
Compared to the tragedies of countless races on this land, the 100,000 loyalist troops of the Kingdom of Stormwind are nothing, merely a small ripple in the vast history of ten thousand years.
Robbie felt a sense of clarity, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, and he also clearly saw his own shortcomings.
Like Arthas, Robbie was too petty and unable to face death with indifference, which led to his timidity, inability to act decisively, and forgetting the original purpose of the Scourge.
We should be more indifferent.
After breakfast, Robbie and Kel'Thuzad got up and left. Kel'Thuzad was still mesmerized by the landlady's appearance, muttering to himself:
"They look so alike! Not only do they have the same name, but they also look exactly alike. If it weren't for the age difference, I would definitely go up and recognize them. Judging by the time, my Lisa should be surrounded by her children and grandchildren, enjoying the happiness of family life."
On the streets, large numbers of hungry soldiers took to the streets, banging on shop doors, some even forcing their way in. Soon, the sounds of women shouting, men angrily protesting, and children crying filled the air, creating utter chaos.
Witnessing this scene firsthand, Robbie's resolve gradually hardened.
"Kel'Thuzad, I have a plan," Robbie said expressionlessly.
"What?" Kel'Thuzad, somewhat confused.
Robbie looked at the chaotic street and said coldly:
"If King Varian insists on fighting the Scourge, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die. Instead, we must seize this rare opportunity to solve two technical problems. One is Tirion Fordring's resurrection from the Undead state into a human. I remember every step of that process; simply repeating it might reveal the true secret."
Kel'Thuzad pondered for a long time, then nodded and said, "Technically, it's entirely possible, it's just a pity for these soldiers who came to the king's aid."
"The second problem is the rejection from Azeroth."
Robbie gazed at the Stormwind City sky. "The mysterious power of aging has forced the Scourge to withdraw from this world. We must find a solution so that the Scourge can return. The Scourge needs a new Lich King to bear this terrible cost for our research."
Icecrown Citadel.
Taelan Fordring followed the guards up to the Frozen Throne with trepidation. He was almost certain that his identity had been exposed, and he didn't know what fate awaited him.
For a fleeting moment, Taelan even considered jumping into the Abyss to end it all, but the Undead guards around him were watching him intently, and Taelan's cowardice prevented him from making up his mind.
At the top of the Frozen Throne, Taelan saw Robbie hidden in the shadows.
Taelan was merely a low-ranking leader of the Scourge, commanding a dozen or so Ghouls. He knew little about the Scourge's upper echelons, having only heard bits and pieces of information from others.
Taelan knew very little about Robbie and mistook him for Arthas, so he hurriedly knelt on the ground.
Robbie raised his hand, and an ice mirror appeared before him, showing the image of a Paladin in golden armor— Tirion Fordring.
"Do you recognize him?" Robbie asked calmly.
Taelan was filled with trepidation and his mind raced as he replied, "Lord Arthas, I do not know this person. My transformation process had major flaws, and I have lost many memories from my previous life."
Robbie seemed unfazed, saying, "Your soul shares similarities with Tirion Fordring, which gives you a golden opportunity. Do you want to become the new Lich King?"