It was an ordinary stone mask, devoid of any magical energy, and the carving wasn't particularly exquisite.
Upon closer inspection, Krasus indeed detected an incredibly strong aura of the Dragon King. Perhaps due to frequent handling, the patterns on the edges of the stone mask were somewhat blurred.
Krasus carefully picked up the stone mask. A terrible Gale over, and a sandstorm quickly formed high in the sky. The howling sound roared in Robbie and Krasus's ears. In the center of the Gale, a dragon-shaped object carefully bypassed the collection in the desert and came straight for Krasus.
"Give it to me, give it to me now!"
Dragon as large as Malygos swiftly transformed into human form, snatched the stone mask from Krasus's hand, pressed it tightly to his face, and murmured in a trance:
"Found you, my darling, I've finally found you."
Nozdormu, the Bronze Dragon Aspect, has dark yellow hair, a neatly groomed long beard, and wears a bronze robe when he takes human form. He looks quite good, but his blue eyes are filled with madness and intoxication, clearly indicating that he is on the verge of madness, just like Malygos.
After obtaining the stone mask, Nozdormu's madness subsided slightly, and his eyes gleamed with a jewel-like light.
"Korialstrasz, thank you for helping me find the stone mask. Please leave immediately before I go mad."
"Great Lord of Time, please hear my explanation. My beloved Alexstrasza has been enslaved by the Orcs. I beg you to lend a hand."
Nozdormu sneered, "How could a mere Orcs enslave the Red Dragon Queen? Even with Demon Soul, it wouldn't work. You'd better get out of here right now. Hmph, you shouldn't have come here at all."
Robbie stroked his chin. Nozdormu, in his madness, hadn't realized that Krasus before him came from the future; it seemed necessary to remind him.
He secretly gave Krasus a wink, and Krasus understood immediately, saying with some pain:
"I need to make a decision. Only a few decades have passed, Azeroth has changed drastically. Many bad things have happened, especially for us Dragonkin."
"You!"
Nozdormu's eyes flickered. Krasus was enveloped in a thick layer of yellow sand, the fine sand flowing slowly as he carefully examined every inch of his skin.
"The power of time and space... I am not myself... Damn it, is this the evil consequence of introducing Orcs? I shouldn't have voted in favor."
Nozdormu's eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed, as if he had thought of something that terrified him. He trembled, clutched his head in pain, and let out a low growl.
"Malygos, you cowardly fool! The Orcs devoured your wife, tore her to pieces, yet you remain obstinate. I see a terrible future: Dragons are merely food for the Orcs, and we will all be eaten."
Nozdormu wailed in agony, his mind teetering on the brink of collapse. This was the perfect opportunity to extract the truth, so Krasus cautiously inquired:
"Malygos says my queen is not a dragon. What... what does this mean? Is it some kind of hint?"
"So the dark memories were real, he remembered them too." Nozdormu regained some clarity, staggered forward a few steps, and turned to say:
"Follow me."
The Gale whipped up yellow sand, forming a funnel-shaped tornado. A huge sand dune was moved aside, revealing the collection buried inside.
"This is."
Krasus was astonished to discover that they were a large number of Dragon Corpse, completely different from the Five Dragonflights races. They must have belonged to other species of Dragons. Judging from the skeletons, they were incredibly large in life, some even larger than Deathwing.
"Look, these are my comrades-in-arms, fighting together against the Dragon King of Galakrond. It's a pity that no one remembers their sacrifice, and I've even erased the traces of their existence. As for their poor people, my memory of that great battle is full of blurry scenes; I can only recall fragments a few times."
Nozdormu jerked his head up. "Someone has tampered with my memories."
"Who is it, and what are they trying to hide?" Krasus asked in surprise.
Nozdormu shook his head. "I don't know. I only remember things occasionally when I'm lucid, but then I forget them again. It torments me. I tried to record my fleeting memories, but they were erased by some mysterious force. Over the years, this is the only one I've managed to record."
Turning the stone mask over, Nozdormu saw a line of writing in an inconspicuous corner. He asked, "Do you recognize this script?"
Robbie and Krasus both examined it carefully.
"This is the long-lost script of the Highborne, meaning: The Maw," Robbie whispered.
The Shadowlands, the Maw, is said to be an eternal prison, imprisoning the most sinful and wicked souls in the universe, subjecting them to eternal torment. If the Ancient Evils here were to break free, the entire universe would be devoured.
Nozdormu lovingly stroked the stone mask, murmuring, "Only it can etch my memories into this place, so they won't be erased, but I just can't bear to part with it."
Galakrond, the ancient progenitor dragon; those Dragonkin comrades whose traces were erased; the Dragonkin slaughtered; the Red Dragon Queen was not a dragon; the Maw— what is the connection between all of these?
"Great Lord of Time, what should we do?" Krasus pleaded in a low voice, abandoning his dignity.
Nozdormu's eyes once again showed confusion; his emotions were fluctuating, and he snorted:
"What does this have to do with me? You already know. Take your friends and leave. I know what you want to change, but time tells me that everything was already destined."
The Gale around them grew stronger and stronger. Krasus used all his strength to barely maintain his balance, while Robbie remained motionless beside him.
"You shouldn't have disturbed my peace, you shouldn't have come." Nozdormu's eyes shone brightly, and finally reason prevailed.
"I remember before the Titans granted us power, Azeroth only had the Emerald Dream, not the Nightmare. Maybe I'm mistaken, who knows?"
Nozdormu transformed into a golden Dragon, rising into the sky amidst a raging sandstorm. This time, Krasus could no longer stand firm, and a pile of sand enveloped him and Robbie.
Robbie did not resist the power. Nozdormu had said enough. The yellow sand filled the entire field of vision. The next moment, he felt the temperature around him drop suddenly. The two of them had left Nozdormu's secluded place and returned to the Sandfury Camp. The fleeing Ogres could still be seen from behind.
Robbie took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, surprised to find that the time hadn't changed.
After a long while, Krasus awoke from his unconsciousness, his eyes initially glazed over, then he suddenly grabbed Robbie's hand:
"Do you remember what Nozdormu told us about, that strange stone mask? Strange, how come I've forgotten?"
Dragons have a very reliable memory, unless something is affecting them.
Robbie sighed, "Let's go, we should visit Green Dragon Queen Ysera."
Deep in the desert, Gale whipped up endless yellow sand. Nozdormu huddled up, clutching his stone mask tightly.
"Lisa, why did you leave me? I will cherish the gifts you left behind, just as I cherish seeing you. To love each other but not be able to be together is the most painful thing in the world."