Rhonin was so angry he felt like he was about to explode.
They went to great lengths to save Theramore, even expending an incredibly precious Titans Scroll, only to have it become a source of income for the Dogslaughter Gang.
Protests erupted from the crowd, creating a chaotic scene Blackheart Gordo sneered, waved his hand, and a hail of arrows rained down, leaving dozens lying in pools of blood. The crowd instantly fell Anjing.
Blackheart Gordo said lazily, "The Dogslaughter Gang righteous, don't push your luck."
Rhonin was furious, but unfortunately, he had exhausted his magic power and was in a weakened state. Any member of the Dogslaughter Gang could defeat him.
Left with no other option, Rhonin went to find Jaina, but after searching the Archmage Tower and Jaina's residence, he found no trace of her.
Exhausted, Rhonin sat by the roadside, vaguely guessing what was going on, feeling like he was a joke.
At the street corner, a blind old man was playing the violin, the music melodious. Rhonin put a gold coin into the violin case and started chatting with the old man.
What's the background of this Dogslaughter Gang?
The blind old man stroked the patterns on the gold coin. "Young man, are you new here?"
Rhonin nodded. "Yes."
The old man put down his tattered violin and said, "It's a long story. Theramore used to be full of factions, constantly fighting each other. Later, the Dogslaughter Gang wiped out the other gangs, unified the region, and grew bigger and bigger. The elite soldiers of Theramore were almost all members of the Dogslaughter Gang, and they became increasingly arrogant and reckless."
Rhonin curled his lip. "Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"
The old man sneered, "Manage? Who's going to manage it? Young man, do you even know what kind of business the Dogslaughter Gang is in?"
Rhonin scratched his head. "Mercenaries, adventure, or trade? Or is it smuggling?"
The old man laughed heartily, "They're doing business with military ranks."
"Military rank?" Rhonin was a little confused. Although he was the leader of Dalaran, he didn't know much about the corruption within the Alliance and the Horde.
The old man said coldly, "There are three Battlefields in Azeroth: Alterac Valley, Arathi Highlands, and Warsong Gulch. They are constantly embroiled in conflict. The Dogslaughter Gang controls Ashenvale in Warsong Gulch. If noble sons want to earn military merit, they must offer gold coins to the Dogslaughter Gang, then go into battle to kill enemies and earn military merit, ensuring their safety. In fact, enemies may even be delivered to them for them to kill. Ordinary civilians, on the other hand, can only be used as cannon fodder, their heads chopped off by the Horde to become Orcs rations."
Rhonin listened with a puzzled look. "Does the Horde really want to cooperate?"
The old man chuckled and said, "Why not cooperate? The Dogslaughter Gang has more power in the Horde, and it's the same over there. All that talk about 'for the Alliance, for the Horde's sounds nice, but it's all lies. They're all just after promotions and riches."
Rhonin felt that the world was a murky current, with sewage everywhere, which made him feel suffocated and unable to breathe properly.
The blind old man, still not satisfied, continued, "The Dogslaughter Gang has repeatedly extorted money under the guise of hunting down the Black Dragon Princess. It's said that only Rexxar knows the Black Dragon Princess's whereabouts, Dogslaughter Gang has hidden Rexxar. To see Rexxar, one needs 100,000 gold coins, and they still haven't gathered enough forty people."
Rhonin clenched his fist and shook his head in disappointment. "Jaina has disappointed me so much, actually letting this cancer grow."
The old man was taken aback. "Young man, you don't know? Everyone in Theramore knows that Queen Jaina is the mastermind behind the Dogslaughter Gang. It is because of her secret support that the Dogslaughter Gang was able to unify Theramore. The guards around Jaina are all members of the Dogslaughter Gang."
Rhonin was stunned for a long while before asking, "Who's on the Horde's side?"
The old man replied, "That's no secret. Eitrigg used to control the Dogslaughter Gang, then General Nazgrim took over, and now it's General Malkorok."
Rhonin felt increasingly ridiculous, and shrugged, saying, "So tonight's auction for escape spots was also granted by Jaina?"
The old man chuckled, "If Jaina doesn't agree, who would dare to do such a thing? Theramore is finished. Jaina wants to make one last big profit. She has her eyes on the wealth of those nobles overseas. Tonight, who knows how many nobles will go bankrupt."
Rhonin's facial muscles contorted. Although he was also of noble birth, he was far less ruthless than Jaina when it came to using his skills.
"Isn't Jaina afraid of being criticized by the world?"
The old man smiled faintly and said, "Who dares? As long as we control the media, no one will know. When Jaina left Lordaeron, she successfully blackmailed the nobles of Lordaeron once. How many nobles of Lordaeron were sunk into the sea by Jaina? Otherwise, where do you think the money to build Theramore came from?"
Touching his empty eye sockets, the old man said bitterly, "I was just as naive as you back then, wanting to expose Jaina's crimes. As a result, I had my eyes gouged out. Who would believe the words of a blind old man?"
Rhonin crossed his arms and muttered, "Looks like I'm really naive."
News came from the city center that the Dogslaughter Gang had taken pity on the situation and voluntarily increased the number of participants to one hundred.
Meanwhile, bad news arrived: after the auction, the Dogslaughter Gang massacre Theramore, and everyone would be turned into Tough Jerky to be fed to the Orcs.
The old man sighed, as if he had become indifferent to life and death. "Over the years, I've struggled to make a living in Theramore. Hunger and cold were commonplace for me. I've been on the verge of death many times, but God helped me survive. Unfortunately, I couldn't escape it all. That's just how the world is. There's nothing I can do. So be it. Consider it a release."
Rhonin lowered his head, feeling deeply ashamed. The old man was like this, and so was Rhonin. As the leader of Dalaran, he couldn't change anything either.
The old man sat on the ground and said with a wry smile, "The Dogslaughter Gang has over ten thousand members and is Jaina's confidant. With this elite force and Jaina's methods, they can establish themselves anywhere, carve out their own territory, and rule as kings. Even if Theramore is gone, she will still be the noble queen."
Rhonin looked up at the clear night sky, where the exiled airship emitted a faint green glow.
"Jaina should have left Theramore," Rhonin murmured.
The old man leaned against the violin case. "Who knows? Her confidants must be all there to oversee such an important event."
Rhonin smiled bitterly, "Of course she left. I can't sense the aura of the Eternal Gate anymore. This woman used me one last time."
The old man asked with a hint of doubt, "Who exactly are you?"
Rhonin stood up and laughed, "Who I am doesn't matter; it's just that after tonight, Queen Jaina will be all alone."
Less than two hours had passed, Rhonin had only recovered a small amount of mana, not enough to open the Portal.
But lifting the banishment of the Sky Battleships is enough.
Rhonin stood there, arms outstretched, smiling as he faced the sky warship.
The power of the Titans Scroll vanished, turning into a silvery-white halo.
The sky warships began to move, needing to find the best position, such as the center of Theramore; the sound of their propellers spinning reached everyone's ears.
Theramore descended into chaos. Soldiers, civilians, adventurers, nobles, commoners, and members of the Dogslaughter Gang Slayers screamed and ran out of the city like stray dogs.
Unfortunately, it was all too late.
Amidst Sharon Songweaver's hysterical laughter, the Skyship began releasing its cargo.
The world turned pure white, the towering mage tower shattered, and terrifying Arcane energy swept across Theramore like a purple ocean. Everyone turned purple, then exploded into pale purple clouds of smoke, followed by a deafening explosion.
Rhonin took one last look at this world:
"It's so beautiful."