The midday sun hung high in the sky, its rays scorching the construction site in Nagrand.
The Lightforging Orcs, shirtless and working diligently, used their short lives to create immeasurable value, their faces beaming with satisfied smiles.
With the efforts of millions of New Lightforged Orcs, the foundation of the pyramid has been completed, and construction of the main structure has begun. Huge stones are quarried from the mountains, shaped, and stacked like bricks, with molten iron poured into the gaps and reinforced with powerful Holy Light magic.
Velen watched the bustling construction site from afar, secretly pleased with himself.
If all goes well, he will soon become the master of this place again.
Velen's plan was so meticulous and thorough that it had a high success rate if Velen were to implement it himself.
Unfortunately, Velen was naturally timid and dared not take the risk.
Suddenly, a bad feeling welled up in Velen's mind; it seemed that he had overlooked some fatal detail.
This was terrible. Velen looked up at the sky and felt the sunlight was particularly blinding.
Just as Velen hesitated, a New Lightforged Orcs handed Velen a box.
"Who sent you to deliver this?" Velen asked.
The New Lightforged Orcs stared blankly for a long time before finally uttering a name.
"Lord Durotan."
What's the meaning?
Velen, puzzled, waved for the New Lightforged Orcs to leave, opened the box, and inside was a Rune Stone.
The familiar Rune Stone — Durotan used the exact same Rune Stone to escape.
Carefully putting away the Rune Stone, Velen finally felt at ease, for some reason.
In the afternoon, when the sun wasn't so scorching, Blackhand approached Velen with a puzzled look and whispered:
"Cho'gall requests your presence."
"Has everything been accomplished? Why is the construction site still so calm? It doesn't seem like anything major has happened."
Velen, filled with doubt, followed Blackhand to the Ogre's Imperator's tent.
Inside the magnificent tent, many of Highmaul's experts were present. The Imperator, Mar'gok, sat on his throne with a gloomy face, and an object sat on the table in front of him.
High-powered Particle Beam Weapon, the Eredar's Extinction.
"Oh no! "Velen's heart sank as several experts from Highmaul approached him.
Cho'gall's betrayal failed, or perhaps he was betrayed himself.
Mar'gok stared at Velen, smiling, and said, "Cho'gall told me this weapon is called the Eredar's Extinction."
Velen immediately turned pale, sweat streamed down his face like a small river, and his legs went weak.
Mar'gok asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why would you entrust such a powerful weapon to Cho'gall?"
Velen forced a smile but couldn't say anything; any explanation would be useless at this point.
Mar'gok sneered:
"You probably don't know how loyal Cho'gall is to me. Ever since you visited him under some pretext, he's told me you have ulterior motives and that I secretly instructed him to feign cooperation with you."
Velen could no longer control himself and collapsed to the ground, his mind buzzing, unable to understand why Cho'gall had betrayed him.
If it really Cho'gall, he has probably already been persuaded by Velen.
Unfortunately Cho'gall harbors the soul of another Velen, and in his heart, Velen from a different era is the greatest enemy.
Mar'gok hesitated, "You are someone chosen by the Naaru, so I have always respected you. But since you intend to betray me, how can I maintain order if I don't punish you? Some have suggested I use Holy Light Frenzy on you, but I think it's inappropriate. Given your understanding of Holy Light, I'm afraid this spell won't be very effective."
Seeing that Velen's face was growing increasingly pale, Mar'gok continued, "Therefore, following Cho'gall's advice, the safest course of action is to kill you."
"Use this particle -Lightforging weapon, the Eredar's Extinction." Mar'gok carefully observed Velen's expression.
Velen could only manage a wry smile, quickly pulled out Rune Stone, crushed it, and vanished.
"It's Durotan!"
Mar'gok recognized the Rune Stone and frowned deeply.
Velen fell from the sky and quickly hit the ground, looking around frantically.
The light was dim, and the throne, covered in thick animal hides, was right in front of him, with Durotan, dressed in Bai Lang, standing beside it.
"Velen, we meet again."
"Where is this place?" Velen asked.
"The Thunderlord Clan, inside Gromgal's bones, it's safe here," Durotan chuckled.
Velen stood up and asked cautiously, "How did you know Cho'gall had betrayed me? And why did you send the Rune Stone ahead of time?"
Durotan squinted and chuckled, "Have you forgotten? I was once the leader of the Lightforging Orcs, and the Holy Light has not abandoned me."
It turned out to be a prophecy received from the Holy Light. Velen, unwilling to accept this, beat his feet and pounded his chest in frustration.
"I don't understand why Cho'gall betrayed me. I'm good at judging people; Cho'gall has a rebellious streak."
Durotan chuckled and said, "Velen, you probably don't know what happened to Oshu'gun, do you?"
Velen was slightly taken aback.
Cho'gall's defeat at Oshu'gun was deliberately covered up, aside from exaggerated rumors.
Durotan said mysteriously, "We encountered a ghost in Oshu'gun, a very powerful being, the Prophet Velen of this era."
"What?"
Velen was stunned.
Durotan said regretfully, "That ghost used the flesh and blood of the Draenei to create a monster, and then mysteriously disappeared. I remember it was he who severely injured Cho'gall."
"Could it be that Cho'gall is Servant of the ghost Velen?" Velen wondered.
"Or, Cho'gall's body has been possessed by the ghost Velen," Durotan offered another possibility.
Velen covered his head and sighed:
"I never imagined that despite all my careful planning, I would fall into my own trap. Why not tell the Imperator Mar'gok about this, so that they will become suspicious of each other and turn against one another?"
"We have no evidence. Mar'gok is not a suspicious person."
Durotan said worriedly:
Even if Mar'gok knew the truth, he would only be cooperating with another Velen, which wouldn't help us at all.
"I'm not reconciled! I must reclaim my rightful place!" Velen clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Durotan said solemnly, "Velen, we are all losers. To tell you the truth, we are only safe for now. But once the construction site of Oshu'gun is completed and the Age of Holy Light arrives, Gromgal will not be able to protect us either. We will all die."
Velen hung his head dejectedly and said with a wry smile:
"Doesn't Argus World have graveyards? If I had known I'd joined the Burning Legion, Kil'jaeden, an old friend of mine, would have been happy to see me change my mind."
"It's not time to despair yet," Durotan comforted him.
"My method is to stir up trouble and take advantage of the chaos. Velen, you're from Azeroth, do you have the coordinates for that world?"
Velen's eyes lit up, his worry turning to joy. "Of course! Back then, we captured a part of Tempest Keep and successfully crashed in Azeroth because we had the coordinates."
Durotan laughed excitedly:
"I see Hope of Victory. The Axe Fall and the Horde's fortress are both deserted. We can rebuild a Dark Portal and lead to Azeroth."