A secret room in Ironforge.
Prince Anduin stared fearfully at King Magni Bronzebeard, wondering why the King's expression seemed odd.
Anduin mournful, believing his time was up.
During his time in Ironforge, Anduin fared quite well, with ample food, clothing, and other necessities. However, his mood was extremely low, like that of a prisoner sentenced to death, awaiting his inevitable demise.
"Anduin?" King Bronzebeard looked uncomfortable. "How did your father treat you?"
Magni Bronzebeard's unease stemmed from his feelings for his daughter. Throughout, Bronzebeard maintained his rationality. Leaving the King of Ironforge to Moira was not out of paternal affection, but for the sake of the Bronzebeard Clan's royal succession.
But last night's dream stirred a tenderness in Magni's heart, causing her to panic.
King must face various challenges and remain as steadfast as steel, always maintaining his rationality, in order to avoid being eliminated. Once other factors are introduced, his death may not be far off.
Anduin was secretly surprised and said cautiously, "My father is very busy, he doesn't pay much attention to me."
King Bronzebeard tilted his head and asked, "I remember King Varian was once a slave of an Orcs."
Anduin nodded. "Yes, my father was a gladiator under Rhaegar Earthfury."
King Bronzebeard chuckled coldly, "I know the customs of the Orcs. They treat slaves extremely cruelly, often using various methods to torture and humiliate them, making them lose their dignity and live like dogs. Your father must hate that Orcs named Rhaegar very much?"
Anduin shook his head and said, "My father has a special respect for Rhaegar."
King Bronzebeard: "That's only because Rhaegar is a noble Orcs. If their roles were reversed, with humans as cruel slave owners and Orcs as the oppressed and exploited, then the humans as slave owners would be utterly wicked."
Anduin dared not refute, but his expression was somewhat strange, clearly indicating that he disagreed with Bronzebeard's view.
King Bronzebeard coldly observed Anduin's expression and said in a chilling tone, "Have you forgotten Blackmoore and Thrall?"
Anduin stammered, "How can that be the same? Thrall is the great Savior, burdened with the responsibility of saving Azeroth from birth. Any disrespect shown to Thrall in the slightest is blasphemy against the Savior."
King Bronzebeard chuckled coldly:
"It's excellent that you have such awareness. I'm glad to see you willingly die for Thrall. If anyone's to blame, blame Blackmoore. His only mistake was saving Thrall."
Anduin's face turned ashen, and he sat down heavily on the ground, trembling.
A guard reported to the King that Muradin Bronzebeard arrived. King Bronzebeard, without any intention of avoiding suspicion, allowed Anduin to stay.
Everyone says that the three Bronzebeard brothers have a deep bond, but only they themselves know how indifferent they are to each other.
Every time Muradin came to see his brother, he had to kneel down in private; even looking him in the eye would be punished. King Bronzebeard thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.
This time, they actually allowed Anduin to the side. Muradin hesitated whether he should kneel down, but Magni waved his hand and said:
"Muradin, sit down. It's been so long. I was just thinking why we can't play together carefree like we did when we were kids. Since I became King, we've grown quite distant."
Muradin was secretly alarmed upon hearing this; this was unlike any other brother he knew. This gave him a glimmer of hope. With affection came vulnerability, and Muradin could seize the opportunity to take the throne.
Magni's expression suddenly turned serious, reverting to his King demeanor, and he asked expressionlessly, "Muradin, has the stone tablet been brought?"
Upon seeing Magni's expression change, Muradin quickly abandoned his ulterior motives, gave a fawning smile, and pulled out the stone tablet from Ulduar from his bundle.
This was an unremarkable stone slab inscribed with obscure and difficult-to-understand characters. The three Bronzebeard brothers were all experts in archaeology, Magni immediately recognized it as a genuine Titans Relic.
Magni stroked the stone slab silently, while Muradin explained in a low voice:
"I consulted the Titan Keepers; the stone tablets bear ancient elemental script, the meaning of which is: become a part of the earth, listen to the voice of the earth."
Magni asked calmly, "What's your opinion on this?"
Muradin, feeling very guilty, said uneasily, "The Titan Keepers said this stone tablet is extremely dangerous, and it's best not to try it lightly."
Magni nodded slightly; Muradin's words actually put him at ease.
To gain power, one must bear certain risks. Magni pondered for a while, then whispered, "This ritual is extremely dangerous. Even if we succeed by chance, we might anger the volatile elementals. To avoid harming Ironforge, let's go to the Old Ironforge deep underground."
Magni then called to Anduin, "You come with us."
Anduin unwilling to participate in this dangerous ceremony and wanted to refuse, but unfortunately he didn't have the courage.
Old Ironforge lies beneath the throne. Legendary that long ago, the Dwarves discovered a precious mineral vein and built a city there.
But because they dug too deep, they unintentionally offended the elements.
A massive influx of Fire Elementals erupted from the depths of the earth, leading to the destruction of Old Ironforge.
Following the Secret Passage leading down from the throne, deeper and deeper underground, Anduin held a torch and carefully looked around.
The passageway was eerily Anjing, the air terribly dry.
After walking for most of the hour, the view suddenly opened up before them. A bright light illuminated the cave, Anduin rubbed his eyes to see a mountain made of countless gems, gleaming brilliantly.
"These gems are so beautiful!"
Anduin felt his mouth go dry; such vast Wealth could almost buy the entire Azeroth.
Magni and Muradin exchanged a smile, Muradin explained in a low voice:
"Prince Anduin, what you see before you is merely an illusion, a mirage that once drove countless Dwarves mad. The real Old Ironforge is a place of profound sorrow."
Anduin taken aback. He looked at Gem Mountain again and realized something was amiss.
This gem mountain floats in the air, and beneath it lies a massive city, more than ten times larger than Ironforge today.
The city was well-planned, with neat and uniform streets bustling with activity. Countless Dwarves could be seen, but they had all been turned into stone sculptures.
The tragedy seemed to happen in an instant. Anduin used Eagle Eye and noticed that many of the Dwarves still had smiles on their faces.
"What exactly happened?" Anduin asked anxiously.
Magni smiled slightly and said:
"Anduin, Azeroth is more dangerous than you think. Sooner or later, you will become Vessel for some Harbinger. Once the invasion is successful, he will definitely scan your memories. I hope what we see now will make him realize that this world is full of unknowns and we must act with utmost caution."
Anduin dejected and lamented his Destiny.
Magni was silent for a long time before saying:
"Anduin, there's another reason I brought you here. If something happens to me during this ceremony, my brother Muradin will inherit the throne of Ironforge, and I hope you can be my witness."
"What?"
Muradin was startled and could hardly believe his ears.
"Why not Moira?" Muradin asked.