Rhonin thought he had misheard, and looking at Vereesa beside him, he saw that she also had a shocked expression.
Nekros addresses the Red Dragon Queen as his master.
Rhonin felt his worldview collapse in an instant, and a voice in his mind kept screaming: Lies, it's all lies.
The Red Dragon Queen raised her head, lazily stretched, revealing her curvaceous figure, and then suddenly opened her eyes, her sharp gaze sending chills down one's spine.
"Nekros, do you know your crime?"
Kneeling on the ground Nekros repeatedly kowtowed in fear and trepidation.
"Your Majesty, I was wrong."
The Red Dragon Queen's face was as cold as ice. "Why haven't you carried out the tasks I assigned you?"
Nekros slapped his own mouth hard, with all his might, until it bled profusely.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. I sent people to Dalaran long ago, but it was Zuluhed who interfered. He colluded with King Terenas and Uther."
Zuluhed!
The Red Dragon Queen gave a mocking smile:
"He's just a tool. He's not the one causing trouble. Get up, Nekros. Destiny has brought Rhonin to me."
Rhonin sensed something unspoken: Nekros had already sent someone to Dalaran to invite him, but the attempt was thwarted.
"Is it just because of my Holy Word?" Rhonin scratched his head, confused.
The Red Dragon Queen's gaze swept towards Rhonin, Rhonin felt as if he were standing naked in the cold wind, as if everything about him had been seen through.
"You have some value, but not enough. I need Holy Word with a 100% success rate. Rhonin, are you confident?"
Rhonin pondered carefully. Although he could cast one hundred Holy Word at once, he couldn't guarantee a 100% success rate.
"Your Majesty the Queen." Rhonin dared not meet the Red Dragon Queen's gaze, his eyes lowered.
"I can't guarantee 100%. If I were stronger, the success rate could be infinitely close to this goal."
"Tell me your plan." The knowledgeable Red Dragon Queen is not easily fooled.
Rhonin had no choice but to honestly explain how he could simultaneously cast one hundred Holy Word.
The Red Dragon Queen's gaze swept across the room, and she smiled slightly, "As long as you are strong enough, you can cast a thousand, or even ten thousand, Holy Word at once, right?"
Rhonin said in a low voice, "That's true in theory, but increasing one's strength isn't easy."
The Red Dragon Queen closed her eyes and thought for a moment, "If it's just about increasing your mental strength and mana cap, that's not difficult. Dalaran's method involves long periods of meditation, am I right?"
For ordinary students like Rhonin, there were no shortcuts; the only way was through meditation, so he nodded.
"Actually, they have some other methods, such as the Spellstealer Wyrm,' which I know all about."
The Red Dragon Queen took a deep breath, clearly wary, and slowly said:
"I disdain using their inferior tricks. Your teacher probably didn't teach you that the efficiency of meditation is related to the surrounding environment. From now on, if you meditate by my side, one day will be equivalent to ten years of practice."
Rhonin was overjoyed upon hearing this, but at the same time, he had some doubts.
The Red Dragon Queen dispelled his concerns:
"It depends on your talent. Dalaran full of mediocre people, yet they missed out on a super genius. You will definitely make them look at you in a new light."
The Red Dragon Queen waved her hand, sending out Nekros, then snatched the Demon Soul and hovered it above Rhonin's head.
As the golden light descended, in an instant, Rhonin felt as if he had been split into countless small pieces, but he felt no pain.
"Take this time to meditate," the Red Dragon Queen urged.
Rhonin quickly composed himself, and countless versions of himself floated in the air, meditating under the golden light.
Countless versions of himself linked together, forming a vast ocean. Only then did Rhonin notice that the split versions were not himself, but dragons.
Countless dragons disguised themselves as Rhonin, selflessly sharing their meditative mental energy with Rhonin. No wonder the Red Dragon Queen said that one day of meditation was equivalent to ten years.
The Demon Soul was created ten thousand years ago, drawing upon not only the power of the five Dragon Kings, but also the power of countless ordinary Dragonkin, each a separate entity residing within the Demon Soul.
Rhonin's mental strength increased rapidly. Suddenly, five giants appeared before him, all of them exactly like Rhonin.
The largest one was black, staring intently into Rhonin's eyes.
"Do you know the price of power, Rhonin? It's a price you can't afford."
Rhonin was startled, but he remained in meditation.
"You could have lived to be over a hundred years old, with a house full of children and grandchildren. Now, what a pity."
The sound stopped there, and when Rhonin opened his eyes, it was already noon on the second day.
The warning in his meditation made Rhonin uneasy.
Vereesa stayed by Rhonin's side throughout, gradually becoming his support in the dangerous Orcs lair.
"You seem to have something on your mind." The Red Dragon Queen noticed Rhonin's unease.
"I want to know what the price is?" Rhonin asked anxiously.
The Red Dragon Queen coldly replied, "There is no price to pay. The Demon Soul was once Corruption by the Burning Legion; those were all Demons temptations. Don't take them to heart."
Rhonin meditated beside the Red Dragon Queen for three days, and the meditation was very effective. His mental and magical power were now sufficient to support two thousand Holy Word.
Although he was only in his twenties, his mental and magical power had already surpassed that of the eighty-year-old Archmage of Dalaran, since no mage would spend all his time meditating.
Of course, he cannot be considered a high-level mage yet, since he only possesses basic and intermediate magic.
"Rhonin, it's time to show your loyalty. I need you to do a small favor."
The Red Dragon Queen's tone carried an undeniable air of authority.
Royal Palace Lordaeron.
King Genn Greymane has begun to complain, and the Gilneas King has every reason to resent King Terenas.
For example, the royal family of Lordaeron only provides King Greymane with one meal a day, and a small Osmanthus Cake the size of a tofu block is not enough to satisfy his stomach.
Fortunately, the King's attendants were aware of the situation in Lordaeron and brought food in advance.
Then came King Terenas' Pride; the famine in Lordaeron was already severe, and the people lived in hunger and panic.
Terenas, however, still considered himself the leader of the Alliance. If it weren't for the fact that the Orcs hadn't been completely wiped out, King Greymane would have launched a surprise attack, defeated the hungry Order of the Silver Hand, and then trampled Terenas underfoot, showing him who the real power was.
The Alliance meeting was originally scheduled for noon, but strangely, no other attendees were seen until nightfall.
Greymane felt he'd been tricked and was about to get up and leave when Terenas finally arrived leisurely, saying unhurriedly:
"Lord Prestor will arrive soon, Genn, my old friend. I hope everyone can discuss this matter together."
Greymane could only sit back down and look at the frail old man in front of him.
Because he led the way by eating only one meal a day, Terenas seemed as if a gust of wind could blow him over, but strangely, he was in excellent spirits.
"What happened? I have no idea," Greymane complained.
"Like the tides of the Eternal Sea, you are never at peace." A refined voice came, followed by heavy footsteps.
Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, the de facto ruler of Kul Tiras.
"He's here too."
Greymane frowned slightly; it seemed they were discussing something important.