Jaina sensed something amiss. The emotions of the Guardian Aegwynn, honed over a thousand years and originally as unshakeable as a millennium-old iceberg, were now showing a slight fluctuation.
Jaina dared not guess what had stirred the once undisturbed former Guardian.
"Is everything going well?" Aegwynn asked absentmindedly.
"King Varian has arrived safely in Theramore." Jaina smiled happily, a smile that came after a long and arduous journey, like finally winning the heart of a goddess after a difficult pursuit.
But then her expression darkened, and Jaina said nervously, "On the way back at sea, I saw a little girl."
Jaina briefly recounted her encounter with the little girl, only stating that they were evenly matched and did not mention her defeat or begging for mercy.
Aegwynn nodded, seemingly unconcerned. "Don't worry, she's Anveena, the incarnation of the Sunwell. The Blue Dragonflight Kalecgos found her a year ago. Rest assured, she's completely under our control."
It's a lie, a lame excuse.
Although Jaina's ability to read minds was not yet fully developed, and she couldn't determine whether the former Guardian was lying, she had her own sources of information. A year ago, the Blue Dragonflight Kalecgos was attacked and injured by a group of professional dragon hunter Dwarves while investigating the energy of the Sunwell, and was healed by Anveena, the avatar of the Sunwell.
It was later discovered that Anveena was just an ordinary human girl with a little bit of magic, but nothing particularly remarkable about her. It was a cleverly arranged, artificial encounter, and the people behind it and their motives were unknown.
But to Kalecgos's reputation as a complete weakling, they had to conceal the truth that this was a lie.
Kalecgos was weak but loved to cause trouble. With such a dragon gradually rising in power among the Blue Dragonflight, gaining influence, and even potentially replacing the old Aspect of the Blue, Medivh was very reassured. From then on, the Blue Dragonflight was like a flock of sheep, to be eaten and skinned at will.
Jaina was quite clever; she certainly wouldn't dare expose the former Guardian's lies.
"Remember, Jaina, we must be careful."
Aegwynn spoke in a lecturing tone, "Those of us who live in the cracks, obsessed with the pursuit of power, must maintain a pure mind and never be overly ambitious. Go and entertain King Varian, try your best to meet his demands, at least until we meet Thrall, I don't want anything to go wrong."
"Yes!"
Jaina carefully took her leave.
Archmage Tervosh led the way; this relatively young mage was once Jaina's senior.
He was originally a nobleman from Lordaeron, but because of his unwavering pursuit of magic and his attitude of never getting involved in politics, he gained Jaina's support and was put in charge of managing the Mage Tower.
Entrusted by Jaina to receive King Varian, Archmage Tervosh felt this was a sign of Jaina's trust in him and accepted the task with trepidation.
"I am King of Stormwind City, I am Varian, but I am also Lo'gosh. King never rests. Take me to inspect the defenses of Theramore. I must ensure that the damned Horde cannot conquer Theramore." Experiment 335 wore a serious expression, displaying the ambition of someone who had finally become King and was determined to make a name for themselves.
"Inspecting Theramore's defenses?"
Archmage Tervosh scratched his head, not quite understanding what this was all about. He had never heard of a King having such a hobby, and he was unprepared, so he could only wander around Theramore with His Majesty the King.
In my mind, Theramore should be a fortified fortress, an important port city, vying for supremacy over Kalimdor with the covetous Horde. It must have sturdy walls, tall watchtowers, and loyal soldiers.
Experiment 335 encountered a problem as soon as he left the mage tower. He stepped onto the stone-paved road, a stone shook, and a stream of sewage sprayed out, splashing mud all over his pants.
"I'm sorry, Your King."
Archmage Tervosh quickly apologized, but what could he do? The stone roads of Theramore were hastily paved, built with extreme corner-cutting in pursuit of the fastest possible completion. In any case, Jaina never walked on such roads; she mostly relied on flying.
"It's alright, it's alright, don't worry about it."
Experiment 335 didn't care; he wasn't the real Varian, and before possessing this body, he had encountered all sorts of filth.
"King Majesty, we have a fine secret tavern in Theramore, reserved for our most distinguished guests."
Archmage Tervosh lowered his voice and whispered a suggestion, "There's some delicious roasted meat there, said to come from the mist-shrouded Pandaria, roasted by Pandaren cubs; it's incredibly flavorful."
Experiment 335 frowned upon hearing this. Pandaria is shrouded in mist and unknown to most people. In this era, people do not know much about the Pandaren, and most have never even heard of this creature.
Of course, the unknown wasn't the main factor in choosing food. Seeing the King's displeasure, Archmage Tervosh assumed it wasn't to his liking and quickly added, "King Majesty, we also have roasted Tauren meat from Mulgore. You can personally cut the meat from a living Tauren; it's guaranteed to be fresh and delicious."
Experiment 335's face quickly darkened. He recalled his time as Tauren and felt a deep sense of empathy. In just a few years, those proud Tauren who called themselves children of the earth had fallen to such a state.
Archmage Tervosh was taken aback. As expected of the King, he was indeed difficult to please, with discerning tastes. "Your King, what kind of food do you prefer? How about Centaurs? However, the meat is a bit coarse and hard to swallow."
Experiment 335 angrily waved his arms and roared:
"Master, don't you think it's a barbaric act to feed on intelligent beings?"
Archmage Tervosh was taken aback for a moment, then answered dismissively and matter-of-factly:
"Your King, we in Theramore have adopted the most advanced Orcs civilization. Apart from the noble and great Orcs, there is nothing that cannot be eaten, even us humans. I believe this is an excellent tradition that should be carried forward."
"Alright!" Experiment 335 didn't want to argue with him; it wasn't befitting of King. He gave Robbie behind him a wink for help.
Robbie shrugged, indicating his own helplessness. He envied Vanessa, who disappeared as soon as she stepped out of the Portal Vanessa. Archmage Tervosh had assumed the King had only brought one guard.
Experiment 335 displayed a strong personality; he completely disregarded Archmage Tervosh's guidance and simply wandered around the city, going wherever he pleased.
The streets of Theramore are in poor condition, with only a few simple cobblestone paths, and otherwise muddy lanes and dark, gloomy, winding alleyways.
Sewage was flowing everywhere, and garbage was everywhere.
Although there are sturdy stone buildings, they are limited to only a few structures such as barracks, mage towers, taverns, and Jaina's residence.
The rest were all simple wooden huts, drafty, low, dark, and damp. Even the most difficult Old Town Stormwind City was much better than this.
Theramore is a port city that is frequently hit by strong winds; it remains to be seen whether these residents will survive the next major storm.
The residents here are all pale and thin, with sallow complexions and a listless demeanor. They stare blankly at the richly dressed outsiders, and every now and then, naked children run past, covered in mud.
This is Theramore, a large Lower City.
Robbie and Experiment 335 both wore expressions of deep sorrow after reading it.
Young Jaina, an Archmage obsessed with the pursuit of power, would hardly know how to govern a city.
Soon, the three arrived at the city gate. Looking at the dilapidated, moss-covered gate, Experiment 335 was somewhat bewildered.
"Bring me a sturdy long spear."
"This Experiment 335 instructed."