In Robbie's memory, Stormwind City was a clean and beautiful city.
However, in this era, the Old Town where the people lived presented a backward and ignorant scene.
Although Stormwind City is a coastal city, its backward Old Town is clearly neglected by the sewage system. Garbage and excrement pile up like mountains, the Old Town reeks, flies and mosquitoes swarm everywhere, and homeless people on the street corners are covered with filthy termites.
The living conditions in the Old Town are quite poor. Most houses have poor lighting, wooden structures, and cramped layouts, forcing families to squeeze together with livestock.
The Black Cat guided Robbie through the sewage-filled alleyways and said seriously to Robbie:
"Remember everything here: poverty oppresses the people, the hardships of life torment the masses, and the living conditions of ordinary citizens are the conscience of a city."
The prosperity of a city and the strength of a country do not come from the glory of royalty and the revelry of nobles, but from the living standards of the common people, who are the cornerstone of a nation.
The filthy, foul-smelling ghouls of the commoners' quarters indicated that Varian's rule had not taken root in the hearts of the people; he had done far too little and was not a competent King.
Compared to the opulent grandeur of the royal palace, where even the roof gleamed with dazzling light, the walls seemed to be made of pure gold, and silver adorned the windows, the unimaginable luxury of the filthy working-class quarters left a far deeper impression on Robbie.
Robbie still cherishes memories of Lakeshire, the picturesque countryside life. Although the wooden houses were inevitably drafty, they were nowhere near as dirty and chaotic as here. In Lakeshire, it was easy to breathe fresh air.
"It's time for us to leave."
The Black Cat raised its paw and pointed to the wall beside it. Ripples appeared on the wall like water. Robbie and the Black Cat entered the ripples. Just like when they came, there was a long passage with doors on both sides.
The objective: the Dark Portal, twenty-four years in the past.
That same year, Jaina invited King Varian Wrynn of Kingdom of Stormwind and Horde Thrall of the Warchief to a summit to sign a treaty of friendship between the Horde and the Alliance.
However, Varian was kidnapped by Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess, on his way to the meeting.
The Black Dragon Princess, who had been plotting for a long time, wanted to kidnap King Varian, so why didn't she act in Stormwind City she was more familiar with?
How could the Alliance and the Horde pose a threat to the Black Dragon Princess?
Robbie has some reservations about this part of history; if he were the Black Dragon Princess, he would have handled it much better.
The spring of the twenty-fourth year Dark Portal seemed colder than usual.
Jaina disliked Gale weather, which was very frequent in the Maritime Kingdom of Kul Tiras, and was one of the reasons she left her hometown to study in Dalaran.
Now she is the ruler of Theramore, with a climate almost identical to Kul Tiras, and she feels this is Destiny tormenting her.
Looking at the soldiers working tirelessly in the downpour, Jaina quickly sent someone to bring them hot tea. These foreign soldiers patrolled and stood guard, ensuring they wouldn't fall ill in Theramore's damp climate before being qualified to be sent to the Northwatch Hold.
Thrall will surely complain again about letting Orcs eat sick humans.
Recalling Thrall's terrifying rage, Jaina shuddered and quickly wrapped her robe tighter around herself.
Even though her magic was powerful enough to easily break free from Thrall's control, the sight of Thrall biting off her arm still terrified her from the bottom of her heart.
More alarmed Jaina than Thrall, who was far away in Orgrimmar, was the elegant and graceful woman by the hearth, Archmage Aegwynn, the former Guardian of Tirisfal and mother of Medivh.
A powerful mage possesses immense potential to change the course of a battle.
Even if she were unwilling to exert herself, her vast knowledge, the structure and Magic Circle of magic, and the indestructible Magic Shield alone could provide unparalleled protection for a city.
On the surface, Theramore and Orgrimmar are in a state of conflict, but Aegwynn's residence in Theramore under the guise of assisting Jaina has not brought about any substantial change for the Alliance.
History has already subtly revealed the answer to the world: Aegwynn was on the side of the Horde.
"You must be careful, Jaina."
Aegwynn's shrill voice echoed in the room, sounding extremely eerie:
"Battle of Mount Hyjal, the deceived Night Elves refused to give up and continued to wage war against the Orcs. If it weren't for the Bronze Dragonflight and the ancient Blue Dragonflight helping to train the Orcs soldiers, Orgrimmar would have been razed to the ground long ago. Jaina, because of Malfurion, Tyrande has never had any good feelings towards you; she hates you too."
Faced with this unpredictable Archmage, Jaina felt helpless, thinking that she would probably be the same way after living for a thousand years. Aegwynn had complained about the Orcs' terrible situation more than once, but what could Jaina do?
Although four years have passed Battle of Mount Hyjal, the Foolish Deer Malfurion was still a source of amusement for the upper echelons of the Alliance and the Horde.
Compared to Malfurion's laughable foolishness, Tyrande's anger was far more terrifying. Recalling that alluring and shameful scene, Jaina's face flushed slightly. "I don't think there's anything wrong with occasionally having some flirtation with someone of another race. Although I seduced Malfurion and cruelly deceived him, it can only be said that he was too stupid."
"But Tyrande wouldn't think that way." Aegwynn leaned forward, her eagle-like eyes fixed on Jaina. "If I had been there, I would never have allowed you to do that. Night Elves are a bunch of stubborn bastards; you blocked the only possibility of Night Elf talks with them."
"Okay, okay, I knew it would turn out like this, I was wrong." Jaina said defiantly, her eyes wide.
"Although Chen Stormstout has solved the Orcs' food problem, and I occasionally send some Alliance soldiers to the Northwatch Hold to give the Orcs a change of pace, the Barrens have nothing. If we want to wage war against the Elves, we need ores, wood, weapons, and armor. Weapons require open trade, and who, besides those greedy Goblins, would be willing to help the ferocious Orcs?"
Aegwynn said in a shrill voice, "Unfortunately, the Goblins are too cunning. They won't allow the Orcs to pass off stones as ores in exchange for the much-needed wood and iron. They'd rather die than give up their profits. So we must find an even more foolish fellow to trade with the Orcs. Oh! I really miss the foolish King Terenas."
"Fine." Jaina rubbed her forehead in anguish and sighed, "Where can we find a fool like King Terenas? Such an idiot would have been eaten by the Orcs long ago."
Aegwynn sighed as well, and after a long pause, slowly said, "We can only try King Varian."
Upon hearing this, Jaina immediately shook her head. "Impossible. The Night Elves are at war with the Orcs, locked in fierce fighting in Ashenvale. Humans are allies of the Night Elves. Even normal trade would be blatant betrayal, let alone this kind of fraudulent deal. Varian's head hasn't been trampled by Kodos; he would never agree to such a request."
"Believe me, King Varian is a perfect target for deception." The former Guardian's eyes gleamed sharply. "If we can get Varian to meet Thrall, Kingdom of Stormwind will wholeheartedly support the Orcs, using the guise of peace to legitimately betray their allies."