"I think Xal'atath is deceiving us."
Vanessa cleanly and efficiently Execute a brightly colored venomous snake, carefully collected the venom, and complained with good reason.
Robbie and Vanessa, with the help of the Bronze Dragonflight, entered the era of the Ancient Zandalari Empire through the Time Beacon of Xal'atath.
Their initial location was a dense primeval forest, and they walked for three days and three nights without seeing the end of it.
Both of them had mastered powerful magic and could easily overcome all the difficulties in the forest, but unfortunately, they could not relieve their physical and mental exhaustion.
"The direction I've chosen will not be wrong."
Robbie said confidently, though he wasn't really sure.
Magical elements were extremely active in this era; even a novice magic apprentice could unleash powerful magic, especially the power of Holy Light, which was practically omnipresent.
Robbie has reason to suspect that the Naaru have not yet monopolized the Holy Light in Azeroth.
The two traveled along the river. Generally, intelligent life prefers to live on the banks of rivers, and if you're lucky, you'll soon see traces of civilization.
The Ancient Zandalari Empire, which lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, and its magnificent era that filled people with imagination, all lured the two of them, making them eager to understand and experience it, even if only as witnesses.
Robbie was lucky; in a section of the river where the current was slower, he found a monster walking upright.
This was a ferocious-looking creature, very tall, but with a hunched back and skinny bones. It only had a tattered cloth around its waist, messy green hair, two long fangs, and its whole body was filthy, making it impossible to see its original skin color.
When Robbie and Vanessa found him, the monster was stuffing a nest of ants along with dirt into its mouth. Upon noticing their approach, it made a whining sound and fled in panic.
Walking upright symbolizes enlightenment and civilization, but this creature's intelligence is clearly not high.
Robbie ignored the monster and used the Eye of C'Thun to scout the surroundings, discovering a small village.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew by and struck the fleeing monster in the abdomen, enraging it. It roared and prepared to pounce, but for some reason, it suddenly knelt on the ground.
A figure rushed out of the forest. According to the description of First Emperor Dazar, this should be an ancient Zandalar man, who was over middle age, dressed in simple animal skins, barefoot, with a handsome face, two not-so-sharp fangs, and hair the same color as the leaves.
"Finally found you, you lowly carnivore."
The Zandalar man drew a bone dagger and cleanly ended the monster's life before noticing Robbie and his companion.
"Honorable guests, this humble Akalari greets you."
The Zandalar man greeted her very politely.
With the help of Xal'atath, Robbie created a scroll in the language of the time, so he could understand the man's greeting.
Robbie and Vanessa both seemed surprised.
Most people would be wary of strangers with strange appearances, so this heartfelt greeting from the Zandalar man is almost unimaginable.
"Distinguished guests, please follow me. My people will welcome you with the utmost respect."
Akalari Proficiency carried the monster's corpse and led the way.
Robbie and Vanessa followed behind, and along the way, Robbie curiously asked about the monster's origins.
Akalari said respectfully:
"Those who offend Emperor Ata will be punished most severely, stripped of their wisdom and reason, and transformed into monsters that roam the wilderness, which we call Blood Food."
Robbie was startled and carefully examined the monster's corpse. It did indeed have some characteristics of the Ancient Zandalar, but its long fangs and ferocious face were more like those of the Zandalar from Robbie's time.
"Blood Food? Does that mean they eat it as food?" Vanessa asked, unsurprised. Trolls eating their own kind was a traditional custom.
Akalari shook his head:
"All Blood Food are forbidden to the lowly; otherwise, they will be cursed."
The village is small, with dozens of simple thatched huts standing tall, seemingly ready to be blown away by a Gale.
Akalari's wife came out to greet him, took the Blood Food from his shoulder, and Proficiency processed it. The Trolls had a long-standing technique for preserving meat; they used a special juice to coat the meat and then hung it in a cool, shady place to dry.
Akalari has three children, the eldest being around sixteen or seventeen years old, and the other two under ten. They looked at the stranger with curiosity, but were quickly scolded and then busyed with chores.
Vanessa offered three magical loaves of bread to the children, but Akalari refused them.
"Honorable guest, the Zandalar people have dignity, and the great Zandalari Empire never accepts gifts from outsiders."
Akalari's wife added, "In the City of the Sky, Emperor Ata supports millions of foreign dignitaries; I wonder if you two would be interested."
"Where is the City of the Sky?" Robbie asked.
Akalari proudly declared, "The Zandalari Empire is vast; the City of the Sky is a year's journey from here."
Upon learning of the arrival of distinguished guests, the villagers generously brought them the finest food.
Most of them were blackened, Tough Jerky with a foul odor, and the best one was a piece of black honey. Vanessa shook her head at the sight.
To avoid disrupting the era, Robbie and Vanessa ate magical bread. Staring at the honey covered with countless dead bees, Robbie asked, "Is this what you usually eat?"
Akalari shook his head. "This food is only for honored guests. The Zandalar are close to nature and depend on the great forest for their livelihood."
The forest is home to various birds and beasts, but those of lowly Blood Food are forbidden to eat. So what remains are wild fruits, plant roots, and the like.
Robbie noticed that this group of Zandalar people made a living by herding livestock and raised a fat, slow-moving creature that was about three meters long and resembled a giant silkworm.
The giant silkworm has snowflake-white flesh, but it must be entirely offered to Emperor Ata.
Robbie and Vanessa remained silent; they were merely bystanders, powerless to change anything.
The processing of the Blood Food was coming to an end. Akalari's eldest son, a somewhat shy boy, approached his father and handed him a stone pendant that he had found on the Blood Food.
"This is a gift I gave to my second brother when he left home. He's the older brother," the boy said softly, pointing to the mangled flesh on the ground.
"Shut up! He's just Blood Food, a sinner who has offended Emperor Ata!" Akalari roared at the child, throwing the pendant far away.
As evening fell, the tax collector entered the small village, first visiting Robbie and Vanessa, reiterating Emperor Ata's hospitality, and then summoning the entire village to convey the king's decree.
Late at night, the Zandalar couple, unable to fall asleep for a long time, discussed things in hushed tones.
"It's tax time again," the wife sighed.
"The tax collectors say that a riddle left by the gods has been discovered in the Crystal Firmament, and taxes have been increased in order to solve it. The City of the Sky is the pride of the Zandalar and cannot be lost," Akalari whispered.
The wife said with some reluctance, "This time, we can only let M'qinba go."
M'qinba was their eldest son, the boy who discovered the stone pendant.
The Ancient Zandalari Empire had no currency; all their produce had to be handed over to the Emperor.
The so-called tax is based on population.
Before M'qinba, seven of his brothers and sisters had already become taxpayers.