Thrall ate to his heart's content and returned to Serpentshrine Cavern with Vol'jin in high spirits.
Vashj carefully stroked the Node Key, examining each pattern meticulously. Her delicate face paled slightly, and her brows furrowed as she instructed a maid:
"Go quickly and invite Master Lurky."
Vashj's face was gloomy, and she looked very unhappy.
Thrall and Vol'jin were puzzled, and they exchanged glances, sensing something was wrong.
Not long after, Lurky, in human form, arrived.
Lurky is the guardian deity of the Murloc. Living in the deep sea, Lurky often deals with shipwrecks.
He himself was one of the biggest shipwrecks, causing countless sinkings, and having survived for many years, he was also very knowledgeable about antiques and the like.
Lurky grabbed the Node Key, glanced at it, and said:
"As far as I know, the Titans Relics in Draenor are tens of thousands of years old, Draenor scholars call them the Titans Week Era."
Vashj nodded. "That's true."
"No need to look anymore, this is fake," Lurky said definitively. "This item didn't come from Zhou Jiyuan; it was made last week."
Thrall and Vol'jin turned pale with fright.
Vashj looked at them expressionlessly, without saying a word.
Thrall knelt down with a thud and pleaded:
"I'm innocent! I didn't know it was fake. It's all Vol'jin's fault, it was all his men's doing."
Vol'jin's legs went weak, and he knelt down tremblingly. "Honorable Lady Vashj, I have served the Serpentshrine Cavern with all my heart and soul, without any disloyalty."
Vashj sat on her throne, her long serpent tail held high.
"I won't say you've hidden the real Node Key. If you're unwilling to hand it over, that's fine. Just follow the rules. Karathress, teach them the rules of the Serpentshrine Cavern."
Fathom-Lord Karathress scoffed, "Those who act inappropriately will sink to the Frozen Hell depths of the temple."
Thrall and Vol'jin pleaded repeatedly, but Vashj was determined, and several Naga bound them tightly.
The Frozen Hell, the Serpentshrine Cavern, is a prison where the most heinous criminals are held.
It got its name from the fact that prisoners were frozen in the Frost.
Thrall and Vol'jin were thrown into the pool, where a wave of cold air rolled in from all directions, instantly freezing them in Frost.
Then, Naga pushed the Frost that had frozen the two of them to the very bottom of the Frozen Hell, which was three hundred meters deep, piled it with a large amount of ice, and finally poured ice water into the gaps.
Vashj stood at the entrance to the Frost Hell, a slight smile playing on her lips:
"The Frozen Hell is deep underground; no one can rescue Thrall, not even with the Node Key. I'd like to see who dares to force their way into my Serpentshrine Cavern."
Zangarmarsh, Telredor Camp.
Gudan disguised himself as an adventurer and entered the inn for a drink. Two figures silently approached and sat down on either side of him.
One of them was Emissary of the Moon Goddess, while the other, whom Gudan did not recognize, was dressed in a black robe and, judging from his build, was human.
The Emissary asked in a low voice, "Gudan, did you really obtain the Node Key?"
Gudan glanced at the Emissary:
"My mission is to help Thrall obtain the Node Key. I dare not touch the Node Key, not even get close, lest Thrall hide Node Key and then slander me, which would really be difficult to explain."
The Emissary gritted his teeth and complained, "You have too little faith in Thrall."
Gudan shrugged and said, "I know Thrall very well; I have to be careful."
The stranger lowered his voice and said, "If the Node Key had fallen into Vashj's hands, the Naga army would have ravaged Outland. Now it seems the Node Key in Vashj's possession is fake."
"Could it really be that Thrall hid the Node Key?" the Emissary asked uncertainly. "The question is, where did Thrall hide the Node Key?"
The stranger shook his head. "Such an important Titans Relic, given Thrall's character, would never easily hand it over to someone else. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the Node Key was switched before it reached Thrall."
The Emissary, looking suspicious, said, "I personally witnessed the entire process of vying for the Node Key, and I can guarantee that there were no mistakes."
The stranger gasped, "Where did the Node Key go?"
Gudan yawned boredly and chuckled, "Perhaps there's another possibility: that Node Key was fake to begin with."
The Emissary and the stranger nodded in unison after hearing this; this was the most plausible guess.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. I have many important things to do."
"Wait, you can't go."
The immense magical power pressed down on Gudan was immediately taken aback, for there were very few humans with such magical power.
"Are you Medivh?" Gudan quickly identified the other person.
Medivh said coldly, "That's right, I am Medivh. According to intelligence from the Serpentshrine Cavern, Vashj imprisoned Thrall in the Frozen Hell, at the bottom of a three-hundred-meter-thick Frost."
"What does this have to do with me?" Gudan asked, displeased.
The Emissary added, "If we cannot rescue Thrall, we will all face the punishment of Elune. Gudan, you cannot escape it."
Gudan was stunned for a long time, then smiled bitterly and said, "I really shouldn't have agreed to you. What do we do now? Assemble a large army to conquer the Serpentshrine Cavern?"
"It's too late," Medivh said worriedly.
"The Frozen Hell is built in an underground zone of elemental ice, and it moves around with the movement of the earth's crust. Even if you conquer the Serpentshrine Cavern, you still won't be able to find Thrall's location."
Gudan remained silent for a while, then his eyes darted around, and he understood immediately, smiling:
"It seems Thrall is essentially dead. There's only one way left: I look remarkably like Thrall. If I impersonate Thrall, it'll be foolproof. Who would dare doubt that the great Savior Thrall is an imposter?"
The Emissary him a deep look. "Yes, this is the last resort, but before that, we must obtain the consent of the Elune."
In the ruins of the Cenarion Circle, the Emissary found a small shrine to the Moon Goddess.
Gudan pursed his lips and stood reluctantly beside the shrine.
The Emissary knelt before the shrine, devoutly praying to the Elune:
"Great Elune, hear my prayer! Your servants have failed in their duty; Thrall has been Frozen Hell, which is tantamount to death. We have found a substitute."
A soft light enveloped the shrine, forming an eye that carefully examined Gudan.
Gudan suddenly felt as if he had been seen naked, like a naked baby.
The majestic voice of the Moon Goddess rang out:
"He's not qualified. What I need is a ruthless Orcs, with no bottom line, and merciless in killing. Thrall is the most suitable, and no one can replace him for now!"
Both the Emissary and Medivh were somewhat disappointed. The Emissary pleaded, "Please, Moon Goddess, guide us on how to rescue Thrall from the Frozen Hell."
After a long silence, the Elune slowly spoke:
"There is one person who could do it, Illidan Stormrage, but he definitely won't help. Fine, I'll take matters into my own hands and rescue Thrall."
In an instant, both the Emissary and Medivh changed drastically, while Gudan showed great interest.
Elune, is the only known True God. Her power is extraordinary; even a single glance from her can bring immense benefit.
In Azeroth, a milky white light shone from the moon, shooting into the distant universe.
Outland is connected to Azeroth by the Dark Portal, but the actual distance is astronomical; it would take light many years to travel that distance.
The power of the Moon Goddess is unfathomable, traversing vast interstellar distances in an instant.
Soft moonlight poured down from the sky, its target the Coilfang Reservoir.