The Dalaran Magic Kingdom always been a place where every inch of land is incredibly valuable.
Aside from the Orcs who can freely enter and leave Dalaran, even King Terenas would find it very difficult to acquire a piece of land in Dalaran.
Behind Violet Citadel lies a beautiful garden, roughly one-fifth the size of Dalaran.
This is the private domain of the High Archmage Antonidas.
That day, Antonidas, dressed casually, tended to his favorite Black Lotus.
Black Lotus is one of the most precious herbs in Azeroth, and it grows everywhere in Antonidas's gardens.
A pretty woman walked into the garden and sat down next to Antonidas, sighing.
Jaina was born three years before the Dark Portal. At twenty years old, she was no longer considered young. Among Antonidas's disciples, she was known for her outstanding appearance but low aptitude.
In recent years, Jaina has grown very close to Prince Kael'thas, and her strength has increased by leaps and bounds. Everyone knows the secret behind this, but no one says it out loud.
"What's wrong, Kael'thas bothering you again?" Antonidas asked with a smile.
"I had a fight with him," Jaina said worriedly. "We talked about the Orcs, Kael'thas insists on killing Orcs all. I really don't understand why he hates such kind and benevolent creatures. And he also said, he also said..."
Jaina was so upset she couldn't speak, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.
"What did he say?" Antonidas asked. Elves are known for their outspokenness, and one needs to be magnanimous when dealing with them.
"He said my brother was killed by Orcs, and I should avenge him." Jaina gritted her teeth.
Antonidas knew that Jaina had a terrible relationship with her two brothers, treating them like enemies.
This is common among nobles; Jaina might even be overjoyed that her brother has died.
"Kael'thas went too far," Antonidas exclaimed indignantly, then added comfortingly, "You don't need to be sad. Elves always seem to lack a sense of proportion. Don't you hate him?"
"I can't really say," Jaina sighed softly, "I just don't think he's the Prince of my dreams."
Antonidas sneered inwardly. Kael'thas had even brought out the Sunstrider family's secret Spellstealer Wyrm, just to curry favor with Jaina.
Relationships between men and women are complex and difficult to define; the effort and reward are often disproportionate.
A cool breeze suddenly swept through the garden. Antonidas's expression changed slightly, and he said in a gentle tone:
"Jaina, go and see how dinner preparations are going. Invite your senior brothers; I'd like to treat them to a simple meal."
After Jaina left, her hoarse voice echoed in the garden.
"What, Antonidas, don't you want your disciple to know about your connection with the Burning Legion?"
Antonidas frowned. With Dalaran's defenses, ordinary Dreadlords couldn't get in. If it weren't for the deal between the two, Varimathras wouldn't have been able to sneak in silently.
"Varimathras, we had an agreement not to bother me."
"You're mistaken. My time is precious." Varimathras chuckled. "I've come to offer you a fortune. You know very well that the Orcs have a close relationship with the Elune, yet they struggle to win her Orcs. An opportunity is before you. Do you want it?"
Antonidas's gaze burned. "Speak quickly."
Varimathras chuckled, "Our Legion is divided on Azeroth. Kil'jaeden doesn't advocate attacking Azeroth, while Lord Archimonde covets the Azeroth World Soul. In the end, we reached a compromise: we'll first support a representative. There's an Orcs named Thrall, and I think highly of him."
"Thrall, what is his background?" Antonidas asked.
"He comes from Karazhan." Varimathras raised his gaze slightly. "Son of Durotan."
Antonidas nodded. "How do you want me to help him?"
"A fledgling Orcs needs to establish merit to gain recognition. Durnholde has always been a thorn in the side of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, where tens of thousands of Orcs are imprisoned."
"Need my help to rescue the Orcs?" Antonidas shook his head. "That's impossible. Dalaran must remain neutral and cannot openly break ties."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill them all?" Varimathras sneered. "You haven't become soft-hearted, have you? Dalaran sensed the opening of the Dark Portal long ago. You were powerless to stop Medivh, but you could have secretly sent a message to Stormwind City. Yet you did nothing, watching helplessly as countless humans were slaughtered by the Orcs."
Antonidas, "Alright, that's not a difficult problem. I agree."
To maintain secrecy, Antonidas only brought his most trusted disciples, excluding Jaina, who was close to Kael'thas.
Besides Jaina, Antonidas had a total of seventeen disciples, whose strength varied greatly. To be on the safe side, he always carried the Book of Medivh with him.
The Book of Medivh was not written by Medivh; it was Medivh he brought back from the Burning Legion to summon Demons.
Because this book was always very unstable, Demons would often cross over to it without being summoned, which annoyed Medivh so much that he entrusted it to Dalaran.
Carrying the Book of Medivh, Antonidas was full of confidence and set off for Durnholde with his disciples.
Durnholde.
Just moments ago the sky was clear and blue, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered and the sky suddenly darkened.
Centered on the Castle spire of Durnholde, dark clouds formed a Maelstrom, slowly rotating, interspersed with countless Lightning of Thunder, as if it were the end of the world.
Blackmoore looked at the sky, sniffed, and smelled sulfur and blood.
"This day has finally come."
Blackmoore said to his young assistant with a bitter expression, "Give the order: do not panic. Order the guards to return to their barracks. They are not to come out without my permission."
The female assistant was confused, but seeing Blackmoore's resolute attitude, she had no choice but to carry out the order.
"Also, bring Thrall here." Blackmoore gave a mysterious smile. "Not the one from the Arena, but the Orcs was imprisoned in Living Quarter Nineteen a few days ago."
After the female assistant left, Blackmoore straightened his clothes, picked up his sword, thought for a moment, and then put it down.
A series of flashes of light appeared, and Antonidas and his disciples were teleported directly to him.
Blackmoore said to the eldest of them, "If I'm not mistaken, you are High Archmage Antonidas."
Antonidas disregarded the lowly lieutenant and shouted, "Release Thrall! Free all the enslaved Orcs! Blackmoore, you must pay for your crimes!"
Blackmoore waved his hand, and soon someone brought Thrall to Antonidas.
"Antonidas, I cannot disobey your wishes, but I have one small request: I can release the Orcs in the Internment Camp, but they must leave voluntarily."
Antonidas laughed, "Do you know what you're saying? No Orcs wants to be enslaved by you; they yearn for freedom."
"The freedom of the Orcs is a disaster for humanity."
Blackmoore muttered something under his breath, then said aloud:
"Antonidas, dare to make a bet with me? Thrall and I will give a speech to the Orcs in the Internment Camp and see whether more will stay or more want freedom."