Upon hearing this strange sound and feeling the churning of blood and qi within his body, Gudan remained stunned for a long while before turning over and pretending to fall asleep again.
The night was dark, and the deafening snores of the laborers drowned out everything.
Suddenly, a ball of bright red liquid enveloped Gudan, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Deep within the Serpentshrine Cavern, Vashj suddenly raised her head, looking towards the direction of the blade, her gaze filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Telredor, a Shaman stumbled into High Saurfang the Great's tent, shouting repeatedly:
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! We've detected fluctuations in Blood Magic right here in the Slave Pens."
Saurfang the Great suddenly stood up, revealing a pair of sharp fangs.
"The Slave Pens, huh. Looks like someone rescued Thrall. Can they pinpoint Thrall's location?"
"Blade's Edge Mountains, in the direction of Bloodmaul Outpost."
Saurfang the Great pondered a solution.
Bloodmaul Outpost belongs to the Ogres of the Blade's Edge.
As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. The Orcs and Vashj's Naga are in a hostile relationship, and if they offend the Ogres on the edge of the blade, they will inevitably be attacked from both sides.
Saurfang hesitated for a long time before coldly giving the order:
"Order the entrance to the Blade's Edge Mountains to be sealed off, and kill all Orcs coming from the Blade's Edge Mountains. If anyone is impersonating Thrall, execute them on the spot. All of this is for the sake of Azeroth."
Deep within the caves of Bloodmaul Outpost.
Nobundo and Miu'en stared wide-eyed at the Orcs teleporting from the Altar.
Blood Magic healed the scars on his face, revealing his true form.
Although he looked exactly like Thrall, Nobundo sensed something was amiss and asked in confusion:
"Miu'en, you are the leader of the Earthen Ring and know Thrall very well, so why do I feel like he isn't Thrall?"
After the teleportation ended, Gudan was unconscious. Miu'en looked him up and down, and asked in confusion:
"Although he looks very similar to Thrall, I always feel a sense of unfamiliarity with him. Back when Thrall stayed in the Earthen Ring, he would eat a Shaman with every meal, and everyone was very familiar with him."
Nobundo pondered for a while, "I've heard that the environment can change a person. Recently, a cruel overseer named Gudan appeared in the Slave Pens, and the Orcs are suffering terribly."
Miu'en thought about it and agreed, "The Savior Thrall suffered, which is why he became like this. Besides, Blood Magic can't be wrong."
That put it simply, Nobundo felt relieved.
"That's right, magic is infallible. Even the greatest hero, if thrown into a pile of slaves for a while, will turn from a hero into a coward."
The two reached a consensus: the person before them was Thrall, and before he woke up, they hid Durotan and his wife.
Gudan awoke from his sleep and looked around in amazement. The cave walls were covered with crystals, emitting a faint glow.
"Savior, you're awake. Do you feel hungry?"
Miu'en gave a fawning smile and winked, and a clean-washed Tauren Shaman Gudan.
Gudan sensed the immense Elemental Power within Miu'en's body. As Thrall's substitute, he was very familiar with Thrall's style.
In his early years, Thrall devoured half of the Shaman of the Earthen Ring, Gudan had long heard of, but unfortunately he could not be as cruel as Thrall.
"Never mind, I don't have much of an appetite." Gudan sat up. "Life in the Slave Pens is tough; I need time to adjust. Bring me some noodles first."
The Orcs' cruelty wouldn't change easily, Miu'en thought to himself, and said ingratiatingly:
"Savior, please wait a moment."
The Orcs who had survived brought him some pasta, Gudan ate carefully, realizing that the Earthen Ring had rescued him, mistaking him for Thrall.
The next step is to impersonate the real Thrall, trying not to give yourself away.
Although "Thrall" was successfully rescued, Miu'en soon received news that Saurfang had sealed the entrance to the Blade's Edge Mountains.
Helping Thrall regain his position Warchief would be extremely difficult and would require going through countless hardships, leaving Miu'en somewhat disappointed.
Nobundo came up with a solution:
"Hundreds of thousands of adventurers are now gathered in Shattrath City. If we spread the news of Thrall's rescue, the adventurers will unite and support Thrall's return, giving us the strength to fight against Saurfang."
Miu'en's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, realizing that this was a good idea.
Nobundo then suggested, "Savior 'Thrall greatest backer is Guardian Medivh. Why not have someone contact Medivh? If we get the Guardian's help, Saurfang won't dare say anything."
"Let's do it this way."
Miu'en decided to take a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, he announced in the name of the Earthen Ring that Thrall had been rescued, and on the other hand, he ordered his men to search for the Guardian Medivh.
The Shaman of the Earthen Ring entered the Lower City of Shattrath City and publicly announced that the great Savior Thrall had been rescued and was now in the Blade's Edge Mountains.
The adventurers, concerned for the safety of their Savior, were filled with excitement and cheered enthusiastically.
The Shaman then recounted how Saurfang the Great's perverse actions prevented the return of the great Savior, successfully igniting the adventurers' fury.
Adventurers spontaneously organized themselves to enter Zangarmarsh, where they frequently clashed with Orcs. Conflicts between the two sides were constant, and countless adventurers paid the ultimate price.
Things were going in a good direction, but what Miu'en and Nobundo didn't expect was that Medivh arrived so quickly.
That day, as usual, the two greeted "Thrall," only to find that there was another person inside the cave.
Dressed in black robes, Medivh stood ramrod straight like a javelin. Compared to Orcs and Tauren, he was not particularly burly, but he exuded a majestic, mountain-like aura.
The rescued "Thrall" knelt before Medivh, his body trembling like a leaf, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Gudan was merely a substitute for Thrall; faced with the unfathomable Guardian Medivh, all his courage vanished in an instant.
"He is not Thrall." Medivh didn't even turn his head, his voice as cold as the winds of Northrend.
Nobundo and Miu'en exchanged glances, and finally Miu'en mustered her courage and spoke:
"Guardian, we have used Blood Magic to prove that this person is indeed the son of Durotan."
"Who told you that Thrall is the son of Durotan?" Medivh replied coldly, "Thrall grew up in Karazhan, merely a lowly Servant. I have no interest in investigating his origins. The claim that he is the son of Durotan is nothing but a fabricated lie."
Nobundo and Miu'en were shocked and filled with unease.
"Your efforts haven't been in vain," Medivh said slowly. "Sparing his life might prove useful in the future."
After saying this, Medivh disappeared.
Both of them understood the underlying meaning. After all, even Medivh couldn't rescue Thrall, so if they had no other choice, something fake was better than nothing.
Miu'en frowned deeply. "Although he is not Thrall, he is indeed Durotan's son."
Nobundo nodded. "The son of the Frostwolf Clan chieftain is of immense value; it's time for him to be reunited with Durotan and his wife."
Outsiders believed that Durotan and his wife were dead, and that controlling Durotan and his wife was equivalent to controlling the fake Thrall.
Miu'en approached the fake Thrall: "Tell me, who are you?"
Gudan got up from the ground. With Medivh gone, the mountain that had been weighing on his back disappeared, and he felt incredibly relieved.
"I am Durotan's son, Orgrim named me Gudan, and later, by chance, I became Thrall's stand-in."
Now that things have come to this, Gudan can no longer hide it.
"How do you know who your parents are?" Nobundo asked suspiciously.
"I was born with the ability to speak and to know everything," Gudan said proudly.