Durotan's expression changed drastically when his identity was exposed by "Illidan," and only one thought crossed his mind.
How did he know?
Suddenly, a figure appeared silently behind him, a sharp dagger aimed at his neck.
At the critical moment, the Bai Lang covering Durotan's body automatically protected him, and the dagger pierced the Bai Lang, producing a piercing scream.
"So there was another soul."
After his failed attempt, the Kobold Osaid vanished without a second thought, waiting for a second chance to assassinate him.
Durotan, still shaken and drenched in sweat, stared breathlessly at "Illidan," the true soul of Durotan vanishing beneath the Bai Lang.
"It's Durotan who's dead," Illidan said with a grin.
"I am Durotan, I have always been Durotan!" Durotan protested loudly, unable to admit his identity in public.
Velen immediately seized on the evidence. "Illidan, you're colluding with the Kobold assassins; you must be hiding something."
Illidan chuckled and said, "A bunch of ants. I have no interest in arguing with you. You'd better watch yourselves."
Having said that, Illidan turned and left gracefully, and no one dared to stop him. Instead, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After a long Anjing, Taran Zhu was the first to break it:
Even if Illidan lied, and Velen did not collude with the Burning Legion at the Black Temple, it does not prove that the Age of Holy Light will not come to Azeroth. Velen is not innocent.
Chen Stormstout, unusually aligned with Taran Zhu, said, "I suggest placing Velen under surveillance. Perhaps we should have him stay in Thunder Bluff until he is cleared of suspicion."
"This is unfair; you have no evidence against me," Velen tried to argue.
After a long silence, Khadgar said, "The safety of all Azeroth is at stake; we must take drastic measures. Velen, I'm sorry."
Velen hesitated for a long time, as if he had remembered something, and then said loudly:
"Wait, I have evidence that the tragedy of Draenor will not befall Azeroth. Back then, at the Black Temple, the Naaru A'dal, representing the Legion of Light, negotiated with Kil'jaeden's emissaries, dividing Azeroth among themselves. This world doesn't belong solely to the Legion of Light; most of it belongs to the Burning Legion. Kil'jaeden's negotiator was my son, Rakish. I tried to persuade him to repent, but he refused, and I learned of his mission."
Anachronos said, "That's simple. We'll go to A'dal to verify, and that will clear Velen of suspicion."
Khadgar scoffed, "Velen, you're quite the schemer. You knew the Dark Portal was closed, yet you still uttered such a lie."
"You must believe me, I swear on my honor for ten thousand years," Velen said through gritted teeth.
"Your credibility is long gone; you're just stalling for time." Khadgar examined Velen's severed arm. "It seems you've already pledged allegiance to a new master. If we let you go today, who will be able to find you?"
"It's impossible to stall for time in front of me." Anachronos surveyed the crowd. "I'm willing to send you all back to the Black Temple in Illidan's time, to see for yourselves."
Velen was dumbfounded. His eyes darted around, and he shook his head, saying, "That's impossible."
Anachronos said seriously:
"The era of the Black Temple is shrouded in historical mystery; even my father wasn't confident he could lead everyone back. I've made some breakthroughs in my research on time. From my observation, time is linear. All of you here have met Thrall, and some have even worked with him, possessing a spacetime coordinate. If we go to meet Thrall in another time period, find another spacetime coordinate, and connect these two points with a line, we can pierce the fog and find the coordinates of the Black Temple era."
"Which era of Thrall do you wish to see?" Khadgar asked.
Anachronos frowned. "My father, in an effort to curry favor with Thrall, opened a Timeline leading to Year 18 of the Dark Portal, the era when Thrall fled Durnholde. You might as well come with me and witness Thrall's journey to leadership."
Chen Stormstout, said Taran Zhu, "I'm afraid some of us have ill intentions and want to kill Thrall before he becomes famous."
Anachronos said coldly, "Under normal circumstances, the Timeline cannot be changed. Even if you have a grudge against Thrall, going back to his youth would be impossible due to various interferences. However, I dare not take this risk. The complexity of time is beyond our imagination, and we must be careful in choosing the right person."
Chen Stormstout glared angrily at Taran Zhu laughed and said:
"The Vale of Vale of Eternal Blossoms belongs to me alone. If anything happens to me, the Pandaren will all be turned into food by Chen Stormstout. I will not go there."
Anachronos added, "If you might encounter yourself from that era, it's best not to go, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble."
Khadgar thought for a moment and said, "I was forced to stay in Outland when Thrall fled Durnholde, so it should be fine."
Durotan recovered from the chaos. "I am Thrall's father, and I want to see how he grows up."
Anachronos turned to Margok and said, "Mar'gok, I hope you can come with us."
Everyone then realized that the negotiations, intended to resolve the siege of Gadgetzan, had drawn out so many other issues that the main problem had been overlooked.
Mar'gok gave a wry smile; he knew Anachronos wanted the treasures of Outland.
With the Dark Portal closed, there is only one way to find the treasures left Outland by the Gorian Empire.
"No problem, I'm Mastery in transformation, I won't give myself away." Mar'gok readily agreed.
Finally, everyone's attention turned to Velen.
Velen's expression hardened, and he said helplessly, "Alright, if you all don't trust me, I'll go, but I probably won't be of much help."
The team was chosen: Anachronos would lead, Khadgar would be his second-in-command, and Durotan, Mar'gok, and Velen would be the five members.
The group rested temporarily at Thunder Bluff to prepare for their journey to the Caverns of Time.
The Kobold Osaid was secretly following Durotan, preparing to find an opportunity for a second assassination attempt, when he was stopped by a voice.
"You must be Senior Osaid? I heard you've been imprisoned in the Vault of the Wardens, and I haven't been able to find a chance to rescue you."
Osaid cautiously looked around and saw a small, golden- Kobold, a feeling of familiarity washing over him.
Big Candle Gagg, a veteran media professional in Azeroth, is not particularly strong and was unable to locate Osaid.
Gagg has a special method that allows him to vaguely sense Osaid's location.
Who are you? Why do you give me such a strange feeling?
Osaid's voice was elusive, coming from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint his location from the sound.
"Behold my fur," Gagg proudly proclaimed. "I am the last surviving golden-haired Kobold, possessing the ancient royal blood of Kethriel."
Osaid hesitated for a moment. "You're royalty, no wonder you could sense me. I think I remember something, but why are you so small? I remember royalty being tall and imposing."
Gagg gritted his teeth and said, "It was Thrall who used the Shrinking Potion to turn me into this."
"Thrall, the Orcs they mentioned?" Osaid realized.
Gagg, filled with hatred, said, "Senior Osaid, could you do me a favor? Kill Thrall when he escapes Durnholde."